|
Salar de Uyuni tips + coords
Hey guys,
In Tarija, Bolivia right now, about to head up to Potosi, then down to Uyuni, Tupiza before heading back into Argentina. We're thinking of riding our bike up on the salt plains, wondering if any of you have any riding tips how to do it, and, if possible and helpful, maybe some interesting coordinates? We'll only be able to stay for a few days :( happy riding :scooter: |
Would also be interested... rode on some salt flats in Iran, Was allot of fun although watch out for soft spots...
|
Also interested....
I'm also be interested in anyone sharing information about the Salar. I'm particularly interested in any current information about entering Bolivia from Chile at Otilague (west of Uyuni on Rn 5.) I've read some of the routes through western bolivia are rough and I'm traveling solo on a HEAVY R1150GS so I'm concerned about the roads.
|
Years ago I crossed the Salar de Uyuni frequently in a small overland truck. Crossing from Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile via San Juan (among other BFN villages. Stunning desert scenery. Used to overnight on Incahuasi Island on the salt (I believe there's a hotel there now - for the latest, talk to Chris and Suzie at Hotel Tonito in Uyuni, lovely people and great pizza!beer) Crossed the salt to Colca K then down to San Juan before crossing the Chiguana pan, where we usually spent a day having broken through the crust - no fun in a truck but a bike would be fine - while the soldiers at the checkpost on the other side watched through binoculars. Then on to Lagunas Colorado and Verde and eventually down the hill a vertical km or so to San Pedro and civilisation. Spent 3-4 days doing it. Fuel would be an issue on a bike - probably available in San Juan but maybe nowhere else.
A daytrip or 2 onto the salt NOT to be missed, but if you can sort the logistics to go further, the desert the other side is stunning too. Safest way onto the salt from Uyuni was head W out of town towards Colchani and go left onto the pan approx S20deg18'7.8", W66deg56'7.7" (sorry for old fashioned coords, I was young and knew no better!) Incahuasi Island 61km at 283degrees, I think coords were S20deg14'25.4", W67deg37'36.9" Causeway leading onto dry land the other side, if you're crossing, started at S20deg34'34.3, W67deg32'54.3" Surrounding the causeway the "ground" is soft and you could lose a truck in it for 3 or 4 days. (Don't ask!:funmeterno:) I think the salt crossing was 90 or so km, but my memory is a bit vague. San Juan was 50ish on rough roads from the causeway. After that, I remember camping just after the checkpoint with the binoculars, if we hadn't been stuck somewhere! 1 daysworth from Incahuasi to there with plenty of photostops. Play in the desert around the Arbol de piedra if you've fuel. Also v cool place to overnight. After that, leave Oblivia near Laguna Verde and head downhill, where it'll feel like you only have to breathe once a minute! Beautiful place. Hope this helps, but be wary of the accuracy of my old handwritten route notes.:mchappy: Simon |
I crossed the Salar this time last year
Hi,
I crossed the Salar this time last year (beginning of October) to San Pedro de Atacama so here are my thoughts and advice on the trip. When you get to Uyuni I would recommend going out on the Salt Flats for a day to take photo's and visit the island in the middle, then return to Uyuni for a night and prepare for the three day ride. This will mean that you can get the obligatory shots of holding the bike in your hand etc without the pressure to make up riding time. Remember to have sun block on your lips and forehead; the sun beats down on you and I suffered badly. The journey after the Salar is tough but it is clearly possible. Be aware that the 4x4's make much easier work of the terrain than you will so when on the road there will be no-one behind you until the next day - make sure you have everything you might need to survive a night out in the desert. There are plenty of tour operators in Uyuni, we paid one to make two drop off points along the way for fuel and food - we them paid $20USD. Drop one was at San Juan, drop two Laguna Colorada; these are the logical places to stop and both have BASIC hostels. However make sure that the tour operator is stopping in the same town as you on the same night, that way you're not waiting for a 4x4 to drop food and fuel for you in the morning and thus making you lose precious journey time. This is particularly important at San Juan because day 2 is the toughest ride (it was the toughest ride I've ever made - approx 10 hours) and you'll want to set off early. We had to wait for our 4x4 and so didn't end up leaving San Juan until after 10am and arrived at Laguna Colorada well after dark when temperatures had dropped below zero :-( The tour operators can tell you distances between stops but you will probably need up to 10 litres of fuel at San Juan and a further 10 litres at Laguna Colorada. You might calculate that you don't need this much fuel but it's better to be safe than sorry. We had food and water dropped for us too to save us carrying more weight. There is little chance of purchasing food and fuel on the road and be aware that you may need to pay