Rainy season question ...how should I pace my trip?

[dunkee]

I'm in Guatemala now, studying Spanish. What is the best pace for me to adopt--to stay with the best weather possible--if I want to do a loop around South America. It's May now, and I've been thinking about moving through the rest of Central America quickly to conserve my funds. I understand the role elevation plays in temperature.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[rauleloy]

Hola Dunkee, I am from Argentina yo soy de Argentina
I travel on bike for Peru Bolivia and Chile viaje en moto por peru....
Any question on this place make me cualquier pregunta sobre esos lugares hacemela
on january and febrery 2007 I am traveling for Paraguay Brasil Venezuela Colombia y vuelta a Argentina en enero y febrero yo estoy viajando por .......

[mollydog]

Tough Call. For CA, you are now fast approacing the rainy season, as you probably know. They call in "winter" in Guate. Basically June through October.
The lowlands get more humid and more wet than were you are........let me
guess......Antigua?

Once you approach the equator everything kinda changes. Then as you head
south things kind of filp flop and elevation, as you not, plays a big role. LaPaz
is at around 12.5 K feet.

Right now, mid winter approaches in S. Argentina and Chile. Its Ideal in N.
Argentina and Chile but very cold south of Buenos Aires. The areas near the
equator are less affected by seasons, more by region and altitude.

Plan to make Ushauia in late Nov. or Dec. Best time, least wind.

May and June are the hottest months in CA. Then the rain comes and cools
things a bit but adds humidity. Fruit and veg are fantastic in July/August/
Sept.

If you move quickly to S. America, you'll miss the rain, but there is no guarantee you will stay dry in Colombia, Equador, Peru, Bolivia.

Have fun, stay safe.

Patrick

[Hindu1936]

thank you patrick. much needed info about the rapid change involved as the equator is crossed. we need to arrive in southern chile or argentina then, about november. that puts us in guyana in february. the only other way I can see to go is to leave oregon in january, arriving in panama in february and heading north into argentina>brazil in april and leaving out of guyana to england in may. how does that sound?

[mollydog]

Originally Posted by Hindu1936

the only other way I can see to go is to leave oregon in january, arriving in panama in february and heading north into argentina>brazil in april and leaving out of guyana to england in may. how does that sound?

Confusing. Get a map mate ;-)

[Bayona]

Hello!

If you are planning to travel trough Colombia and Venezuela and don’t want to get caught in any rainy season than you should avoid the months from January to May and September to November. During the rest of the year we get rain, but it is in these two periods when we get most of it.

Good luck on your trip!

[dunkee]

Thank you very much for the good advice. For some reason I thought December was the windiest time of year in Ushauia (?).

I´ve been in Guatemala for a few weeks now, though I haven´t gotten to Antigua yet, and the rain has definately arrived. I spend more time eating fruit than riding.

[hook]

Dec/Jan/Feb are the peak tourist month's in southern South America. I was in the area in late April (2006) and encountered some very high winds and heavy rain. Every so often, however, things calmed down and I was able to enjoy some great riding conditions- and had Patagonia all to myself. Though quite a few places were closed for the season, the places that were open were happy to have business- even at very reduced rates. For the patient rider, I would recommend visiting Patagonia in November or April (the shoulder seasons).

[motomech]

Originally Posted by dunkee

I'm in Guatemala now, studying Spanish. What is the best pace for me to adopt--to stay with the best weather possible--if I want to do a loop around South America. It's May now, and I've been thinking about moving through the rest of Central America quickly to conserve my funds. I understand the role elevation plays in temperature.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Well, the rain doesn't keep us from riding here, but I would add one caution.
When there is enough rain(probably in a couple of months), the roads become covered with standing water making it impossible to see the potholes. I would advise against riding during these times.

[dunkee]

the question mark on this keyboard doesn´t work, but i have more questions.

if i sail from panama in july, would it be better to go east towards brazil or down the west coast. are latitude and elevation the main considerations. is the weather on the atlantic side much different from the pacific at this time of year.

i appreciate all of the good advice here. thanks.

[seattlepaul]

I have been in Guatemala for 10 months now, rode down from Seattle last year and havn't managed to leave yet. Well not entirely true, I did make it to Panama and back. Oh, and I did manage to fly back to Seattle and pick up my dog and move on down here. Perhaps we can have a coffee and go for a ride.