So, who would have thought it, the whole world would be in a lockdown due to a global pandemic and what better place to be ‘stuck’ than on this magical island?  

For those that do not know, I originally had a flight booked back to London on the 25^th March but due to COVID-19 it was cancelled. After a lot of anxiety about whether to book another flight back, I decided to leave it in the hands of the universe. All I can say is thank you to the universe (again) for protecting me and keeping me in the safest place I can be. 

Of course at the time, I was worried about my family and felt like I should be there for them. But when reflecting on it, the only reason I would be going back was to be with them and I wouldn’t even be able to see them anyway! I must do what is right for me. 

As most of my backpacker friends in Florianopolis and in South America were booking flights back home I started to think that maybe I should do the same. But again, I thought that I must do what is right for me and be confident that I was making the right decision to stay.  

My family’s main concern was that I was in Brazil (a third world country to them and faraway unknown place) and that I would be putting myself at risk. ‘What if hell breaks loose and there are riots?, ‘what if you catch the virus and the health care system is terrible there’. But these things can happen anywhere?

Since being in Florianopolis I have experienced no hostility, all the supermarkets are fully stocked and there is a real sense of community in fighting this virus ‘together’. 

I am now currently in an air bnb, my days are filled with finishing my blog, teaching online, running, meditation, practicing yoga and spinning poi! I have never felt so happy and healthy. Again, I am so grateful to the universe for plonking me right where I needed to be and for teaching me to be more confident in my decisions. 

Now that the ‘travelling’ part of my trip is over, everyday I think about the places I have been to and more importantly the people I have met. Sometimes, I cannot believe what I have experienced in the last 10 months, how happy I have been and how lucky I am. 

This blog is just a fraction of what I have witnessed in the past 10 months, but it is for you to have and hopefully be inspired by. For all those people that made my journey what it is thank you and I love you. 

Many would say that I saved the best place till last, and I think they were right. Florianopolis, or Floripa as it is known with the locals, is an island in the state of Santa Catarina and really is a magical island. As soon as I stepped off the long night bus from Sao Paulo I instantly could feel the energy of this place, I felt content.

For me Florianopolis is a very spiritual place. The nature that surrounds the island is beautiful and the 48 beaches really make it something special. It is also a very healthy place, most street corners are filled with health shops, fitness and yoga centres. Additionally, it is super popular with surfers and kite surfers, there are many surf schools that offer private classes from R80-100.

Florianopolis is a huge island, there are many different areas and beaches that you must visit. Most of the hostels are located in ‘Lagoa Conceicao’ which literally translates as ‘body of water’. The first hostel I stayed in was called ‘Geckos Hostel’, this is marketed as a party hostel but is not too loud as the bar shuts are 11pm. The staff there are super friendly and the hostel organises a fantastic BBQ night. This hostel is super sociable so it is very easy to meet people. It also has a very good kitchen and nice outside space with a pool!

I also stayed in ‘On the Road’ which is opposite Geckos, sometimes Geckos is super popular especially on the weekends. On the Road, is a good alternative to Geckos. If you feel that Geckos is too much, perhaps you want some time to yourself, then this place is great for that. On the Road has a beautiful view out to the lagoon and has a vegan breakfast included!

Lagoa Conceicao is a great base for your typical backpacker. It has many supermarkets, restaurants and bars. A good place to hang out on the weekend is ‘Layback’, this is a food court with many different cuisines and great craft beer. Cafe Cultura is also a great spot for coffee and smoothies, most people in this place are speaking English. As Florianopolis is an affluent place, many people here speak very good English.

There are so many things to do in Floripa so I would definitely recommend a week here (if you have the time), or 4 nights at least! From kayaking, surfing, hiking, sandboarding, paragliding, snorkelling it is a haven for outdoor activities. One of the best hikes to do on the island is to ‘Lagoina de Leste’. It is about a 3 hour hike and starts and finishes at different points. I would recommend starting it the long way from Matedeiro beach (also well worth another visit to relax on the beach) and ending it at Pantano do Sul.

To arrive at the start of the hike, you can easily get an uber for super cheap to Armacao (about 30 minutes from Lagoa Conceicao). Then you must do a small hike to the starting point which is at the end of Matadeiro beach, you literally have to walk across the beach to find the start of the trail.
From there the hike begins! Expect a variety of terrain, from jungle to cliff edge literally. The path is a little less well trodden as you reach the end of hike, and there is a little bit of rock scrambling towards the end. But it really is a beautiful hike, the views of the sea are magnificent just be careful of your step!

