Day Trip to Uyuni Salt Flats provided by Red Planet Expedition - Day Trip
Day Trip to Uyuni Salt Flats
Day Trip to Uyuni Salt Flats
4
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Not sure? You can cancel this booking up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
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Tour snapshot
4WD tour of the Uyuni salt flats covers key Bolivian landmarks
Duration:
7h
Hotel pickup offered
Group size:
10
Ticket type:
Mobile
Free cancellation
- Duration:7h
- Hotel pickup offered
- Group size:10
- Ticket type:Mobile
- Free cancellation
About
Explore the Uyuni salt flats on a 4WD tour that covers some of the city’s highlights, from a graveyard of rusting trains to an island filled with giant cactus and rock formations. This Uyuni tour includes lunch inside a hotel made entirely from salt, with stops to check out geometric salt patterns and take classic perspective photos above the massive salt flats.
Know before you go
- Duration: 7h
- Mobile tickets accepted
- Instant confirmation
Cancellation policy
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
Available languages
English, Spanish
Highlights
- Great opportunities to take fun perspective photos
- Tour a hotel made entirely from blocks of salt
- Enjoy lunch on the flats, dining in a dramatic location
What to expect
Meet a driver for a morning departure and then set out across the Uyuni salt flats in a 4WD vehicle. The first stop of the day is the Uyuni train graveyard, where Bolivia’s first trains are rusting into a surreal landmark. Then see a salt miners’ workshop in Colchani.
Continue onto the salt flat itself, passing salt mining operations and the “eyes of the salt” on your way to a fascinating salt hotel. Tour the rooms, see salt sculptures, and pause for an included lunch in the hotel.
From there, head to Inca Wasy Island to see cactus, rock formations, and petrified coral, stopping to take plenty of classic Uyuni perspective photos. Then catch a stunning sunset before returning to Uyuni.
Know before you go
- Duration: 7h
- Mobile tickets accepted
- Instant confirmation
Available languages
English, Spanish
Cancellation policy
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
Highlights
- Great opportunities to take fun perspective photos
- Tour a hotel made entirely from blocks of salt
- Enjoy lunch on the flats, dining in a dramatic location
What to expect
Meet a driver for a morning departure and then set out across the Uyuni salt flats in a 4WD vehicle. The first stop of the day is the Uyuni train graveyard, where Bolivia’s first trains are rusting into a surreal landmark. Then see a salt miners’ workshop in Colchani.
Continue onto the salt flat itself, passing salt mining operations and the “eyes of the salt” on your way to a fascinating salt hotel. Tour the rooms, see salt sculptures, and pause for an included lunch in the hotel.
From there, head to Inca Wasy Island to see cactus, rock formations, and petrified coral, stopping to take plenty of classic Uyuni perspective photos. Then catch a stunning sunset before returning to Uyuni.Need help booking?
Call the number below and use the product code: 40568P1
Important information
Inclusions
- Lunch
- Professional guide
- All activities
- Wine tasting
- Hotel drop-off
- Hotel pickup (selected hotels only)
Exclusions
- Entrance fees to the park (30bs per person)
- Entry/Admission - Train Cemetery
Duration
7h
Departure details
- Traveller pickup is offered.
- we pick up from any hotel in Uyuni
- Avenida Ferroviaria, 5, Uyuni, Bolivia MAIN STREET FERROVIARIA AVENUE
- Hotel pickup is offered. View the hotel list on our checkout page to see if yours is included among the pickup points.
Additional information
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not recommended for pregnant travellers
- CHECK IN IS AT 10:00 AM
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants
- It is important to understand that the Isla Inca Wasi is NOT available in the rainy season (January until March) unless specified by our company
- One guide is divided between two cars ( 1 Guide for 12 people max )
- All cars in the company are equiped with Radios to comunicate between eachother
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travellers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travellers
Inclusions
- Lunch
- Professional guide
- All activities
- Wine tasting
- Hotel drop-off
- Hotel pickup (selected hotels only)
Exclusions
- Entrance fees to the park (30bs per person)
- Entry/Admission - Train Cemetery
Departure details
- Traveller pickup is offered.
- we pick up from any hotel in Uyuni
- Avenida Ferroviaria, 5, Uyuni, Bolivia MAIN STREET FERROVIARIA AVENUE
- Hotel pickup is offered. View the hotel list on our checkout page to see if yours is included among the pickup points.
Duration
7h
Return details
- Returns to original departure point
Additional information
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not recommended for pregnant travellers
- CHECK IN IS AT 10:00 AM
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants
- It is important to understand that the Isla Inca Wasi is NOT available in the rainy season (January until March) unless specified by our company
- One guide is divided between two cars ( 1 Guide for 12 people max )
- All cars in the company are equiped with Radios to comunicate between eachother
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travellers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travellers
Itinerary
- You'll start atAvenida FerroviariaOr, you can also get picked upSee Important Information for details
- 1Train CemeteryStop: 2 hours - Admission excludedSee details
- 2Salar de UyuniStop: 5 hoursSee details
- You'll return to the starting point
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
4.0
581 reviews
Excellent
342
Very good
115
Average
48
Poor
32
Terrible
44
Andreas S
3 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
We did our day excursion to the Salar of Uyuni with the agency Incahuasi. This was a great experience from the first moment until the end. They provided us with a driver called Armando who also works for Sol de Mañana. He did such an amazing job that we would like to write a review also directly for him.
