The world's largest salt flat welcomes thousands of tourists for New Year's Eve in Bolivia

 Uyuni (Bolivia), Dec 29 (EFE) – At over 3,600 meters above sea level, the world's largest salt desert, the Uyuni Salt Flat, spans 10,582 square kilometers and is one of the favorite destinations for thousands of tourists in Bolivia.

Anastasio, a local tour guide from the Andean region of Potosí, told EFE that "the salt settles on the ground during the dry season, and the desert turns white, looking as if it were covered in snow," a sight admired by visitors who take photos and videos, especially at sunset.

The desert is accessible only by off-road vehicles, and on its edges are hotels built with salt blocks and a park featuring salt sculptures, one of the tourists' favorite spots, according to the guide.

Colchani, a small village home to artisanal salt sculptors and harvesters, lies at the entrance to the desert. It hosts the region’s largest salt factory, which extracts over 20,000 tons of the mineral annually, mostly for human consumption.

Another popular site for tourists is Uyuni's "Train Cemetery," where dozens of locomotives from the last century rust away, abandoned in the open air.

Locals claim that this area housed Bolivia’s first railway line, built during the region’s industrial boom in 1889.

Today, the trains and their carriages are abandoned, but visitors appreciate them and take photos atop the structures.

One of the area’s highlights is the optical illusion photography. By playing with perspective and the "infinite" horizon, tourists take pictures with toy dinosaurs or llamas, making the toys appear large and the people small, as if they’re riding the toys, explained Anastasio.

The tourists’ favorite phenomenon is the "mirror effect," which occurs during the rainy season. However, this December has seen little rain, and visitors have been unable to experience it.

The "mirror effect" in the Uyuni Salt Flat is caused by the overflow of nearby lakes during the rainy season, creating a layer of water that stretches across the salt desert. This reflects the light and gives the illusion of an infinite sky, perfect for capturing tourists' favorite images.

Lithium in the Salt Flat

The Uyuni Salt Flat is also considered one of the world's largest reserves of lithium, a highly valued mineral used for battery manufacturing and energy storage, among other purposes.

According to the state-owned Bolivian Lithium Deposits (YLB), the country holds the world's largest lithium reserves, having increased from 21 to 23 million tons.

On December 13, 2023, an industrial plant was inaugurated in the municipality of Colcha K, Potosí. It was announced that it would produce 15,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate annually, with an initial investment of 669 million bolivianos (96 million dollars). However, it has not yet met expectations.

Additionally, in September, the Russian company Uranium One Group signed a contract with YLB to build a direct extraction and lithium carbonation plant in the salt flat. The project is expected to involve an investment of about 950 million dollars, aiming to produce around 14,000 tons of the mineral annually.