someone to prepare food for you at a hostel, or cook it yourself on your own stove. Make sure you have food like energy bars/banana's with you for the ride. Passport control is right next to Hotel Avenida in Uyuni - which has secure parking for the bike. Aduana is sign posted close to the border with Chile at a whopping 5100 metres above sea level!. Passport control and aduana in Chile are just outside of San Pedro de Atacama - you can't miss them. All formalities were straight forward but I believe you need to pay passport control a small fee in Uyuni for exit stamps. I travelled in the dry season and to be honest the salt wasn't the problem I thought it would be. I did spray the underside of my bike with WD40 but after the journey the only salt that I could see was on the bottom of my bash plate. Shipping the bike from Panama to Colombia was far worse for the bike that the Salar. I washed my bike down after completing the trip in San Pedro. I did have problems starting my bike at altitude; it had dropped below zero at night. Foolishly I had 15/50 oil in the bike and I ride a BMW F650, the injection system didn't take kindly to the combination of oil/cold/altitude. Before you leave Uyuni check over all the bolts to your subframe. I snapped one bolt and my friend snapped an engine mount and three spokes on the ride. The salt flat is the best road in Bolivia, it's flat! The road to San Juan gets tough, with deep sand at points. A heavily loaded bike will make your front wheel dig in to the soft ground. On day two the road from the lake of flamingos is soul destroying. It is hard going all the way to Laguna Colorada. Just before you enter the village at Laguna Colorada there is a check point where you'll need to pay your entrance fee to the national park. Make sure you've kept some money aside to pay for this. You can see some of the roads you'll face in my video: YouTube - Brainrotting: Episode 12 - Bolivia Worlds most dangerous road Che Guevara BMW F650 GS Bike Adventure I have GPS tracks that I'm happy to share with anyone email me: grahamstyles at gmail dot com or use the contact form on my website http://www.brainrotting.com I hope this helps |
Quote:
|
Hi Graham,
you did a good job: very helpfull description! Quote:
Is it really that bad? To be realistic: deep sand is nothing, that we can handle with our bikes for more than a short distances. greetings from Ecuador Panny |
Quote:
The road is *very* scenic and, approaching Ollague, you will see two of the most beatiful "salares" I´ve ever seen, Ascotán and Carcote, right next to the omnipresent Ollague volcano. After crossing the border, head to Uyuni via Via Allota and *not* Rio Grande; the road via Rio Grande, so I was told, has some traffic and trucks. The road via Via Allota is totally desert, with breathtaking views. Doable in one day if you leave Calama early and ride slowly enjoying the scenery. As others have said, if it is dry at the Salar de Uyuni, reserve at least one full day for riding on the salar itself and, if possible, plan to camp there for at least one night. You won´t regret it. Enjoy your trip, you won´t forget it! |
What´s the best way to get to Uyuni? I tried the route from Huari to Uyuni yesterday and the damn corrugations shed the bolts holding my exhaust on. Consequently a trip back to the tarmac was needed to stock up on bolts. By the that point I decided to head to Potosi (where I am now - tightening every bolt on the bike!)
|
Quote:
|
The Lagunas Route
The route from the Salar through the lagunas is not to be missed IMO. dont worry about fuel. You can usually buy barrel gas in San Juan and buy fuel off the tours at Laguna Colorado. If youre a competent off road rider you will have no problems on this route. If you are comfortable in deep sand and rocks at 5000 meters, its not a big deal.
Knobbies are nice to have for this route. Its like riding on Mars, the most epic route I did in all of South America IMO. I rode from Isla Pescado to Laguna Colorado in about 8 hours, 200 miles, but I was really hauling ass and bear in mind that I am primarily an enduro rider. Most people seem to take 2 or 3 days for that section. Camping at Laguna Honda would be awesome as long as the wind is not blowing at sand blaster velocity. It will be cold at night. On the Salar in September it got down to -15C at night. At Laguna colorado it was -23C and the wind was howling. Not very fun conditions to be camping in, but its doable if you have a tent and good sleeping bag. There are basic accomodations at Laguna Colorado if you desire them. Great for getting out of the wind, but it will still be cold in the buildings. I spent over a year riding in South America and this was the most epic ride I experienced, hands down. Into Bolivia, the Salar de Uyuni and the Lagunas | South on Two Wheels |
Quote:
We had a beer or two, read your report and enjoyed the planning of a tempting next section of our trip. Especially the pictures really got us! As usual, non of the fotos looks like DEEP sand... We know this effect: where ever we got really scared and took pictures, it looked much smoother than it was. You mention Holger and Anja. Those names sound German. Do you have any contact data or URL? Panny |
Holger & Anja!!!
Quote:
You´ll find them here...home | 2 auf Reisen see you soon for a few of these...beer Adam |
Hi,
Just finished that run about a week ago. I met up with some other riders in Unyuni, so we did it as group and had a blast. -This time of year the Salar still had some water on it and it really coated the bikes. Plan to go back to Unyuni after a trip on the Salar to wash your bike properly. -Camping right in the middle was great, but seriously cold once the sun went down. It was amazing and completely unmissable. -On Pescado Island you can get food, water, drop garbage, and hit up tour trucks for fuel if you need it. -After the Salar we took the ride down to Chile and it was fantastic- great bush camping anywhere. The towns don't have gas stations, but if you ask around you should be able to find 5-10ltrs around. Same goes for water. -Villa Mar has a couple of places to stay, a welder, and a few basic stores. It's a full day ride from Unyuni on a mix a good gravel, bad gravel, and occasional sandy stretches. -Right before (going towards Chile) you hit the Gyser Sol de Marina you've got customs- look for the sign pointing you to a mine, about 2km off the main road. -The thermal waters de Polgues are a great place to warm up and you can spend the night as well. You might just get space on the floor, but it's warmer than outside. -Honestly the roads aren't that bad and almost any bike should be able to make it. We had an HP2, R1200GSA, KLR650, BMW Dakar 650, and a V-Strom. No one had any serious issues beyond some slow speed drops in deep sand and on the snow/ice around the gyser. -We carried enough fuel for about 500km for everyone, though with what we could find in the small towns we could have made it with less. Most of the tour trucks carry extra petrol, though they charge at least double for it. The bad stuff..... The drivers are terrible. I mean really terrible. One of us was driven off the road by speeding tour trucks and cracked his pannier frame. Neither truck stopped. After we had separated (rest going to Chile me going east along the border) I was driven off the road by a truck passing another with no visibility. I almost made it, but ended up breaking some rear spokes and my ankle in 3 places (I'm St. Pedro de Atacama right now healing). Neither truck stopped. Getting myself to surgery etc was a nightmare. So, be VERY careful of the other drivers, ESPECIALLY the tour trucks as the drivers are really terrible and often drunk (we noticed more than one driver already drunk in the morning at the thermal waters). All and all- it really is something not to be missed. Yes, it takes a little planning, but beyond that, its not really hardcore. Take it slow, watch out for truck drivers, and enjoy the amazing views. |
best wishes for recovery
Hi DRad,
thanx for the good description! My best wishes for quick recovery! cheers Panny |
Quote:
|
More on the Salar de Uyuni and the Lagunas Route
Panny, like David said, None of the Lagunas route is hardcore, except for the altitude. But I would caution that if riders are scared of deep sand it might not be for them. But most inexperienced riders seem to simply peddle through the deep stuff, dragging their feet, which is slow, and a good way to break an ankle, but doable. Some people have told me it was the hardest riding they have ever done, but I reckon that's due to inexperience. If youre a desert rider, nothing on the route is even remotely technical or difficult, except for the altitude. I had a blast on this route and rode like a complete hooligan. If youre a pavement or graded dirt road only rider, this could be challenging for you. If you first learn how to properly ride sand, and get comfortable riding it, the route will be much more enjoyable for sure. This is the typical sand, more like sand mixed with small gravel, not even close to the the deepest on the route, but typical of what you will encounter. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...5_edP7A-XL.jpg This needs no introduction. A unique spot on the planet. After visiting the Islands Incahuasi and Pescado and a night on the salar, I headed directly south on the salar to drop into the Lagunas route. At least one night on the salar is a must do. Better would be several nights and explore all the various islands. Careful exploring some of the smaller islands as they can be inhabited by shit piles of fire ants. Incahuasi is the main island in the middle of the salar. People live there. There is a small store there, you can buy some snacks and all the Cruiser tours stop there. About 10 miles to the northwest is another island (visible from Incahuasi) called Isla Pescado. That is a much more mellow place to camp and kill some time. You might see a couple other overlanders there, but thats about it. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...4_jYs4K-XL.jpg In the above photo I am looking from Incahuasi to the north. That volcano you see in the photo is on the north end of the salar, and is visible almost everywhere on the salar. So, if you get disoriented, look for that volcano, and that will be the north end of the salar. Its a good landmark to know. The southern exit off the salar. It always wet and muddy around the edges of the salar so its a good idea to use the tracks to find the proper exits. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...6_mQv36-XL.jpg Another, much smaller salar. Awesome. