After a tortuous 10hr bus ride on unpaved road from La Paz, we arrived in Uyuni, a small town in the middle of nowhere. Uyuni was our starting base to Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world.

Jose, a local Quechuan, was our guide/driver for three days. He is a stocky man with pink cheeks, tanned skin and a happy-go-lucky demeanour. He played a mixed bag of music in the 4WD and I smiled as I watched him tap his fingers on the steering wheel and bop to his favourite tunes.

We made a quick pit stop to visit the train cemetery near Uyuni.

The sun blares and sunglasses/sunscreen are a necessity due to the reflective white salt flats. We toured in the dry season (winter) and although the days were warm, (with thermals, fleece and a wind-breaker that is) night was freezing with minus temperatures.

We visited a hidden cave on the salt flats.

At around 10pm, we drove out to the middle of nowhere on the Salt Flats and watched the beautiful night sky, we had a clear view of the milky way.

We drove through stunning landscapes with pink and green lakes, mountains, cactus islands, geothermal fields and deserts.

Although barren, it is teeming with wildlife such as flamingos, desert foxes and Vicunas.

Bolivian landscapes are beautifully lonely.

Tour company: Quechua Connection

Contact: quechuaconnection4wd@hotmail.com

Transport: We booked our bus from La Paz to Uyuni and back through Kanoo Tours (Kanoo is a tour booking company, the actual bus company is Todo Turismo). Booking through Kanoo is the only way to guarantee a seat through online booking and payment. With that said, I would recommend flying to Uyuni instead.