He was fully involved and made all efforts to make us happy. He took amazing and funny pictures of us in the Salar. We will thus have super memories and souvenirs of our day in the Salar of Uyuni.
Since we heard many bad reviews of drivers who just leave you at some place to get by on your own, it is important to know that there are drivers who take their job really seriously.
Thank you very much again Armando for this unforgettable trip and for the great job you did.
He was fully involved and made all efforts to make us happy. He took amazing and funny pictures of us in the Salar. We will thus have super memories and souvenirs of our day in the Salar of Uyuni.
Since we heard many bad reviews of drivers who just leave you at some place to get by on your own, it is important to know that there are drivers who take their job really seriously.
Thank you very much again Armando for this unforgettable trip and for the great job you did.
Written 1 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Janette
Los Angeles, CA6 contributions
Feb 2020
Excellent service from start to end. Really nothing we can complain about; communication was straight forward, the guide was very friendly, the drive & the car war safe and we had a great group. The scenery was undoubtedly the most beautiful I've seen in my life, 5*!
Written 30 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Esther M
9 contributions
Jan 2020
First I would like to say that the Uyuni Salt Flats are incredible. A must-see if you are in Bolivia or a neighboring country. Our drivers with Red Planet were good and spoke English. They spent time with us taking pictures and videos and found us some good spots. The lunch was average. The one thing I would change is how much time we spent for lunch/shopping. Other than that it was a great experience.
Written 12 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
c m
London, UK2 contributions
Jun 2013 • Couples
We spent days researching the best travel agency to go with aswe knew this was a once in a lifetime experience and we wanted it to be the best it could be. After doing A LOT of research we decided to go with red planet tours, we thought we were paying a premimum price for the best service but this was not so!
We basically paid the extra money (1200 bolivianos each, almost double what most companies charge) because we thought it would be good to have an English speaking guide, little did we know he would be in another truck so we did not actually get any information from him on the journey and when we did stop he did not even tell us anything about where we were.
Secondly we paid extra money for our transfer to Chile, this also did not materialise! Our guide on the day of the transfer told us we would have to pay him extra money if we wanted to have our transfer, money which we did not have! He was asking for 200 bolivianos per person and told us that was the price of the ticket but when we told him we did not have that much he started screaming in our faces and swearing at us. He threatened to take us back to Uyuni and continued screaming in our faces until he then came up with some lies about exchange rates between Bolivia and Chile and then reduced the price of the tickets!!!!!
When we got to the border he told us he had had a radio messege through from head office (something he had previously told us was impossible) saying that they had actually already purchased our tickets!
We waited at the border until a bus turned up and he loaded us on it saying this was our transport. When we arrived in Chile we were told by the bus company that we hadn't had tickets and that Gonzales our guide had told them thatwe would pay on arrival into Chile.
The company have no form of customer service and despite many people in our group complaining we never heard a word back from red planet.
Basically Gonzales is a massive lair and was completely useless as a guide anyway!
My advice is go with a cheap and cheerful company and you really dont need an english speaking guide anyway.
We basically paid the extra money (1200 bolivianos each, almost double what most companies charge) because we thought it would be good to have an English speaking guide, little did we know he would be in another truck so we did not actually get any information from him on the journey and when we did stop he did not even tell us anything about where we were.
Secondly we paid extra money for our transfer to Chile, this also did not materialise! Our guide on the day of the transfer told us we would have to pay him extra money if we wanted to have our transfer, money which we did not have! He was asking for 200 bolivianos per person and told us that was the price of the ticket but when we told him we did not have that much he started screaming in our faces and swearing at us. He threatened to take us back to Uyuni and continued screaming in our faces until he then came up with some lies about exchange rates between Bolivia and Chile and then reduced the price of the tickets!!!!!
When we got to the border he told us he had had a radio messege through from head office (something he had previously told us was impossible) saying that they had actually already purchased our tickets!
We waited at the border until a bus turned up and he loaded us on it saying this was our transport. When we arrived in Chile we were told by the bus company that we hadn't had tickets and that Gonzales our guide had told them thatwe would pay on arrival into Chile.
The company have no form of customer service and despite many people in our group complaining we never heard a word back from red planet.
Basically Gonzales is a massive lair and was completely useless as a guide anyway!
My advice is go with a cheap and cheerful company and you really dont need an english speaking guide anyway.
