Located right on the edge of Salar de Uyuni, Colchani is the easiest place to access the great salt flat and the place to go if you just want a glimpse of the salar. Most salt flat tours stop here to visit the souvenir stalls and small salt museum, which is built from salt and contains salt sculptures (admission is free). Colchani is 22km north of Uyuni; buses to Oruro pass the village (B$5, 40 minutes).
The families here make their living from salt extraction as part of a cooperative; you can see small pyramids of salt draining on the salar, close to the village.