Climate and average weather in Uyuni
In Uyuni, the summers are mild, fairly dry, and mostly clear and the winters are cool and clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Uyuni typically varies from -3°C to 20°C, and is rarely below -6°C or above 23°C. November is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Uyuni for warm-weather activities are from late March to early May and early September to mid December.
- Hottest
- Nov
- 20°
- Coldest
- Jul
- -3°
- Wettest
- Jan
- 131 mm
- Driest
- Jun
- 1 mm
- Rain / yr
- 399 mm
- 70 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.8–13.2 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 0 m
- 20.5°S
- Clearest
- Aug
- 16% cloud
Uyuni is city in Bolivia.
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Uyuni weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early September to mid December.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Uyuni, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 2.9 months, from October 14 to January 10, with daily high temperatures above 18°C. The hottest month of the year in Uyuni is November, with an average high of 20°C and low of 4°C.
The cool season lasts 2.5 months, from May 21 to August 4, with daily high temperatures below 13°C. The coldest month of the year in Uyuni is July, with an average low of -3°C and high of 12°C.
Days typically run about 15°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 17°C) in September.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 |
| Avg low (°C) | 6 | 6 | 5 | 2 | -1 | -3 | -3 | -2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | 6 |
| Feb | 17 | 6 |
| Mar | 18 | 5 |
| Apr | 17 | 2 |
| May | 14 | -1 |
| Jun | 12 | -3 |
| Jul | 12 | -3 |
| Aug | 14 | -2 |
| Sep | 16 | 0 |
| Oct | 18 | 2 |
| Nov | 20 | 4 |
| Dec | 20 | 6 |
How hot and cold Uyuni really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -8°C (around July 6), with roughly 214 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 |
| Air high (°C) | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 4 | 4 | 2 | -1 | -6 | -7 | -8 | -7 | -5 | -2 | 1 | 3 |
| Air low (°C) | 6 | 6 | 5 | 2 | -1 | -3 | -3 | -2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | 18 | 4 | 6 |
| Feb | 17 | 17 | 4 | 6 |
| Mar | 17 | 18 | 2 | 5 |
| Apr | 17 | 17 | -1 | 2 |
| May | 14 | 14 | -6 | -1 |
| Jun | 12 | 12 | -7 | -3 |
| Jul | 12 | 12 | -8 | -3 |
| Aug | 14 | 14 | -7 | -2 |
| Sep | 16 | 16 | -5 | 0 |
| Oct | 18 | 18 | -2 | 2 |
| Nov | 20 | 20 | 1 | 4 |
| Dec | 20 | 20 | 3 | 6 |
Average hourly temperature in Uyuni
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on November afternoons, near 20°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near -3°C.
Uyuni weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18° / 6° | 131 | 19.4 | 13.1 | 4.5 |
| Feb | 17° / 6° | 108 | 17 | 12.7 | 4.5 |
| Mar | 18° / 5° | 54 | 11.8 | 12.1 | 5.6 |
| Apr | 17° / 2° | 10 | 2.5 | 11.5 | 6.7 |
| May | 14° / -2° | 2 | 0.5 | 11 | 5.5 |
| Jun | 12° / -3° | 1 | 0.3 | 10.8 | 4.4 |
| Jul | 12° / -3° | 3 | 0.7 | 10.9 | 4.3 |
| Aug | 14° / -2° | 3 | 0.9 | 11.3 | 5.5 |
| Sep | 16° / -1° | 4 | 1.2 | 11.9 | 6.7 |
| Oct | 18° / 2° | 9 | 1.9 | 12.5 | 7.5 |
| Nov | 20° / 4° | 13 | 3.4 | 13 | 7.5 |
| Dec | 20° / 6° | 62 | 10.4 | 13.2 | 6.2 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Uyuni gets about 399 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 3.8 months, from around Dec 7 to Apr 2, peaking in January at about 65% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around May 29.
