Your driver knows the routes and sights, but be prepared for anything. There may be unexpected delays due to breakdowns, getting stuck or weather. You may expect to stay overnight in a tiny town and arrive to find no beds. Accept that this is an adventure.
Take with you:
- Sunglasses. Extremely important! The glare from the salar can blind you. Take advantage of every bit of shade.
- Water. The air is thin and dry, and dehydration is a problem.
- Warm clothing. At this altitude evenings and nights are cold.
- Warm sleeping bags.
- A supply of snack foods, aspirin, sun screen, a hat and more warm clothing.
- Film, and lots of it, preferably low speed for that bright light.
Take it easy in the altitude. If you are feeling the effects, you might be offered coca leaves to chew. The taste may be unpleasant, but people in the alitplano have used it for centuries to combat the altitude, hunger and thirst. You may be offered a maté of coca as a breakfast beverage. This is used to boost the formation of red corpuscles in the blood, which aids in keeping oxygen supplied to the brain, an important part of living in the altitude, and avoiding soroche, altitude sickness.