Written 16 August 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Al M
USA11 contributions
Sep 2011 • Friends
It's easy to fall into the trap of the attractive business name and some of the reviews here, but do your research and you won't be ripped off by this company like we were. The prices are far higher than the competitors and the service is no better and in fact often worse. They take huge sums of money and don't provide safety either; their vehicles have problems, our vehicle wouldn't start after the first stop of the train graveyard and needed a spare part (imagine if we'd been 100's of km alone in the desert on day 2 when this happened! freezing and isolated - not a good scenario, people do die in these regions due to the harsh climate so this is NOT of minor significance). The food is terrible, canned tuna, corn, dry rice, and dry chicken if you're lucky, not value for 100's of dollars. The accomodation is not better than what competitors offer. The guide was ok, but you could sense some underlying dishonesty when he said he thought his fellow guide was 'very smart' for deceiving some tourists into thinking they'd seen all the lagoons and completing the tour in 2 instead of 3 days - you almost think he'd want to do the same. Make sure you write down the itinerary fully in the contract.
You need to distinguish between the tour sites and the tour company. Of course you will always leave with amazing memories and photos of the salt flats and lagoons but this has NOTHING to do with the tour company. There are plenty in town, and they are all happy to take last minute bookings, you won't miss out. AVOID THIS RIP-OFF TRAP!
You need to distinguish between the tour sites and the tour company. Of course you will always leave with amazing memories and photos of the salt flats and lagoons but this has NOTHING to do with the tour company. There are plenty in town, and they are all happy to take last minute bookings, you won't miss out. AVOID THIS RIP-OFF TRAP!
Written 11 September 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Eat Street Santa Teresa
Santa Teresa, Costa Rica14 contributions
This tour company lacked in service in several areas. We were told that vegetarian food would be available for us throughout the three day tour, as requested. Our first meal of the day was only quinoa with three slices of tomato and cucumber. Our quinoa had several pebbles (rocks) in them and the non-vegetarian food, which was llama, had what looked like human hair in it. Our guide was visible and audibly angry when we asked what we could eat as a substitute for the llama meat. The answer was nothing at all. It was noticeable that all other tour groups that sat at tables around us were eating far superior meals.
Later on that same day we were scolded for taking pictures of the sunset when the guide was unable to find us basic accommodation for the night. After a couple of hours of seaching we finally found accommodation. At this hostel that we stayed at the dinner menu for us was one deep fried, yet undercooked egg. We went hungry to bed and the next morning the only thing that we were served was bread. We again looked at the meals of the other tour groups and their meals consisted of yoghurt, pancakes, fruit and all the fixings.
Lunch was suprisingly good and we got hopeful that things were getting better. Unfortunately, as everyone else in our group was served dinner we were totally left out. We asked our guide for dinner and he served one of us six slices of fried cheese. We asked for some more to eat, as we had not eaten in 7 hours, but they would not even give us fries as the others in our group were given. I begged for 10 minutes to please give me something to eat before the guide finally gave in. He insisted that I have a cup of tea for dinner and wait till the morning to eat again. The guide told me that if I wanted to eat that evening that I would have to give up tomorrows meal.
For the remainder of the tour the guide refused to talk to me. It was not much of a loss thou, considering that he did not participate as a tour guide throughout the entire trip, only as a driver.
We picked this company based on good recommendations and do not understand why our experience lacked in so many ways. Our guide is named Leonardo. My advice to anyone reading this is to pick another company. This truly is the first bad review i´ve ever written.
Later on that same day we were scolded for taking pictures of the sunset when the guide was unable to find us basic accommodation for the night. After a couple of hours of seaching we finally found accommodation. At this hostel that we stayed at the dinner menu for us was one deep fried, yet undercooked egg. We went hungry to bed and the next morning the only thing that we were served was bread. We again looked at the meals of the other tour groups and their meals consisted of yoghurt, pancakes, fruit and all the fixings.
Lunch was suprisingly good and we got hopeful that things were getting better. Unfortunately, as everyone else in our group was served dinner we were totally left out. We asked our guide for dinner and he served one of us six slices of fried cheese. We asked for some more to eat, as we had not eaten in 7 hours, but they would not even give us fries as the others in our group were given. I begged for 10 minutes to please give me something to eat before the guide finally gave in. He insisted that I have a cup of tea for dinner and wait till the morning to eat again. The guide told me that if I wanted to eat that evening that I would have to give up tomorrows meal.
For the remainder of the tour the guide refused to talk to me. It was not much of a loss thou, considering that he did not participate as a tour guide throughout the entire trip, only as a driver.
We picked this company based on good recommendations and do not understand why our experience lacked in so many ways. Our guide is named Leonardo. My advice to anyone reading this is to pick another company. This truly is the first bad review i´ve ever written.
Written 12 November 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
traveller003415
Vancouver, Canada4 contributions
Sep 2017 • Couples
I recently did the three day/two night salt flat tour with Red Planet. I booked with them as I had heard they were the best from multiple sources. They have an excellent reputation which comes with an extra cost. I was happy to pay the extra cost with this in mind (they cost 1450 when most similar tours in town also with English speaking guides are 1100/1200bolivianos).
First day was awesome. We went to the
Salt flats and a few other stops. That night we stayed in a salt hotel which was great. The food was decent too. Day two was enjoyable, lots of driving with about 6 or 7 stops for photos at various lagoons etc.
However it was on night two that everything started to go downhill. There were six jeeps that set out the day we left. That night, 5 of the jeeps stayed in one place, with one jeep (my one) being put in different accommodation. We were told in advance accomodation on night two would be pretty basic, so we were expecting a dorm / no showers etc and that was fine. When we arrived there was no running water and no electricity, the dorm was pretty basic but that was okay and to be expected. The toilet was full to the brim of poo and was not usable. There was also no heating and it was freezing even in the common area. We were disappointed to have been separated from the rest of the group but decided to just make the most of it, and have some wine before dinner. My boyfriend then asked the woman who ran the accommodation if we could have two glasses (politely in Spanish). She shouted something he didn't understand back. I said she must have misunderstood, so went to ask her again, and again she shouted at me in Spanish that we could not have glasses. We were completely confused as to why she was so rude.
We then saw that our guide had left our accommodation and gone up the road
to where the other jeeps were staying. We
decided we would go up in the hope they might give us some glasses there. When we got there we realised this accommodation was much more than basic and was FAR superior than where we were staying. This seemed very unfair seeing as everyone on the trip pays the same.
This accommodation had a large kitchen / hang out area with HEATING, they had RUNNING WATER AND USABLE TOILETS and lots of other couples even had their own rooms. They also had very polite staff who were more than happy to give us two glasses. It was simply a completely different experience. Our issue wasn't that our accommodation was basic (as I said we were warned of this, though we did expect usable toilets and running water), the issue was that the other accommodation was significantly better than where we were put, despite all paying the same. There was another group from another company in our accommodation who had paid 1100/1200 for their trip , so we instantly regretted having paid the extra for red planet.
We spoke to our guide about this (as did the others in our group) but he kept saying it was the same (even though it blatantly wasn't as we had seen with our own eyes). Our guide was supposed to have dinner with us at our accommodation, stay on our dorm with us, and go to the hot pools with us. However after we told him our concerns he just disappeared for the whole night and we did not see him again that day. He seemed completely unwilling to take what we said on board.
The next morning at breakfast the lady running the accommodation did not give us any plates or cutlery to eat with. She made us feel ridiculous when we asked for this. Having paid $200 for this tour this was
not what I expected. She was incredibly rude and I am not sure why red planet would contract through someone who treats their customers this way.
Our guide then approached our table and told us that we shouldn't have complained last night, that there was no problem, and that everything was the same. He then said "I am sorry we have to spend the day together". We made sure to let him know that the issue was the accommodation , not how he was doing the tour. But the way he reacted so badly to us giving feedback made the rest of the tour a very negative and awkward experience. He was the representative from red planet, and all we wanted was for him to acknowledge
that what we got was not acceptable.
Our driver was amazing, and told us in Spanish he agreed that the accommodation was far inferior and not acceptable compared to what the others in the group got. I think he was sad he had to stay there too, and was hopeful it we have feedback to red planet things might change.
When we got back to Uyuni, we went straight to speak with the office staff at red planet. They were incredibly rude and laughed in our faces multiple times. They told me I was lying when I said the the other red planet groups accommodation had heating and running water, even though I saw this for myself. We felt that we had been given an 1100/1200 type of tour, and wanted compensation. After much rudeness, they offered us 50 bolivianoes. I felt this was insulting. I tried to explain that this was not about a $10 bed, as this was not what we paid for, we paid for an EXPERIENCE which we did not get in the way the other five jeeps did (if we just wanted a $10 bed we could have done this anywhere). After more laughing and being insulted by red planet staff, we realised we wouldnt be able to sort it out internally, so we felt it was best to leave the office and write a review about our experience so others can make an informed decision before they book.
I also asked the red planet staff member if they will still put future red planet customers in this accommodation and she told me that they will not be reviewing anything. So basically it was a waste time and they don't value customer feedback, or respect the money we invest in a trip like this.
So - what could have been an easily fixed problem turned into a massively negative
experience based on the reaction from our guide and the red planet office staff.
Hugely disappointing as I was so excited to go with red planet , and expected much more respect from this "reputable" company.
I would definitely recommend to go with a mid range option if you are booking a salt flat tour. Red planet are NOT worth the extra
cash and are not all they are hyped up to be. You will have a better trip and pay less with other companies.
First day was awesome. We went to the
Salt flats and a few other stops. That night we stayed in a salt hotel which was great. The food was decent too. Day two was enjoyable, lots of driving with about 6 or 7 stops for photos at various lagoons etc.
However it was on night two that everything started to go downhill. There were six jeeps that set out the day we left. That night, 5 of the jeeps stayed in one place, with one jeep (my one) being put in different accommodation. We were told in advance accomodation on night two would be pretty basic, so we were expecting a dorm / no showers etc and that was fine. When we arrived there was no running water and no electricity, the dorm was pretty basic but that was okay and to be expected. The toilet was full to the brim of poo and was not usable. There was also no heating and it was freezing even in the common area. We were disappointed to have been separated from the rest of the group but decided to just make the most of it, and have some wine before dinner. My boyfriend then asked the woman who ran the accommodation if we could have two glasses (politely in Spanish). She shouted something he didn't understand back. I said she must have misunderstood, so went to ask her again, and again she shouted at me in Spanish that we could not have glasses. We were completely confused as to why she was so rude.
