Deserto de Uyuni

About the destination: Santa Cruz de la Sierra, often simply referred to as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia. Located on the Pirai River in eastern Bolivia, the city of Santa Cruz and its surrounding metropolitan area house over 70% of the department's population, making it one of the fastest-growing cities globally. Santa Cruz is Bolivia's most significant business hub and the top choice for migrants from across the country. Santa Cruz boasts a diverse range of cultural and art spaces, from natural history and religious art to the latest contemporary art. The city also has a burgeoning young art market. MAIN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS • Raul Otero Reiche House of Culture • Noel Kempff Mercado Natural History Museum • Lieutenant General German Busch Becerra National History Museum • National and Regional Museum and Archive • Guarani Museum • Cathedral Museum of Sacred Art • Museum of Art and Archaeology • Museum of Independence • Museum of Contemporary Art • Manzana Uno (art center) • Santa Cruz Cultural Center • Simon I. Patiño Cultural Center • Spanish Cooperation Training Centre • Feliciana Rodriguez Cultural Center • Franco German Cultural Center • Axioma Art Gallery • Kiosko Gallery • Bhuo Blanco Gallery • Guembe Biocenter

About the destination: The Salar de Uyuni (or Salar de Tunupa) is the largest salt flat in the world, spanning 10,582 square kilometers (4,086 square miles). It's located in the Daniel Campos Province in Potosí, in the southwestern part of Bolivia, near the peak of the Andes Mountains, and sits at an elevation of 3,656 meters (11,995 feet) above sea level. The Salar was created due to changes between several prehistoric lakes. It's covered by a few meters of salt crust, which is remarkably flat, with average elevation changes of less than one meter across the entire Salar. This crust not only serves as a source of salt, but also covers a pool of brine that is extremely rich in lithium. In fact, it holds between 50% and 70% of the world's known lithium reserves, which are currently being extracted. The vast size, clear skies, and exceptional flatness of the Salar make it an ideal location for calibrating the altimeters of satellites observing Earth. The Salar is also a major transportation route across the Bolivian Altiplano and serves as a significant breeding ground for several species of flamingos. Additionally, the Salar de Uyuni acts as a climatological transition zone. The towering tropical cumulus congestus and cumulonimbus incus clouds that form in the eastern part of the salt flat during the summer are unable to penetrate its drier western edges, near the Chilean border and the Atacama Desert.

About the destination: Santa Cruz de la Sierra, often simply referred to as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia. Located on the Pirai River in eastern Bolivia, the city of Santa Cruz and its surrounding metropolitan area house over 70% of the department's population, making it one of the fastest-growing cities globally. Santa Cruz is Bolivia's most significant business hub and the top choice for migrants from across the country. Santa Cruz boasts a diverse range of cultural and art spaces, from natural history and religious art to the latest contemporary art. The city also has a burgeoning young art market. MAIN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS • Raul Otero Reiche House of Culture • Noel Kempff Mercado Natural History Museum • Lieutenant General German Busch Becerra National History Museum • National and Regional Museum and Archive • Guarani Museum • Cathedral Museum of Sacred Art • Museum of Art and Archaeology • Museum of Independence • Museum of Contemporary Art • Manzana Uno (art center) • Santa Cruz Cultural Center • Simon I. Patiño Cultural Center • Spanish Cooperation Training Centre • Feliciana Rodriguez Cultural Center • Franco German Cultural Center • Axioma Art Gallery • Kiosko Gallery • Bhuo Blanco Gallery • Guembe Biocenter