hey there,

i've pinned down some routes and key-sights on a map for my own trip, take a look if you're interested (also contains possible places to stay if you need hostels and such), maybe it helps

i'm planning to create a separate one with more information while i'm on the road. my initial goal was to create something which is easy to use - maybe maintained by a whole community. for me it was hard to keep track of the sights of latin america not knowing their position (and thereby creating an approximate route).

all you can see on the map exists as .gpx files too (tracks + POIs).

cheers, martin

I noticed when watching the Dakar that the cars had a good day across the Salar, but it was totally wet for the bikes. Not fun.

The route they took through northern Argentina to Chile looked like good fun. Some great views.

Incidentally, when shipping a bike, would you be inclined to crate your motorcycle gear inc helmet, or would you take that with you on the flight?

@Imapii, I'll take a look at your route shortly.
@Righttheworld - will do cheers

How did you create that map? It looks like you used HERE. Are you a developer?

regarding shipping i put all i had into the crate such that i'd not have too much luggage in the plane, but that's up to you. the crate wouldn't be opened without me present, shipped it to valparaiso.

i'm not a HERE-developer, the map i created using leaflet, you can add GPX tracks (or polylines, which are much smaller and load much faster) and everything. i'm using the map-tiles from HERE as they show more information then OSM when you zoom in.

Back on the planning now that I'm back from Morocco.

Got a rough idea of the direction I'll headed for the first part of the trip and the key places I'd like to visit/pass through.

Buenos Aires in mid September
Iguazu - this is big detour (is it worth it?) not sure what there is on the way
Salta - again not sure what there is to see/do on the way here other than enjoy the journey
Salar de uyunai
La paz - would also like to ride yungas road weather permitting
Lake Titicaca
Cusco - The GF wants to see Machu Piccu
Colca Canyon

The stuff in Peru is going to be highly dependent on the weather. I'm anticipating it being mid-November by then. Hopefully the worst of the rain won't have set in yet (famous last words)

After that it gets tricky. I'd like to visit San Pedro de Atacama, and Iquique.

Heading south I imagine being mostly on the Chillean side going towards Puerto Montt. I think the rest is covered earlier in the thread.

Aiming to eventually get back to Buenos Aires in February. I'll miss the Dakar :(

Sound reasonable enough?

it's seems quite reasonable, we did Buenos Aires to Colombia then all the way to the Ushuaia then back to Buenos Aires in 5 months.

We also started in September, and finished 29th January.

We were in Peru in November and we got unlucky. Lot's of rain. I mean lot's of it. So much that we had to skip many dirt/gravel routes that were either blocked by landslides or had turned into a hell of mud.

Regarding Salta and the area around/close to it: do it. The Argentine northwest is fantastic IMHO. The Quebradas de las Conchas, and many more Quebradas (gorges, canyons) all around the regions of Salta and Tucuman and Jujuy are great landscapes. And if you want some challenge, there are many dirt/sand/deep gravel tracks heading westbound over the Andes. Some are desolate, some lead to surreal landscapes. For example, we did the route from San Antonio de los Cobres to Paso Sico. Altiplano region. Breathtaking, literally (above 12,000 feet). But if you want to stay on paved roads, you still have many many choices.

Regarding San Pedro de Atacama: IMHO, the village itself is a pure tourist trap. Does not worth a visit, unless it is in the way of your planned route. Or unless you want to use it as a base for exploring surrounding areas.

La Paz is a traffic chaos, be prepared.

Death road is worth it. And it is no dangerous any more. Prefer to do it going downhill (going to Coroico).

Lake Titicaca is also worth it, if you can spend a night or two with local indigenous people in the island of Amantani (tourism agents can set you up, in Puno). The floating islands are nice but too much "staged" for tourists.

Salar de Uyuni is a must.

I am going to go through this thread with interest. I hope to be over in South America some time in the next few weeks. Then I have a year to play around. As yet no real plans.

C-m can I ask about Uruguay. What is the importation process there. I have to make a decision between Monte Video and Buenos Aires. I have found information for Buenos Aires but no real info for Monte Video. Who will you use for the importing paperwork, do you have costs? I do wish to hijack the thread, any info you have would be most helpful.

Cheers Zed.

@Road spirit thanks for the info. Yeah no reason in particular for San Pedro other than it'll be on the way out of Boliva (I'll re-enter at Ollague) and head towards laguna colorada.

@zedsdead - No I'm shipping (airfrieght) to Buenos Aires. I was going to arrive in Montevideo via freight cruise, but it was fully booked. Unless you are travelling with your bike then its very expensive to get your bike out of customs in Motevideo. Around $1300 USD for charges, then another $350 USD for an agent. And you need an agent as it takes 3 days.

Argentina on the other hand is better. Around $250 USD in agent fees and $300-400 USD in charges.

I've heard people talk of Valparaiso as being a good place to ship (sea freight) to but that's probably Americans. I can't see it being a good port for bikes coming from Europe. Plus then you've then got all the troubles that come with sea freight. i.e you're bike not turning up when you expect it.

Flights booked. Shipping booked, and mostly kitted up.

It's now a waiting game until September.

One thing that has caught my attention is the landmines in northern Chile apparently in some areas start immediately off the road. I suppose there is no camping at all in Northern Chile.

@Roadspirit - Is a La Paz worth a few days? The British and Common Wealth office has a good few warnings on it, and most say it's traffic chaos etc..

La Paz, hmm ... It depends I guess on how much you like being/ spending time in big cities. Personally, I'm not very fond of it. In general I try to avoid it as much as possible when I travel. And La Paz is a BIG city.

Traffic chaos? It was crazy. It felt like being in a videogame where everyone & everything is trying to hit you. The fact that GPS was unable to navigate me, made things more frustrating.

Put that aside, the Bolivian capital has a vibe that can only be found in south American cities, and for some this makes it interesting enough.

Would I visit there again? Yes certainly, for the reason above. Find a hostel near the center, and spend a couple of days walking the very busy streets and most importantly (for me) to explore the local "mercados". I loved every moment in the local markets, blend in with the locals in cheap food stalls.

Any good references for this warning? Never seen this warning for Chile despite reading lots and lots of blogs

We have seen mined areas in other countries but they were fenced and signed and I assumed they were part of military bases anyway. Warnings current for other countries along borders

Admittedly we haven't been camping north of Iquiqui in Chile, but south of that we camped all along the coast.

LaPaz. We didn't realise there was a bypass around the NW of the airport and used the main north highway and then the one to the west for peru. Total chaos all the way. two lanes of taxis and buses crammed into each lane marked on the road. I just looked straight ahead and let the chaos flow around us. N.ot so much as a scratch

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-ad...y-and-security

So basically don't get off the bike and wander off the road to go take a piss. You might just get more than you bargained for.

Might cross your tracks :)
 

Hi CM,
Am hoping to arrive in SA also in November and spending roughly 3 months there. No firm plans other than being at the start of the Dakar on 3rd Jan. I'm off to Australia with the bike fist for a couple of months, all solo. If your interested might be worth keeping in touch and if our tracks cross good to meet up? chugchugchugchug

Yeah sure thing hoping to meet many more overlanders along the way. Not sure where the Dakar is starting next year they regularly change it.

Lima next year.

http://www.dakar.com/dakar/2016/img/...s-carte-v2.jpg