For ages, mirrors have been part of folklore. However, what can be more fascinating than the world’s largest natural mirror?
How does Salar de Uyuni qualify as being the world’s largest natural mirror?
The Earth is full of surprising eye-catching landscapes that do not look like part of the real world. Also, it is heavenly to imagine a vast white land with an approximate area of 4000 square miles being the world’s largest natural mirror at 12,000 feet elevation. The only place that has this unimaginable presence beautifies the Andes Mountains of Bolivia.
Moreover, these mysterious salt flats of Salar de Uyuni are the result of the evaporation of a prehistoric lake, namely Lake Minchin, which was remarkably expansive, along with many other wide lakes.
Named in Spanish language, Salar de Uyuni explains it being the salt flats near Uyuni town where the starting point of this area visit exists.
Interestingly, this plateau is full of lakes, which are both fresh and salt water, but there is no draining outlet. Hence, it is incredible to realize the natural phenomenon happening here: that is, the water accumulated from rainfall dries more quickly and intensively than the precipitation.
When rain falls, the water bodies fill up and overflow, resulting in the formation of temporary lakes and, eventually, a reflective surface referring to its name as a natural mirror.
The salts and minerals remaining from the evaporation of ancient lakes create hexagonal patterns on the land. This highly enchanting place is also popular for providing the view of the sky touching the land, i.e., the horizon.
Again, this is not the end of what Salar de Uyuni offers. It is a rich, wondrous site that holds many more interesting and unique features.
How are nails and health associated?
Mirror or Salt Flats or Power House of Lithium?
The brine beneath this giant reflective surface has a treasure of lithium, which is considered white gold due to the ever-increasing demand for electronic goods and batteries. The precious silvery metal present here can cover about half of the total consumption.
Precipitation and freshwater trickling from mountains neighboring this area make it an ideal site for an abundance of lithium. Moreover, the salt crusts here are pretty thin, with 3-10 meters of thickness, which makes it an even more accessible source of this white gold.
Fun fact: A fun fact about this lithium treasure is that it can be even potent enough to calibrate objects for space projects.
Lagunas: Restaurants for flamingos
Despite being the largest salt flats in the world, there are also plenty of freshwater sources. Widely known as “Lagunas,” numerous freshwater lakes, including Laguna Blanca and Laguna Hedionda, to name a few, serve this purpose.
A laguna serves as a source of fresh water for thousands of migratory pink birds, the popular flamingos. In addition, flocks of three famous species of flamingos rest here and breed. They use the lakes of the Andes Mountains to rest, feed on plankton, and breed while migrating.
How wondrous is it that this harsh and inhospitable area of Bolivia is a comfortable place for these strong birds and also protects them from predators!
Colorado Lake attracts flamingos looking for food and some rest time by boosting its immense growth of red algae.
What can be more beautiful than a stunning view of the blood-red lagoon, unique pink birds, a gleaming mirror of salt flats, and a clear blue sky?
Isla Incahuasi: House of cacti
These aesthetically pleasing salt flats are a whole package of wonders and unusual things. For example, this place once used to be a gigantic lake, and now, strangely, salt flats are the outcome of the drying up of an ancient lake. Ironically, it is now more like a vast desert with specific flora and fauna.
Moreover, it serves as a breeding ground for flamingos who come to find water and food here, as well as a space to rest for a while. But again, it is home to hundreds of cactus plants that grow in desert-like places. Salar de Uyuni has an island, namely, Incahuasi, that is a popular tourist attraction for enlarged cacti. Also, this island has an archeological history, having pre-Columbian remains. Similar to the salt flats formations, this rough, rocky island is a remnant of volcanic eruptions back in history.
Some of the cacti plants are tall, up to 12 meters, and are hundreds of years old, having high chances of growing for many more hundred years.
The precipitation rates in this whole area of salt flats are very low, and the cacti are successfully resistant to droughts and scarcity of raindrops. The island has a hiking trail of about 30 minutes to both sides to reach the top and go back to the start of the trail. This worth-trying spot surprises the tourists with incredible sightseeing and a great deal of photography.
The train cemetery
Once the main transportation hub, Uyuni now has a few rusted remnants of that glorious past. The train graveyard is surrounded by trains that were abandoned due to some inevitable reasons, in an area of salty winds.
Later, over decades and now centuries, the area full of corroded, dysfunctional trains under the open sky is now called the train cemetery.
This place is on the bucket list of thousands of visitors for both entertainment and the opportunity to photograph unusual scenery. Tourists visit this place either in the early morning, when sunlight beams make the corroded wrecks look golden and sparkling, or in the late evening, when the sunset makes it look ethereal.
With more than a hundred train pieces, this place becomes more adventurous when tourists climb the trains and get more realistic photographs. Once a transportation core, it is now a photography hub, a point to hear interesting stories from the local guides about this fascinating location.
Last words
This whole piece of writing is not about the mirror on the wall but rather about the mirror on the floor.
Salar de Uyuni has so much to offer to tourists, including salt flats, mountains, volcanos, a deserted island of cacti, water for migratory birds, a unique graveyard, and a reservoir of lithium. Indeed, it is worth visiting the world’s largest natural mirror, but the future of salt flats, given their immense lithium reserves, remains a pressing concern.