8 Essential Items For Your Uyuni Salt Flats Packing List
The Uyuni Salt Flat is a unique environment where you’ll be exposed to some extreme weather.
Forgetting to pack essential items can throw a spanner in the works and potentially ruin your Salt Flats experience
Whether you are doing the 1-day or 3-day tour, here are some essential items you should bring for the Uyuni Salt Flats:
| Item | Needed For... | Price |
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1. Phone / Camera Tripod |
Taking stable perspective photos |
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2. Headlamp |
Seeing at night and the early mornings |
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3. Roll-On Face Suncream |
Protecting your face from the intense sun on the Salt Flat |
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4. Waterproof Hiking Boots |
Walking across the Salt Flat, especially if wet |
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5. Thermal Mid-Layer Fleece |
A good mid-layer is lightweight but warm, perfect for taking on and off as the temperatures on the Salt Flat change |
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6. Waterproof Windbreaker |
Protection against the harsh winds and for when it rains |
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7. 30-40L Backpack |
Your big bag gets strapped to the jeep, so you need a daypack to carry your items whilst on the tour |
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8. Reusable Water Bottle |
To refill at the hotels, restaurants and stops along the way |
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1. Joby Gorilla Tripod
While your guide will be an expert at taking the famous salt-flat perspective shots, they’re unlikely to become your personal photographer for the rest of the trip.
Also, if you plan to take your own perspective or reflection shots, then a tripod is essential. Getting down low to the ground is critical for both photos, so a keeping your phone or camera steady on a tripod is a huge help.
I used the gorilla tripod for both my phone and my DSLR camera as they are lightweight and easy to adjust.
The camera tripod was especially helpful when trying to get as low as possible to the ground to take better reflection and perspective photos. I could keep the camera off the ground but position it parallel without having to worry about it getting wet.
What's The Best Phone Tripod For The Uyuni Salt Flats?
Joby have the best tripods in my opinion. This tripod is small with flexible legs, perfect for setting up stable shots with your phone:
If you aren’t that bothered about having a decent one, then most phone tripods do the trick these days and provide good stability for photos. Here are two other options:
2. Headlamp
The long days on the Salt Flat tour mean you need to be up at the crack of dawn. And whilst your hotel will have electricity, outside it will be pitch black.
So having a cheap headlamp with you is always helpful.
It’s also extremely useful on the second night when going to the thermal baths for some star gazing. The path isn’t lit, and the gravel road is hard to navigate, so a headtorch helps.
It also means you can leave your phone in the hotel instead of needing to use it as a torch. However, your phone will be completely fine if you want to save money!
What's The Best Headlamp For The Uyuni Salt Flats?
Klarus do the best headlamps if you are looking for quality and think you’ll use it across South America for hiking and other activities:
However, headlamp or torch will do to be honest. Most are rechargeable via a USC-C cable. Go for the cheapest one on Amazon:
3. Roll On Face Sunscreen
At 3,000m above sea level, the sun is already intense in Uyuni.
Once you get out onto the actual Salt Flat, it’s also being reflected off a perfectly white surface onto your face all day long.
This means the chance of getting burnt is much higher.
Invest in a small, roll-on sun cream that you can apply to your face easily throughout the day. You can do it quickly, and it saves your hands getting oily.
What's The Best Sunscreen For The Uyuni Salt Flats?
Make sure you get SPF50. Nivea have the best roll on options in my opinion:
4. Waterproof Hiking Boots
Whilst it doesn’t rain much on the Uyuni Salt Flat, it isn’t porous – so the rain will build upon the surface eventually forming a small lake.
The water will come up to ankle height in some places, so it’s best to purchase some good waterproof hiking boots.
The Salt Flat is remarkably painful to walk on barefoot as well (salt is pretty sharp) so avoid doing this. Get some waterproof footwear, preferably boots that you can use for hiking in other places; otherwise, you’ll have to face having soggy footwear for the rest of the trip.
On day 2 of the tour, you’ll be walking across muddy lakes, gravel and other random terrain – so a good pair of ankle high boots are a must.
What Are The Best Waterproof Boots For The Uyuni Salt Flat?
Hiking boots are a must if you want to do any adventure activities in Bolivia like hiking and getting out into nature.
Fully waterproof and ankle high are essential as well.
I wore a pair of these on the Sat Flats as well as hiking some of the best trails in the world in Patagonia and they didn’t let me down!
I went into my local Mountain Warehouse and picked up a pair of these and they haven’t let me down since.
5. Thermal Mid-Layer
The weather is constantly changing from hot to cold on the Slat Flats tour.
You will spend most of your time in the warm jeep, then stopping and stepping out into the cold desert landscape at 4,000m above sea level.
Here’s where you want a lightweight thermal layer that you can take on and off quickly.
I didn’t have one of these at the time, so I used my hoody which wasn’t helpful in the slightest. Big cotton jumpers like ours weigh more, take up more space in your bag, don’t keep you warm and are just a faff in general to take off.
On my next trip to South America, I bought myself a lightweight Patagonia thermal and love it.
What's The Best Thermal Mid-Player For The Uyuni Salt Flat?
Invest wisely in one of these as the more efficient it is, the warmer you will be.
I go with R1 Zip-Neck from Patagonia.
Top tip: this is last seasons item now so you should be able to pick this up cheaper in the sales at places like REI
Here are some other great affordable options:
6. Waterproof Windbreaker
From June-August, daytime temperatures in Uyuni are around 13° Celsius whereas night temperatures drop below freezing.
