11.4 Salar de Uyuni

You may have seen big mirrors before, but probably not as big as 10,582 km²! That’s how big Salar de Uyuni is.  It’s the world’s largest salt flat and it is located in Bolivia, in South America. There are 10 billion tons of salt in Salar de Uyuni, and the salt is over 10 meters thick in the center. 

During the dry season Salar de Uyuni is completely dry, but during the wet season it is covered with a thin sheet of water. This creates a huge “mirror” that makes beautiful reflections. At night you can see an amazing sight — both the sky and the earth are full of beautiful stars! It is difficult to tell how far away they are, or where the sky  begins and ends.

Although these reflections are very beautiful, they are also confusing. Sometimes people get lost in Salar de Uyuni, and actually every year a few people go missing there. If you have a chance to go there, be sure to follow your guide; otherwise,you might never come home!