A natural mirror that offers us two skies and an indistinguishable horizon. A white ground that seems to be infinite and that at night allows us to observe the Milky Way in a privileged way. Up next we invite you to the Salar de Uyuni, the most incredible landscape in the world. We will also tell you why it is one of the great economic hopes of its country. In the southwest of Bolivia, near the border with Chile, we find the Salar de Uyuni. It is located in the department of Potosí and it is the largest salt desert in the world. It is also the highest, as it is 3600 meters above sea level. With its 10,500 square kilometers, it exceeds Lebanon in size and doubles Trinidad and Tobago. We can also see that it is larger than the Community of Madrid or 7 times more extensive than Mexico City. It is estimated that there are about 10 billion tons of salt throughout the place. Every year, about 25,000 are mined. That is, kilometers and kilometers of a white plain, with almost zero elevation, which gives a feeling of infinity and of being on another planet. Mmmh, what a nice food. I'm gonna eat it The formation of this unique place is explained by the disappearance of two lakes that were there and that evaporated. One 40,000 years ago and another 10,000 years ago. The amount of salt that exists there is such that the local people not only exploit it for consumption, but also make various objects and souvenirs for tourists. But the use of salt reaches another level, as they form building bricks. Staying in a hotel made entirely of salt? Yes, it is possible in Uyuni, and even with quite luxurious options. The dry season lasts between May and November, and the rainfall is really very strange in those months. On the other hand, between December and April it can rain, which gives rise to an extra attraction. Due to the characteristics of the soil, the water does not filter and remains on the surface, which generates a water mirror that seems infinite. I'm in Salar de Uyuni And I believe this is one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. Getting to the Salar de Uyuni is possible by different paths. From La Paz and Sucre there are buses that depart regularly. There is also an airport in Uyuni that connects it with the main Bolivian cities. Another option is to arrive from Chile. You can start from Atacama and appreciate other tourist attractions along the way. For example, the incredible Laguna Colorada, where we can also enjoy one of the largest flamingo communities in the world. We can also meet the Licancabur volcano, located no less than 5800 meters high on the border between Chile and Bolivia. At its feet is the Laguna Verde, and from there you can see fumaroles and geysers. That is, thermal vapors and gases that are emitted from the surface. The same can be appreciated in another of the recommended destinations in the area, the Sol de Mañana, which also offers a unique landscape. There are many tours that can be hired, but it is also possible to do it in a private way. In this case, you have to be very careful if you go to the salt without an expert, since it is so large and with such similar landscapes that it is very easy to get lost. The other place that those who go to Uyuni will be able to visit is the train cemetery. Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, mining activity boomed, and this place was a key railway junction for transportation. But with the drop in production, machines began to be abandoned. The Salar de Uyuni is a privileged place for location-related technologies. Due to its large extension of smooth surface and its high reflectivity, it is very useful for the calibration of GPS, which makes it possible to increase the precision of the instruments. And it is also a unique place for a growing activity, astrophotography. The pollution-free sky offers one-of-a-kind postcards like these. The Salar de Uyuni is not only one of the most important tourist destinations in Bolivia, but it is one of the great economic hopes due to the presence of a key mineral in the 21st century, lithium. Along with areas of Chile and Argentina, it shares the so-called Lithium Triangle, one of the most important reserves in the world. Estimates have varied widely over the years about the importance of this region. It was believed that 85% of the world's lithium was concentrated there, but now it is estimated that it is a little more than half. In one way or another, it has generated enormous expectations, since this mineral is used for batteries. Yes, the device from which this video is being played has lithium in its power supply. But the big business will come with the expansion of electric vehicles. It is estimated that a battery pack in one of these cars is equivalent to 10,000 mobile phones. Both in Chile and Argentina this mineral has begun to be exploited. In Bolivia the situation seems further behind, as there is more reluctance to intervene by foreign companies. It is wanted to avoid what has happened repeatedly in Latin America, that the exploitation of raw materials does not contribute to the development of the countries. The point is that the extraction of lithium is an expensive and technically complicated process. It requires great technology and a huge investment. That is why the search continues for the best balance for the development of this industry in the area. The Salar de Uyuni has not only impacted thousands of tourists who come every year, but also witnessed unique events. Between 2014 and 2018 it hosted the Dakar Rally, the famous motorsport race. The five times that the competition passed through Bolivia, Uyuni was the protagonist and offered images like these. A movie blockbuster also used Uyuni as a location. In the eighth episode of Star Wars, The Last Jedi, we can see the salar transformed into the planet Crait. Although Uyuni offers a unique setting, it could not prevent it from being one of the worst installments of the saga. Would you like to visit the salar? What other destination would you go to on that trip? Leave us your comment. And if you made it this far, we would like to invite you to join as a member of Un Mundo Inmenso. Through your contribution you will help us to continue making videos. You will also have the possibility to see the exclusive contents.
