Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni – the world’s largest salt flat – forms a mindbending landscape that’s like nowhere else on earth. It spans over 10,000 square kilometers that are transformed with the seasons from a honeycomb of salt tiles to a horizon-spanning mirror that reflects the sky. Now A&K Sanctuary’s new Samkani Camp – bespoke Airstream suites set deep in the Salar de Uyuni – is offering a new way to experience such surreal surroundings.
As one of the only places to stay directly on the salt, these low-impact high-design hideaways feature an unrivalled level of luxury through the use of Bolivian sodalite and sleek chrome details, while the curved metal exterior mirrors the sky – just like the salt flats themselves. By day you will explore archaeological sites around the salar, some of the salar's coral-like islands and caves of the great white expanse by 4x4 and ebike; by night you are among the only people left on the salar beneath star-spangled skies. The result is a deep connection to this wondrous landscape but with the lightest touch possible. Transformative experiences await here in a place where silence and emptiness are everything. (A&K(
Airstream suites are pitched in a remote corner of Bolivia’s spectacular Uyuni salt flats – making this one of the few places to stay directly on the salar. A visit to this bespoke, architect-designed camp is an unforgettable experience, and you can enjoy the unrivalled luxury of having one of the world’s greatest natural wonders practically to yourself. Although more tangible creature comforts are covered too such as ensuite bathrooms with hot showers, heating and electric blankets for chilly desert nights and air-conditioning for balmy days, plus a generously stocked minibar, plenty of luggage space and ebikes for zipping across the crystalline terrain. The suites sleep up to two people, so they are perfectly suited to solo adventurers and seclusion-seeking couples.
You also have access to the dedicated lounge and dining Airstream where a local chef serves up Bolivian rooted dishes to be savored alongside wines from the country’s high-altitude vineyards plus other regional specialities.
The sleek Airstreams of Samkani Camp are moved according to the season. During the dry season (April-November) they are located in a little-visited corner in the south of the salt flats. From December to March, operations shift to the Salar's northern edge, with each suite’s private terrace overlooking the mirror-like surface. A private guide and driver accompany you throughout your stay, imparting their expert local knowledge gained from decades of experience on the ground.
Suite
Each guest suite is a bespoke Airstream, with queen or twin beds, plus a sofa that can accommodate one child, a bathroom with a shower and double sinks. Additional amenities include heating and air-conditioning, a fully stocked minibar, a tablet with destination information, complimentary wi-fi, and a private deck.
A white expanse of crystalline landscape that can even be seen from space, the Salar de Uyuni is located mostly in Daniel Campos Province of Potosí Department in southwestern Bolivia. It stretches for over 10,000 square kilometers and sits atroughly 3,650 meters above sea level, near the crest of the Andes. This is the largest continuous salt desert on earth, containing an estimated 10 billion tons of salt, which forms honeycomb patterns stretching towards the horizon and at its center is up to 10 meters deep. As one of the few places to stay directly on the salar, Samkani Camp unlocks the secrets of this extraordinary terrain and offers total immersion in the surroundings. One of the salar’s best-known landmarks is Incahuasi island, the rocky summit of an ancient volcano that was once an island in a prehistoric lake. Today, it rises from the dry salt crust covered in giant, slow-growing cacti, with fossilized algal formations on its rocks recording the water that once surrounded it. But the seemingly empty white expanse of the salar harbors many other hidden wonders. Discover pre-Columbian caves where mummies still keep their vigil to villages where time seems to stand still, and the Señorío de Lípez necropolis along with its museum. Guests can also explore ancient petroglyphs and caves that once lay beneath Lake Minchin, the vast prehistoric lake that covered this plateau long ago. Each site and experience has been handpicked by the expert team at A&K Sanctuary.
The location of the camp shifts with the seasons. During the dry season (April-November) it is pitched in the south of the salar, 25 minutes from the community of Yonza. This is an area that few travelers visit, making for a more private and exclusive experience. Guests can explore the nearby salt cave and see into the "ojos del salar", natural brine pools where salt crystals form beneath the surface. From December to March, the camp is close to the pre-Inca archaeological ruins of Pukara de Ayque, that offers guests the chance to learn about the region’s history through the stone dwellings of an ancient civilization. During this wetter season a thin layer of water on the salar's surface transforms the landscape into the world's largest mirror – cameras at the ready to capture incredible photographs of this natural phenomenon.
Salar de Uyuni Cool
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