Palacio de Sal (Salt Palace) in Bolivia

Upon first glance of the Salt Palace in Bolivia, it may appear as though you are looking at an ice hotel that has been temporarily resting upon a large sheet of ice. However, the building won't be melting anytime soon, nor will the gigantic a lake it stands on. This is because they are both almost entirely made up of salt.

Bolivia is home to the world's largest salt flat, measuring a little more than an astonishing 4000 square miles. Not only does the Salt Palace offer visitors a unique lodging experience set amidst a salt desert, a stay at the resort also provides guests with breathtaking views from high atop the Bolivian Andes.

Almost every structural building material used in fashioning the hotel is comprised of sturdy, salt bricks. The walls, floors, ceilings and even most of the furniture have been created from carved out blocks of salt. Guests enjoy onsite luxuries such as relaxing spa treatments and leisurely tee times at the 9-hole golf course.

Nearby the Salt Palace is the quiet town of Uyuni, where visitors can shop for their Bolivian adventure mementos at the open-air market. Other fun activities include touring the antique train cemetery and scoping out the local wildlife (like the pink flamingos and the Andean goose). Oh, and of course the extraordinary terrain demands to be explored, which is best done with a car rental in Bolivia.

*photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons