Shipping from Panama to Colombia, bike storage, things I wish I knew before
 

Hi there my fellow motorcycle lovers,



I have recently returned from Peru where I left my bike on a long way down and around trip.

During this trip I basically encountered two major problems, which were shipping the bike over the Darien gap and storing the bike till I come back with more $$$ and time to continue the trip.

I'd like to share the intel I gathered to make it easier for people approaching that conondrum.



Shipping the bike from Panama to Colombia:

That was the most stressful part. The initial idea was to hire a boat that would take us through the San Blas islands to Cartegena.
The most and so far ONLY reliable options I could find were the Wild Card and Stahlratte

I met actual people who used their service and they seem to be serious and reliable.
Unfortunately they've been fully booked when me and my buddy wanted to cross, so I found another boat that posted on this forum offering the same kind of service called La Poste :nono:. However, they appear to be a scam. We lost our deposit over some :censored: excuse and we found ourself in Panama with no boat and 200$ lighter. Later on I met a couple more people with the same experience which makes me believe they are no good and shall be avoided at all cost (maybe even banned from this forum?).

Lesson learned and after reconsidering our options we came to the conclusion that we'll fly our bikes. Less stress for us and the bike electrical system. So we found 2 options. First, Copa Air, which said they don't ship over 200kg, but then a week later I met a guy who shipped with them the same bike I have. Confusing? Welcome to Central/South America :biggrin3:

Second was AirCargoPack which we eventually used. 1000$ for the bikes, 130$ for a one way ticket with Viva Colombia.
Everything went pretty smooth, bikes flew out a day later than supposed to, but no big deal. They took care of virtually all paperwork, we just had to show our pretty face to the official. We left all of our gear on the bikes, didn't have to disconnect the battery or anything. Very hassle free I would say.

Worth of the money? Probably not. I think all the options have terribly inflated prices (1150$ for the boat, same price for the flight) because there are very VERY limited options to ship your bikes.
There is also a container option, but that was not our case, because I was running out of time already and the container shipping seems to be the most time consuming, but by far the cheapest (shared containers can come down to 300$!).


Storing the bike:

I had to leave my bike behind for 8 months. Colombia only allows 90 days, Panama would be an option if you cancel the temporary importation, but I wanted to be in SA before going back home. Equador? I could find no information about it. Brazil and Uruguay seem to be the best options, if you need to leave for more than 8 months. But the closest option to Colombia is Peru.

In Peru I have found out that you can cancel the temporary importation and leave the bike behind for an unlimited amount of time. No special reason needed. It seemed all easy on paper. Still, it would be much much more stressful if I haven't found Felipe of Motos del Peru.
He explained me how the process works in real life and gave me a quote to store my bike in their shop. With his help everything was sorted stress free in 3 days. With the level of competence and the fact that they have a well equipped workshop with skilled mechanics I was more than happy to leave my baby in their shop in Lima for 8 months and I feel I can recommend their business to others.
His contact: fmiranda@motosdelperu.com


There, this is my experience. I hope I helped. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Also, I hope I didn't brake any rules by providing the links, if so please delete this post.

Cheers

Thanks Fle,

I just emailed Felipe to give me more info. I am currently in Guatemala and am planning on going back to Canada for 3-4 months from July-Oct.

Kevin

Thanks for the words my friend, we are only riders helping riders.
See you for Dakar 2018 in Lima.

Regards.

Air Cargo to Bogota?
 

Hi Fle:
Good post, fresh info always appreciated.

1) What size, model was your motorcycle (cc, type)?

2) Assumed it flew from Panama City to Bogota?

I've know of a newbie team going down in the Fall of 2017 - passed on your info. They were "pondering" the ship/boat option out of lovely Colon, but have been swayed to the "less time/hassle/" air cargo option. While less exotic than a boat with fellow travelers/backpackers/ they feel $1,000 plus or minus some $'s for handling/hotel/taxis/restaurant food meets their parameter to be rolling versus a sea cruise :-)

I believe you were wise to go the air cargo route. One of my KLR650 acquaintances did the boat trip and lived to say, "Never again."

Thanks again for the fresh data.

I did Miami to Bogota in January, 2015, by air cargo, for a 1983 Honda GL650. $1,800-$1,900 price was less than what it would have cost to drive the motorbikes from Miami and then ship/fly around/over the Darien, and far less stressful and time consuming. Some details can be found in HU forum for Shipping, and a bit here:
Great Around The World Motorcycle Adventure Rally

:wink3:I have to say something about that ;)
We tranported an estimated 1500 bikes and a lot more backpachers across the gap over the last years and I haven't heard of ONE who said "Never again". Some get a little seasick, yes. But they still see the advantages compared to all the other options... Just don't take the small boats;)

Air lifting a motorcycle across the Darien Gap is for people with more money than time.

The painful shortage of time is felt while in Panama City or Cartagena trying to figure out the next step -- typically due to a lack of advance planning. Yes, research, the time invested before you leave the comfort of your warm home. I wouldn't know the prices of airlifting or have direct experience putting my motorcycle in a sea container, because when I headed south, I had a list of boats that were transporting bikes and riders. In the fall of 2012 I emailed dear Captain Ludwig and another boat that was doing the run at the time. The Stalhratte replied first and gave me a reservation.