January is the wettest month by volume, with 131 mm over about 19 wet days; June is the driest, with 1 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 62 | 61 | 38 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 34 |
| Rain days | 19 | 17 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 62 | 19 |
| Feb | 61 | 17 |
| Mar | 38 | 12 |
| Apr | 9 | 3 |
| May | 1 | 1 |
| Jun | 1 | 0 |
| Jul | 2 | 1 |
| Aug | 3 | 1 |
| Sep | 4 | 1 |
| Oct | 6 | 2 |
| Nov | 11 | 3 |
| Dec | 34 | 10 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Uyuni collects about 399 mm of rain across 70 wet days — roughly 33 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. January is the wettest month with 131 mm, while June is the driest at just 1 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 75% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 131 | 108 | 54 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 62 |
| Rain days | 19 | 17 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 131 | 19 |
| Feb | 108 | 17 |
| Mar | 54 | 12 |
| Apr | 10 | 3 |
| May | 2 | 1 |
| Jun | 1 | 0 |
| Jul | 3 | 1 |
| Aug | 3 | 1 |
| Sep | 4 | 1 |
| Oct | 9 | 2 |
| Nov | 13 | 3 |
| Dec | 62 | 10 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Uyuni, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around March 29 and lasts for 7.6 months, ending around November 15. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 90% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around November 16 and lasts for 4.4 months, ending around March 28. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 69% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 31 | 35 | 58 | 75 | 86 | 86 | 88 | 90 | 88 | 76 | 68 | 47 |
| Cloudier (%) | 69 | 65 | 42 | 25 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 24 | 32 | 53 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 69 |
| Feb | 35 | 65 |
| Mar | 58 | 42 |
| Apr | 75 | 25 |
| May | 86 | 14 |
| Jun | 86 | 14 |
| Jul | 88 | 12 |
| Aug | 90 | 10 |
| Sep | 88 | 12 |
| Oct | 76 | 24 |
| Nov | 68 | 32 |
| Dec | 47 | 53 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around January 1, brings about 13 h 12 min of light; the shortest, around June 2, only 10 h 48 min — a swing of roughly 2 h 24 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 13.1 | 12.7 | 12.1 | 11.5 | 11.0 | 10.8 | 10.9 | 11.3 | 11.9 | 12.5 | 13.0 | 13.2 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:03 | 6:21 | 6:33 | 6:42 | 6:53 | 7:05 | 7:07 | 6:53 | 6:25 | 5:58 | 5:43 | 5:46 |
| Sunset (PM) | 7:10 | 7:03 | 6:41 | 6:13 | 5:54 | 5:51 | 5:59 | 6:10 | 6:18 | 6:27 | 6:42 | 7:00 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13.1 | 6:03 | 7:10 |
| Feb | 12.7 | 6:21 | 7:03 |
| Mar | 12.1 | 6:33 | 6:41 |
| Apr | 11.5 | 6:42 | 6:13 |
| May | 11.0 | 6:53 | 5:54 |
| Jun | 10.8 | 7:05 | 5:51 |
| Jul | 10.9 | 7:07 | 5:59 |
| Aug | 11.3 | 6:53 | 6:10 |
| Sep | 11.9 | 6:25 | 6:18 |
| Oct | 12.5 | 5:58 | 6:27 |
| Nov | 13.0 | 5:43 | 6:42 |
| Dec | 13.2 | 5:46 | 7:00 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Uyuni averages about 17 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 4 and 26 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 6.9 months, from around Apr 7 to Nov 2. The sunniest month is August, with roughly 26 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is January, down near 5 sunny days — about 81% fewer than the August peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 5 | 6 | 12 | 19 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 19 | 15 | 9 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Bright | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright | Bright | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 6 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 12 | Mixed |
| Apr | 19 | Bright |
| May | 24 | Brilliant |
| Jun | 23 | Brilliant |
| Jul | 25 | Brilliant |
| Aug | 26 | Brilliant |
| Sep | 23 | Brilliant |
| Oct | 19 | Bright |
| Nov | 15 | Bright |
| Dec | 9 | Mixed |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Uyuni, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in January, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 0% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Dry (%) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 100 |
| Feb | 100 |
| Mar | 100 |
| Apr | 100 |
| May | 100 |
| Jun | 100 |
| Jul | 100 |
| Aug | 100 |
| Sep | 100 |
| Oct | 100 |
| Nov | 100 |
| Dec | 100 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Uyuni is typically calm, near 12 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 7.1 months, from around May 8 to Dec 10. The windiest month is September, averaging about 14 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Dec 11 to May 7, with February the calmest month at about 10 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | calm |
| Feb | 10 | calm |
| Mar | 10 | calm |
| Apr | 11 | calm |
| May | 12 | light breeze |
| Jun | 12 | light breeze |
| Jul | 13 | light breeze |
| Aug | 13 | light breeze |
| Sep | 14 | light breeze |
| Oct | 13 | light breeze |
| Nov | 13 | light breeze |
| Dec | 11 | calm |
Best time to visit Uyuni
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Uyuni throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around mid September, Uyuni is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Uyuni for general outdoor tourist activities run from late March to early May and again from early September to mid December, with a peak score in the first week of November.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5.6 | 6.7 | 5.5 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 5.5 | 6.7 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 6.2 |
| Rating | fair | fair | good | good | fair | fair | fair | fair | good | good | good | good |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.5 | fair |
| Feb | 4.5 | fair |
| Mar | 5.6 | good |
| Apr | 6.7 | good |
| May | 5.5 | fair |
| Jun | 4.4 | fair |
| Jul | 4.3 | fair |
| Aug | 5.5 | fair |
| Sep | 6.7 | good |
| Oct | 7.5 | good |
| Nov | 7.5 | good |
| Dec | 6.2 | good |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Uyuni for hot-weather activities is from late October to mid December, with a peak score in the last week of November.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Uyuni, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around November (highs near 20°C), the essentials are a warm layer and sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 12°C), pack a warm layer and sun protection.
