Our South American Epic 6 riders will have the unique opportunity of cycling and camping on the other-worldly, Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat.
Cycling the world’s largest salt flat on the South American Epic 6
The surreal landscapes of the Bolivian Salt Flat
Situated at almost 3700m and covering over 12,000 sq km, the Salar is the world’s largest salt flat. The riders will make the crossing in one day, covering 135 km

South American Epic section 6

Cycling the Salt Flats
South American Epic 6. Cycling the Salt Flats, La Paz to Salta.
A few days after pedaling out of La Paz, our intrepid riders will have the unique opportunity of cycling and camping on the other-worldly, Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat. A six day trek brings you into Salta in Northern Argentina.

Highlights

  • Ride across the salt encrusted Salar de Uyuni
  • Camp in a Meteor Crater
  • Beautiful barren landscapes of Northern Argentina
  • Sample Argentinian wines in Salta

Details

TypeTour bike
Duration14 days
LevelChallenging
SupportGuided
Total distance839 mi / 1350 km
Group sizemin.10 max. 45
LodgingCamping, hotels
BicycleBring your own
MonthSeptember, October
StartLa Paz
FinishSalta
States or countryBolivia, Argentina
Airport startLa Paz- El Alto LPB
Airport finishSalta, Martín Miguel de Güemes SLA

Starting from $ TBA

*Please note the prices are subject to change depending availability *

Persons number of persons
Tour date
Itinerary
Bicycle
Lodging
Included / not included
Pricing / Tour dates
Conditions
Information

Itinerary

This high altitude section begins in La Paz, Bolivia’s frenzied capital city. Hopefully, sectional cyclists beginning their ride here will have arrived a few days early in order to acclimatize.
The tour enters and departs on the Mi Teleférico, the world’s largest aerial cable car system. At 30 km and expanding, the network gives riders a chance to experience some unique and incredible views of La Paz.
Once out of the city, the cyclists pedal south through the wild and barren southern altiplano. During the day the treeless plains are back-dropped by breathtaking volcanic peaks while at night the empty skies allow for some astonishing stargazing.

The route passes through the gritty mining town of Oruro, known throughout South America for its musical traditions that culminate in the city’s annual Carnaval celebrations.
Although the tour will miss the wild celebration, riders may still be tempted to buy a locally designed Diablada (dance of the devil) mask. The cyclists continue south, camping one night on the rim of an ancient meteor crater before arriving in the tiny village of Conqueza.
Sitting at the foot of Volcan Tunupa this spot marks the start of the cyclist’s trek across the stunning Salar de Uyuni.

Situated at almost 3700m and covering over 12,000 sq km, the Salar is the world’s largest salt flat. The riders will make the crossing in one day, covering 135 km.
Along the way they will experience surreal views – a seemingly endless expanse of white beneath a perfectly blue sky – occasionally broken up by cacti-studded islands, strange rock formations and pink flamingos.
Salt is still extracted from the Salar for both human and animal consumption but underneath the flat lies a real treasure, the world’s largest lithium deposit.

After a well-deserved rest day in the tourist town of Uyuni, the route takes the riders south towards the border with Argentina. Along the way they will spin through some rugged countryside.
Dry ravines, crooked cacti and rust colored slopes are sprinkled with packs of llamas and colorful adobe houses. After crossing the border, the route continues through a harsh but magical landscape.
Sculpted by centuries of wind and water, rock formations have been carved into strange and mysterious shapes and shift through a wide spectrum of colors. A final climb takes the riders into the city of Salta, brimming with colonial charm and sophisticated dining options.

* This is a general itinerary. Tour itineraries are subject to change based on the group, available accommodations and other unforeseen circumstances such as the weather, local conditions, government intervention, that may affect the quality of the trip and/or safety of the participants. Please view this itinerary as an outline as to what to expect on this tour.

Bicycle

Bring you own bike
For this section, we recommend a touring bike with 35-40c tires.

