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The Salar De Uyuni is
the largest salt flat on earth
100
mi
long
100
mi
wide
30
feet
thick
It’s perched on a mountain; 11,995 feet above sea level. The salt is known as the flattest place on earth. It is so flat NASA uses it to calculate satellite elevation.
Total average rainfall between May and August is .01” (3mm). There is never a cloud in the sky and the wind is mostly calm.
In our opinion iIt’s the best place on earth to set a land speed record. It is absolutely the best place on earth for electric vehicles; the aerodynamic drag is 35% less than sea level.
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The Track
- Will conform to the Fia and Fim record requirements;
- Will be 15 miles long and 110 feet wide;
- The event is open to all automobile and motorcycle entries.
The vehicles must conform to safety requirements and other vehicle requirements of the FIA and FIM standards to compete.
fiA LICENSING
You will need to fill out the following forms to compete
Drivers license
Apply for your driver license and your competitors license to your Home country national sporting authority (NSA). If you are an USA resident apply to USAC for your license here. Send the application to:
Competitors license
You must obtain your driving license during the year the event is taking place.
Registration form
Normally you would submit the following form to the Bolivian NSA. Because the Bolivian NSA is unfamiliar with Speed Record Requirements, please submit the form to:
Event entry and cost
You may submit an entry at any time. Submit entry to mikea@ackavionics.com with a copy to reg@cmr.org.nz The entry fee is $10,000.00 USD. The entry fee will be applied to the cost of running the event. The event is being financed by Mike Akatiff, Jamie Williams, and Jim Knapp. Entries are to make their own transportation, hotel, shipping, and other necessary arrangements. We can provide help in making these arrangements.
Marcos Soto is our organizer in Bolivia. His contact information is on the contact page. Marcos is a professional organizer that has worked with film and video production companies for many years. Last year’s event was not properly managed by the person we had relied on to organize things in Bolivia. This year we plan to make this a professional world class event.
Shipping
Ocean containers are shipped to the port of Iquique Chile which is the closest port to the salt flats. Smaller shipments such as motorcycles can be shipped to La Paz (LPB) or Santa Cruz airport (VVI) then transported to the salt flats.
There are two logistics companies located in Bolivia that can handle all the logistics, temporary import paperwork, dangerous goods declarations required from your home port to the salt flats and assure receiving them on time. They are listed below. There is no Carnet required for temporary import. You can arrange for your shipping using your own logistics company if you prefer. During the first two events in Bolivia shipping logistics were a major problem. There are requirements on shipping vehicles to Bolivia. If there is a title to the vehicle the process is simple. If no title exists, then there is other documentation you will need. You will need a packing list with all the contents in the container, an invoice for the contents and if hazardous material is aboard a Dangerous Goods Declaration.
When importing back into the US you will need an Exemption from the EPA. The following file has sample documentation of previous paperwork accepted when shipping to Bolivia and returning to the US. Marcelo’s wife Malena can process the temporary import paperwork for you.
IMO dangerous goods declaration
BOLIVIAN LOGISTICS COMPANIES
Contact
Juan Pablo Flores Fernandez
Currently cost to ship from Oakland CA to Iquique Chile are: Carrier: Sealan: Transit time 31-33 days 20'ft $3142, 40'ft $3573
Commodity: General cargo / nonhazardous
Travel Lodging
Bolivian Visa and entry
Check with your country's Department of State to determine whether a Visa is required. A Visa is not required for entry from many countries. US citizens will need a Visa to enter Bolivia. You may obtain your Visa when you arrive in La Paz. The cost is $160.00 USD. Only cash is accepted Either Bolivianos (BOB) or US dollars. The Visa is valid for 30 days. You will need to show that you have a return flight reservation, hotel reservations and a passport with an expiration date no more than 6 months from the date of entry. You will not be required to have a Yellow Fever vaccination unless you plan to travel below 7,546 ft.
Travel to La Paz
Most flights to the city of La Paz originate in Bogotá Colombia. There are no direct flights from the US or Europe that we know of to La Paz. In previous years we booked flights whose destination was La Paz. These flights had several stops and took between 18 – 25 hours. All stop in Bogota and transfer to a La Paz flight for the final leg. From Bogota there is a 3-hour flight to La Paz. Cost is $350.00. You can fly from a major US airport directly to Bogota. A round trip flight from LAX, Dallas or Houston takes 5 -6 hours. Currently economy fare runs about $500.00 round trip on Avianca.