After roughly 2 hours you reach Lagoina de Leste, a beach on the left and a lagoon on the right side. If you are feeling super adventurous then you can also camp by the lagoon. This was something I did when I revisited Lagoina and discovered a community of ‘nativos’. People that are camping and living there for a long time. These people were so kind and made me feel so welcome.

The way back takes you to ‘Pantano do Sul’ and takes 40 minutes walking uphill and then downhill. Another one of my favourite hikes in Floripa is the ‘Morro do Lampiao’ hike and involves a climb to the rock viewpoint. It takes about 40 minutes to get to the top and then 30 minutes to get down. This hike has a story behind it, it was where the famous French author and pilot Antoine Saint Exupery (he wrote the Little Prince) used to direct the planes. Florianopolis loved this guy so much that they called the main road in Campeche after him (Pequeno Principe).

A good time to go to this hike is around 5:30/6 where you can catch the sunset over the island. Just make sure you bring a torch for the way back as it is a little dark and slippery so make sure you have grip on your shoes!

You can easily access the start of the hike from Campeche, which is a residential village on the island. Campeche is where I stayed for my second workaway experience. This workaway involved me staying with a Father and his son and helping out with the garden, picking lemons and planting flower beds. I really really enjoyed my time here and was very sad when it was cut short due to coronavirus (more on that later).

A third recommended hike is to Saquinho, this hike is only 20 minutes and takes you to a beautiful secluded beach you can also camp here.

In terms of beaches, you are really spoilt for choice in Florianopolis. The nearest beach to Lagoa Conceicao is Praia Mole and Galheta. There are some hostels closer to the beaches if you prefer that such as Sunset Backpackers and Selina. Praia Mole is about a 45 minute walk from the hostel and you can always catch an uber or bus back.

Another beach a little further away past the sand dunes is Joaquina beach which is very popular with surfers and generally gets very busy on the weekend. Similarly, Campeche beach is a good surf spot and quieter than Joiaquina. You can also take a trip to Campeche island which I heard has some great snorkelling spots!

Another popular spot to visit is ‘Barra da Lagoa’. This is like a small village with a busy beach. You can also visit the pools and the popular hostel ‘Barra Beach Club’ for excellent food and caiprinhas. This is also a popular hostel as it has its own beach and water sport activities. I also heard of a retreat like place called Rosemary Dream. Barra is also a very good surf spot and a good place to learn as the waves are small.

In terms of restaurants, Florianopolis has some excellent vegetarian and vegan places. One of these is called O que Comemos, a buffet style restaurant with yummy vegan options. There are also many sushi places, due to the Japanese influence.

If partying is your thing, then you’re in for a treat. There are some great bars and nightlife options in Floripa, for example Bar DeRaiz which has a hip hop night on a Thursday. The main club in Lagoa de Coneicao is called Santos, which has parties pretty much every night of the week. Brazilians love live music so you will definitely be able to find something that you like!

There is such a great vibe in Florianopolis, the people are so friendly and happy with life. I would definitely recommend staying here for as long as you can because you will love it!

Before heading to Paraty, I had generally heard negative things of Paraty, some people even told me not to bother going. How wrong they were! This place was unexpectedly gorgeous. A quaint colonial town full of history and cachaça.

Getting to Paraty from Ilha Grande was a little convulated as all the buses were booked up, I think this was due to the rain and also high season after carnival. We ended up getting a car from Angra dos Reis to Paraty which took about an hour and a half.
Paraty is one of the best places for restaurants outside Sao Paulo, it is also especially popular with wealthy tourists from Sao Paulo. You must try the famous cocktail: ‘Jorge Amado’, which is a caiprinha with a cinnamon twist, you can find this at most bars in Paraty. Some good eats were ‘cafe Paraty’ and Thai Paraty if you like Thai food!

I would definitely recommend doing the free walking tour (5pm every day from the main square). The guide is excellent and you learn information about the town but also about the whole of Brazil. Another must is to visit the waterfall slide, it is so much fun! It is not at all scary as it is not that high but it is pretty fast. You can visit this waterfall on a tour where you visit 2 waterfalls (including the slide) and a cachaca distillery. If you do not want to do a tour you can also get the public bus to Penha. The beaches are also beautiful in particular Jabaquara which you can access by walking from the town.

