The Salt Flats are amazing and well worth seeing. The tour, however, was overshadowed by events that were not so good. And to be fair, a lot of these things seem to be standard procedure with all companies in the area. The standard of tours in Uyuni is not high.
- Firstly.. no one knows what company we were even booked with. I booked with this company and the information I was given at the time of booking said I could arrive at their office 30min before the start of the tour or wait at my hotel for a pickup. I had time so walked to the address given. It doesnt exist. I rushed back to my hotel and waited for a pickup which was late, but all it was was a ride 2min down the road which I had passed twice already that day.. give me that address which does exist! I was picked up by a second company, then actually on the tour with a 3rd company a few doors further down the road. This was a common experience for everyone on the tour. As a result, the company running the tour was initially confused with who was doing what and where. It took a long time to sort out with multiple conflicting instructions from the staff. This has other consequences later on.
- To buff out the tour to 3 days, there are some really weak stops that are barely locations let alone tourist attractions. Enjoy your multiple stops to see the same flamingos again and again. Or a rock that looks vaguely like a tree. Or the Dali desert thing which is just a field which Dali had nothing to do with. Even if you were interested in some of these lesser stops, by day 3 you will not care and just want to the tour to end.
- At the Salt Flats, we are told we have 15min to enjoy it. Immediately we are angry. We booked the tour specifically for the Salt Flats and we are only here for 15min?! After a lot of arguing the guide explains 'this part of the Salt Flats for 15min'.. say that in the first place! How did it take so much arguing for you to say that? You end up spending all afternoon on the Salt Flats at various locations, but lack of communication put everyone on edge, and it only got worst from there.
- Day 1 the driver appeared to be falling asleep while driving. He denied this but the next day made a point of telling us he has 2 bags of coca so he wont be falling asleep that day. Extremely concerning.
- Day 2, after lunch, the driver asked how our lunch break was. 2 women said the lunch was good but the bathroom at the stop was completely unsuitable, especially for a pay toilet with a permanent attendant. The driver, very passive aggressively, told them they 'arent obligated to use the bathroom' and to go outside if they dont like it. It was extremely rude to what was fair customer feedback. Due to what the women were saying, many of us did go outside because it was actually the better option.
- Day 2 was freezing cold despite everyone dressed sufficiently for the cold. For some reason the guides insisted on us spending time out in the freezing wind for longer than necessary. Due to this, a few people were sick the next day. Getting out to see the attraction is fair but given the weather, prolonged exposure was not a good idea.
- The hostel was particularly cold, even inside (approx. -10°C inside), because they refused to turn any heating on despite heaters being available. Electricity for anything was only on 7-10pm. There are no showers and no hot water. I was warned about the no shower nor hot water but not the rest. But the facilities became a major source of argument between the tour group and the staff. Some other companies had promised the other people in the group facilities that were not available. 1 couple even paid 50€ extra for facilities that dont exist. When we complained the driver just bit back at us with 'hows that my problem?'. Their company is being subcontracted to provide facilities/ services which they cant. You would think they might care about this, but not only do they not care, they start abusing you for expecting what you paid for. If we werent so far from civilisation, people wouldve left the tour that night. Completely unacceptable.
- In our tour group were several couples, 2 solo males, 1 solo female. We were divided into 2 cars, which split the males. At the first hostel the couples got 1 room each, the solo males together in a room, the female with her own room. At the second hostel the tour staff were insistent that the 2 cars must remain separated so attempted to put the solo female with one of the solo males. She fiercely protested this which the tour staff couldnt understand. Her point was that not only was it inappropriate to put a solo female and male together in a bedroom, she had paid extra for a 'private' room which they were now refusing to provide. Eventually the staff gave in and gave both a private room, but it took some fighting.
- Night 2 in the hostel was freezing. No heat provided, just some blankets. People went to bed fully clothed and completely under the blankets. I was warned not to take extra blankets from a vacant bed because then they would have to wash them (and no doubt try to charge me for it). In the morning, 1 heater in the dining area was turned on and everyone was gathering around it just to unfreeze themselves. It is completely ridiculous they didnt provide heating overnight and its just to not cut into their profits. I wouldve gladly paid more for heat, but it wasnt an option.
- The heat was also not provided in the vehicle. When asked to turn it on, the driver turned the temperature up but didnt turn the heater on, so it had no effect. When he wasnt looking, I turned it on. A few minutes later he noticed and turned it off again. In addition, due to condensation, he kept his window open, causing the freezing air in. 1 (now sick) woman asked him to close it which he did.. for 1min before opening it again. Basically, the driver of this tour just didnt give a damn about customer service nor just general caring of people. The driver was terrible.
- The tour guide was amazing in the evenings when telling stories of his life, but as a guide informing of the attraction, he wasnt as good. However, 1 evening around midnight, 3hrs after we had all gone to bed, the guide went along the hostel hall banging on our doors and shouting. He wanted to give us hot water bottles to sleep with. The people who got up to see what he wanted (most of us thought there was some madman causing problems so didnt want to open our doors) said he was delirious/ under the influence of something. He was having trouble understanding that everyone was sleeping and he needed to be quiet. Extremely unprofessional.
- The final morning I was to cross into Chile. All they would tell me was 'its under control'. Suddenly, at 1 of the stops, with about 30min before my bus in Chile was to leave, I am hurried over to a vehicle of another tour group and told to sit in the back. No further information of what was happening. No idea who the driver was, the people I was with. I just had to trust they were helping me. In part I think this was because the guides had little clue of what was going on themselves. They were arguing about what was happening and if I needed a park ticket to get out or not, which didnt inspire confidence in their decisions for me. At the border I was told to stand in the wrong line. Thankfully border staff directed me to the correct line and after being checked I return to the vehicle which is now driving away without me! Turns out he was only driving ~100m forward but they arent telling me anything so I think they are leaving without me. The driver of this 4th company wasnt getting paid to take care of me so barely even acknowledged I was there, giving me the bare minimum of guidance.
In conclusion, the first day (Salt Flats) is amazing and well worth it. The following 2 days were not worth it. I recommend a 1 day Salt Flats tour if thats all you really care about. The tour staff were terribly unprofessional, inappropriate, and 1 surly, sleepy driver in particular had no compassion for people