Want to do Salar de Uyuni but worried about altitude sickness

Pisco Sour

Hi all. I'm on a trip around south america and am a bit tight for time as I need to be in Arequipe around 3rd November. Tomorrow I go to Valparaiso in Chile and then get a bus to San Pedro de Atacama. From there I would like to do the Salar de Uyuni (I dont care that it costs more) and then return to San Pedro and from there head to Arequipa.

However I found the following in this link:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1839680

"One more tip.... on the first night we stayed in the same place as a group that was coming the opposite way from San Pedro to Uyuni. They were all suffering terribly from altitude sickness, with the vomiting and insomnia and feeling miserable. Our driver told us if you come that way you gain 2,000 metres altitude in 40minutes from San Pedro to the border so it is inevitable really. He said he would not do it that way round! Coming from Uyuni you gain 1,500m over 3 days, although you would probably still feel it if you had not already been in La Paz or Uyuni."

This has me worried. Doing the tour from Uyuni is not an option for me, considering my time restrictions. It is either from San Pedro or from nowhere.

How big a risk is it doing the tour from San Pedro? I was thinking of spending a few days in San Pedro and doing the various one day tours of the local area which are all above 4000m, and if I dont feel well during those tours then I could give Uyuni a miss. If I feel good during those tours then perhaps that means I'd be ok to do the Salar de Uyuni.

Any advice would be great. I was at 2,850 metres today near Mendoza in the Andes and I felt fine.

dory

Just go slow. I wouldn't say its inevitable, and it's different for everyone. My brother felt nothing going up Kilimanjaro, and yet his guide who had been going up there for years got sick. You seem to be getting used to altitude if you're in Mendoza. And as you say you can do some day trips to prepare.

It might happen. It might not. I wouldn't miss out on Uyuni for that reason. Drink lots of water and don't go running around. Chill and breathe.

darrenh

I did it from San Pedro and had little problems. It was when I got over 5000m that I felt bad. It affects everyone differently. Doesn't matter how fit you are. The guides will have an oxygen tank if you feel really bad. Take aspirin to thin your blood. It will also help with any headaches it might bring on! You will eventually adjust to it. Its an amazing tour so dont miss out. When you arrive in San Pedro that will tell a lot about how you will handle it. I was out of breath getting on to the top bunk of a bed!

Pisco Sour

I was at approx 3200m above sea level today at the Chilian Border and felt fine. Not sure what the relevance of that is though.

Also is it possible to be returned to San Pedro after doing the tour from San Pèdro?

darrenh

04072511 wrote: »

I was at approx 3200m above sea level today at the Chilian Border and felt fine. Not sure what the relevance of that is though.

Also is it possible to be returned to San Pedro after doing the tour from San Pèdro?

It not a bad sign!

I'm nearly sure you can return to San Pedro.

dory

Well the tour might end in Uyuni, but then you can easily get a bus to SP. I remember we got a bus at 3am and were in Chile the next morning.

Pisco Sour

dory wrote: »

Well the tour might end in Uyuni, but then you can easily get a bus to SP. I remember we got a bus at 3am and were in Chile the next morning.

Actually I was wondering what are the roads like as you ascend from san pedro to the bolivian border? I know that the roads in bolivia are terrible, but I dont mind too much as long as I wont be travelling on any of those cliff edged non-paved, one laned roads. Dont mind that the roads are bad, but throw in a cliff and i'd freak out a bit. Thats the reason I wanted to avoid Bolivia in the first but am hoping the roads from San Pedro would be better than those from La Paz?

doriansmith

I would go ahead with it, it's worth the risk. Like the others said, you might get sick but you might be fine. I did the tour from San Pedro & a lot of people felt pretty bad but my boyfriend & some others had no ill effects whatsoever.

I would also add that just because you do a day tour that goes to high altitude & felt fine it doesn't mean you'll be ok on the salt flats tour. It's spending a night at that level that it really starts to affect you. I did some day tours & felt grand & also felt 100% on the first day of the tour. It was only when I went to bed that night that I started feeling bad - terrible headache & a racing heart. I was grand after a couple of days though. So even if you get affected it probably won't be too badly. Most people had similar symptoms to me.

