Best time to visit Salar de Uyuni

Re-score for me — drag the dial — every chart on the page recolours live for your heat limit 27°C
I'm comfortable up to 27°C feels-like
22° heat-averse 30° heat-loving

Default 27 °C is the upper edge of the Holiday Climate Index "ideal comfort" band (Scott, Rutty, Amelung & Tang, 2016). Above this, most warm-tourism travellers report measurable discomfort.

Saved to this browser. Changes update the strips below.
Recent · 2020-2024
Interest Google Trends 2021-2025 searches, not arrivals (?)
Day · avg daily high (?)
Night · avg overnight low (?)
UV index · On a typical day around midday, UV is about this (?)
1817151411991215181919
On the sunniest 1 in 10 days, UV reaches this — and even higher
20201812171920
PM2.5 air quality · on a typical day (?)
344433423222
On the worst 1 in 10 days, PM2.5 reaches this — and even higher
566656654543
March 8/10 feels 13°C · HCI 75/100
Day 17° · Night 3° ☀ UV 15.3 (extreme) 41% humidity 21 km/h wind 8 rain days (85h) 261h sun
Thermal 6
Sky 9
Rain 8
Wind 10

Higher = better, including rain & wind (green = "doesn't hurt the score", not "lots of it").

How is this scored? HCI / Steadman / CCI gate — full methodology and citations below.

Compare with another destination

Add as many as you like — stacked below the main strips above. Each row is just the recent-window score strip and (for beach destinations) sea-temperature strip.

Similar climatesSan Pedro de Atacama80% · Mendoza77% · San Francisco76%

Other destinations with the most-alike year-round climate to Salar de Uyuni (apparent temperature, rain hours, sunshine — matched within the same trip-profile). The ±N chip compares each match's typical score for the current month against Salar de Uyuni's. Based on the 2020-2024 climatology, not this year's actual weather.

Month-by-month

Month Temp °C Feels °C Rain days Rain h Rain h/day Humidity Wind km/h Sun h UV Interest Score
Jan 3–18 14 12 132 11.0 41% 24 282 18 Quiet 7
Feb 3–17 13 12 127 10.6 43% 23 245 17 Quiet 7
Mar 3–17 13 8 85 10.6 41% 21 261 15 Quiet 8
Apr -2–16 11 0 3 — 20% 24 248 14 Quiet 7
May -4–13 7 0 1 — 19% 22 252 11 Quiet 7
Jun -6–10 4 0 0 — 20% 20 242 9 Quiet 6
Jul -5–11 5 0 0 — 16% 20 252 9 Quiet 6
Aug -4–12 6 0 2 — 16% 24 255 12 Quiet 7
Sep -2–16 9 0 5 — 14% 27 261 15 Quiet 7
Oct -1–18 11 1 7 7.0 15% 29 285 18 Quiet 7
Nov 0–18 12 3 21 7.0 19% 29 281 19 Moderate 7
Dec 3–18 13 9 93 10.3 30% 27 283 19 Peak 7

UV Index in Salar de Uyuni by Month

UV index in Salar de Uyuni peaks at 19 (extreme) in November, dropping to 9 (very high) in June. January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December reach very high or extreme levels — apply SPF 50+, wear a hat and protective clothing, and limit direct sun between 11:00 and 17:00.

Best months in detail

March

8/10

3–17°C (feels 13°C) · 8 rain days (85h) · 261 sun hours · 41% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 15 (extreme) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 18 (extreme)

November

7/10

0–18°C (feels 12°C) · 3 rain days (21h) · 281 sun hours · 19% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 19 (extreme)

April

7/10

-2–16°C (feels 11°C) · 0 rain days (3h) · 248 sun hours · 20% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 14 (extreme)

Every month

Show the other 9 months in detail

January

7/10

3–18°C (feels 14°C) · 12 rain days (132h) · 282 sun hours · 41% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 18 (extreme) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 20 (extreme)

February

7/10

3–17°C (feels 13°C) · 12 rain days (127h) · 245 sun hours · 43% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 17 (extreme) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 20 (extreme)

May

7/10

-4–13°C (feels 7°C) · 0 rain days (1h) · 252 sun hours · 19% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 11 (very high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 12 (extreme)

June

6/10

-6–10°C (feels 4°C) · 0 rain days (0h) · 242 sun hours · 20% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 9 (very high)

July

6/10

-5–11°C (feels 5°C) · 0 rain days (0h) · 252 sun hours · 16% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 9 (very high)

August

7/10

-4–12°C (feels 6°C) · 0 rain days (2h) · 255 sun hours · 16% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 12 (extreme)

September

7/10

-2–16°C (feels 9°C) · 0 rain days (5h) · 261 sun hours · 14% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 15 (extreme) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 17 (extreme)

October

7/10

-1–18°C (feels 11°C) · 1 rain days (7h) · 285 sun hours · 15% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 18 (extreme) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 19 (extreme)

December

7/10

3–18°C (feels 13°C) · 9 rain days (93h) · 283 sun hours · 30% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 19 (extreme) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 20 (extreme)

Frequently asked questions about visiting Salar de Uyuni

When is the best time to visit Salar de Uyuni?

March is the highest-scoring month (8/10 on the Holiday Climate Index). Typical conditions: 3–17°C (8 rainy days). The top three months by score are March, November, April.

What is the worst time to visit Salar de Uyuni?

June is the lowest-scoring month (6/10). Typical conditions: -6–10°C (0 rainy days).

When are crowds lowest in Salar de Uyuni?

Search-interest seasonality (Google Trends 2021-2025) is lowest in March and peaks in December. Interest tracks both in-trip visitors and lead-time planners, so treat it as a "destination is on people's minds" signal rather than literal arrivals.

Which months in Salar de Uyuni have good weather but fewer tourists?

March (climate 8/10, crowd index 0) and January (climate 7/10, crowd index 13) — shoulder months with above-average climate and below-median search-interest. Often the best value-for-weather trade.

What is the UV index in Salar de Uyuni by month?

UV peaks at 19 (extreme) in November and is lowest in June at 9 (very high). Monthly peak values: Jan 18, Feb 17, Mar 15, Apr 14, May 11, Jun 9, Jul 9, Aug 12, Sep 15, Oct 18, Nov 19, Dec 19. January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December reach very high or extreme levels — apply SPF 50+, wear a hat and protective clothing, and limit direct sun between 11:00 and 17:00.

What is the UV index in Salar de Uyuni in November?

November is the peak UV month in Salar de Uyuni, with a daily-peak UV index of 19 (extreme). At this level, sunburn can occur in under 20 minutes on unprotected fair skin. Apply SPF 50+, wear protective clothing and a hat, and avoid direct midday sun (11:00–17:00).

How high can UV get in Salar de Uyuni on the sunniest days?

Most days look like the monthly average, but on the sunniest ~1 in 10 days UV climbs higher than the mean suggests. December is the worst case: typical days average UV 19 (extreme), but the top 10% of days reach UV 20 (extreme) — and even higher. Months where the sunniest days routinely exceed the typical reading: January, February, March, May, September, October, December. Plan sun protection for the worst case, not the average.