Travelling South America on a budget, like us? Thinking about getting a bus from La Paz to Uyuni to see the amazing Salt Flats? Read on to hear about our experience of travelling across the wonderful country of Bolivia.
The route we took
Booking your travel from La Paz to Uyuni, Bolivia.
There are a number of ways to book your bus travel in South America. We have been using busbud.com frequently for South America and used them again for the bus from La Paz to Uyuni, Bolivia. We found them really easy to use, and booking confirmation was nearly instant. If you feel brave and would prefer to book at La Paz bus station, there are tonnes of options. They were literally trying to grab us as we entered the area of the station to see our tickets. However, as I have said before we have seen people turn up in stations and be told nothing until the next day.
The only issue is that booking via a third party means you have to go get your tickets at the station regardless. It also means you could book seats that aren’t actually in that seating format when you actually get to the bus. If you want specific seats, I would recommend going the day before and speaking to someone in the ticket office. If you aren’t bothered booking a specific seat, then I would recommend using busbud.com just give a bit of extra time to collect your paper tickets at the station.
Getting a bus from La Paz to Uyuni, Bolivia- The Journey.
La Paz bus station.
We arrived at the station a couple hours before our bus. We got kicked out of our AirBnb at 3 p.m., went and watched the Champions League Semi-Final, and then decided to head for the station for our bus at 9 p.m.
There are places to eat and pick up supplies for the bus in the station and surrounding streets. However, it is an expensive area, and I would recommend getting your supplies before arriving there.
Megan was in her complete element at the station, as it was in the show ‘Race Across the World’.
Getting on the bus.
I am not sure if it is the same way for all companies, but it certainly looked like it. Our bus left from the stand behind our ticket office; we went through a side door and on to the bus.
Remember to buy a terminal ticket; don’t throw them away. They got on the bus at the exit from the station and checked everyone. We had lost one, but it was okay. You buy these at the entry to the station, there is a both selling them or you can buy from the checker on the bus, probably best to just buy in advance, they cost around 2-3 BOL and paid in cash.
The Journey from La Paz to Uyuni, Bolivia.
We were lucky, and our seats were on the lower deck of the bus. I would recommend trying to get seats on the lower deck it is usual really quiet.
Only issue we had with the lower deck was people actually moving their entire lives got on the bus at the airport, and a stop shortly after. They attempted to fill up the lower deck with all their bags, but in the end had to stuff them into the extra drivers bed area!
Bring layers or a blanket with you, it can get extremely cold during the night. Apart from a few toilet stops nothing much of excitement happened during the night. It was actually a really quiet bus with no music or movies being played, and before we knew it we arrived in Uyuni.
Arriving in Uyuni.
The place was literally a ghost town when we arrived at 6 a.m. Our original plan was to arrive, nap in the bus station, and go find a tour of the salt flats. However, we decided to pre-booked a tour, and one of the owners of the tour met us at the station. We are glad they did, as we couldn’t have slept in the station, and we wouldn’t have had a clue where to go to find our tour operator. Plus it was freezing cold.
Interesting place to walk around while it wakes up; it has a weird, eerie feel to it.
Thoughts on Getting a bus from La Paz to Uyuni, Bolivia.
The journey was comfortable enough, but sadly, it was pitch black the entire time, so we couldn’t see anywhere, which was a bit disappointing. As I mentioned, there was no one playing music or watching movies, as it was all travellers wanting to get some sleep. I would have no issue recommending this method of transport to anyone on a budget.
If you don’t fancy a night bus, we spoke to an older couple who flew down. That flight is obviously really quick, and to be fair, it wasn’t that much more expensive than what we paid for our bus. However, take into account that you will probably need to book a hotel for the night in Uyuni, and that will be expensive.
Thanks for taking the time to read about our journey to get a bus from La Paz to Uyuni, Bolivia. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments below. Also, if booking, please use our link for bus bud; it won’t cost you a penny, but it will help us. Or if you can buy us a coffee and help support our journey.
Thanks again
The Lewis family.