Bring your own bike
Make sure you bring a bicycle that is appropriate for your tour, and in excellent working order. If you intend to use your current bicycle, it needs to be fully tuned, cleaned and ready to go. Ideally, get your bike shop to do an overhaul of your entire bike three to four weeks before your departure. Have them inspect, and if necessary replace, the drive train, pedals and bottom bracket for wear.

Choosing a bicycle for long distance touring
This is the most common question we get asked by people contemplating a bicycle tour with us. For any cycle tourist – whether in a group or going solo, and cycling the smooth cycleways of western Europe or thru the rugged back roads of South America – choosing an appropriate bike for the tour is no easy task
Three Basic Types To help you make the right choice, we have broken down your options into the three most suitable options.

1. Mountain Bike with Front Suspension A ‘hard tail mountain bike’ is the most versatile choice for any bike tour. It provides suspension and relative comfort for the off roads, and with a thinner set of tires it provides a decent ride on paved roads.
The drawback is that it will be a little slower, a little heavier, and a little less efficient than other bikes on pavement. Having locking front suspension is useful, as you can ‘lock out’ on the smooth roads and engage the suspension on the rougher roads. This bike is the most common choice on tours crossing rugged terrain.
PROS: versatility, durability, and comfort
CONS: less efficient on smooth roads, less mounts for panniers, more complicated parts.

2. Cyclocross or Touring Bike Cyclocross bikes are becoming more and more popular among cycle travelers, as they combine the ruggedness of a mountain bike, with the speed and efficiency of a road bike. These are quite similar in style and form to classic touring bikes.
While cyclocross/touring bikes do accommodate wider off road tires they do not have suspension, and riders may be seriously challenged on the rougher off-road sections.
Touring bikes, moreso than cyclocross bikes will have excellent mounts for racks and extra water bottles. Both these bikes are a good choice for places with better roads or on any tour where speed is more important to you than comfort.
PROS: efficient on the smooth roads, while still rugged enough for the rougher roads
CONS: no suspension, less comfort.

3 Hybrid Bicycle This bike has the same wheel size as a cyclocross bike, but with straight handlebars instead of road style drop bars. Hybrids sometimes have front suspension and suspension in the seatpost.
Hybrids are designed more for comfort and leisure than for performance, and have more of an upright sitting position. This is a very popular style of bike for European cycling trips, that also works well in other places.
PROS: comfort, good mounts for racks and bottles
CONS: not always designed for rugged terrain
Consider your Riding Style: What type of rider are? Do you like to sit upright to have a full view and worry little about speed? Or do you like to be tucked into an aerodynamic position and go as fast as you can, and as efficiently as you can? This will help you narrow down your options very quickly.

Lodging

South American Epic section 6

5 Nights in hotels
9 Nights of camping, bring your own camping gear
Note:
We advise booking at least 1 additional night at tour accommodation before the tour, to be able to attend rider briefing and have assistance from tour bike mechanic in setting up your bike.

Included:

  • Accommodation the night before first cycling day and the night of last cycling day are included in entry fee.
  • 5 nights hotels
  • 9 Nights of camping, bring your own camping gear
  • Most dinners, Most breakfasts, All roadside lunches, Afternoon soup on riding days
  • Experienced chef
  • Vehicle to carry your bags
  • Experienced tour leader
  • Sweep rider
  • Security as needed
  • Bike mechanic
  • Medic
  • Local support

Not included:

  • Airfare to and from the tour
  • Gratuity guides

Pricing / Tour dates

Tour price 2026: $ TBA pp Single fee, double occupancy rooms on hotel nights, we pair each rider with others of same gender.
Tour date 2026:
24 September – 06 October

Conditions

Deposit 25%
The deposit payment for a tour must be paid within two weeks after the booking is confirmed.
The remaining payment is due 90 days before the start of the tour.
For tours that are booked within 90 days before the start of the tour you will pay 100% of the tour price

Information

Challenging
Longer days, harsher environments (temperature, winds) and terrain (rough dirt, gravel roads at times, more significant climbing) become a larger factor. More surprises await you.

Gear / equipment:
Two duffel bags (max 110L each)
Basic spare bike parts
Tent and camp gear

Tour Finder

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