One month later I was on a dock in the San Blas with a group of riders that all were going to the same place and taking the same noble vessel.


The experience was epic. One of the highlights of my trip. On my way north I took passage again with the Stalhratte, from Cartagena to Jamaica, Cuba, then Cancun. If the first passage was epic, the second was the stuff of legend. There is little that can compare to a night journey over water.

It's the journey, not the destination.

The Stalhratte fills up, so book a spot in advance. Failing advance planning, contact the Stalhratte as there may not be room for you (a bunk), but there may be space to transport your bike. Visit the website and come to understand the voyage schedule. There are a few months every year when the boat isn't shuttling between Panama and Colombia...when it does the annual trip to Jamaica and Cuba.

I would beat the report from a ride who did "the boat trip" didn't take the well oiled machine that is the Stalhratte or doesn't do well at sea. Chances are the rider took boat with one of the shady operators. Do some reading in this forum and the professionals will stick out. Frankly, there is only one that is consistent and has a solid history.

Shipping via a sea container (or as "loose cargo" with a freight forwarder) is the most cost effective method for getting your bike from Panama to Colombia (or the other way.) It takes a bit more time to make the arrangements, for the whole process to complete and there are lots of fees to be paid along the way. As Grant Johnson once said to the effect, the sea shipping business has been around for thousands of years and they have worked out how to extract as much money from the customer as possible. Currently sea containers remain affordable and the whole industry is basically going broke, but that a different topic.

Ferry service bridging the Darien comes and goes. In recent years two services started and stopped. If you hear of a ferry service starting up, be cautious of putting down a deposit towards a reservation as travelers have been ripped off in the past.

I hope to hang out with Captain Ludwig again one day. If and when that happens, chances are it will be over beers on dry land as I figured out how to short circuit the Darien Gap. I bought a motorcycle that lives in Peru. It is available for short and long term rental, but frankly I don't care if it doesn't go out.

Panama to Columbia crossing
 

Hi,

Does anyone know which organizations are currently running this crossing?

There are quite a few threads/web pages but everything seems inconclusive...

We are two up on a BMW g/s, looking to make the move in 8-12 weeks.

Thanks,

Crendon

https://www.instagram.com/endangeredspeciesvanguard/

SA
 

Go with Aircargopac PTY-BOG , plenty a hassle going on in Colombia right now I was the vicinity of a protest teargas bombs and rocks were flying yesterday at a intersection in Bucaramanga. Stay away from Crowds on the main streets in all Colombian Cities
borders are opening June 1

I was riding TDF to Canada and had been in contact with Stahlratte on my way up. Everything I’d heard about them from people with experience sounded great and the skipper seemed very nice so we aimed to use it.

However, we (wife on pillion) got to Colombia late in the season and would have had to miss everything in Colombia and race through in three days in order to catch the boat as this was the last sailing of the season. Colombia turned out to be a lovely country and we spent weeks there so the Stahlratte sailed off with our best wishes.

To the German ‘proper planning’ guy above, this doesn’t represent bad planning. I was on an open ended, many month trip and didn’t plan a single stop in advance. That’s the way I like it (baby). The whole point was to be wandering and footloose, not following a script.

So, with the Steel Rat option closed I looked at Plan B: aircargopack.com
They were great but for one thing. They told us the flight would cost US$1,000 and told us to meet them on whatever day it was at their office. Sadly, they’d failed to tell us that they wanted the money in US cash and that everyone except a junior would be on holiday. We spent the most frustrating whole day of the trip trying to get cash on a national holiday. So unnecessary.

Eventually that got sorted and the flight was a dream. Very easy and efficient.

Just TAKE US DOLLARS if you want to use Air Cargo Pack, though next time I’ll probably try the Rat.

Good information on air shipment, not so much on the Stahlratte--maybe it'll be back, but likely not.

https://www.stahlratte.de

Hi Mark,

I said nothing about the Stahlratte as I didn’t take it, so know nothing definitive.
The reason is that Central America has a hurricane season and that stops sailings between Colombia and Panama. I arrived too late to take it so used an alternative.

Just Google Stahlratte or variations on the spelling and ask them about prices and dates.

Alternatively, look at the response above from the Stahlratte skipper/rep and drop him an enquiry.

Click on the link in my post above. Your information is no longer relevant.

Hi guys,

Thanks for the advice.

Air seems the easier but less cool way to go

Cargo seems cheapest but with the troubles in Colombia people are having real trouble at the far end, causing time delays that make it more expensive

I've now found a Stahlratte type option, I will let you know how it goes!

What does it look like now in 2022?
 

Hi group, what does it look like now for transportation/storage from panama to Colombia? Does anyone have an update for 2022? I am currently in Costa Rica looking to do either two options soon.
Thanks,
Vaughn

There is the option to take a flight and a new "boat service" has just started a few weeks ago - kind of half organised by the former captain of the Stahlratte. However, the experiences of that trip diverge. More information at ADVrider