Once in La Paz
There are shuttle flights to Uyuni from La Paz. Flight time is 45 minutes, cost is $136.00 round trip. There are no rental car agencies in Uyuni. Previously we hired local tour guides or rented their vehicles. These were old beat-up vehicles, some marginally safe to drive. Cost was about $150.00 a day. You can drive from La Paz to Uyuni, a 6-hour drive. There is a new modern highway going to Uyuni. You can rent a 5 passenger 4X4 SUV in La Paz for about $550.00 a week or a 5 passenger 4X4 pickup for $880.00.
Travel direct to Uyuni
You can also fly to Santa Cruz and from Santa Cruz to Cochabamba and finally Uyuni. Total travel time can range from 18 to 35 hours. If you have someone there that has rented a vehicle in La Paz they can pick you up at the airport. There are taxis at the airport, or you can hire a local tour guide to drive you.
Lodging
There are a variety of lodging options in the town of Uyuni. With costs from $30.00 to $110.00 per night. Uyuni is a town of 30,000 people and has a variety of restaurants to choose from. The travel time from Uyuni to the entry to the salt flats is about 20 minutes. There are three hotels located at the salt Hotel Palacio de Sal, Hotel de Sal Luna Salada and Cristal Samaña. These hotels run between $160.00 to $250.00 per night. There are no other facilities near these hotels and the only food options are what the hotels provide.
ABOUT BOLIVIA
Bolivia is the poorest country in South America. The Salar De Uyuni is in a remote area. The town of Colchhani is the gateway to the Salt Flats. It is a very poor town of 600 people. The economy is built around harvesting salt. There is a section of town in which locally made goods and souvenirs are sold. They do not accept credit cards but will accept US dollars or Boliviano (BOB) .* We have found the people in this region of Bolivia to be very friendly and have never felt unsafe in any of the surrounding areas.
The town of Uyuni is approximately 30 miles from Colchani and is much larger with a population of 30,000. There are a variety of restaurants and shops. Most of these shops and restaurants accept credit cards. There is much lodging available in town.
About the Altitude
On our two previous events in Bolivia about 60 people attended each event. All I believe, flew from sea level directly to Uyuni. Of the 60 people, some as old as 82, only a couple had issues with the altitude. One of the youngest was affected with a headache, tiredness and some dizziness when arriving but became acclimated within a couple of days. We have oxygen available if needed but have never used it. If you are concerned about it there is a prescription medication acetazolamide that you start taking a couple days before you go. Your doctor can prescribe it.
* The US dollar is readily accepted in Bolivia rural areas however make sure to get fresh bills from your bank even a small nick or torn corner and they might not be accepted. Bring more cash than you think you will need. Not many ATMs in Bolivia. Smaller bills are more useful as many small shops and gas stations won’t be able to make change for large bills. Don’t accept torn, repaired, or tatty boliviano notes as change as they may not be accepted although still legal tender. The currency limit to bring into or exit the country without declaration is $10,000.00 US.
Contact us
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All Documents
Fia Licensing
FiM Licensing
2024 BOLIVIA 2024 LAND SPEED EVENT IS CANCELLED
Bolivia has bit us in the rear again.
Unfortunately, the 2024 Bolivia event is canceled. Because the port in Chile will not accept the booking on our container with fuel in it unless we have in hand a fuel permit from Bolivia. We missed the last container ship that could get the containers there on time. The reason being Marcelo had us ship the containers last year without having a Hazmat driver waiting on the dock for the shipment and did not have a fuel import permit for Bolivia. This caused a big problem for the port in Chile. The port called us last year and said they were returning our container with the fuel for the event to the US in 3 hours.
After my calls to the American embassy and others somehow Marcelo got the container unloaded. When it reached the Bolivian border Customs would not allow it to enter Bolivia, so it sat in Chile for over a week. We had the Hazmat driver ready to receive it. Marcos, who has been working for months with Auto club Bolivia, the FIA Affiliate, to obtain the permit still did not have the fuel permit but had been promised it in September. Doing an event in Bolivia is certainly challenging. Jamie Williams and I are committed and working together to put on an event next year.