South American trails continued...

**charapashanperu** · #1 (**permalink**) 25th April 2008

Sorry the former thread: "You suggest: Challenging trails/goat tracks in Sth Am" became overloaded with graphics, but I personally would like to see more sharing of experiences through maps and photos. Of course, my preference on these long trips is 'as many back roads as possible' getting to my destination, and that kind of thing needs information sharing MUCH more than cases where paved roads are followed.

Please comment (am I crazy or alone in this?).

**charapashanperu** · #2 (**permalink**) 26th April 2008

This one is a road, rocky and high. It passes an ancient pre-Incan site, hot baths, and a glacier, going from the 'city of eternal spring' (Huanuco) to 'the city at the base of Mt. Huascaran" (Huaraz).

Google Map:
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JPG Map. Route shown in BLUE

Although you could rush it in one day, it is best to stop along the way and overnight in La Union. The high part between La union and the glacier Pasturiri is well-maintained by the Canadian mining company. It is crushed rock and very narrow, with incredible views.

Bon Voyage !

**quastdog** · #3 (**permalink**) 26th April 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by charapashanperu

...but I personally would like to see more sharing of experiences through maps and photos. Of course, my preference on these long trips is 'as many back roads as possible' getting to my destination, and that kind of thing needs information sharing MUCH more than cases where paved roads are followed.

Please comment (am I crazy or alone in this?)

Too many photos will kill this site.

You even killed your own thread posting too many photos - some not really relevant to the information (just fluff).

When you're on the road, using internet cafes with variable band width rates, some of them exceedingly slow, you don't want to f**k around with a bunch of slow loading photos.

Best left on pages you create on your own website, put links in your thread messages to the pages/photos on your site.

Maps are helpful - photos aren't - especially ones that are over say 60kb, and any that are bigger than say 640x480 pixels. I hate scrolling left and right to read the text when someone puts a big-ass photo on a page (like you did on this page) - and there's still of lot of monitors in internet cafes displaying at small resolution.

**charapashanperu** · #4 (**permalink**) 27th April 2008

Quastdog,

You're right about the photos. I need a program that will reduce the pixels if I'm going to put one in. Even the maps are high resolution, but I can adjust them on the scanner.

I forgot about those slow internet cafes around the world! Words and links are better...

**tmotten** · #5 (**permalink**) 27th April 2008

I agree that there should be more back road route sharing. I personally will be trying to stay away from the main routes. How do you find those routes? Just look at a map and try and link up your A to B with as many dashed routes as you can find on the map?

Try googling Irfanviewer. It's a free and very powerfull photo editing software. No need for scanners.

**charapashanperu** · #6 (**permalink**) 27th April 2008

tmotten,

Thanx. Sometimes this site is 90/10 pave/dirt adventurers and I'm one who tries to AVOID pavement at all costs. That's why it's so critical to share info, as maps about dirt roads are unreliable at the very best (some dirt roads on maps don't even EXIST!

When are you planning your SA trip? I am leading 10 experienced dirt riders on a 34-day, 5,000 km trip within Peru June-Aug 2009 (only 800 km of which is pavement). Start in Cuzco, head all the way north to Chachapoyas via central and coast, then back via jungle and central. Join us? PM me your address and I will send you a CD presentation of the trip.... That goes for any serious and curious person out there.

This is NOT a business, just a passion for Peru, my expat homeland.

**tmotten** · #7 (**permalink**) 27th April 2008

Awesome, cheers for the offer. I totally agree with you with regards to the 90/10. There are more thread about road conditions than ones like this one.

PM sent. I'll be landing in BA on the 6th of November, so how ever long it takes to get to Peru really.

**Mr. Ron** · #8 (**permalink**) 28th April 2008

Toby, for PC (UGH!) you can look here: 10 Free Image Editing Programs for your PC | MakeUseOf.com for image editing software. For your mac, i really like Imagewell. ImageWell 3.5.2 - MacUpdate

**charapashanperu** · #9 (**permalink**) 28th April 2008

Ron,

I'm trying the program you recommended to see if I figured it out right and if things load any faster.

Need to get away from the BLEEPIN' PANAMERICANA?

First stop at Cerro Azul

and enjoy the surfing and beach. Then head towards Canete and follow the signs to Yauyos. This is a semi-dry, but beautiful valley, gravel roads, clear rivers, looming mountains on either side.

Google Map
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JPEG Map

From Yauyos, follow the signs to Huancayo. This is a good 6 hours of fun riding

, so there is time to stop along the way.

Stay over in beautiful Huancayo. This ride connects to the # 1 suggestion in the other thread: "you suggest: best trails/goat tracks in South America"

**charapashanperu** · #10 (**permalink**) 29th April 2008

This one is a 110 km fun run if you happen to make Pucallpa, Peru (in the Amazon one of your destinations.

Pucallpa is an incredible place motorcycle-wise as it has 175,000 registered and Street-Legal dirt bikes and 4-wheelers!

Right near Pucallpa is Lake Yarinacocha. The fun-run goes right along the Lake then to the Aguaytia River, back to the highway, and 31 km back to Pucallpa.
GOOGLE MAP:View Larger Map">
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Every type of surface you could want along this route; gravel, then dirt, then clay, then sand, then silt, then back to clay, and onto pavement. I explored this when it was only a trail and turned it into a regional moto-rally. Now it is a road, but with very little maintenance (which makes it fun !).

