In 2015/16 I did some 16,000km around South America over 6 months. My initial planning started right here on HUBB

https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...g-advice-79739

My ride report is on my blog - https://defylife.com/adventures/south-america/

Now some 8 or 9 years later, I'm thinking about heading back.

I'm curious how things might have changed in that time.

Politics and currency

When I was in Argentina the Peso wasn't free floating so currency was exchanged on street corners at the blue dollar or pound rate (think it was something like 20). Half way through, Argentina had a new president and the currency was allowed to float freely.

There were big import restrictions and sanctions to stop capitol flight. Is it still difficult/impossible to import items/spares into Argentina?

Development

Is Ruta 40 now fully paved? How about the Ruta 7 in Chile? Is there more lithium mining activity on the Salar (it was practically untouched in back then).

Any changes to the Laguna's route in Bolivia, or is it still soft sand?

Time to go

Has global warming altered the seasons and best time of year to travel to various areas, or are certain roads passes now impassable that were fine before?

More tourism

Has there been an explosion of tourism and some areas's are just best avoided now?

IIRC when I went Machu Pichu allowed 2,500 tourists a day, but you could go around freely without the need for a guide. I believe a guide is needed now.

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My blog about touring and adv riding

I was there for about 12 months in 2019-2020, and more recently for three months in 2022. Here is my take.
Blue dollar is still the way for foreign tourist to obtain peso. There are several options to exchange at or near the street value. Very recently the government started allowing all transactions w/ a foreign credit card to use an exchange rate very near the street blue rate. And you can also wire yourself funds to any Western Union at a rate very near the street blue rate. I have not used it, but Xoom (owned by PayPal) offers similar rate to Western Union. All these are better, simpler options than walking around listening for "Cambio!" and having to exchange cash in public in my opinion. I wish the credit card exchange rate had been in place on our last visit because I was always uncomfortable w/ the large amounts of cash (peso) I had to carry around. Large in physical size, not just amount. There are not enough large-denomination bills - a real problem w/ such high inflation, so you end up with huge piles of paper currency in lower-denomination bills. But now I would pay with credit card when possible, reducing need for physical currency.

All that said - with the new president, everything is in flux, and who knows what way it will go. During his campaign, he promised to dollarise the country and eliminate the central bank, but has given mixed signals on those goals since being elected. I would keep an eye on the Buenos Aires Times, and english language newspaper, to keep abreast of what is going on there, because I'm sure there will be significant changes coming to Argentina in the coming year.

https://www.batimes.com.ar/

I think more of it is paved, but it is no where near all paved. Worst stretch (especially if you are on a motor cycle) is (still) the section south of Gobernador Gregories, to Tres Lagos. My wife and I detoured around that in 2019, by taking 27 out of Gobernador Gregories, to 288 into Tres Lagos. Longer, still dirt (288) but much better road. We didn't ride on 70 south of Mendoza (we crossed to Chile and went south from there), but I heard that there are some dirt sections on 40 between there and the seven lakes region.

No changes, yes the same.

Do it! We are planning to return in 2024.

I think it is about the same at Machu Picchu. We did hire a guide (2019), and I think officially it is required, but some people claim it isn't enforced. IDK. But it was for me a contradiction - totally touristy (which normally I'd avoid) and totally epic and worth it at the same time. As you know since you've been there. Maybe someone else has more recent info.

Tourism industry, all over South America, took a bad hit during COVID. All land, air and sea borders were closed for almost two years, and when we were back last year, we entered Bolivia the first week the border opened, after two years! Many restaurants and hotels that showed up on Google Maps were in fact closed. Everywhere we went, people were falling over themselves to make us comfortable. In Uyuni, we were a spectacle - and one business owner told us "For us to see you here, foreign tourists, after these two years of struggle, it is a sign of hope - you are a sign that things will be getting better." Wow - it was strange experience, humbling. We left Buenos Aires in March 2020 due to COVID, just barely made it out before the country shut down, and on our return in 2022 one thing we noticed was a marked increase in homeless people living in the streets, which was rare to see before. Poverty rate has climbed across the continent.

