Uyuni III - Geysers, Hot Pools, Volcanos

The last day of our Uyuni tour started very early. More specifically, we woke up at 4.15am and after breakfast promptly set off to our first stop at 5am. Naturally, we were all quite sleepy and even though Maria and I had to squeeze into the back of the truck, we managed to get some more nap time together, while we were driving through the darkness.

However, as soon as the sun was rising behind the horizon, our animal spirits started to wake up and after an hour of driving, we arrived at our first stop - 'geysers'. The landscape looked straight out of a movie, as there were quite a few geysers out of which hot steam blew out. We wandered around and explored a few pathways that led us right in between some of these holes. With the warm sunlight shining upon us, it made for some mystic photos.

Then it was time to finally properly relax as we were heading to some hot springs. En route, we were keeping taps of whether we would crack the 5000m in altitude, but unfortunately, the highest point of this tour 'only' got us to 4950m something. Still, quite a cool thought thinking that we were casually driving higher than the highest point in Europe or Central America.

Once we arrived at the hot springs, we quickly changed into our swimsuits and went into the hot water. It felt as if the warm hands of angels were touching our skin and everyone let out a big sigh of relief. And the views were amazing as well, with flamingos parading in a lake in the distance and mountains surrounding the pool. It simply was a beautiful sight.

After a very relaxing 45 minutes in the hot pools, we were heading to the Salvador Dali desert. It was named after the famous painter because apparently the colours and motives of the desert and the mountains resemble some of his paintings. In all honesty, I was very sceptical and didn't see any striking similarities. Plus, Dali never came here, so I am not sure if he had approved. But then, I wouldn't say no to having a desert named after me, to be honest. Plus, it was still a gorgeous view, so no complaints here.

Then it was time for our last stop on the tour. Getting out of the car, a rough but beautiful landscape unfolded in front of us. Picture a perfectly-shaped volcano in the background, a large lake in front of it and blue skies. And then adding Maria in the photo was, of course, the last missing piece for a picture-perfect scene.

It was a fitting end to a tour that I will remember for the rest of my life. The landscapes we drove through - from the Uyuni Salt Flats to the petrified corals, colourful lakes, geysers - truly made us feel as if we were on a different planet. Maybe Mars. It is hard to fathom that places like this exist on earth. Yes, it was long driving at times (esp the second day), but it was all very much worth it. And with Maria, Ruud and Kim, I had the best company as well, making this tour unforgettable.

So, after the last stop, we said goodbye to our guide and were heading to the Chilean border, which was truly in the middle of nowhere. Could've just driven around it to be honest. But after an endless wait, we got our passports stamped and were all heading to the desert town of San Pedro de Atacama in Chile, where new adventures would await us. Chile, let's see what you got.Weiterlesen