Bolivia situation guide
Pin down what's included, by asking, never assuming
At the Ruta de Sal agency counter in Uyuni, before paying for the 3-day Salar tour (Bs 1000 per person), your whole job is to confirm exactly what the tour includes and what isn't, all in usted, all by asking. Included, once you confirm it: the 4x4 with the driver-guide, the meals, the two nights' lodging (the first often at a hotel de sal), and the water (this one really varies, so you ask). Not included, and paid separately in cash on the route: the Isla Incahuasi entrance (Bs 30) and the Reserva Eduardo Avaroa fee (Bs 150), you ask which fees are 'aparte' and how much each is, and you never assume they're already covered. You also ask to leave your big suitcase at the agency, since only a small bag fits in the 4x4. The app never asserts an inclusion, a fee, or anything about the road as fact, the learner confirms it locally. Register is highland usted with the agency; no cruceño voseo. Prices are the pinned fictional amounts only.
Essential vocabulary
- ¿qué incluye el tour?: what does the tour include? The opening question of the whole chapter, you pin down the package by asking, adding 'exactamente' to get the full list.
- ¿está incluido?: is it included? The quick check for any single item (the 4x4, the meals, the water) matching the gender/number of the thing you're asking about.
- se paga aparte: it's paid separately The key phrase for what's NOT in the price, the entrance fees you cover yourself in cash on the route.
- la entrada: the entrance ticket / fee The word for the park and island fees you'll ask about, the Isla Incahuasi entrance and the reserve fee.
- ¿cuánto cuesta la entrada?: how much does the entrance cost? How you get the exact amount so you can carry the right cash, Bs 30 for Isla Incahuasi, Bs 150 for the reserve.
- el conductor guía: the driver-guide On these tours one person drives and guides; you confirm he comes with the group as part of the tour.
- el alojamiento: the lodging The word for the two nights you confirm are included, the first often at a hotel de sal.
- ¿puedo dejar mi maleta en la agencia?: can I leave my suitcase at the agency? Only a small bag fits in the 4x4, so this polite request settles where your big suitcase waits during the tour.
Bolivian Spanish terms
- hotel de sal: salt hotel A simple lodging on the edge of the Salar whose walls (and often beds and tables) are built from blocks of salt. On the 3-day tour it's usually the first of the two included nights; you can still confirm that with the agency.
- la movilidad: the vehicle (Bolivian usage) In Bolivia people often say 'la movilidad' for any vehicle. On this tour the movilidad is the 4x4 jeep that carries the whole group across the salt flat and the desert.
- la Reserva Eduardo Avaroa: the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve (REA) The protected area of coloured lagoons, geysers and high desert reached on days two and three. Its entrance fee (Bs 150) is paid in cash and is not in the tour price. As a protected reserve, it's a place to leave no litter behind.
Useful phrases
- ¿... está incluido/a en el precio?: is ... included in the price? Check any single item against the price, match 'incluido/incluida/incluidas' to what you're asking about.
- ¿Qué entradas se pagan aparte?: Which entrance fees are paid separately? One clean question that gets the list of what's not in the price, the fees you pay in cash on the route.
- ¿Me podría confirmar ...?: Could you confirm ... for me? A warm usted softener for double-checking an inclusion or a price before you pay.
- ¿Puedo dejar mi maleta ...?: Can I leave my suitcase ...? A polite request to store your big bag at the agency while you travel light in the 4x4.
Learn this in the app
Explore Uyuni and the Salar, Practical Spanish