I stayed in ‘Che Lagarto Paraty’ which was ok, it advertises itself as a party hostel so you can imagine the clientele that it attracts. The staff are also very slow at checking guests in, which is pretty standard for chain hostels.

I would recommend 2 or 3 nights in Paraty and do not listen to people downplaying the beauty of this place!

We had a particularly unlucky experience with the weather on this island, it pretty much rained for the entire 48 hours we were there. Getting to Ilha Grande was a little confusing as there are two ports: Angra dos Reis and Conceicao de Jacarei. Either one is fine and the bus takes approx 4 hours. The main bus company that goes there is ‘Costa Verde’. Buses in Brazil are super safe and good quality, they are like coaches in the UK or even better! Isla Grande is also super safe to walk around at night.

The island is a little bit on the expensive side, especially after carnival the hostels ramp up their prices as they know people will be heading that way after. We stayed in ‘Hi Holandes’ hostel which was very clean and had an amazing breakfast!

On the day that we had one day of no rain and so were able to do the ‘unlimited Caipirinha tour’ which took us to many beautiful snorkelling spots around the island. The tour cost $80 and is 5 hours. We were a little disappointed with the tour as lunch was not included and the caipirinhas tasted of juice mostly. Nevertheless it was super quiet so we pretty much had the whole boat to ourselves.

It was on our way back to the island that the downpour started, it rained solidly for 24 hours. I have never seen rain like it! This was the first time in my entire trip that I had been ‘rained in’, but we were lucky enough to be in beautiful surroundings in the hostel, as the common area was outside and we could enjoy the view of the diverse vegetation. There are many hikes to do on the island and beautiful waterfalls to see, we unfortunately could not visit these as we were only there for 2 nights and were rained in on one of the days!

In terms of restaurants and nightlife, the island has many to choose from! Some recommended ones are kebab house, Las Sorrentinas (pasta) and Restaurant Canoas which have excellent cinnamon cachaca cocktails. Biergarten is a social hostel where most backpackers go to enjoy a drink, the nightclub is called Acuario.

It was a real shame that our experience of this island was tainted by the rain, if I had more time I would have loved to explore the different hikes and maybe do some scuba diving in the blue lagoon too! Going to Ilha Grande around the time of carnival is risky as it is in the middle of rainy season.

After the madness of carnival, a relaxing time by the beach was much needed. We were lucky enough to be able to stay with my friends boyfriends grandma, who thoroughly looked after us. Our first impressions of Buzios was that it was very upmarket. It reminded me of Hvar in Croatia, with shape of the cove and the bars and restaurants that outline it.

It is quite a boujis place and may not be suitable for your typical backpacker. It is however only 2 hours outside of Rio so if you have time, you could definitely check out as the beaches are stunning. Nevertheless, Brazil does have the best beaches in South America so you will be spoiled for choice!

After spending the most magical month in Brazil it only seemed fit to return for the infamous carnival, and what better way to spend it with my two best friends from London. Carnival this year fell from the 21st February until the 27th February. It is 7 days of non stop partying, colour and glitter! Brazil is a country that parties very very well. Even before carnival had officially begun, the country were celebrating with ‘pre blocos’.

‘Blocos’ (the Brazilian equivalent of a float in the UK) last for 24 hours, some even starting at 07:00am. Everyone in our hostel would be on a different ‘partying schedule’, some waking up at 06:00 to arrive in time for the bloco and some returning from a wild night of partying.

We stayed in ‘El Misti’ hostel in Copacabana, a party hostel with a good social scene but questionable cleanliness. This place seemed like the hub of backpackers, many people would come to visit and it was booked up for months before carnival.

A word of advice for booking accommodation for carnival, it gets very expensive and most things get booked out so try to book it around October/November time. I would also prefer to stay in Lapa, Gloria or Centro as this is where the good blocos are. We spent a lot of our time in ubers getting to the blocos and then missing them! We did not realise how big (like everything in Brazil) Rio is.

Buying costumes for carnival was an experience in itself, most shops are covered in glitter and colour. The vibe around this time is amazing, everyone is so happy and up for a good time. All the staff in shops, bus stations and supermarkets are in costumes!