We then saw that our guide had left our accommodation and gone up the road
to where the other jeeps were staying. We
decided we would go up in the hope they might give us some glasses there. When we got there we realised this accommodation was much more than basic and was FAR superior than where we were staying. This seemed very unfair seeing as everyone on the trip pays the same.
This accommodation had a large kitchen / hang out area with HEATING, they had RUNNING WATER AND USABLE TOILETS and lots of other couples even had their own rooms. They also had very polite staff who were more than happy to give us two glasses. It was simply a completely different experience. Our issue wasn't that our accommodation was basic (as I said we were warned of this, though we did expect usable toilets and running water), the issue was that the other accommodation was significantly better than where we were put, despite all paying the same. There was another group from another company in our accommodation who had paid 1100/1200 for their trip , so we instantly regretted having paid the extra for red planet.
We spoke to our guide about this (as did the others in our group) but he kept saying it was the same (even though it blatantly wasn't as we had seen with our own eyes). Our guide was supposed to have dinner with us at our accommodation, stay on our dorm with us, and go to the hot pools with us. However after we told him our concerns he just disappeared for the whole night and we did not see him again that day. He seemed completely unwilling to take what we said on board.
The next morning at breakfast the lady running the accommodation did not give us any plates or cutlery to eat with. She made us feel ridiculous when we asked for this. Having paid $200 for this tour this was
not what I expected. She was incredibly rude and I am not sure why red planet would contract through someone who treats their customers this way.
Our guide then approached our table and told us that we shouldn't have complained last night, that there was no problem, and that everything was the same. He then said "I am sorry we have to spend the day together". We made sure to let him know that the issue was the accommodation , not how he was doing the tour. But the way he reacted so badly to us giving feedback made the rest of the tour a very negative and awkward experience. He was the representative from red planet, and all we wanted was for him to acknowledge
that what we got was not acceptable.
Our driver was amazing, and told us in Spanish he agreed that the accommodation was far inferior and not acceptable compared to what the others in the group got. I think he was sad he had to stay there too, and was hopeful it we have feedback to red planet things might change.
When we got back to Uyuni, we went straight to speak with the office staff at red planet. They were incredibly rude and laughed in our faces multiple times. They told me I was lying when I said the the other red planet groups accommodation had heating and running water, even though I saw this for myself. We felt that we had been given an 1100/1200 type of tour, and wanted compensation. After much rudeness, they offered us 50 bolivianoes. I felt this was insulting. I tried to explain that this was not about a $10 bed, as this was not what we paid for, we paid for an EXPERIENCE which we did not get in the way the other five jeeps did (if we just wanted a $10 bed we could have done this anywhere). After more laughing and being insulted by red planet staff, we realised we wouldnt be able to sort it out internally, so we felt it was best to leave the office and write a review about our experience so others can make an informed decision before they book.
I also asked the red planet staff member if they will still put future red planet customers in this accommodation and she told me that they will not be reviewing anything. So basically it was a waste time and they don't value customer feedback, or respect the money we invest in a trip like this.
So - what could have been an easily fixed problem turned into a massively negative
experience based on the reaction from our guide and the red planet office staff.
Hugely disappointing as I was so excited to go with red planet , and expected much more respect from this "reputable" company.
I would definitely recommend to go with a mid range option if you are booking a salt flat tour. Red planet are NOT worth the extra
cash and are not all they are hyped up to be. You will have a better trip and pay less with other companies.
Written 23 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Laura W
Birmingham, UK65 contributions
Nov 2015 • Couples
WOW! Just wow! My boyfriend & I had the most awesome time on the 3 day/2 night Salar de Uyuni (salt flats) trip. It's so much more than just the salt flats! Red Planet were definitely the best company for us. Our guide Oscar was fabulous, he gave such amazing information, ran the whole tour really well and his enthusiasm was simply wonderful.
The tour itself follows the same pretty much as a lot of the other companies, with a couple of very welcome tweaks! You go up to the volcano crater on the evening of day 2 (which is out of this world) and then you sleep near the hot spring so you get to use them at night and see the most incredible stars. You see the other groups arriving the next morning to use them and it's packed. We had such a lovely evening with around 15-20 of us in there (plus my boyfriend & I shared a bottle of red which complimented the evening very well!).
You really do see the most amazing things on the tour, and for us we had just the right amount of time at each place. It's crammed full of the most out of this world views and experiences. Would highly recommend this tour to everyone!
So things we loved about going with Red Planet:
- Excellent guide Oscar, incredible knowledge & enthusiasm, speaks amazing English! He was amazing with the photos on the first day at the salt flats and took some brilliant ones of everyone in a variety of crazy positions and even made a video of the whole group. You should definitely ask if he is available when you book the tour!
