How to get to Uyuni Salar from La Paz by Bus, Train & Plane

The little town of Uyuni in Bolivia’s Potosí Department has become a destination for travelers from around the world, not for the town itself but for the salt flats of the same name, Uyuni Salar. The town acts as a gateway for visitors to the popular salt flats and the contiguous Eduardo Avaroa Reserve. While the grand majority of people travel to Uyuni from Bolivia’s capital city, La Paz, they do so by a variety of methods- there is no ‘best way’ to get to Uyuni, as this varies by type of traveler as well as by time and money restraints.

Traveling from La Paz to Uyuni by Bus
Buses leave La Paz each evening, with the earliest leaving at 7:00pm and the latest leaving at 9:00pm. This means that night trips are your only option when it comes to bus trips. There are two routes, with total trip times ranging from 9 to 12 hours.

Seats are billed as semi- and full-bed, but this is exaggerated, as even the more expensive full-bed only reclines slightly more than your average airplane seat. This means that the long trip can be a bit rough on the body, but the cheap cost makes it the most popular option regardless of the slight discomfort caused. After all, you not only save a lot of money on the actual travel cost, you also save money by not needed a hostel for the night.

Some buses, such as Trans Omar, Todo Turismo and Panasur offer a longer route vía Potosí, because it allows them to travel along fully paved roads for the entire route. However, at 12 hours total trip time, these take longer and thus aren’t really more comfortable than the shorter route. The shorter, 9-hour route follows a modern highway until the town of Oruro, three hours from La Paz, and then continues along a road that is nearly completely paved but is less maintained, which can cause a bumpy ride at some points along the route.

Most buses offer a meal or snack during the trip, and show films to make the time pass more quickly. Treat any ads offering Wi-Fi access with skepticism- you might get a half-hour of painfully slow access at the beginning of a trip, at most. No company offers Wi-Fi access along the route, so charge your kindle or watch the on-board films if you are someone who can’t sleep on a bus.

Each of the buses mentioned above are recommended, with good safety records and modern equipment. They are considered reliable, but are powerless in the face of Bolivia’s frequent transport strikes, so if possible check if there are any strikes planned for your intended travel date. In the case of the roads being blocked by strikes or inclement weather, your trip will be cancelled for redemption on another day, or cancelled and refunded, so you won’t lose your money, but you could face unexpected itinerary changes.

Traveling from La Paz to Uyuni by Plane
Flights leave the La Paz Airport in El Alto for the small but new Uyuni Airport every day. Amaszonas is the only airline currently covering the route, and due to this monopoly it is one of the more expensive domestic flights offered in Bolivia. Depending on the season and how much in advance you buy your ticket, you can expect to pay around US$165 for a one-way flight. (Unfortunately, the official policy stipulates a rate for locals and a higher rate for foreigners, so you might find lower rates that you aren’t permitted to access- read terms carefully to avoid being surprised by an additional charge at the airport.) Flights are comfortable and take just 45 minutes. If your time in Bolivia is limited, you might want to consider splurging on this option.

Traveling from La Paz to Uyuni by Train
La Paz no longer has a train station, although the nearby town of Oruro does. If you are set on this option, you can take a 3-hour bus ride to Oruro and take a train from there. The train is considered safer in terms of accidents and is also more comfortable than the buses, but it actually takes you more time to arrive in the end, rather than less. Also, they don’t have daily departures as the buses and flights do. However, there are almost always available seats. If you’re a train enthusiast, you can check out the Ferroviaria Occidental website for information regarding timetables and prices. Tickets can be bought in La Paz or at the station in Oruro- we recommend that you purchase in La Paz before making the trip to Oruro, just in case.

Traveling from La Paz to Uyuni by Tours
If you’re worried about what you might miss by covering that distance by bus or direct flight, don’t worry- you can also arrive vía a tour of Sajama National Park, Bolivia’s oldest protected area. The park protects a series of archaeological sites, geysers, hot springs, wildlife, and Bolivia’s highest peak. In this case, the trip would be done by private transport provided by a travel agency in La Paz. However, this option would add two days to your itinerary. We strongly recommend longer tours in Uyuni Salar, ones that enter Alvaroa Reserve and the Siloli Desert with their colored lagoons, rather than a day trip which will only show you the flats. Thus, we don’t recommend taking days away from your time in Uyuni in order to accommodate Sajama. If that isn’t a worry for you, because you are one of those lucky travelers that don’t have to worry about rationing the days in your itinerary, then Sajama is a great option for you.

Obviously, you can also arrange a tour of Uyuni Salar from La Paz, which eliminates any need for you to arrange transport. Our own travel agency in La Paz, Pirwa Travel / Inca World, offers full-day tours of Uyuni Salar and three-day tours. (We can also create custom tours.) As some people prefer to book a tour from Uyuni, our base price considers Uyuni to be the departure and arrival city, but we can also arrange tours with La Paz as the departure and arrival city. You can contact us at pirwatravel@gmail.com for more information.