We started our carnival experience on the Saturday and what better way to start things off than with mimosas and glitter on the terrace! Our first bloco was in Lapa, where we danced in the rain with our French friends and cute head dresses. We then headed to the famous steps where we were greeted with a jazz band and yet more rain. After drying off in the hostel, we headed to Lapa’s strip for some more dancing and fun.

On the second day we headed to the Beatles bloco in centro and then another smaller one down a side street which was our favourite one! We met some amazing dancers and joined in their dance routine (in the rain again).

Mondays carnival consisted of heading to Ipanema beach and enjoying a boogie on the beach, we then spent the evening trying to find Seth Troxlers set but unlucky for us the venue had changed! So instead we ended up in McDonalds.

Tuesday was our final day of carnivaling so we wanted to make it a good one. We headed to Copacabana beach and finally experienced a proper bloco, one where we were able to follow the truck and enjoy the celebrations on the move. That night we partied the night away in Lapa, enjoying cachaça and having a wail of a time!

You may have heard of many horror stories around carnival, in particular phones getting stolen. We did not experience anything too bad and I never felt unsafe. I would recommend not bring your phone out or if you do bring an old one and keep it in a money belt. As a woman you will experience a lot of grabbing and Brazilian men asking ‘for a kiss’, I did not find it to be too much just a bit of light hearted fun (and no this does not mean that I kissed anyone at carnival!).

After another 2 crazy nights at the Wild Rover, a bit of r and r was much needed, and what better way than by Lake Titicaca, the ‘highest navigable lake’ in the world. Bolivia is a country that surpasses many world records, definitely worth a visit for that reason alone.

After one of the worst bus rides (Bolivia is not best known for its buses), which consisted of getting off the bus and onto a boat whilst our bus was transported to the other side by a bigger boat, we arrived at the beautiful lake.

Copacabana is a real backpacker town, as it is the border town into Peru. There are many bars, restaurants and hostels. Maybe a little too touristy for my like! However we managed to find a really nice hostel called ‘Eco Hostal Joshua’ which served vegetarian food and was eco friendly another win!

Unfortunately I was sick for a day here so I spent my first day tucked in bed feeling sorry for myself. On the second day however I made it to isla de sol, which is about an hours boat ride from Copacabana. There is not that much to do on the island but there are fantastic views of the lake.

Copacabana is a great place to cross the border from Peru to Bolivia (or visa versa), the lake is also beautiful. Two nights is definitely enough here, as it isn’t the most picturesque town.

As a Geography teacher this was definitely on my bucket list for South America. I was saving myself to enter the Amazon through Bolivia as this is the cheapest place to access it. You can also access it through Colombia, Peru and Ecuador.

In Bolivia, there are two options offered to travellers, the ‘pampas’ tour or the ‘jungle’ tour. As it was rainy season the jungle option seemed like a no go. I was sold to the pampas option as it was the one where you seemed to see the most wildlife, and they were correct! There was also the option to do both the pampas and the jungle if you are torn between the two! Just be careful with the rainy season (Jan- March).

If you are there in rainy season, make sure you load up on ponchos! Also bring a long sleeve top and trousers to fight off the mosquitos. I was super anxious about getting bitten given what happened to me in Peru, but I did not get one bite! The universe was on my side this time.

I booked through ‘fluvial’ tours and paid roughly 1400 BOBs for a 2 night 3 day tour which included the flight, accommodation and food. There was the cheaper option to go by bus (18 hours) but I had heard horror stories of buses being stuck in mud. The flight was on the smallest plane I have ever seen, I think it was also the shortest flight I have ever been on (40 minutes). You are also flying over the rainforest which is a pretty spectacular view. Only seeing a section of it made me realise the sheer size of the forest.

I arrived in Rurrenabaque the night before the tour started and spent a night in ‘Hostel el Lobo’. There are not so many hostels in this town so there was not much to choose from. It was a pretty basic hostel but it did the job for one night. The tour begins at 09:00 and the transfer picks you up from your hostel which makes it easy. The group was a perfect size- 5 people, by the end of the tour we had all got to know each other pretty well.

The pampas are the wetlands of the Amazon and exist on the edge of the rainforest. It felt much like a swamp and reminded me of the Everglades of Florida. In the pampas you enter and are transported around by small boat.

Most of the first day is spent travelling along the river watching out for alligators and monkeys! Of all of the tours that I have done, this was the most chilled for sure. They give you lots of free time which was spent playing endless card games. The lodge was basic but clean, there is also a cayman that hangs out in the water around the lodge. Going to sleep in the rainforest was an interesting experience, as you can imagine the number of sounds that send you to sleep is pretty remarkable.

