(5) Planning - The South America Route
At this point we have much less of a plan when it comes to South America. This part of the trip will likely start in either Cartagena or Bogota Columbia. That will depend on whether we take a boat around or fly over the Darian Gap from Panama. From all I’ve read, there are some beautiful roads in Columbia but I have not figured out any specific places to go or things to see at this point.
One thing that we will need to be thinking of by this point, if not before, is where to have the bikes serviced. Depending on how many miles we put on I am estimating we will need to have an oil change and new tires somewhere between Costa Rica and Columbia. There seem to be lots of motorcycle repair shops throughout both Central and South America, but the dealer network is spotty. I need to think about having a spare oil filter for each of us so any shop can do the oil change. Tires seem to be readily available.
Once we make it into Peru there start to be places we want to see. Top of the list is Machu Picchu. Exactly how we get there and where we stay is definitely still to be decided. A stop in Trujillo is also on the agenda. It’s a nice costal city with pre-Incan ruins in the area and old colonial buildings. It’s also on the coast so it might be time for a swim! I generally do not like the idea of riding in big cities where I’m unfamiliar with the roads and local traffic customs, but stops in both Lima and Cuzco are probable.
I hope to make a crossing into Bolivia somewhere in this part of the trip. I would like to see Lake Titicaca. Neil wants to ride over the North Yungas Road. At one point this was the only route between Bolivia and Peru and it was frequented by big rig trucks, busses as well as cars and anything else wanting to make the trip. Today a new paved road exists and all the heavy traffic takes that route. The old road is now used a lot by mountain bike tour groups. They are transported to the top and ride down the road. It’s still a popular adventure motorcycle road though. Neil is keen on it. We shall see how keen dad is when we get there!
Somewhere along the line we would also like to get out to the Nazca Plain to see the drawings on the plain floor. I’m not sure what route we will take to get there though.
I’m leaving the ideas for things to see and do in Chile up to Neil. His girlfriend spent a year there in college on an exchange program and she is giving him info for that part of the trip. My only real bit of knowledge for Chile is a desire to see the Torres del Paine national park in Patagonia. We shall see what Neil cooks up for the rest of the country.
The original goal of this trip was to reach Ushuaia, Argentina. It’s the southern most point in South America serviced by road. We would still like to make it there but it’s far enough south that our window to arrive is pretty narrow. Whether or not we make it will depend on how much fun, read that how much time it takes us, we have on the way and if we can get there before the weather precludes it for the season. One hope, if we do make it, is that we might be able to catch a cruise to Antarctica. Most of the cruise ships leave from Ushuaia and if they have unsold cabins it is sometimes possible to get good last minute deals on their sailings. I’m not holding my breath on that one, but if it’s possible we will make the leap.
The only other sight I would like to get to in this part of the trip is Iguazu Falls. A stop there would likely mean a boarder crossing into Paraguay and possibly into Brazil too. At this point we really have no plans to enter Brazil, but one never knows.
The plan now is to end the trip in Buenos Aries. We will air freight the bikes home and catch a flight back from there. I’m guessing that will be sometime in January of 2023. I will probably not be posting much here until we leave for our off road training class in July. Stay tuned there is more to come. 😀
