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Voykit pocket guide · Bolivia
San Pedro de Quemes
Skip as a destination; use only as a refuelling and overnight stop on a Salar de Uyuni tour. One night is enough.
San Pedro de Quemes is a small village in the Potosí Department, used primarily as a resupply and overnight point for 4x4 tours around the Salar de Uyuni. It has limited services: a bakery that requires advance ordering, basic groceries (no fresh produce), and two hotels. The main attraction is the ruined village of Pueblo Quemado on the hill. Most travellers pass through as part of a guided tour.
- Country
- Bolivia
- Best months
- check
- Avoid
- check
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- BOB
- Money
- Currency is the boliviano (BOB, Bs). Cash rules outside larger hotels and restaurants in La Paz and Santa Cruz.
- Daily spend
- Bed only Bs. 50 (inexpensive hotel, check) to about US$100 (hilltop hotel, check); meals extra · Meals check — meals are arranged in advance, no set prices in sources (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Entel, Tigo and Viva sell SIMs with passport registration in their own shops.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Ambulance 118 · Fire 119
- Plugs
- Types A, C · 230 V · 50 Hz · Some La Paz buildings have 115 V — check.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: Round up; about 10% in tourist restaurants.; Uyuni driver and cook: Bs 50–100 per traveller for 3 days, shared.; Guides: Bs 30–70 a day.
- Water
- Not safe from the tap; bottled or filtered.
- Toilets
- Pay a boliviano or two; bring paper.
Get in
By air
- UYU · Uyuni Airport (Joya Andina)
- Nearest airfield named in the parent country facts; flight schedules and 4x4 transfer times to San Pedro de Quemes — check.
- POI · Potosí Airport (Capitán Nicolás Rojas)
- Regional airport for Potosí city; overland transfer time to the village — check.
Typical fares
- Hilltop hotel per night
- about US$100 (check)
- Southern edge hotel per night
- Bs. 50 (check)
- Bread (pre-order)
- check price locally
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk: the village is small enough to cover on foot.
See and do
Known for
- Pueblo Quemado (ruined village)
- Overnight stop on Uyuni tours
- High-altitude desert landscape
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Salar de Uyuni | 4x4 tour vehicle; San Pedro de Quemes is a mapped approach point to the salt flat | check — part of a multi-day tour |
| San Juan | Road link from San Pedro de Quemes to San Juan (mapped in OpenStreetMap) | check |
| Uyuni town | Road from the village toward the Salar de Uyuni and Uyuni | check |
Sleep
- Hotel on the top of the hill
- The expensive option, about US$100 per night (check).
- Hotel on the southern edge of town
- The inexpensive option, Bs. 50 per night (check); right next to the football field.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | HolaOH-lah |
| Thank you | GraciasGRAH-see-ahs |
| How much? | ¿Cuánto?KWAN-toh |
| I need to order bread | Necesito pedir panneh-seh-SEE-toh peh-DEER pahn |
| Where is the hotel? | ¿Dónde está el hotel?DOHN-deh es-TAH el oh-TEL |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'buenos días'; avoid: Rushing into business
- Photos: Ask, and accept a no; avoid: Photographing rituals uninvited
- Sea question: Listen; avoid: Joking about Bolivia's lost coast
- Queues and blockades: Patience; avoid: Arguing with protesters
Scams and watch-outs
- No turn-up-and-eat restaurants: meals must be arranged in advance.
- Bread requires pre-ordering from the bakery on the southern edge.
- Limited groceries: no fresh fruit or vegetables.
- Roads may be impassable in the rainy season (Dec–Mar).
Remote high-altitude village (about 3,700 m). Altitude sickness is possible; carry water and coca leaves. Roads are unpaved and may be blocked by weather. No medical facilities beyond basic first aid.
One and two days
No timed day plan for San Pedro de Quemes yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Pueblo Quemado (ruined village)
- Overnight stop on Uyuni tours
- High-altitude desert landscape
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: San Pedro de Quemes, revision 5218376 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5218376
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/san-pedro-de-quemes). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.