- Lovely drivers, always professional and courteous. Always felt very safe in the car.
- Comfortable jeeps, 2 in the very back (best suited for us shorter people), 3 in the middle row (plenty of leg room for my 6ft4ins boyfriend) and then the guide in front. Reliable cars, no breakdowns on our trip.
- Luggage tied to roof under tarpaulin to keep the dust/rain off!
- Accommodation on the first night in a salt hotel was really comfy. Big double room with a bathroom. Was very warm and the bed was comfy. Accommodation on the second night was more basic which is explained to you prior to booking, but there were still beds each (I half expected roll mats on the floor!).
- Night hot springs sold it for us! It was a wonderful experience!!! Highly recommend it. It might be cold on the short walk there, but there's changing rooms next to the spring so you can dry off quickly afterwards.
- Good group size, we had 2 cars one with 5 and the guide, the other with 6, so a total group of 11. All were really lovely in our group, we felt really fortunate to have lucked out with our group!
A few things that weren't so great OR that we wish we had been told prior to going:
- Extra money - Although you are told to take money for the entrance fees to a couple of places $b180 (£18) and about hot shower extra $b10 (£1) at salt hotel there is some detail missing about some money you will need. This is particularly important for those people going to Chile afterwards who are trying to use up their Bolivianos. You need $b3 (30p) for the hot springs.Toilets each time cost between $b2-5 (20p-50p) so allow $b20-25 for this depending on how often you'll need them. You are expected to tip your driver so allow some for this, up to you how much. You need $b3-4 (30p-40p) to tip the owner of the salt factory. There are drinks & snacks available to buy at the hostels, roughly $b20 (£2) for a big beer, $b50 (£5) for a bottle of wine and $b15 (£1.50) for a packet of cookies. We didn't know about all the extras so only took the amount detailed in the guide.
- Food - This was VERY hit and miss. Lunches were a hit, really lovely on all 3 days. Breakfast on the last day was good with pancakes, but was horrible on the second day with stale bread and jam the main offering. Dinners on both nights were not good either, general consensus from the group. Red Planet need to up their game on this considering the price they charge. The food is why we've given a 4 rating, as opposed to 5.
- Luggage - If you aren't going to Chile and will be returning to Uyuni then they ask that if you are travelling in a pair or group that you only take 1 large rucksack/suitcase/duffel bag between 2 or 3 of you. This is to allow more room for all the luggage for those crossing the border to Chile. We didn't know this until we arrived and had to pack everything in to one in the office and leave one bag in storage. Not a huge deal, just worth bearing in mind. They have luggage storage available.
The only other thing to bear in mind is that Red Planet are the most expensive company. At $b1300 (£130) it's right at the top end of the scale of what's available. We chose to pay the extra due to the excellent reviews we had read about the great English speaking guides, the safety of the drivers & cars and the night time hot springs visit. We knew we could have booked with a cheaper agency in La Paz for around $b900 or arrived in Uyuni and booked a last minute one with another company for around $b700 (£70). However we have heard horror stories from friends who went with cheaper agencies and did not have as good as an experience as we did. Stories of drunk drivers, regular jeep breakdowns and uninformative guides. For us it was DEFINITELY worth spending the extra.
Make sure you email them directly & book in advance, we saw lots of people come in and try to go on the same day or the following day and they were fully booked.
Overall we absolutely LOVED our trip with Red Planet and would definitely recommend!
TIPS :
- Take high factor sunscreen & reapply A LOT! You are at really high altitudes, plus the white of the salt flats reflects the sun like snow does, so you will get burned without it!
- Lots of layers are needed as it gets really chilly at night on day 2 and at some of the higher sights where it's windy. Zip off trousers for the change in temperature are a good idea!
- Take a big bottle of water and then decant in to a smaller 2 litre bottle for during the day. They'll carry the big one on the roof for you.
- Torch for the hot springs is a must, but make sure you switch it off once you're down there so you don't ruin the atmosphere!
- Cameras/phone can be charged on both nights. But on day 2 the generator is switched off after a couple of hours so best to charge what you need on the first night! They have an extension lead out in the dining room at the salt hotel that you can use if the one in your room is being used by someone else.
Have an amazing trip! Enjoy! Laura :-)
The tour itself follows the same pretty much as a lot of the other companies, with a couple of very welcome tweaks! You go up to the volcano crater on the evening of day 2 (which is out of this world) and then you sleep near the hot spring so you get to use them at night and see the most incredible stars. You see the other groups arriving the next morning to use them and it's packed. We had such a lovely evening with around 15-20 of us in there (plus my boyfriend & I shared a bottle of red which complimented the evening very well!).
You really do see the most amazing things on the tour, and for us we had just the right amount of time at each place. It's crammed full of the most out of this world views and experiences. Would highly recommend this tour to everyone!
So things we loved about going with Red Planet:
- Excellent guide Oscar, incredible knowledge & enthusiasm, speaks amazing English! He was amazing with the photos on the first day at the salt flats and took some brilliant ones of everyone in a variety of crazy positions and even made a video of the whole group. You should definitely ask if he is available when you book the tour!
