Tunupa Volcano

Tunupa stands at around 5,320 metres on the northern rim of the Salar de Uyuni, and it is coloured: bands of ochre, red, cream and green run across its flanks from different mineral deposits, unusual among the grey and brown volcanoes of the altiplano. Andean tradition treats Tunupa as a figure as well as a mountain, with stories accounting for the salt flat itself as her tears or her milk. A track climbs from Jirira and Coquesa to a mirador at around 4,300 metres in three to four hours, with the salar spreading white to the horizon below; continuing to the crater rim is a longer and harder day. Nearby caves hold pre-Columbian mummies, shown by local guides.

What you actually see

• The coloured flanks - bands of ochre, red and green across the slopes.
• The salar from above - white plain running to the horizon.
• Chullpa mummies - the pre-Columbian burials in caves at the foot.
• The crater route - the harder continuation above the mirador.

When to go

May to September for firm tracks and clear air; the wet season floods the salar edge and makes access difficult. Mornings are clearest. It is severely cold before dawn at this altitude.

Honest expectations

The climb to the mirador is at over four thousand metres and hard work; the crater is a long day needing acclimatisation. There is no shade and no water. The mummy caves are burials and warrant respect rather than photographs of remains. Facilities in the villages are basic.

Nearby

The Salar de Uyuni lies south; Coipasa is northwest.