In November, Uyuni sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 4°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 3 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Uyuni by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Uyuni peaks around February 9 at about 19 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 9 at about 8 (very high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 19 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 18 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | Extreme |
| Feb | 20 | Extreme |
| Mar | 16 | Extreme |
| Apr | 13 | Extreme |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 8 | Very high |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 15 | Extreme |
| Oct | 17 | Extreme |
| Nov | 17 | Extreme |
| Dec | 18 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Uyuni
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in February the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 9.5 | 9 | 8.5 | 8 | 7 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9.5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.5 | 7.5 |
| Feb | 9 | 7.5 |
| Mar | 8.5 | 7 |
| Apr | 8 | 6 |
| May | 7 | 5 |
| Jun | 6.5 | 4 |
| Jul | 6.5 | 4 |
| Aug | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Sep | 8 | 6.5 |
| Oct | 9 | 7 |
| Nov | 9 | 7.5 |
| Dec | 9.5 | 7.5 |
Growing season
The growing season in Uyuni typically lasts about 222 days, from around September 23 to May 2 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from November 18 to April 4.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 98 | 77 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 43 | 73 | 90 | 99 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 21 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 98 | 0 |
| Apr | 77 | 30 |
| May | 24 | 31 |
| Jun | 5 | 30 |
| Jul | 5 | 31 |
| Aug | 13 | 31 |
| Sep | 43 | 30 |
| Oct | 73 | 31 |
| Nov | 90 | 21 |
| Dec | 99 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Uyuni banks about 275 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around December.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 58 | 42 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 50 | 82 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 58 |
| Feb | 42 |
| Mar | 33 |
| Apr | 2 |
| May | 0 |
| Jun | 0 |
| Jul | 0 |
| Aug | 0 |
| Sep | 0 |
| Oct | 8 |
| Nov | 50 |
| Dec | 82 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Uyuni receives about 7.1 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — intense — with a clear seasonal swing between 5.3 and 8.9 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.4 months, from around Sep 4 to Mar 17. The brightest month is November, averaging about 8.9 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 5.4 kWh/m² — roughly 40% less than the November peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 7.6 | 7.4 | 7.1 | 6.7 | 5.9 | 5.3 | 5.5 | 6.4 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 8.9 | 8.4 |
| Level | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7.6 | Intense |
| Feb | 7.4 | Intense |
| Mar | 7.1 | Intense |
| Apr | 6.7 | Intense |
| May | 5.9 | Bright |
| Jun | 5.3 | Bright |
| Jul | 5.5 | Bright |
| Aug | 6.4 | Intense |
| Sep | 7.5 | Intense |
| Oct | 8.5 | Intense |
| Nov | 8.9 | Intense |
| Dec | 8.4 | Intense |
Where is Uyuni?
Uyuni sits at 20.5°S, 66.8°W, 0 m above sea level, in Bolivia. The nearest listed city is Potosí, 148 km away.
Topography around Uyuni
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Uyuni.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Uyuni has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 29 m around an average of 3,668 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 906 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,212 m.
The land around Uyuni is covered by bare terrain (55%) and grassland (30%) within 3 km, bare terrain (66%) and grassland (33%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (66%) and grassland (34%) within 80 km.
Bolivia travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type A / B / C
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 40% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $5,148
- 2025
- Happiness
- 5.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Homicide rate
- 4.4
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 21.1
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Lower middle
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 521
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Uyuni (-20.4597°, -66.825°, elevation 0 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).