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...1_65S75-XL.jpg After this sign, stay right (IIRC) to get to aduana to check the bike out of Bolivia then back track to the main road when leaving aduana, or try a pretty scenic off-road route through the mountains that has some serious hill climbs and steep descents. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...0_Gi7H4-XL.jpg Take deep breaths. LOL! Its a damned good idea to be well acclimated to the altitude before taking off on this route or you will, for sure, be miserable. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...1_DvAEm-XL.jpg And enjoy the view and the riding because its hands down some of the best on the continent, and my favorite section of all the Americas. Its like riding on Mars. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...6_tvLUW-XL.jpg http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...5_QnDFY-XL.jpg Once I got to SPdA, I almost turned back to do it again via some different tracks, but that will wait until next time. There are alot of variations to the main tracks, some more interesting than others, so you have lots of options. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...2_S6hcf-XL.jpg Welcome to Mars. Its hard to breath, its butt freezing cold, and its blowing like hell. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...5_FFVRh-XL.jpg The washboard on the some of the main tracks can be downright brutal. However its much nicer just to get a few meters off the tracks into the deep sand/gravel since its a nice and smooth ride for the most part. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...8_iYr49-XL.jpg Martian Flamingos. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...6_YJR5d-XL.jpg I did portions of the Lagunas route, then got off of it in various places and was able to get really out there, away from the tours, away from everything, properly off-road. I did this solo and it was a little disconcerting because if you get off of the main tour route and something goes wrong with you or the bike, you are in trouble for sure. Several places, miles off the proper tour route, I stopped, looked around, and realized if something went wrong, it would be a very, very long time before anyone came by, if ever. However, if you are solo and stay on the tour route or close to it and something goes wrong, someone will probably be coming by within a couple of hours, or the next day for sure, so you will be fine. Damn David, sorry to hear about getting tangled up with Land Cruiser. Yeah, those pendejo drivers are crazy and dont give a shit about running you off the road, actually, IMO, they try to run you off the road and laugh about it. Fortunately for me, in the deep stuff or rocky stuff, on the KTM, I was a helluva a lot faster than them, but in the wide open I would be pushing 100 mph/160 kph in the gravel to get away from them, which for me is really pushing it on the big bike. Be aware of these assholes, they dont give a shit. Heal up soon amigo, I bet you have a heck of a story to tell...... I was flying by the Cruisers in this section, but sometimes they tried to run me into the rocks when is was passing them, assholes. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...7_uQpTW-XL.jpg It can be very cold as well. Temps varied from 10C to -23C, depending on altitude and time of day when I was there. Bring your sunblock too. You can burn lobster red within minutes of taking off your helmet/gloves. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...4_Usffr-XL.jpg Also be prepared for brutal Patagonia-like wind from at least August through October. That is salt blowing off a lake in the distance. I reckon it was blowing about 60 mph in the afternoon this day. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...3_85HQq-XL.jpg I could out run the bastards in sections like this but I was pushing 90 to 100 MPH and was at the edge of control. But, hitting a section of deep sand, or babyheads at that speed would be painful to say the least. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...4_iFpXg-X2.jpg It was blowing pretty good at Arbol de Piedra as well. I took off my helmet but the wind was blowing gravel in my face. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...3_Nc2EC-XL.jpg More Martian landscape. http://crashmaster.smugmug.com/No-Fu...0_dkxHw-XL.jpg To make this route really fun, ride fast, take lots of chances. Hell, what could go wrong? LOL! This is a unique place on the planet and is not to be missed. I rode around 40,000 miles and over a year in South America and this lonely stretch of 400 miles in Bolivia was the highlight of my trip, no contest. Enjoy Bolivia, its epic and I wish I could go back right now! |
I really could have used these. I tried to go out and explore it myself. way to vast and you can burn through 150km and the point of no return quite quickly. Get a guide, directions or a map. Unless you enjoy riding into complete nothingness with no idea of directions or bearings (which was kind of fun)
|
Uyuni -> San Pedro
This might be something you can do on a motorbike - I am not a rider so cannot be sure.
This link describes the route San Pedro -> Uyuni via Laguna verde, Laguna Colorado Whiteacorn Cheers Rob Blackwell Whiteacorn |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 20:08. |