The second day was anaconda day! We spent about half an hour searching through reeds and bushes to find an anaconda. Eventually our tour guide found a baby one, which was still about 2 meters long.

The afternoon was spent piranha fishing. On our way to the fishing spot, we saw a jaguar fall from the tree. We then tried to follow its path to catch a glimpse of it but it had scuppered. The fishing was an interesting experience, nobody in our group was successful in catching one, somehow the tour guide was able to fish 5! The day finished by watching the sunset at one of the shacks along the river.

The final morning was filled with swimming in the river with pink dolphins. A mistake that we made was that we jumped into the water with sun cream and insect repellent which is damaging for the aquatic life. The dolphins remain a distance from you in the water but you can still see them jumping in and out which is a magical experience. The afternoon of the last day was spent travelling back to Rurrenabaque.

In terms of restaurants and bars there is a fun place called the ‘Luna lounge’, they have good pizzas and cocktails. Due to the humid climate, Rurrenabaque really reminded me of being in Asia, a huge difference from La Paz which had a cold climate.
If the Amazon is something that is on your bucket list and you want to do it cheaply then I would recommend visiting it in Bolivia. However, if you want a more authentic experience of the actual rainforest with knowledge about the trees and adaptations it could be good to visit in Peru or Ecuador.

At 3,640m La Paz is the worlds highest city. For me, the altitude made it difficult to walk, especially uphill. Despite being at high altitude in Cusco, I still found it challenging. As Bolivia is relatively small compared to the other South American countries, getting the night bus was easy. It was super cheap ($80 BOBs or Bobbys!) and was only 9 hours. This meant arriving in La Paz at 06:30.

As it was so early I wanted to find a hostel that would have a bed ready. After reading reviews I decided to head for Wild Rover, even though I promised myself I would never return to a Wild Rover after my Huacachina experience. I was actually pleasantly surprised, it was not too crazy and the rooms were far away from the bar so you could get a decent sleep. It was also clean and the beds were comfy! It is also super sociable which makes it easier to make friends as a solo traveller.

For those who have not experienced a Wild Rover- you should, even if for one night. Picture drinking games, free shots and dancing on the bar, what’s not to love. If you love it that much then you can also volunteer behind the bar for 2 weeks.

In terms of sightseeing, the best way to see the city is by cable car. You can get a cable car up to El Alto which is the nearest district to La Paz. If you happen to be there on a Sunday then there is a flea market to visit, which pretty much sells everything. I found it a little overwhelming as I was clearly the only gringo around. If you do go to El Alto, then watch your bag as pickpocketers are rife.

La Paz is unlike any city I have seen, the culture is very much present. Most of the local women are dressed in traditional dress. It is also clearly the poorest and busiest city in South America, the traffic is crazy! It has a real charm and the people are warm and welcoming.

There are many markets in La Paz where you can buy pretty much anything Alpaca. The most touristy one is the witches market which is supposed to be full of ointments and potions, but I could not find any of this stuff!

La Paz is a beautiful old city, there is a stunning street to visit called calle Jean which has many colonial buildings. The other main thing to do is to see the ‘Cholitas’ which is female wrestling. This was the most bizarre evening of my life. The evening starts which a bus from the city to El Alto. You are then led into a sports hall with a wrestling ring in the middle.

After about 30 minutes of waiting and the suspense building, the Cholitas emerge from behind the scenes. The Cholitas are female wrestlers who are from 16-18 in age and dressed in the traditional Bolivian dress which consists of 2 long plaits (good for grabbing) and a big floaty skirt, not your average wrestling attire!

The wrestling lasts for about an hour and a half and you get to watch 5 different cholitas. The cholitas and referee are comedy gold, they are hilarious and really stir up and involve the crowd. The wrestling is only on certain days of the week so do your research and definitely go!

In terms of restaurants and bars, I spent most of my time eating and drinking in the Wild Rover bar, which you can also visit without being a guest. I found one really good vegetarian restaurant which was called ‘Bolivia Green Kitchen’, it was cheap and had lots of options.

Of course Wild Rover is not the only hostel in La Paz, there are many to choose from. I also spent one night at the ‘Capsule hostel’ before a flight for some good rest. This hostel has capsule beds which have a TV, charging points, special lighting and a mirror!

