Salt Dawg - the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

My friend Claus in Sucre provided lots of details about the Salar de Uyuni, the huge salt flat in south western Bolivia and the areas south of Uyuni. He convinced me to see the collection natural wonders found there.

The questions remained, ride or take a commercial tour. Some people take their motorcycles onto the salt flats, exposing the equipment to salt water. The level of salt water depends on how much rain has fallen recently. And there is just plain salt that will collect on bike. It is possible to spray the motorcycle with Coca Cola, adding a protective layer. The follow on step is to wash the bike, but I was not keen to introduce salt to my motorcycle in any event. Getting salt in the electronics doesn't sound like a good idea, even if you wash the bike after, some salt may remain.

Taking the motorcycle alone in a remote areas south of Uyuni could be a problem in the event of mechanical problems. Looking at my nearly worn out tires, I was concerned that one could fail and wouldn't provide sufficient traction off-road. After considering many options and routes, I decided to take a three day jeep tour. The roads south of Uyuni would have been very challenging for me and more important exhausting to ride. In addition, it would have been difficult to ride behind a jeep tour and keep up... I made the best decision for myself and relaxed in a jeep for three days. The sites were simply amazing and I met a bunch of cool travelers. On the downside, taking a commercial tour always comes with some form of disappointment. Details and more photos in the next post.