Tours of Salar de Uyuni will generally start from the town of Uyuni, so travelers coming from Peru will have to make their way from Lima, Puno or Cusco to Uyuni. The first stop is the Bolivian capital city of La Paz. From here, travelers will be able to find their transport to the town of Uyuni to begin a tour of Salar de Uyuni.
Those who need to get there quickly can take a flight from Lima to La Paz, from where they will get a bus to Uyuni. Flights from Lima to La Paz take around two hours and can be expensive: costs are generally around $300 or more for a round-trip ticket. Another disadvantage of flying is that you’ll miss all the incredible things to see along the way, including not only Machu Picchu and the Inca capital of Cusco, but also less well-known destinations like Paracas, Huacachina and Arequipa. For this reasons, it’s highly recommended to travel by bus through Peru to get to La Paz (from which you’ll be able to find transport to Uyuni).
To get from Cusco to Uyuni, there are a number of different bus companies that run routes from locations in Peru. For the most comfortable and enjoyable experience, it is recommended that you take Peru Hop from one of seven locations across the country. Peru Hop is a reputable and trustworthy company that pride themselves on their safety, comfort and giving tourists the opportunity to experience the real Peru. Bilingual guides on board make crossing the border simple and they make sure to wait until everyone is on board before departing. There are other bus companies that do this route but many of them have suspect safety records and a tendency to not wait until all passengers get through border control before continuing their journey. Once you cross the border, you’ll transfer to sister company Bolivia Hop for the remainder of the trip. In La Paz, you’ll need to change buses to get the rest of the way to Uyuni. If traveling on Bolivia Hop, your guide will assist you with this process. Those traveling on public buses will need to arrange their own transit.
Find out more about what Salar de Uyuni tours here.