White Magic
As surreal landscapes go, Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni may as well belong on another planet. It’s the largest and highest salt flat in the world, a 10,582-square-kilometer basin in the Andean Altiplano broken only by cacti-studded islands of fossilized coral. The area’s elemental beauty is accentuated during the rainy months of January to March, when shallow floodwaters mirror the sky’s changing colors to dazzling effect. Another reason to go? Kachi Lodge ( kachilodge.com; all-inclusive two-night stays from US$2,280 per person), which debuted last May. Conceived by luxury camping outfit Amazing Escapes, it’s a futuristic vision of geodesic domes raised on a wooden platform. Guests sleep in six tents adorned with pieces by Bolivian artist Gastón Ugalde, while meals are catered by Gustu, the restaurant that put La Paz on the culinary map. For jet-setting gourmands, the Salar de Uyuni is now a destination worth its salt.