If you can withstand the altitude, I would suggest 3 nights in La Paz. It is like no city I have ever seen before, it really is a unique and special place.

Getting to Uyuni was simpler than I first an anticipated. I thought you had to stay in Tupiza and then catch a bus from there. But, it turns out that you can get a direct bus to Uyuni from Villazon (the border town from Argentina).

We decided to grab a collectivo straight there as it was cheap (ish), it is super easy to find one as many people will shout out destinations. The collectivo took around 4 hours, we arrived in Uyuni at around 18:00 after leaving Argentina at 10:00, so including a border crossing that is not too bad at all!

We also luckily were able to book onto a salt flat tour straight away for the following day. We went with ‘Red Planet’ tours as we were recommended this one by people in our hostel. After some negotiation we managed to get the price down to $1000 pesos, however we met some people who had got theirs for $700.

The salt flat tour is a 3 day tour but if you are pushed for time then you can also do a day tour to the salt flats. You only need to bring a day pack, I would suggest packing for all weathers as the climate varies a lot during the day and night.

The tour starts at 10:00 and you get collected from Uyuni by jeep, which will be your mode of transport for the entire tour. The jeeps are very cramped and very bumpy, so don’t picture yourself napping in these! We had 3 jeeps which held 5 people each.

The first day is the best day of the tour as this is the day you visit the Salar de Uyuni (10,582 sq km of salt flats, the size of Northern Ireland!). The first stop of the tour was visiting the abandoned railway, which used to be the main trading route for the salt. After that is a lunch stop, the food on this tour was so good!

You then visit the salt museum where the guide tells you how the salt is manufactured. It was interesting and also sad to hear that Bolivia does not export any of its salt to the Western world as everyone can pretty much manufacture salt. It made me sad to think that if Bolivia had large amounts of any other natural resource it would be in a very different situation economically and politically.

The third stop of the day is the one we were all waiting for and the real highlight of the tour, the salt flats! I have never seen anywhere so flat and white in my life. I had a real wow moment when I stepped out of the jeep. There are various stops along the salt flats, including the salt museum.

The final stop was the perspective photo shoot. Each group had about 20 minutes with the guide who does his best to choreograph you into different positions. By the time we all had finished (including entire group pics) it was about 2 hours. I think we all had had enough of the salt flats by the end as it was blearing hot and we were all rather salty.

For those who have not seen my instagram, I will post the pictures when I get back to England and move these blogs onto my new website. If you decide to go on this tour then bring props such as toys or pringle cans (standard gringo) or whatever you want to have in your pictures!

After the salt flats we then head for cactus island where yep you guessed it, a whole island of cacti! Some of them were absolutely huge too. We then all enjoy a beer together at the bottom of the island.

The final stop before the hotel was watching the sunset all together with a couple of beers. The guide and jeep drivers did a time lapse for us which involved us performing various dance moves together in sync.

The first nights accommodation was a hotel where I shared a room with my dear friend Annabelle. The dinner was so good and the hot chocolate and cookies (a common theme in South America). As we had to be up at 06:00 we decided to have an early night.

Day 2 consisted of various different wildlife stops including llamas, alpacas and flamingos! We also saw a couple of lagoons and a geyser formed as a result of the crust being thin and heat coming through from the core. The second nights accommodation was not as bad as we were expecting. They really sold it to us as basic, with an outside toilet but there were 3 toilets just no showers!

The second highlight of the tour was the hot springs on the second night. There are many different hostels in the area so various groups go into the hot springs together, it was fun enjoying a glass of red wine and staring at the stars.

The third and final day was when the group split up as some were heading for the Atacama desert in Chile. We made a few stops to the lagoons but this was the day where there was a lot of driving. Your bum may hurt afterwards!

After a full day of driving we arrive back in Uyuni about 5pm. A very good hostel to stay in is ‘Bunker’ hostel, they have an excellent breakfast and the wifi is good! Apart from the salt flat tour there is not much else to do in Uyuni so you do not need to spend any extra time there.

You can get lots of night buses to Sucre or La Paz in the night, this is what I did after the tour. I hopped onto a bus that left at 10pm and got to La Paz at 07:00 ish. I would strongly recommend Red Planet tours, the food and guides were so good. Make sure you do not book it online as you always can negotiate face to face. The salt flats are something spectacular, an out of this world experience- I highly recommend!