Salar de Uyuni, a Famous Tourist Destination in Bolivia for Its Uniqueness

UNGKIT.COM - Salar de Uyuni, or Salar de Tunupa, is the largest salt flat in the world. Salar de Uyuni is located in the Potosí and Oruro Departments of southeastern Bolivia, near the peak of the Andes, at an elevation of 3,650 meters.

Around 40,000 years ago, this desert was part of Lake Michin, a large prehistoric lake. When it dried up, two lakes remained: Lake Poopó and Uru-Uru, as well as two large salt deserts, Salar de Coipasa and Salar de Uyuni.

It is estimated that Salar de Uyuni contains 10 billion tons of salt, and less than 25,000 tons are extracted annually. Every November, Salar de Uyuni becomes home to three species of flamingos in South America: the Chilean, Andean, and James's flamingos.

Salar de Uyuni is a famous tourist destination for its uniqueness. Salar de Uyuni is known as the world's largest mirror. It's a natural mirror, a salt flat covering 10,582 square kilometers. During the rainy season (December-April), a thin layer of water on top perfectly reflects the sky, creating the optical illusion of walking on clouds. (*)