Mendenhall Ice Caves, Juneau, Alaska

Mendenhall Glacier is a glacier about 13.6 miles long located in Mendenhall Valley, it is about 12 miles from downtown Juneau in the southeast area of the U.S. state of Alaska. The glacier and surrounding landscape is protected as the 5,815-acre Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, a federally designated unit of the Tongass National Forest.

The Juneau Icefield Research Program has monitored the outlet glaciers of the Juneau Icefield since 1942, including Mendenhall Glacier. The glacier has also retreated 1.75 miles (2.82 km) since 1958, when Mendenhall Lake was created, and over 2.5 miles (4.0 km) since 1500. The end of the glacier currently has a negative glacier mass balance and will continue to retreat in the foreseeable future.

It was originally known as Sitaantaago ("the Glacier Behind the Town") or Aak'wtaaksit ("the Glacier Behind the Little Lake"), also latinized as Aakwtaaksit, by the Tlingit. The glacier was named Auke (Auk) Glacier by naturalist John Muir for the Tlingit Auk Kwaan (or Aak'w Kwaan) band in 1888. In 1891 it was renamed in honor of Thomas Corwin Mendenhall. It extends from the Juneau Icefield, its source, to Mendenhall Lake and ultimately the Mendenhall River.

Few visitors, however, see the glacier from its most spectacular vantage point: inside it. Deep within the glacier, there’s a magical blue world of ice caves unlike anything you’ve seen anywhere else in the world.

Climate change

The US Forest Service, which manages the Mendenhall Glacier, says "because glaciers are a product of climate, they respond to climate change." The Mendenhall glacier has been in retreat since the end of the Little Ice Age in the 1700s. In a joint article for the Juneau Empire Geologist Cathy Connor and Geophysicist Roman Motyka, both professors of the University of Alaska said "climatic warming coupled with ice loss through iceberg calving are the reasons the Mendenhall Glacier is retreating and shrinking."

Salar de Uyuni

Salar de Uyuni or Salar de Tunupa is the world's largest salt flat at 10,582 square kilometers.
Salar de Uyuni is located in the Daniel Campos Province in Potosí in southwest Bolivia that is near to the crest of the Andes. It is at an elevation of 3,656 meters (11,995 ft) above mean sea level.

The Salar was formed due to transformations of different prehistoric lakes. It is covered by a few meters of salt crust. And the crust of salt has an extraordinary flatness with the average altitude variations within one meter over the entire area of the Salar. The crust is also a source of salt and covers a pool of brine, which is exceptionally rich in lithium. It contains 50 to 70% of the world's lithium reserves, which is in the process of being extracted.

                   

Salar de Uyuni is also called the World's Largest Mirror.

What makes the sight so magical, especially if travelling at the right season, is that the moist salt flat below mirrors everything above it creating the illusion that the earth and the sky are connected and not divided by boundaries. This enchanting image is produced by the mirror-like, shimmering, crystal surface of the salt flat.

Undertaking a crossing of the Salt Flats will also gift you the chance to discover the Bolivian Altiplano, with its magical and colorful lagoons, therapeutic hot springs and utterly surreal landscapes.

Want to see “heaven on Earth”? You’ve come to the right place.

Weather and Conditions

Life at high altitude is harsh at night, at any time of year. If you want a tour to Salar de Uyuni, you should pack accordingly and make sure you have warm clothing with you. Moreover, the sun reflecting on the salt flats can be quite brutal, so bring plenty of sunscreen, lip balm, a hat and (most importantly) sunglasses! Rent an extra sleeping bag and buy a small hot water bottle in Uyuni before leaving, as your sleep will be greatly enhanced by both.

The formation of Salar de Uyuni

Containing an estimated 10 billion tonnes of salt, the question often arises as to how Salar de Uyuni was formed. Essentially, the Altiplano (high plateau) here had no drainage outlets, which meant that water from the surrounding mountains once collated to form a giant lake. High salinity meant that whilst this vast, prehistoric lake has long since evaporated under the fierce Andean sun, a thick crust of salt remains, forming what we now recognise as the salt flats of Salar de Uyuni.

                    

Experiencing Salar de Uyuni

The best and most popular way to fully experience Salar de Uyuni is by taking a 4x4 tour across the salt flats.

It's worth noting that shared tours usually accommodate for up to 6 tourists, and thus for a more comfortable experience, a private tour should be arranged. Such tours usually involve a minimum of one nights stay in rather basic accommodation, and thus it is recommended that you bring plenty of warm clothes and a warm sleeping bag for the night. Further, sun cream is a necessity as the reflections from the salt accentuate the suns effect.

Salt Hotels

Adventurous travellers may also wish to try a night’s stay in one of the areas renowned salt hotels. With no building materials around for miles, some locals have taken it upon themselves to build structures from bricks of cemented salt. In these hotels, everything from the beds and tables to the flush toilets are constructed from salt blocks. Even if you don’t fancy staying, you can usually view these hotels during the day for a nominal fee.

In the dry season, Salar de Uyuni is a surreal experience not to be missed. However, rain takes it to a whole new level. As a thin sheet of water covers the flats, it reflects a perfect representation of the sky above so that it is impossible to tell where sky ends and the land begins.

Best time to visit Salar de Uyuni

The best time to visit Salar de Uyuni ultimately depends upon the experience you are looking for. For the best climate, we recommend you visit between July and October. However, for an increased chance of seeing the reflective surfaces, you should visit between March and April.