Awash In Salt: Photos From Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia

With so many photos of Bolivia's famous Salar de Uyuni floating around, we thought it would be impossible for it to surprise us. At an elevation of 3653 metres, the largest salt flat in the world (12,106 square kilometres) was formed when the prehistoric Lago Minchin evaporated. Today it is visited by tourists and also provides salt for the Bolivians, though we are told they still import sea salt from countries like Chile.

Salt dries in mounds on the flat before it is processed.

Unfortunately we only had one day to explore the salt pan. When filmmakers want to depict 'heaven' as an endless expanse of otherworldly white clouds and surfaces, this could easily be their set. We sat in silence as we drove along, staring out the windows and contemplating the vastness of this unique place.

I'll let our photos tell the story for words cannot describe such a location...

Locals call these formations 'The Hexagons.'

Parts of the flat are wet, others drier...

Deep "caves" have formed on parts of the surface.

We visited this bizarre natural island covered in giant cactus...

...and ate lunch on tables formed out of salt.

So, what do you think of Bolivia's most popular attraction?