For most Salar de Uyuni tours, the main destination is the spectacular Isla Incahuasi, otherwise known as Inkawasi, in the heart of the salar 80km west of Colchani. This hilly outpost is covered in Trichoreus cactus and surrounded by a flat white sea of hexagonal salt tiles. This is where most groups have their lunch but there’s also a cafe-restaurant run by La Paz-based Mongo’s .
It was once a remarkably lonely, otherworldly place but since the advent of salar tours, it has become overrun with visitors. Altogether an industrialized tourist experience, it’s still a beautiful sight if you forget the crowds.
You have to pay an entry fee to climb the hill (B$30) and tour groups swarm over the hiking trails chasing the perfect photo of cacti and salt. It’s a 15-minute walk to the top of the island, with a trail that loops back, but it's worth it. Note that during the wet season when the salar is flooded, the island is inaccessible.
