When visiting the Salt Flats in Bolivia, there are two popular options to choose from. I honestly really didn’t know much about these tour options beforehand, and I wish that I had looked into them more. I figured that 2 days would be enough time, as we were booking a bunch of flights in a row (multi-leg journey). We allocated 2 days in Uyuni to see the salt flats over a weekend in late August. It was only after booking the flights that I learned about the popular 3-Day tour option. Now don’t get me wrong, I truly loved our 1-day Salt Flat tour. It’s honestly one of my favourite travel experiences. With that said, I do think it’s certainly worth comparing the 1-day vs 3-day Uyuni tours to truly see which one is best for you! Definitely plan your tour trip first at the same time as your transportation – and not one without the other, as we did.
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The Honest Truth: One Landscape vs. An Entire Region
When it comes to comparing a 1-day vs 3-day Uyuni Tour, you are looking at two completely different experiences. If you go on the 1-day salt flat tour as we did, then you are solely experiencing the large open salt flat itself. You’ll visit different areas on the salt flat, see the salt hotel, large salt sculptures and the Isla Incahuasi. It’s truly a full-day experience! Our tour lasted from 9:45 am until 7:45 am for a total of 10 hours!
If you choose the 3-day tour, then you get to cover much more ground. You will actually experience the region and not just the salt flat itself. This is where you’ll see things like beautiful lagoons, visit the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve, hot springs and visit the Dali Desert. With this type of tour, it’s so much more in-depth, where you truly experience the amazing landscapes and regions that Bolivia has to offer. You’ll also get to see wildlife, such as the abundance of flamingos that are visiting the lagoons in this region.
1-Day vs 3-Day Uyuni Tour: General Comparison
| 1-Day Tour | 3-Day Tour | |
| Cost (Approximate from Group Tours to Private Tours & Per Person) | $75 – $200 USD | $230 – $1800 USD |
| Sights Covered (General Overview) | – Train Cemetery – Colchani + Salt Museum – Salt Flats – Playa Blanca Salt Museum (Salt Hotel) – Daka Monument – Plaza de las Banderas (Flag Island) – Esculturas y Monumentos de Sal (Salt Sculpture Park) – Sunset | – Everything From 1-Day Tour – Chiguana Desert – Ollagüe Volcano Viewpoint – Lagoons – Flamingos – Silloli Desert – Stone Tree – Sol de Mañana Geothermal Geysers – Salvador Dalí Desert |
| Lodging | Hotel in Uyuni (booked on your own) | Hostel or Hotel (arranged by the tour company) |
| Border Transfer Option (Chile) | No | Maybe (Tour Company Dependent) |
What the 1-Day Uyuni Salt Flat Tour Includes
We chose to do the 1-Day Uyuni Salt Flat Tour as a private tour through Andes Cosmovision. It honestly exceeded my expectations, which were already quite high! We went on this tour in August of 2026, meaning that we were going during the dry season. During this season, you’ll typically see the white hexagons all over the salt flats. And while we did see this, due to rain and snow the previous week, there were large pockets of water on the salt flats. This meant that we also saw the mirror effect that is well known during the wet season. It was pretty unique to experience both.
We began our tour with our guide Victor around 9:45 am, which is actually a bit earlier than the typical start time around 10:30 am. We requested this as we didn’t want to be on the same timeline as all of the other tour groups. This worked out well, as by the time we finished our first stop at the Train Cemetery, we saw several tour company trucks pulling up to begin their tour.
Key Highlights
We originally planned to join a group tour for this 1-Day Tour Experience. Instead, we ended up booking a private tour. I loved the flexibility we had as it allowed us to leave a little earlier. Most places weren’t crowded at all (it was also the low season), and our tour guide Victor was amazing!
Our tour lasted for 10 hours with the following stops:
- Train Cemetery
- Colchani + Salt Museum
- Dakar Monument
- Playa Blanca Salt Museum (Salt Hotel)
- Plaza de las Banderas (Flag Island)
- Lunch (Near the Salt Hotel)
- Esculturas y Monumentos de Sal (Sculpture Park)
- Mirror Photography/Videography
- Perspective Photos
- Sunset Appetizers + Wine Experience
Note: We originally wanted to visit Isla Incahuasi as well. However, due to the weather and flooding the previous week, this was not advised. In the end, we still had a full 10-hour tour, so I’m not even sure how we would have fit it all in!
| Pros of the 1-Day Tour | Cons of the 1-Day Tour |
| – More budget-friendly – Stayed in a comfortable hotel in Uyuni – Private room | – Missed out on seeing more of this region – Not seeing the lagoons, geysers, flamingos, and volcano viewpoints |
What the 3-Day / 2-Night Uyuni Tour Adds
With the 3-Day/2-Night Uyuni Tour, you experience the same as the 1-Day tour. The tour then adds 2 more days of amazing experiences. Each tour company may operate the tour a little bit differently. Things like the order they visit certain destinations, the types of accommodation included, and optional departure endpoints. While much of the tour remains the same, these key differences are certainly worth noting and can help you determine which company you’d like to go with. Here is a general* overview of what you can expect from a 3-Day tour.
Key Highlights of the 3-Day / 2-Night Uyuni Tour
Day 1: Will largely resemble that of a 1-day tour. You’ll visit the train cemetery and drive onto the salt flats. Next, you’ll get a chance to see the Playa Blanca Salt Hotel, Flag Island, Dakar Monument, and Isla Incahuasi. Finally, you’ll wind down at a hotel near Colchani for the evening, with possible accommodation options for a private or shared room.