- Lovely drivers, always professional and courteous. Always felt very safe in the car.
- Comfortable jeeps, 2 in the very back (best suited for us shorter people), 3 in the middle row (plenty of leg room for my 6ft4ins boyfriend) and then the guide in front. Reliable cars, no breakdowns on our trip.
- Luggage tied to roof under tarpaulin to keep the dust/rain off!
- Accommodation on the first night in a salt hotel was really comfy. Big double room with a bathroom. Was very warm and the bed was comfy. Accommodation on the second night was more basic which is explained to you prior to booking, but there were still beds each (I half expected roll mats on the floor!).
- Night hot springs sold it for us! It was a wonderful experience!!! Highly recommend it. It might be cold on the short walk there, but there's changing rooms next to the spring so you can dry off quickly afterwards.
- Good group size, we had 2 cars one with 5 and the guide, the other with 6, so a total group of 11. All were really lovely in our group, we felt really fortunate to have lucked out with our group!
A few things that weren't so great OR that we wish we had been told prior to going:
- Extra money - Although you are told to take money for the entrance fees to a couple of places $b180 (£18) and about hot shower extra $b10 (£1) at salt hotel there is some detail missing about some money you will need. This is particularly important for those people going to Chile afterwards who are trying to use up their Bolivianos. You need $b3 (30p) for the hot springs.Toilets each time cost between $b2-5 (20p-50p) so allow $b20-25 for this depending on how often you'll need them. You are expected to tip your driver so allow some for this, up to you how much. You need $b3-4 (30p-40p) to tip the owner of the salt factory. There are drinks & snacks available to buy at the hostels, roughly $b20 (£2) for a big beer, $b50 (£5) for a bottle of wine and $b15 (£1.50) for a packet of cookies. We didn't know about all the extras so only took the amount detailed in the guide.
- Food - This was VERY hit and miss. Lunches were a hit, really lovely on all 3 days. Breakfast on the last day was good with pancakes, but was horrible on the second day with stale bread and jam the main offering. Dinners on both nights were not good either, general consensus from the group. Red Planet need to up their game on this considering the price they charge. The food is why we've given a 4 rating, as opposed to 5.
- Luggage - If you aren't going to Chile and will be returning to Uyuni then they ask that if you are travelling in a pair or group that you only take 1 large rucksack/suitcase/duffel bag between 2 or 3 of you. This is to allow more room for all the luggage for those crossing the border to Chile. We didn't know this until we arrived and had to pack everything in to one in the office and leave one bag in storage. Not a huge deal, just worth bearing in mind. They have luggage storage available.
The only other thing to bear in mind is that Red Planet are the most expensive company. At $b1300 (£130) it's right at the top end of the scale of what's available. We chose to pay the extra due to the excellent reviews we had read about the great English speaking guides, the safety of the drivers & cars and the night time hot springs visit. We knew we could have booked with a cheaper agency in La Paz for around $b900 or arrived in Uyuni and booked a last minute one with another company for around $b700 (£70). However we have heard horror stories from friends who went with cheaper agencies and did not have as good as an experience as we did. Stories of drunk drivers, regular jeep breakdowns and uninformative guides. For us it was DEFINITELY worth spending the extra.
Make sure you email them directly & book in advance, we saw lots of people come in and try to go on the same day or the following day and they were fully booked.
Overall we absolutely LOVED our trip with Red Planet and would definitely recommend!
TIPS :
- Take high factor sunscreen & reapply A LOT! You are at really high altitudes, plus the white of the salt flats reflects the sun like snow does, so you will get burned without it!
- Lots of layers are needed as it gets really chilly at night on day 2 and at some of the higher sights where it's windy. Zip off trousers for the change in temperature are a good idea!
- Take a big bottle of water and then decant in to a smaller 2 litre bottle for during the day. They'll carry the big one on the roof for you.
- Torch for the hot springs is a must, but make sure you switch it off once you're down there so you don't ruin the atmosphere!
- Cameras/phone can be charged on both nights. But on day 2 the generator is switched off after a couple of hours so best to charge what you need on the first night! They have an extension lead out in the dining room at the salt hotel that you can use if the one in your room is being used by someone else.
Have an amazing trip! Enjoy! Laura :-)
Written 19 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
cwa421
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK28 contributions
Aug 2015 • Friends
I have no idea how such an awful company can be rated as number 1 for viewing the salt flats. I have been on several trips of this kind and can safely say this was by far the most disappointing! It was possibly made worse by the fact I had just done an outstanding trip with G-Adventures!!
First off, the guide meeting us from the bus station in Uyuni clearly got bored of waiting for people and ended up leaving 3 people behind (who were on our bus so were not late). We then had a 3 hour wait before we could actually get into the jeeps because the food wasn't ready...this basically set the tone for the rest of the trip.
