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When to Go

Best Time to Visit Bolivia (Uyuni Salt Flats)

South America · Month-by-month weather, seasons and what to do — from Noura's Destination Finder.

Noura's timing tip: Uyuni sits at 3,660 m with sub-freezing nights year-round, so dress for extreme cold and altitude; the wet season (Jan-Mar) creates the famous mirror but floods much of the flat and can strand vehicles, while May-Nov is reliably drivable.
Best months
Feb, May–Aug
Flights from the US
🟡 One connection
Great for
couples · adult group · female solo traveler · multi-gen
Seasons at a glance
FebruaryMayJuneJulyAugust JanuaryMarchAprilSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember

🟢 Peak season  ·  🟠 Shoulder  ·  ⚪ Off-peak

Bolivia (Uyuni Salt Flats) month by month

Average temperatures, sunshine and the feel of each month. Getting the timing right is half of a great trip.

MonthAvg °FSunRainSeasonWhat it's like
January 41–68°F 7h Moderate (70mm) Shoulder Wet-season peak: a thin water film turns the salar into the world's biggest mirror.
February 40–68°F 7h Moderate (55mm) Peak Best mirror month: glassy reflections double the sky at sunrise and sunset.
March 39–66°F 8h Low (30mm) Shoulder Rains taper and reflections linger as the wet season winds down.
April 33–63°F 8h Minimal (8mm) Shoulder The flat dries out: hexagon salt tiles emerge and driving across begins.
May 28–57°F 9h Minimal (2mm) Peak Dry season begins: crisp days, freezing nights and drivable salt as far as you see.
June 27–54°F 9h Minimal (1mm) Peak Clear, cold high-desert winter: blue skies over a blinding white expanse.
July 26–54°F 9h Minimal (1mm) Peak Winter-break peak: bone-dry, sub-freezing nights and flawless salt-flat driving.
August 27–57°F 9h Minimal (2mm) Peak Windy, dry late winter with brilliant light and empty salt horizons.
September 28–62°F 9h Minimal (3mm) Shoulder Dry, clear and warming: prime driving conditions before the rains return.
October 32–66°F 9h Minimal (6mm) Shoulder Warm days, cold nights and wide-open drivable salt under deep-blue skies.
November 36–68°F 8h Minimal (12mm) Shoulder Last of the dry season: still drivable, warming, with the first stray clouds.
December 40–69°F 8h Low (40mm) Shoulder Early rains return and the first mirror puddles shimmer at the flat's edges.

Data cross-referenced from climate and flight sources; conditions vary year to year.

Things to do in Bolivia (Uyuni Salt Flats), month by month

Hand-picked ideas for every month of the year — from Noura's Destination Finder.

JanuaryShoulder41–68°F
  • Photograph sky-mirror reflections across the flooded salar
  • Sunset and star reflections on the salt flat
  • Visit the eerie Train Cemetery outside Uyuni
  • Watch salt harvesting in Colchani village
  • Reflection portraits near the Dakar salt monument
FebruaryPeak40–68°F
  • Sunrise mirror-reflection photography on the salar
  • Star and Milky Way reflections after dark
  • Train Cemetery and Colchani salt-village tour
  • Wet-flat perspective and reflection portraits
  • Stay at a salt-brick hotel on the flat's edge
MarchShoulder39–66°F
  • Chase lingering mirror reflections on the drying flat
  • Photograph the Train Cemetery
  • Visit Colchani and the salt-processing workshops
  • Sunset over the vast white expanse
  • Early-season drives toward Tunupa Volcano
AprilShoulder33–63°F
  • Drive across the drying salt flat's hexagonal crust
  • Hike to Isla Incahuasi's giant cacti
  • Ascend toward Tunupa Volcano and its viewpoints
  • Train Cemetery and Colchani village stop
  • Perspective-illusion photography on the white salt
MayPeak28–57°F
  • Cross the fully dry salar to Isla Incahuasi
  • Multi-day 4x4 tour to Laguna Colorada and Laguna Verde
  • Sol de Manana geysers and the Arbol de Piedra
  • Perspective-trick photos on endless white hexagons
  • Sunset and stargazing on the salt flat
JunePeak27–54°F
  • 4x4 expedition across the salar to Incahuasi Island
  • Southwest circuit to Laguna Colorada and its flamingos
  • Arbol de Piedra and the Siloli Desert
  • Freezing-dawn Sol de Manana geysers
  • Salt-block hotel stay and sunset photography
JulyPeak26–54°F
  • Drive the dry salar to Isla Incahuasi's cacti
  • Multi-day tour to the Eduardo Avaroa reserve lagoons
  • Flamingos at Laguna Colorada
  • Sol de Manana geysers and Polques hot springs
  • Train Cemetery and Colchani salt village
AugustPeak27–57°F
  • Cross the salt flat to Incahuasi Island
  • Southwest lagoons circuit with red and green lakes
  • Climb Tunupa Volcano for salar panoramas
  • Sunset and Milky Way over the salt
  • Train Cemetery photo stop
SeptemberShoulder28–62°F
  • 4x4 tour across the dry salar
  • Isla Incahuasi cactus-island hike
  • Laguna Colorada and Laguna Verde day-legs
  • Perspective photography on the salt hexagons
  • Stargazing over the flat
OctoberShoulder32–66°F
  • Drive to Isla Incahuasi and Tunupa Volcano
  • Southwest circuit to the Avaroa reserve lagoons
  • Sol de Manana geysers at dawn
  • Sunset perspective-trick photos on the flat
  • Train Cemetery and Colchani stop
NovemberShoulder36–68°F
  • Cross the salar before the wet season arrives
  • Isla Incahuasi cactus-island visit
  • Flamingos and lagoons on the southwest circuit
  • Stargazing on the salt flat
  • Train Cemetery photography
DecemberShoulder40–69°F
  • Catch the season's first mirror reflections
  • Drive the still-firm central salar
  • Train Cemetery and Colchani salt village
  • Sunset over the salt expanse
  • Isla Incahuasi visit access permitting
Where to go in February Where to go in May Where to go in June Where to go in July

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