With Venezuela off of the list we were thinking of travelling from Argentina north through Brazil and into the Guyana's. Has any one done it recently? We would likely ship from Georgetown, Guyana to the US. Any suggestions on shipping from Georgetown or Paramaribo, Suriname?
Thanks

Hello DanandKris!

I am from Brazil and will try to help you telling some information based on a magazine article from a brazilian fellow that has been to there last year. Road is ok, no astonishing vistas, etc. He traveled with a Honda Biz, a cub bike, to make it easier pack, ship and even lose it, if necessary. His route was from Manaus to Georgetown, then to Cayenne and finally returning to Brazil coming from the North, until the city of Belém.

Well then. If you are crossing Brazil there are basically two ways. One is going North to the city of Belém, which by the delta of Amazonas river. In Belém you'll have to take a boat to the city of Macapá, which takes app 36 hours. From Macapá you go on North until you reach the city of Oiapoque and then the borderline to enter French Guyana. It seems that a considerable part of this road (Macapá/Oiapoque) is unpaved. Once in French Guyana, you'll have way to Georgetown, after leaving Suriname (former Dutch Guyana).
The other alternative would be go to Belém and get a boat towards Manaus, going up the Amazon river, an interesting journey of about a week, with no luxurious or too confortable facilities at all (e.g. sleep in hammocks), but a unique opportunity to have such an experience. In Manaus, you ride north towards Boa Vista city (capital of Roraima State) get the 401 Road and go towards the city of Bonfim, border with the city of Lethem, Guyana. In the Guyana, the way to Georgetown is tough from Lethem. Some camping in the middle of the jungle may be necessary. Eventually, at least part of the way, you'll have to ship your bike in a big military truck, which has a not so regular schedule. But nothing impossible, and a great adventure, no doubt.

In any case: in summer (South hemisphere) it rains A LOT in all the north areas of Amazonic forests, something to be considered mainly for unpaved roads.

Regarding shipping to the US, unfortunately I have not a clue to share.

Wish you good luck and feel free to contact me, if I can be of your help.

All the best!

Alessandro


Enviado do meu iPhone usando Tapatalk

I thought the road between Lethem and Georgetown fairly easy--little real mud, not much traffic, intermittent accommodation if you want it. There were signs of deeper mudholes, now dried out, here and there, so choose your season. Certainly no need for truck transport, so take the above post with a grain of salt.

The unpaved section in the other direction between Oiapoque and Amapa (IIRC) was far worse in sections, but also far more interesting. Since I was headed north, it held the additional lure of fine French cooking once across the river.

There are a number of trip reports, including information about shipping from Suriname, available by Google search. I'd give more details, but I was there five or six years ago, and details tend to shift over time. For example, on the Oiapoque road they told me the trip used to take 6 days during the mud seasons, now down to two due to a series of upgrades. And on the Georgetown road the claim was that it had already been improved to "international standards."

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Hi!

As I said, my info comes from a magazine article published here in Brazil (I can send by email - just use google translator and it is done to have an idea). I have not been to there.

But it is good news hearing your report.

When did you go to Georgetown from Lethem? And Oiapoque/Macapá? What bike did you use?

I ask because a long time ago I've made some scribblings to a trip exactly that way, and eventually aborted due to difficulties with my bike (R1200 GSA).

Thanks in advance!

Alessandro

As I said, I was there five or six years ago. I assume you can find my report, along with lots of others, by searching this site or elsewhere. I rode a KLR--nothing remarkable about it, and I'm not a highly-skilled rider.