High in the Andes mountains of South America lies a place that looks like it belongs on another planet. It is called the Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat. Stretching across more than 10,000 square kilometres, this vast desert of shining white salt becomes a giant mirror when it rains.
The Salar was once part of a prehistoric lake that dried up thousands of years ago. What remained was a thick crust of salt, perfectly flat and endless to the eye. In the dry season, it looks like a frozen ocean made of dazzling white crystals. But during the rainy season, a thin layer of water spreads across the surface. This transforms the entire desert into the “world’s largest mirror,” reflecting the sky so clearly that it feels like you are walking on clouds.
The salt flat formed after a prehistoric lake dried up thousands of years ago.
Photographers love the way the horizon disappears, creating optical illusions — people appear to float, shrink, or grow gigantic in playful pictures. At night, the mirror effect is even more magical, with stars above and their reflections below surrounding you in a galaxy of light.
The salt flat is more than a tourist attraction. Beneath its surface lies one of the world’s richest reserves of lithium, a metal used in batteries for phones and electric cars. For Bolivia, this resource has become increasingly important as the world shifts to green energy.
Flamingos also flock to the area, adding splashes of pink to the endless white.