Don't wanna scare you off it but if you start to feel REALLY bad then say it to someone. A guy in our group got to the point where he had to be rushed down to lower altitude in the middle of the night cos he was at death's door with it. If he'd left it much longer to say how bad he was feeling he would've died, as someone did a couple of days earlier on the same tour. It was the middle of winter though & we were told it affects people worse then than it does in summer, don't know how true that is though. Also the guy in our group who nearly died had a serious underlying condition he didn't tell anyone about & he should never have taken the risk.

Seriously though, you'll probably either be fine or at worst have some bad headaches. So i'd go for it. Btw the roads were grand, I don't remember finding them dodgy

Pisco Sour

doriansmith wrote: »

Don't wanna scare you off it but if you start to feel REALLY bad then say it to someone. A guy in our group got to the point where he had to be rushed down to lower altitude in the middle of the night cos he was at death's door with it. If he'd left it much longer to say how bad he was feeling he would've died, as someone did a couple of days earlier on the same tour. It was the middle of winter though & we were told it affects people worse then than it does in summer, don't know how true that is though. Also the guy in our group who nearly died had a serious underlying condition he didn't tell anyone about & he should never have taken the risk.

That has just freaked the living sh1t out of me!

What was his underlying condition may I ask? I used to be an asthmatic growing up but outgrew it in my mid to late teens and it hasnt been a problem for me for 8-10 years or so now, though I always bring my inhaler with me everywhere as precaution and have run marathons and triathlons so that surely wouldnt be an issue?

EDIT: I'm looking into spending 1 night during my few days in San Pedro in Socaire which is at 3700m, which could help prepare me for my first night of the Uyni tour which is at 4300m. Is this a good idea?

doriansmith

Sorry for freaking you out! This guy had cystic fibrosis which was why he was so badly affected. My boyfriend actually has asthma too & he had no side effects whatsoever so I wouldn't worry about that at all. Don't think it makes you any more likely to get sick.

Yeah staying one night at 3700m might help alright. It'd get you used to sleeping at high altitude so it can't do any harm & might make things easier for you once you get to 4300m.

Go and enjoy, I'm sure you'll be fine

dory

04072511 wrote: »

That has just freaked the living sh1t out of me!

What was his underlying condition may I ask? I used to be an asthmatic growing up but outgrew it in my mid to late teens and it hasnt been a problem for me for 8-10 years or so now, though I always bring my inhaler with me everywhere as precaution and have run marathons and triathlons so that surely wouldnt be an issue?

EDIT: I'm looking into spending 1 night during my few days in San Pedro in Socaire which is at 3700m, which could help prepare me for my first night of the Uyni tour which is at 4300m. Is this a good idea?

I have very bad asthma, use my inhaler a few times a day, but I never had a problem with the altitude. Staying at 3700 would be a great idea. Anything that helps you get used to being up high.

Daisies

I'm currently on South America and did the Salt flats tour from San Pedro. I had no problems except being out of breath. A few on our tour felt very ill but it's impossible to predict. Don't let it stop you, well worth it, just take things easy and try not to panic if you feel bad

Pisco Sour

Ok so I have been in San Pedro for 2 days now. The first day I did sandboarding at 2500m and the guide said that all the walking up the dunes with the sandboard over and over again is good for acclimatisation as the exercise helps you according to him. Then today I went to the geysers and other stuff and was at 4300m and actually passed 4500m on the bus. Felt fine throughout. Ate a big massive chicken sandwich when i got back to San Pedro and my stomach has been sore to touch since, but only when I touch it really. Maybe some sort of mild stomach cramp, not sure if it is related or not but if thats the worst thing that I experience then I will be very pleased!

Have stopped eating red meats, stopped drinking alcohol, minimising salt intake, drinking plenty of water, and have two bags of coca leaves bought for the trip. In total I will have spent 4 nights, 3 days in San Pedro before I take the Uyuni tour on Thursday. I really dont know if theres much else I can do now! Maybe Aspirin, but have never taken that in my life and dont know if i'm alergic to it or not!

These salt flats better be worth it. Am going with Cordillera. Supposedly the most reputable tour group in San Pedro.

EDIT: The sore stomach muscles appears to be DOMS from the sandboarding as I had a lot of falls and all my muscles ache now. Never mind so.