Day 2: The tour travels to the Chiguana Desert, where you’ll get to see an amazing viewpoint of Ollagüe Volcano and visit the Altiplanic lagoons. These are high-altitude colourful lagoons that even have flamingos! The afternoon will bring you to the Silloli Desert, where you’ll see the Stone Tree and finally Laguna Colorada. Again, in the evening, your accommodation will vary between a hostel and a hotel with a private or shared room.
Day 3: You’ll begin your morning quite early, visiting the Sol de Mañana geothermal geysers and viewing the boiling hot mud pools. You’ll have a chance to visit the Polques Hot Springs (thermal baths). In the afternoon, you’ll head to the Salvador Dalí Desert, visiting Laguna Verde and Laguna Blanca before making your way to your departure point. Some tours will provide you with an option to continue on to Chile, or you’ll make your way back to Uyuni.
| Pros of the 3-Day Tour | Cons of the 3-Day Tour |
| – You’ll explore more diverse landscapes and regions of Bolivia – You’ll see natural wildlife in Bolivia, such as the flamingos – You may have the option to continue travelling to Chile | – More physically demanding – Accommodation may only have shared bathrooms or unheated rooms (some accommodation, however, may provide private rooms with heating) – More expensive – Higher altitude (could experience altitude sickness) |
Key Factors to Help You Decide
1. Your Time & Schedule Constraints
If you are tight on time and only have 1-2 days, then you’ll certainly want to book the 1-day tour. It honestly is worth the trip even for a 1-day excursion. We loved our experience booking with Andes Cosmovision. It was truly an amazing experience spending the day on the largest salt flat in the world! If you book a private tour, you’ll also get a chance to customize your tour and have a flexible departure time. This worked out so well for us, and we appreciated the flexibility that our tour had.
2. Altitude Tolerance & Physical Comfort
We understand firsthand what the altitude was like when we first arrived in La Paz, Bolivia. We are not used to being at such a high altitude, so it took us a good 4-5 days to get used to the elevation. By the time we went to Uyuni, we were already pretty used to the elevation, but we still noticed that we were moving a bit slower than usual. If you are worried about the altitude, it may be important to consider which tour works best for you. The 1-Day tour reaches approximately 3,670m and the 3-Day tour reaches up to 4,900m. You can always consult with your doctor about the altitude and inquire with the tour company about what to expect for each of the tours.
3. Route & Onward Travel (Bolivia to Chile)
The 1-Day tour begins and ends in Uyuni. However, with the 3-Day tour, you may have the option to continue on to Chile. If you are travelling into Chile next anyway, then this may be a good option for you to consider.
Which Tour Is Right for You? The 1-Day vs 3-Day Unyni Tour
Book the 1-Day Tour If: You are looking for a low-key, relaxing day on the Salt Flats. This is ideal if you are short on time, travelling with others who may not be up for a more physically demanding tour, or want to stay in a comfortable hotel in Uyuni.
Book the 3-Day Tour If: You have the additional time and you want to experience a greater region in Bolivia. If you’re looking to see the wild flamingos and geysers (hot springs), and want to see the colourful and stunning lagoons.
Regardless of the tour you take, you’ll be spending a full day on the Salt Flats and experiencing the largest salt flat on Earth. If we had more time, I think we would have chosen the 3-Day tour experience. I would have loved to have seen the colourful lagoons, volcano viewpoints, and flamingos. With that said, we did still have an amazing experience for our 1-Day tour from Uyuni. Our experience was wonderful, our hotel was amazing, and it was still 100% worth the trip from La Paz!
FAQ’s About Uyuni Tours
Is there a 2-day tour option in Uyuni?
Yes, there is a 2-Day tour option that we did actually seriously look into, as we were in town for 2 days. Not all companies provide this tour, as the most popular ones are the 1-Day and 3-Day tours. Some of the 2-Day tours include seeing the Tunupa Volcano, which we were interested in. When we inquired about this in August, we were informed that there was flooding nearby and it would not be accessible. Another popular 2-day option is to visit the Tomave Hot Springs and the Green Lagoon, the Valley of Rocks and more. While we did consider this, we still weren’t quite sold on it, as we would have preferred the full 3-Day experience instead. In the end, we decided to spend a bit more and do the 1-Day Private Tour option instead of the 1-Day Group Tour Option.
Are there Stargazing Tours on the Salt Flats?
There are! We originally had looked into booking this stargazing tour. However, with the full moon that was happening while we were there, it wasn’t a great stargazing night. We were a little disappointed, as it would have been such an incredible experience! It would have been cold, though, especially when visiting during the winter season in August. In the end, we didn’t book this tour, but we still did see some beautiful stars from the Uyuni while walking back to our hotel.
Should I book my tour online or wait until I arrive in town?
This is a tough question to answer, because it might be more season-dependent. I had been researching different tour companies ahead of our arrival, but we ultimately decided the day we arrived. Now, we went during the low season, so we had no issues finding available tours, and all companies we talked to asked us if we wanted to go that same day, as we had flown in the early morning from La Paz. During the high season (Dec-Apr), we did learn that it does get quite busy, so I would recommend booking online ahead of time; that way you’ll have your tour secured, and you won’t have to worry about it being sold out. Most group tours only accommodate 6 people in a small group, as they only have limited seats per vehicle.
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Final Thoughts on Choosing Between the 1-Day vs 3-Day Uyuni Tours
Regardless of which tour option you choose, you will most certainly have an incredible experience. Visiting the Salt Flats in Bolivia was a bucket-list experience for me, and I loved it! While we most likely would have booked the 3-Day Tour if we had enough time, we were still very impressed with our 1-Day Private Tour through Andes Cosmovision. I think it really just comes down to the amount of time you have to spend in this region, how comfortable you are with the altitude, and the amount of walking/hiking you are looking to do. Either way, there are so many tour options available. I recommend you reach out to a few different companies that you are interested in. Ask all the questions you have and then make the best decision for you!