The guides, especially Oscar, were incredibly rude (although our driver Juan was friendly and was clearly just following his instructions). At one point they were 20 minutes late to meet us so we went to find them, only to be told we had to wait another 15minutes in the cold because they hadn't finished their coffee!!
The trip was advertised as 4 days,but be aware they do NOT stick to the itinerary you book and it's really only a 2 day trip with the first day being in La Paz pre-night bus, which I'm not sure you can count as part of their trip and the forth day for us was 9 hours of driving in the jeep with none of the planned sights.
Also, be aware you have to pay for the toilets, even in places you stop for meals so always carry change.
It's a shame the tour operators have absolutely zero customer service because the places themselves are pretty amazing, but I'd definitely recommend trying another company to book with!
First off, the guide meeting us from the bus station in Uyuni clearly got bored of waiting for people and ended up leaving 3 people behind (who were on our bus so were not late). We then had a 3 hour wait before we could actually get into the jeeps because the food wasn't ready...this basically set the tone for the rest of the trip.
The guides, especially Oscar, were incredibly rude (although our driver Juan was friendly and was clearly just following his instructions). At one point they were 20 minutes late to meet us so we went to find them, only to be told we had to wait another 15minutes in the cold because they hadn't finished their coffee!!
The trip was advertised as 4 days,but be aware they do NOT stick to the itinerary you book and it's really only a 2 day trip with the first day being in La Paz pre-night bus, which I'm not sure you can count as part of their trip and the forth day for us was 9 hours of driving in the jeep with none of the planned sights.
Also, be aware you have to pay for the toilets, even in places you stop for meals so always carry change.
It's a shame the tour operators have absolutely zero customer service because the places themselves are pretty amazing, but I'd definitely recommend trying another company to book with!
Written 12 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
mondz
Darwin16 contributions
Apr 2011
we booked our 3 day tour through red planet and were not disappointed. the tour stays 1 step behind all the other tours so there are never crowds of tourists around. the food was great, never went hungry. really good driver. our tour guide, oscar, was great...very informative and chilled out.
its worth paying the extra money for the service you get compared to other cheaper companies. one of the highlights of our south america trip!!
its worth paying the extra money for the service you get compared to other cheaper companies. one of the highlights of our south america trip!!
Written 1 May 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
I would like to book tour during mid December. but I am afraid it may be affected by the strike. Could you please confirm tour will still be running during mid December time?
Thank you
Pam S
Brisbane, Australia42 contributions
I am afraid I cannot answer that
Sheila M
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada5 contributions
Is The salt hotel still open- I was told it was closed? Also what time do you return on this trip - It said you stay longer then others?
Gostaria de saber o porquê de sair as 10:30. Quasntas horas dura de la paz até o Salar? obrigada
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator.
By: Red Planet Expedition - Day Trip
RL P
00Beautifull trip and excellent tourguide Eddy Rojas
The trip was amazing. Salar Uyuni is beautifull and there was enough time to make nice and funny pictures. Tourguid…
Megrkk
00Best tour company for the salt flats!!!
We did the 3 day, 2 night tour with Red Planet Expedition from Sunday 20th March to Tuesday 22nd March and we had a…
Mariakorea
00excellent
I just did this tour last week as a solo traveller and I highly recommend it! Red Planet Expeditions took us on a w…
cormacs913
00Amazing
Best experience of my trip in South America. I went in 2018 with friends and I'm writing about it two years later! …
315shaneo
003 day salt flats from atacama
Excellent trip Had sunao as our driver, brilliant fella would recommend Only thing no wifi for 3 days which is fa…
Gordonuk88
00The Guides 10/10
A Highlight of our South American Adventure was amplified by the great drivers and guides. Thank You so very much f…
Ecd0034
00Amazing Trip and an even better Guide!
Review for couple who took this excursion: Absolutely loved our experience with this company and the service we wer…
J7453DNmatthewk
00Excellent 3 day tour
Having read some reviews we were a little sceptical regarding the accommodation and service we would receive but t…
Justglyding
00Awesome company
We were let down at the last minute by another tour company, rang Red Planet and told them what had happened. They …
LisanneK1990
00Great way to explore Uyuni surroundings
Great tour with Red Planet! We rode in a colonne of 3 vehicles and all drivers were very expertly (knew how to deal…
O1675VOmarcom
00Unbelievably unpolite seller, avoid this scam
The guy in answering the whatsapp phone after the simple question "is the trip worth if it's raining all day?" sta…
mandy11wang
00Terrible experience
We got sick and we would like to cancel the trip through their company. We said we wanted to cancel only if there's…
travelsKnB
00A beautiful country spoiled by a terrible guide.
I will start with the positives. Our driver was excellent-we felt very safe in his vehicle. He spoke no English but…
lornam511
00Excellent service
Brilliant tour from start to finish!!! Spent the 3 days travelling across the salt flats and desert in a 4x4 with a…
jonnym373
00Great tour
Great 3D2N tour. Our guide, Oscar, was friendly and informative and great at helping us get the best photos on the …
Frequently Asked Questions about Day Trip to Uyuni Salt Flats
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