For a Salt Flats tour, make sure you bring lots of layers including thermal base layers, a lightweight fleece and then a windbreaker on top. This allows you to continually put on and take off layers to match the temperature.
The Altiplano weather is erratic and once you get out into the high-altitude desert the winds become incredibly strong. A good windbreak will help deal with this.
It can also rain at anytime, and having a waterproof jacket is always neccessary.
What's The Best Waterproof For The Uyuni Salt Flat?
I like to use the Patagonia TorrentShell 3L.
Its lightweight, warm and packable. The jacket self-stuffs into one of the handwarmer pockets with carabiner clip-in loop.
However, you can always pick up more affordable version on websites like REI. Always check out their previous season outlet sales for the best deals.
Here are some other great affordable options for a windbreaker:
7. 30-40L Day Pack
Your big backpack will be stored safely on top of the jeep during the days of the tour, so you are going to need a smaller backpack to carry your essentials when you are leaving the jeep to explore the Salt Flat.
A 30-40L backpack is great for this. You can pack your camera, water bottle and thermal layers in your bag to keep them safe.
What's The Best Backpack For The Uyuni Salt Flat?
My go-to daypack is the North Face Router.
It has a 40-liter capacity, is water-repellent, and can fit laptops up to 17”.
For a 40L backpack with loads of compartments and storage, this is such a great price.
However, if you want something cheaper, you will have to go a bit smaller.
The North Face Borealis is more affordable at 30L and has a similar layout.
8. Reusable Water Bottle
A fanny pack is a also a great choice for something smaller to carry your essentials like phone, sunglasses and suncream.
You are only ever leaving the jeep for 20-30 minutes at a time to take pictures and admire the scenery.
Having a fanny pack strapped to your waist or around your shoulders useful as you can put essential items in there that you want to access quickly like sun cream or your phone. This means you don’t have to keep taking your bag off every time and search for items.
What's The Best Reusable Water Bottle For The Uyuni Salt Flats?
I always take this water bottle with me when I travel to South America.
It’s 20% lighter than their other bottles and my back appreciates it when I’m on a long day out.
It’s also durable, easy to clean and keeps drinks cold for 24 hours!
If you want a budget option, you’ll have to get a standard non-vacuum plastic bottle like this.
I wouldn’t recommend it though! I think this is one piece of kit definitely worth investing in.
Uyuni Salt Flats Tour Complete Packing List
If you are doing the full 3 day/2 night tour and getting dropped off at the Chilean border, then you will take your big backpack with you on the jeep.
It will be strapped to the top of the jeep for the entire day, covered in tarpaulin and tied down to protect it, so you won’t have access to it until you reach the hotel for the evening.
Therefore, you should pack a day bag which you can take in the jeep, so you have easy access to some essentials.
Uyuni Salt Flat Clothing List
- Hiking Boots – the salt will get all over your shoes, and on the second day when you go into the mountains, most of the desert is loose gravel and stones, and you can also do some climbing over rocks when you reach the Dali valley – so best to have some robust shoes that can get dusty.
- Hiking Socks (x2) – merino wool, so they last a couple of days without smelling
- Separate pair of lightweight shoes – for the end of the day when you reach the hotel. It feels great to kick off the smelly hiking boots and wear some comfy shoes instead
- Pair of regular socks – to go with your change of shoes
- Hiking trousers or shorts – we took base layer leggings but didn’t end up wearing them. We feel more comfortable trekking in shorts, but many people were wearing trousers. Remember you spend a lot of time driving so you will want to choose something comfortable to sit in.
- Waterproof jacket/windbreaker – perfect for when you reach some of higher altitudes to keep the wind out and stay warm, or when there is a light drizzle.
- Hoody / Jumper/ lightweight thermal jacket – the evenings get very cold when you’re above 3,000m
- Woolly Hat/Snood – both are useful for keeping your ears/head warm when you reach those colder and windier places
- Cap – to keep the sun off your face/neck if you’re having good weather on the salt flat
- Sunglasses – if you have a sunny day on the salt flat, you will essentially be blind without sunglasses. The reflection off the white surface is incredibly strong so bring a good pair with UV protection
- Swimwear – for the thermal springs
- Flip flops – for making your way from the hotel to the thermal baths (about a 5-minute walk). You can also wear them in the evenings around the hotel if you don’t want to wear trainers, but it will be cold!
- Travel towel – not essential as both our hotels provided towels but always better to be prepared
Uyuni Salt Flat Toiletry Packing List
- Toilet roll – better to be safe than sorry.
- Wet wipes – if unluckily you need a nature poo
- Standard items – toothbrush, deodorant etc
- Medical kit and medicine – you never know what can happen on the trip, be prepared
Uyuni Salt Flats Gear/Tech Packing List
- Water bottle – you can fill your bottle up each day at the hotel
- Portable charger – there’s electricity in the hotels, but there’s usually only one working plug socket which everyone uses, so bring a portable charger to keep your phone charged. One fully charged battery should last the 3 days.
- Camera – obviously
- Day backpack – This will be the backpack you carry each day on the trek and will need to look after your valuables like your camera, water bottle and snacks.
- Snacks – cereal bars etc., always handy although you are fed well and given snacks each day
- Extra cash – cash in BOB for when you want to buy snacks or water. On the morning of the second day, you visit a shop before driving into the desert. You can also buy wine and alcohol at the hotels.
