South America trip planning and advice
 

Hi all,

I've been wanted to get to South America for a while now, and am now planning for 2015.

I've taken to the idea of using using Grimaldi lines and doing a freight cruise for ease of bringing my bike to the continent and just for the sheer hell of it. Then get my bike freighted for the return journey and fly back.

I'm planning to land in Uruguay, though my main areas of interest are Chile and Bolivia with little of Argentina and Peru thrown in.

I'm not really sure on when to go, as the 'ideal' time to go varies a fair bit (for the things I want to see)

So far in no particular order I'd like to see:

Perito Moreno glaciers
Aucanquilcha - I fancy trying to ride up that pass (formerly the worlds highest - though apparently blocked after 5,500m now)
Salar de Uyuni - salt flats have gotta be fun a motorcycle or even a tour
Yungas Road - mostly full of cyclists now
Colca Canyon - looks epic

Other than that, I like to ride a mixture of roads, not get soaked every day, and not freeze to death.

Any friendly advice?

Hmm. I guess I need to figure out whether I west from Montevideo and head to towards Chile and Bolivia, or whether I go South towards to El Calafate.

I want to try and hit the salt flats when they are dry.

no advice on offer here, but as i'm planning South in 2016, i'm tuned in...:mchappy:

I've got a big black hole I will need to fill between Buenos Aires and El Calafate (Perito Moreno).

What is there to see on the way? Where in particular would you guys recommend?

The closer you ride to the Andes, the better the scenery. Some routes will be gravel, dirt etc.

I can tell you about the part starting from Zapala (Neuquén Province), going south via secondary roads, avoiding ruta 40 as much as possible.
From Zapala we took ruta 46 then ruta 23 to Junin de los Andes. On the way there are numerous detours to the west, to lakes and ridges etc. All great.

From Junin de los Andes we headed to San Martin de los Andes and then via ruta 234 to Villa Angostura. Amazing ride. Again, there are numerous detours to the west (lakes etc).

From Angostura south to Bariloche (boring), then on to El Bolson, Esquel and Trevelin. From that point on, we turned into Chile, intercepted the infamous ruta 7 (carretera austral) and it was simply magic.

We re-entered Argentina a few hundred kilometers further south, at lake General Carrera/Lago Buenos Aires. From the town of Perito Moreno - which is not the glacier, just they have the same name - is a boring stretch on ruta 40 all the way to Calafate.

That's what we did, back in 2012. Remember, along the whole route that I described, there are numerous alternatives, depending on how adventurous your mood is going to be, and how much are you willing to ride on gravel and - depending on weather - possible mud.

You can have a look at some pictures, on my blog and my wife's blog. Language is greek, but images are universal :)

At the end of each post, I also have some screenshot of maps and tracks we followed.

The relevant posts start from this one: Παταγονια, στους δρυμους Lanin, Nahuel Huapi & Los Alerces | road spirit (and continue reading to newer posts etc)

and at the same time, more photos on Helen's blog, starting from this post:
Παταγονία, δρυμοί Lanin, Nahuel Huapi & Los Alerces | latris mixanis

John.

Best time overall is winter for Bolivia, Peruvian highlands and northern Chile and the pampas of Argentina ie June-July. But spring and fall can be great as well due to fewer gringos (domestic tourism differs). The best time for Patagonia is arguably March-April due to low season and less crowds, apparently the wind lays off around end of Feb. Forget Amazon or even Andes in rainy season (January/Feb) unless you like MUD. Of course being such a big place you won't get perfect weather all the time.

Road Spirit,

Is there much to see on the Atlantic seaboard of Argentina? Apart from Peninsula Valdez can't find much of a reason to leave behind the R40/Andean side of the country?

Hmm that sucks. It's going to be far too cold in the winter. Can't imagine what winter is like at 3,000+ meters.

I basically want it to be as warm as possible, If I'm camping in the Atacama desert and the like. The colder it is the more/bigger clothes and sleeping bag(s) I need to carry. I'm not adverse to weather, but I'd rather try at least to make things as easy as possible for myself.

I was looking at Patagonia in mid October, and should by up in Chile near Calama by early/mid November.

I'd expect to be coming home about January.

