Travel Day: Sucre to Uyuni via Potosi

Let’s say this was a long day. We departed Sucre at 8 am, stopped just outside of town to see the military school and former castle. Trees and wires obfuscated the views.  We made one more stop to see an old bridge and beautiful view.  The plan was to stop in Potosi for a museum tour and lunch. The three-hour drive started with a descent into lower elevation before a steep climb up to Potosi (13,420 feet above sea level). The increase in altitude was messing with us a little.

There were multiple political marches and protests happening in Potosi. We did not know what they were about and neither did our guide. The result was traffic and a large police presence. We missed the 11 am tour at Casa Nacional de la Moneda by 15 minutes, so we had to wait for the next tour at 2:30 pm. Our guide apologized, pointed to a restaurant and said he would meet up in front of the museum around 2:15pm.

We ate and explored. After lunch, the streets were quiet. The tour at Casa Nacional de la Moneda was very interesting.  The museum guide had a great sense humor and timing when telling the history of Potosi through its art and mint. The construction of huge baroque-style building began in 1759 and the mint remained operational until 1951. We are not sure if it is true, but he showed us how the US dollar sign $ was derived from the Potosi stamp on its coins. We did not take any photos.

Once we found the driver and hit the road, it took another 4 hours to drive to Uyuni. The views were varied and stunning as the sunset.  We made one stop when the llamas were in the road.

Our hotel was an additional thirty-minute drive past the city of Uyuni on the edge of the salt flats. The Hotel Palaco del Sal is the first salt hotel in the world.