The Salar de Uyuni, in Bolivia, is considered one of the most extreme and remarkable sights in all of South America, if not on Earth. With an area of 10,582 square kilometers on the Altiplano, it is the largest salt desert in the world, a product of prehistoric lakes that evaporated long ago. Here, the salt crust stretches toward the horizon, covered in quilted polygonal salt patterns rising from the ground.

During some parts of the year, the nearby lakes overflow their banks and a thin layer of water transforms this plain into a beautiful reflection of the sky. This beautiful otherworldly terrain is a lucrative deposit for mining salt and lithium, an element used in the batteries of computers, smartphones and electric cars. In addition to the local workers who collect these minerals, this landscape is also home to the world’s first salt hotel and is visited by tourists who hit the road.