Luna Salada Hotel

Built largely from blocks of salt cut from the flat itself, Hotel Luna Salada stands twenty minutes from Colchani on the edge of the Uyuni Salt Flats, one of the driest and highest places in Bolivia. That construction is not a gimmick; it is the practical answer to a landscape with little else to build with. Rooms and suites carry Andean textiles, local art and timber furniture, a contrast to the white mineral walls around them. Standard rooms, deluxe rooms and a family suite make up the layout, each with air conditioning, a safe and a private bathroom, though Wi-Fi and television are kept to the common areas by design. The restaurant, Tunupa, serves Andean dishes and includes breakfast with every stay. A spa offers a steam room and whirlpool with views across the salt pans, useful after cold days on the flat. Outside, the hotel arranges hikes up Tunupa Volcano, a cactus-covered island called Incahuasi, and stargazing sessions that take advantage of the thin, dry air and near total absence of artificial light. In the wet season, shallow water turns the flat into a mirror; the line between ground and sky disappears. A handicraft shop on site sells local textiles and objects carved from salt. It is a quiet, remote base, and the hotel runs an airport shuttle for guests arriving via Uyuni's Joya Andina airport.