Bolivia: Exploring the South Lipez by Self-Drive (page 5 of 21)

It was our "luxury" stop and the only night in a salt hotel. But the value for money was definitely there. Between our nights with locals, in the car, guest houses, and hotels, the average price per night was actually very reasonable.

There’s no shame in treating yourself—we work for it, after all! 😉 We also like to slip in one or two "luxury" stops during our trips to mix things up. 😛

Thanks Marie, and thanks to Marie-Do too! 🙂 I’ll definitely share our amazing trip and our unfortunate mishaps later. Now, here’s Carmen’s fantastic travel journal 😉

09.10. Colchani – Jirira, Doña Lupe Hostel

We wake up with the first light of day. From our bed, we have a beautiful view of the Salar. We linger a bit in bed—we’ve planned a relaxed day. There’s a lot to choose from at the breakfast buffet: eggs, different kinds of cold cuts, cheese, waffles and pancakes, various types of bread, puff pastry pastries, fresh fruit… There’s something for every taste, and we enjoy it all.





We leave the hotel around 10 a.m. and head to the village of Colchani to fill up on gas. To get back onto the Salar, we take the access ramp near the Palacio del Sal hotel. Shortly after, we stop at the old salt hotel on the Salar. We take a few photos of the Paris-Dakar statue before heading toward Incahuasi Island.









It looks like the islands are "floating" on the Salar

To climb the island, you have to pay 30 bolivianos per person. On-site, there are picnic tables, restrooms, and a small shop. A path is set up on the island to protect the vegetation. There are hundreds of cacti, some in bloom. The view of the Salar is stunning! We’re only four people up there, so we can enjoy it in peace. On the way down, we see two viscachas, but they’re quite skittish. This medium-sized rodent is part of the Chinchillidae family. With its long ears, it looks like a rabbit, but it has a long tail.







With a view of the Tunupa volcano





A German guy starts chatting with us—his name’s Michael, and he’s cycling through Bolivia and Chile. He’s really happy to talk a bit; it’s been several days since he’s spoken to anyone. He asks if we can take his photo and film him on his bike. He takes a little ride on the Salar while Benoît films him with the camera. It’s a nice encounter, and we exchange email addresses to share the photos we took with him.

We set off for Coqueza—the Salar is stunning, and we find it even more beautiful in the north. You’ve got to be careful, though, as there are water-filled holes in some places.







The Tunupa volcano

In Coqueza, we have to take the ramp to leave the Salar. There’s quite a bit of water, and some pink flamingos are taking advantage of it. Then, we head down the track to Jirira because we’d like to stay at Doña Lupe’s hostel. When we arrive, we meet an Argentinian who lives in Geneva. Now, he’s here supervising the construction of a hotel with igloo-shaped rooms. The site is next to an island near Jirira. The young Argentinian acts as our translator with the family—it’s really handy. There’s still one room with a private bathroom available, and we can eat on-site too.





This hostel is a great spot. The rooms are simple, but there’s a hot shower, and dinner is delicious—soup, chicken, spaghetti, and tomato sauce. The whole family pitches in. Mom’s in the kitchen, dad does a bit of everything but mostly handles the attached garage, and the kids help serve and clear the tables.

The rest is here: https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=9907760;a=9907760

Hi Carmen,

The photos are amazing 🤩🤩🤩—they’re so dreamy!

Oh wow, Carmen, it sounds like a dream... 😎 That rabbit with its long tail is hilarious 😮

That rabbit is funny with its long tail 😮

Just so you know, it's a viscacha

That rabbit’s hilarious with its long tail 😮

Just so you know, it’s a viscacha

Thanks Régis! 😊

That rabbit with its long tail is funny 😮

Just so you know, it's a viscacha

Thanks Régis! 😊

It's written in the travel journal, though. Oh dear, these people who only look at the photos.😉

Have a good day.🙂

Oh no, I missed something I was supposed to read 😇 But it’s way up top, well before the photo too—I can’t keep up anymore 😛

That rabbit with its long tail is funny 😮

Just so you know, it's a viscacha

Thanks Régis! 😊

It’s right there in the travel journal. Oh dear, these people who only look at the photos.😉

Have a good day.🙂

Well yeah, I’ve always loved beautiful pictures 😇!

A few of you are hanging on by a thread however you can 🤪... but it’s gonna give way eventually 😏😂! Me, Carmen, I’d read it was viscachas... 😜😊

Me, Carmen, I had read correctly that they were viscachas... 😛🙂

Suck-up...😕

You’re all clinging to the branches as best you can ... but it’s gonna give way eventually ! Me, Carmen, I’d read that they were viscachas... 😛🙂

I didn’t even need to read it—I’ve known for ages they were viscachas... I even said, “Oh, cool, Carmen saw some viscachas!” 😂

Hi Carmen. I’ve been following your story very closely—your photos taken on the Uyuni salt flat confirm what I thought: if the weather’s clear, you can perfectly make out the Tunupa volcano to the north. That really helps with orientation. Plus, the tracks left by vehicles on the main trails are easy to spot. Thanks again, Bernard.

Did you see the viscachas? Pretty cool, right? 😜

Where are the viscachas? 😉

With or without viscachas, I really like this travel journal. Thanks, Carmen.

I’ve seen it... but in Chile. Bernard.

Hi Bernard,

I’ve been following your story very closely. Your photos taken on the Uyuni salt flat confirm what I thought—if the weather’s clear, you can see the Tunupa volcano perfectly to the north. That really helps with orientation. Plus, the tracks left by vehicles on the main trails are easy to spot.

Yes, in clear weather, you can see Tunupa well. However, for visiting Fish Island (Isla Pescado), it’s best to have a GPS to locate it. There are several islands on the Salar, and it’s easy to get mixed up.

I recommend downloading Maps.me on your phone. The app works really well and will be useful in the South Lipez. On the salt flat, Maps.me can get a bit confused because there isn’t a real official trail connecting the islands. So, you’ll need to stop navigation and drive toward your pre-saved destination. You can easily save all the points of interest at home before your trip.

If you’re not used to using this app, I suggest downloading the map of France to practice before you leave.

Carmen

With or without a guide, I really like this travel journal. Thanks Carmen.

Thanks for your comment, it’s really appreciated. 🙂