Salar de Coipasa

Coipasa covers around two and a half thousand square kilometres of salt crust at 3,680 metres, less than a quarter the area of Uyuni to the south but formed the same way, as the remnant of a vast prehistoric lake that dried across the altiplano. It differs in a few respects: a permanent lake survives at its northern edge, an island with a village sits in the middle of the flat, and the crust is rougher and more broken in places. What it mainly offers is emptiness: almost no tour traffic, no salt hotels, and the possibility of crossing it without seeing another vehicle. Volcanoes stand around the rim. Access is by rough tracks from Sabaya or across from Uyuni, and a driver who knows the crust is essential.

What you actually see

• The salt crust - a white plain running to volcanoes on the horizon.
• Coipasa island - the settlement standing in the middle of the flat.
• The northern lake - permanent water at the salar's edge.
• Emptiness - crossings with no other vehicles in sight.

When to go

May to September, the dry season, when the crust is firm; the wet months flood parts of the surface, which produces the mirror effect but makes driving hazardous. Nights are severely cold.

Honest expectations

The crust is broken in places and vehicles get stuck or damaged; a driver with local knowledge is essential and going alone is dangerous. There are no facilities, no fuel and no phone signal. Tours here are far fewer than at Uyuni and must be sought out.

Nearby

Salar de Uyuni lies south; Chipaya is northeast.