Salt Flats Sunset

Image no. BOL0201: Salt Flats Sunset.  Dec. 2004.  Mamiya 645AFD.  Image specs: 3279 × 2158 pixels, 5.4 MB file size.

This is an island called Isla de Pescado (Fish Island), full of cacti, in the middle of the largest salt flats in the world called Salar de Uyuni in southwestern Bolivia.  A U.S. National Park Ranger, whom I’d met in Canyonlands National Park the year before, accompanied me on this road trip, and we camped at this island that night.  Depending on the season, the flats are relatively dry or covered with a couple of inches of water.  Tours need experienced guides due to the danger of driving onto a thin crust of salt that hides deep and wide potholes.  Many go-it-alone adventurers get stuck in the middle of nowhere (4,000 sq. miles of salt flats).