Uyuni in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Uyuni sees average daytime highs around 18°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 300 mm of precipitation over about 47 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Over the season highs ease from about 20°C in early December to 17°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.
Summer is Uyuni's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Uyuni's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 18°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 6°C
- Precipitation
- 300 mm
- 47 wet days
- Avg wind
- 10 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.1
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Uyuni in Summer
Over the season highs ease from about 20°C in early December to 17°C by late February.
A typical summer day in Uyuni reaches about 18°C and drops to 6°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest December.
How summer really feels in Uyuni
Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
summer sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Uyuni weather by month
How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| 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 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Uyuni gets around 300 mm of rain and snow over 47 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 10 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min in early December to 12 h 30 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 7.8 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Uyuni?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a reasonable time to visit Uyuni for sightseeing.
What to pack for Uyuni in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Uyuni sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 6°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 47 days see rain.
UV index in Uyuni in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 19 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
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 |
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.