**Dan 23** · #11 (**permalink**) 30th April 2008

This really is terrific stuff, Toby - thanks for taking the time to log, sort and post this.

Wonder if it could be made a sticky? Either here or over in 'Latin America'?

**charapashanperu** · #12 (**permalink**) 27th May 2008

To All,

I just wanted to connect 2 threads together by attaching this warning by desert dweller about the recent info on the Huanuco-La Union-Huaraz route that there have been some safety concerns: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-huanuco-35464

Desert Dweller took the route anyway and had no problems, alerting police of his schedule, but I would not be responsible if I did not inform you of this development on a route that I specifically recomended.

Note: I still plan to travel over this route with 8 friends next summer, but the information is always good to know....

**Simon D** · #13 (**permalink**) 11th June 2008

Trail #5 was on original thread “You suggest:Challenging trails/goat tracks in Sth Am”)

Toby and i have emailed back and forth regarding trails, but now it`s my turn to provide further info on Toby`s suggested trails…
A few locals in San Ignacio de Velasco , NE Bolivia, told me about a ´direct´ road to Vila Bela de Santissma Trinidade, Brazil, starting on the west side of the lake that is just north of town. The track went almost direct toward the lake “Bahia Grande” which is on the border of both countries, and then around the west side of this lake and i crossed into Brazil about 10km north of the lake. Once in Brazil the road zig zags between farmer´s fields (easy to follow still) to arrive in Vila Bela, 255km and 4 1/2hrs later. I couldn`t find it on 4 maps i´ve seen so far, and did not pass a village until near lake Bahia Grande. The locals told me that San Ignacio to Vila Bela via Matias, as on most maps, was around 430km so this is a good shortcut! The road on the Bolivian side was really good fun, as there is little road maintenance and the terrain varies, with mainly jungle eitherside.

On my way back south i wanted to shortcut to Santa Rosa del Roca but couldn`t find any westbound roads from Bahia Grande area, as indicated on my map. When i was roughly 20km parallel to Jesus (according to GPS) i noticed a track off the side (westbound), so tried it and 8km later it dead ended at a coca farmer`s property. They`re always happy since their chewing coca leaves all day, but he said there was no way further west because of a mountain range, and the only way is via San Ignacio.

The Noel Kempff Mercado park authority in San Ignacio said that the 35km road from La Florida to Los Serranos, otherwise known as the main road into the park, has many trees fallen over the road since heavy rains 6mths ago, and no car has entered for 6mths. They say mountain biking is not much faster than walking since there are many trees to carry a bike across.

Brazillian side:
It is completely different on the Brazillian side since most of the land has been cleared for farming, and probably the only reason Park Ricardo Franco (place that inspired Lost World) still exists is because the ground rises to become the plateau at a very steep angel, or often it is a cliff. I think you need to be willing to hike to the top of the plateau to warrant even visiting the area. On my way 100km north from Vila Bela, alongside Park Ricardo Franco, i oftened asked if there was a way to cross into Bolivia, even possibly via boat as someone in San Ignacio suggested can be done as they´re big enough for a motorbike. The border crossing near Bahia Grande is simply military personel writing down my personal details and bike description, with no stamps or Aduana. I kept my Aduana from Brazil so have for both countries, and so technically i would still in Boliva according to my current documentation, so crossing anywhere was not an issue for me IMO.

But there was no option to enter Bolivia, since there were no roads on the Bolivian side meeting the border and water level currently too low for boats. Basically the road north from Vila Bela was fairly straight and ran pretty much north-south, 100km/h type surface, and slowly went away from Serriana Ricardo Franco before staying parallel within about 8-20km. No matter how many people i asked they all said that there was no trail running right alongside the range. The only option to get closer to the range is to ride west through farmer access roads to the base of the mountain/cliff, but then back again. 95km north of Vila Bela is the pueblo named Ricardo Franco, and the few locals that were still sober were very informative. Here they said that it is about 23-24km further along the road to Betania, and then 10km before the road finishes due the river, roughly where Rio Gurape and Rio Verde meet. Going due east from Betania for about 100km goes to Comodoro, crossing rio Guarape via a ferry that is free to use since it is funded by the land owners. They said that the only option to enter Bolivia further north is Guajara-Mirim. They say it is sometimes possible to cross to Boliva via boat, and even a little in the rivers, but not to connect to any Bolivian villages or roads/tracks.

If you do go to the Brazillian side, note that the Banco de Brazil in Vila Bela does not have ATMs for international cards of any type, nor can they withdraw currency manually on a VISA card, or exchange currency of any type. Pontes de Lacerdes, 80km east, should be able to do most of these though. I asked around for Bolivians that live in Vila Bela, and found that a store in the Plaza selling, well plastic useless junk in my terminology, is owned by a Bolivian, and he exchanged what he could spare.

In short, for this region Boliva is much better as most of the Brazillian side has been cleared or the roads are all too well maintained to put a smile on my face. And there are only cows to look at!