About 3 km from downtown Uyuni, dozens of carcasses of steam locomotives and rusted wagons lie exposed to the elements, at the edge of the Salar. These trains, remnants of Bolivia's first railway line, bear witness to the region's mining golden age and its brutal decline in the mid-20th century. The site, never converted into a museum, remains an open-air metal junkyard that has become an almost obligatory stop before entering the salt desert.

Why visit the Train Cemetery

The site's appeal rests on three elements: the memory of an era (Bolivia as a major mining exporter in the late 19th century), an unintended scenography of corroded metal and graffiti, and its position as an antechamber to the Uyuni Salar. The site is not spectacular in itself, but it gains meaning once you know its history and integrate it into the broader journey toward the salt desert.

• A direct testament to Bolivia's mining past and the loss of access to the sea
• A raw, photogenic, open-air setting freely accessible
• A logical stop on the road to the Salar, to combine with Colchani and Incahuasi

History of the site

Railways figured among the priorities of Aniceto Arce's government, Bolivia's constitutional president who came to power in September 1888. Under his mandate, a considerable portion of tax revenues was allocated to these projects. The first railway line in Bolivia connected Antofagasta to Uyuni, which received its first train on November 20, 1890. The project expanded under the presidency of Dr. Eliodoro Villazón, with the arrival of international investors attracted by mining operations.

Uyuni became a strategic railway junction for transferring tin, silver, and gold from the Huanchaca mining site to Pacific ports. Activity declined in the 1940s, after Chile deprived Bolivia of its sea access. The railway administrators then planned to consolidate out-of-service equipment in a depot for eventual parts recycling. The project was neglected, the site progressively looted: this is how the train cemetery was born.

What to see on site

Locomotives and wagons

About twenty steam locomotives and tanker wagons rest on old tracks, largely dismantled by looting and erosion. The chassis are accessible, and some visitors climb on them, but caution is warranted (cutting metal, unstable flooring).

Graffiti

The carcasses serve as a canvas for irregular but eloquent street art. Two inscriptions frequently appear in site photographs: « Aquí yace el progreso » ("Here lies progress") and « Así es la vida » ("Such is life"), summing up the fate of the place in themselves.

Altiplano atmosphere

At over 3,000 meters elevation, the air is dry, the wind cold, the light sharp. Dust and the smell of rust dominate. The landscape changes with the hour: backlighting in the morning, saturated metal at midday, sharp silhouettes at sunset.

Practical information

• Status: free access site, unfenced, no ticketing or official museum
• Distance from Uyuni: approximately 3 km southwest of downtown
• Visit duration: 30 minutes to 1 hour generally suffices
• Equipment: closed-toe shoes, windbreaker, sun protection, water
• Inclusion: nearly all excursions to the Uyuni Salar include a stop at the cemetery

The site is neither monitored nor maintained: respect for the place (waste, additional graffiti) is up to each visitor.

When to visit

The Bolivian altiplano experiences two seasons. The dry season (May to October) offers clear skies, ideal for photography, but freezing nights (often below zero). The rainy season (December to March) makes trails more challenging, but it's also when the neighboring Salar transforms into a giant mirror. The cemetery remains accessible year-round, with the dry climate naturally preserving the wrecks.

How to get there

Uyuni sits at the confluence of four major railway lines serving La Paz, Potosí, Calama (Chile), and Villazón (Argentina). Joya Andina airport offers limited service to Sucre and La Paz. Bus remains the most common option to reach the city:

• From La Paz: 540 km, approximately 10 hours by road
• From Potosí: 240 km, approximately 6 hours
• From Oruro: 320 km, approximately 8 hours

Once in Uyuni, the cemetery can be reached on foot (about 45 minutes from downtown), by taxi for a few bolivianos, or as part of an organized excursion to the Salar.

Nearby attractions to combine

The train cemetery is rarely visited in isolation. The following sites lend themselves to a coherent circuit:

• Uyuni Salar: approximately 11,000 km², the world's largest salt flat
• Incahuasi ("House of the Inca"): a rocky island in the heart of the Salar, populated by giant cacti reaching ten meters high
• Colchani salt factory: about twenty minutes by car from Uyuni, to understand artisanal salt extraction
• Chullpas of Pumiri: pre-Columbian funerary towers in the region

Mining history enthusiasts will venture toward the Cerro Rico Mines in Potosí, which long fed the trains now abandoned.

Frequently asked questions

Planning your journey

The Train Cemetery naturally fits into a circuit including the Salar and the south-Lipez. To build a customized itinerary incorporating Uyuni, Potosí, and the altiplano, consult our Bolivia travel packages.