Paper Maps
 

I am planning the usual "big motorcycle trip" in South and Central America next year. Can anyone suggest the best paper maps to use for this trip and the source of them.

I will have a GPS but like the idea of paper maps as well.

Do you have AAA? They something called a Triptick or Tiptrip or something that's a nice planned out route on a paper map. Probably just what you're looking for. I used one for a cross country drive in the pre-internet days.

Try looking on Amazon for the Reizen Maps (think i spelt it right). They are waterproof and you can write on them and rub it off, they also have Long and Lat coords so good to use with Sat Nav
I used them in Laos and Thailand and they were fine

Wayne

Being a keen map user, I can recommend both Michelin and Reise Know How maps as being easy to read. Both manufacturers have maps that cover the Americas. Generally speaking, both makers show excellent detail within the chosen scale. The Reise maps include contour lines and also show longitude and latitude, Michelin don't. Michelin indicate wooded and forested areas and seem to provide more road number detail but, strangely, don't seem to include as many roads when comparing with Reise maps that are the same scale.
I have used Michelin maps since the 1970s, but increasingly I am buying the Reise ones because they have more of the information I find useful and they are also rip and waterproof. I also find them easier to manage at the roadside.
Hope that helps.

Nelles maps, in my opinion, have show to have more accurate distances and reflect the winding mountain roads better.

It is also wise to have multiple brands of maps to compare as they often tell a different tale.

And of course when you arrive in a country try and find a local map (they do exist, honest). Especially Chile, the Copec maps are by far the best and most accurate.

That sounds great. Do you have a link? I couldn't find anything on amazon & tried a couple other spellings with no luck.

Try this link
https://mapscompany.com/brand/reise-know-how/

The link from Amazon UK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_...Reise+Know-How

Wayne

load up
 

National Geographic sells water proof maps of most Latin American countries, but not all. $11.95 USD per. The "Adventure Map" line is what you'll want to get.

http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/n...-adventure-map

Load up on maps before you leave. You might meet someone with a point of interest or cool route to share several countries before hand. Tourist info centers vary greatly in quality as map sources. Locally produced tourist maps are great for points of interest and shouldn't be over looked. The data density of a good maps is priceless. They usually suck on the technical side. I never found a map in south Guyana when I really wanted one and stopped looking once I got to the populated north. I bought a country map in Bolivia, but it wasn't very good. Road maps are easy to find at gas stations in Brazil and Mexico, but not Jamaica.

Depending on your route, it is easily to spend $100 on a supply of maps of Central and South America. And its worth it in my opinion. Grant & Susan Johnson talk about a couple that traveled South America for an extended period, only using a postcard sized map. To each his won. I also ride with a GPS loaded with commercial and open source map sets, but that's a whole other thread.

If possible make sure you check the printed date. I bought some Nat Geo ones off of Amazon and they were 5 years old ! A touch out of date to say the least.

publishing date
 

Curious if your 5 year old map(s) ever caused a problem.

In 2008 Garmin Mexico showed a bridge next to Nanchital, MX (east of Minatitlán) that was only on the design table. Not a major problem, but it did cause some sharp comments among the group, mostly fueled by riding in the rain all day. In coastal Guyana my OSM GPS map show a ferry and not the new bridge! I wouldn't be surprised if all of the above have been corrected, at least on Open Street Map. I have run into other flaws GPS maps, but still swear by them and believe they are priceless for turn by turn navigation.

The main problem was showing paved roads on the map that were ripio. Got some nasty surprises.