Palacio de Sal

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Palacio de Sal, which means Palace of Salt, is a hotel built entirely from salt blocks. It sits at the edge of Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat, in southwest Bolivia. The Salar de Uyuni covers about 10,582 square kilometers and sits high in the Andes at about 3,656 meters (11,995 feet).

The hotel is about 25 kilometers from the town of Uyuni and roughly 350 kilometers south of La Paz, the capital.

The first salt hotel on the salar was built between 1993 and 1995 in the middle of the salt flat. It had 12 double rooms, a shared bathroom, and no shower. Sanitation was difficult and waste had to be collected by hand, which caused environmental problems. It was dismantled in 2002.

Around 2007, a new Palacio de Sal was built on the eastern edge of Salar de Uyuni, about 25 km from Uyuni town. It was built with about 1 million salt blocks, each about 35 cm (14 inches) thick, used for floors, walls, ceiling, and furniture.

The hotel has a dry sauna, a steam room, a saltwater pool, and whirlpool baths. A rule says guests should not lick the walls to protect them.