Bolivia's railway graveyard: A 'really crazy place' in a breathtaking salt flat

The largest salt desert in the world is just one of the things that bring in the tourists to Bolivia. — Photos: MANUEL MEYER/dpa

The journey to a stunning natural wonderland in South America starts in a railway graveyard, of all places. A little bizarre and surreal – but somehow fitting.

From the Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world, mighty steam locomotives once carried silver, minerals and, above all, salt from south-western Bolivia to the Pacific coast of Chile.