South America trip planning and advice
 

I was on the altiplano in November and the nights were cold, between -2 to -10 approx. You need a really good 3 season bag for the Salar, Ruta de Lagunas, etc even in summer plus thermals etc. Remember summer means rain for much of Bolivia and Peru, driving rain and high altitude make for cold, wet and frankly miserable days. This is why people favour the drier months of June to Aug (but April, May & Sep, Oct are fine too). It depends on where you want to go, the Atacama has an entirely different climate to say Lake Titkaka even though they are similar altitude and are both on the altiplano. FYI the Atacama desert nearly never gets rain. I've got thermals, two fleeces, cotton bag liner and -7c comfort sleeping bag, and still remember cold nights around the Ruta Lagos region! The salar floods supposedly in Feb but depends on how much rainfall lands further upstream as it floods due to overflow of lake titikaka and Ouruo not because of rain over the actual salar (so I read!). Any questions just ask :)

Thanks for the info.

The size of S.A and the varied climate makes planning a bit of a challenge.

Apart from Peninsula Valdez (which gets awfully crowded during summer), there are numerous penguin colonies along the way. Punta Tombo is probably the most famous, but you have to pay to get in. We visited another one, at Camarones. It is a much smaller colony, but entrance is free and you still get the chance to walk right next to these lovely creatures.

The track to Camarones is dirt and gravel (aprox 20 kilometers). There are lots of spots to do wild/free camp over there (before you enter the colony).

Other than that, we did not have the chance or time to explore the east coastal front. We were in a hurry and we had to make time to Buenos Aires.

Ruta 3 is boring, an endless straight, plains all around it.
One thing to watch for is that at the region between the 50th and the 51st parallel (latitude) the patagonian winds are the worst. We had a battle, literally.

One more thing. If someone chooses to ride to/from Buenos Aires on the east side, you should consider making a small detour to the city of Azul. There is located the Posta del viajero en moto. An Argentine biker, has made his shack a place for every traveler to stop by. Google it for coordinates and address. Many known travelers have passed by, such as Simon & Lisa Thomas, Jammin South etc....

Also, I agree with Cleland about turning your trip upside down. c-m you will find yourself in more pleasant riding conditions that way.

John.

Yep, over a sleep I was thinking go north west first. That way if Salar has a good chance of being dry-ish. I might even be able to head up to La Paz and junges road, and even all the way into Peru and Machu Picchu. Does that sound do able in a month?

Then head south to Colca Canyon and into the Atacama in northern Chile.

I'm not planning on going as far as Ushuaia, but at least this way I have the option if needed. There's a few things I want to see on both the Chilean and Argentinian side of Patagonia.

I can then end my trip in Buenos Aires, and perhaps with help from Dakar Motors, get my bike created and shipped home.

Haha, gotta enjoy a nice cold Cereveza.

Thanks for the tip about the Penguin colonies. Would love to see these weird and wonderful creatures.

South America trip planning and advice
 

C-M :-

That's a lot for a month but you could give it a try and see how it goes, but trust me you'll need to be pretty relaxed about missing stuff as there's nothing fun about trying to rush yourself on South American roads. Of course the r5 in Chile can get you places quickly if need be especially if you've got a nice big twin or something. Have you considered doing your trip over two parts and storing the bike? Well I guess life commitments and stuff get in the way! Whatever you do, don't make the mistake if thinking you'll average 100k per hour, at least on most roads in Bolivia or Peru anyway. In Bolivia my GPS usually gives 40kph as an average excluding stopping time! Most people fly through Bolivia miss out the lowlands, ie Santa Cruz, the yungas, the Chiquitos route (me and another hubb member did this together, it was a real highlight along with the altiplano of course). I think it's tempting to try to fit everything in but you'll probably have a better trip and learn more by concentrating on fewer things. Get practicing with your Spanish if you don't already speak it - every word you have more will enrichen your time here. Given your time limit I hope you've got a decent GPS.

Thanks. Yes I thought it will be a lot for a month, but I have 9 months still plan, and then I can fine tune once on the ground.

I don't have a hard and fast time limit. I have around 4 months to play with, but would like if possible to be heading out of Peru by early/mid November at the latest. Obviously if i'm enjoying something I will stay there, if not I will move on.

I toured Spain last year so I know a teeny tiny bit of Spanish. Enough to order a beer/food, and ask for directions, greetings etc.. I will be able to practice more in April on my ride through Spain to Morocco where I will be testing the bike (BMW xCountry)

Cool! Good luck -any questions about Bolivia in particular just PM me!