Any suggestions for a trip to Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia? Probably going later in March. Thanks, Dan
Sounds pretty cool. I spent some time in Santa Cruz, but that was 20 years ago, so my info is all wildly outdated...
Wonder if there's a single person here who has been. I've seen pics, it's high on my bucket list. Have you tried advrider?
Spent two days in western China in August at over 12,000 feet near Zhagana. Didn't have any major issues. Will probably spend a day in Uyuni before heading to the salt flats to get used to the altitude. I will Check ADVrider good suggestion. Thanks,
Went to the Atacama fall of 2017, which is just over the border to the south, but that's as close as I've come. How do you do at altitude? Will you be alone? Acclimatization is not something you want to rush. A day is better than nothing, but more time is better. Our hotel was around 7500', and our day trips were all 11000-14500', progessively higher each of four days. I do not react well, and it wasn't until day 4 that I felt ok. Knowing how I react, I would not go it alone, and I'd take at least a week building up. Everybody is different. Know thyself. Drink lots of water.
Plus just about everyone is different. I have a 21 y.o. girl that I can find no differences under heavy excercise at 14k. At exactly 12,500 I get a bad headache and keep it for days until I go below that level. My home is at 1100 ft.
https://altolab-usa.com/ -- works well for altitude training. The black cans have a CO2 absorber in them. The green cans have foam. The more green cans the less fresh air comes in with each breath. The CO2 absorber keeps your drowning reflex from kicking in. When I used it I could get my pulse ox to about 70% without blacking out. Fun stuff! And if you buy one just buy Soda Lime granules from a vet supply store. They're used in anesthesia machines.
I read this guy’s ride report and I’m pretty sure he rode there. He’d probably reply if you asked him questions about it. https://advrider.com/f/threads/south-i-say-back-home.1339929/
Will be with the lady who I went to NewZealand in December with. Not riding, well maybe, I have found rental bikes for the salt flats. Probably do the 4 wheel drive 3 days, 2-night tour.
We did a four-day three-night tour, 4 days of gravel roads in a Toyota land cruiser. It was the third day in Bolivia before seeing a traffic light. Not much cell service for 4 days. First nights hotel only had electricity from 7 pm to 10 pm, they used a generator. The third day we were at the salt flats, had breakfast at the Dakar Bivouac, pretty cool.
Unless things have changed drastically, stop lights were treated as more of a suggestion when I was there. Right-of-way at stop signs was determined by who honked their horn first, so if your horn didn't work you had to actually stop at intersections. There were some cars that were just downright dangerous in terms of mechanical parts not working, but I never saw a car with a broken horn.
I was just riding in Mexico last month and traffic signs were more of a social contract than a legal obligation. And yet no one was exhibiting road rage or other "Norte Americano" driving behaviors.