Other changes are politics: Ecuador, Colombia and especially Peru have recently had a lot of political turmoil. Which is the norm in general I guess, but keep an eye on the news. We had to change our plans in 2022 due to the total shutdown of Peru - we were in Bolivia and planning to head north to Colombia to ship out from there. But it was impossible to get through Peru - country was totally shut down for something like a month due to blockades. We had to get home, so we changed plans, returned south, and shipped out of Buenos Aires. That's just part of the journey on such travels.

Development

Is Ruta 40 now fully paved?

Worst stretch (especially if you are on a motor cycle) is (still) the section south of Gobernador Gregories, to Tres Lagos

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This part is called "los 72 malditos". 72 km
I rode it one year ago. I don't understand why all this...
It was all lot of stones . And windy. But not that bad.

Pablo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkVf...gGlCC&index=68

The most Northly part
Cafayate to La Quiaca is all gravel.
The part around Abra del Acay is "malo. Muy Mal !!"
https://youtu.be/m1gVJ-CcTVE?si=rjMU0WULlflCm5aW



In South there is quit a lot fo gravel beteeen Rio Gallleno ttowars Chile that is ripio

We were last in Argentina at the end of 2021 for 6 weeks, previously there many times since 1989. Haven't been to Bolivia or Chile for a while. Last in Perú 2018.

The situation in Argentina is essentially the same as when you were last there - peso not floating so still an official reate and a street rate. The new official rate is now not far from the street rate however until/unless the peso is permitted to float the gap will widen again. The new president promises to “dollarise” however the country has now dollares and no-one is going to lend funds so a miracle is required to achieve this. The foreign credit card rate is not far from the street rate (to the benefit of wealthy Argentines with foreign bank accounts), so using credit cards makes sense.

Ruta 40, as others have noted there are still unpaved sections - we drove the section from Bardas Blancas to Malargüe in 2021 and it was OK. The famed section south of Gabernador Gregores wasn't bad when we drove it some years ago.

The Salar/Lagunas routes in Bolivia were OK when we drove them some while ago. Some deep gravel/sand but OK.

Global warming - you wouldn't notice in Patagonia (yet). The snowline is receding in the Andes, unfortunately.

Tourism hasn't changed that much in my opinion. Post-pandemic there’s still a negative impact in terms of income for locals, many businesses have gone bust.. Prices have increased, as is the case everywhere.

Machu Picchu - I understand that the Peruvian government recommends joining a guided tour but that you can enter on your own. The first time I was there it was required to have a ticket to go to Huayna Picchu but I could choose when to enter within two timed windows and entry to Monte Machu Picchu was free at any time during opening hours. Now you need tickets for both and there’s tighter control on entry to both.

[QUOTE=c-m;639426]In 2015/16 I did some 16,000km around South America over 6 months. My initial planning started right here on HUBB
When I was in Argentina the Peso wasn't free floating so currency was exchanged on street corners at the blue dollar or pound rate (think it was something like 20). Half way through, Argentina had a new president and the currency was allowed to float freely. ..............

Good Questions, I can respond to Politics and Pesos.
Elisa and I are permanent foreign residents of Argentina, first arriving during a sabbatical year in 2004 and in 2006 decided to retire in Argentina. We currently live about 350 K south of Buenos Aires in the beach town of Pinamar.
We have established a motorcycle parking business in Buenos Aires.
We have motorcycled Argentina and 7 other South American countries.

The current political scene began in October 2023 when Javier Milei, a university educated economist calling himself an anarcho-capitalist , was elected President of Argentina with 54% of the vote. Now, don't get excited this does not mean he is a "narco - capitalist" think anarchy instead. In plain terms, Milei is the first Libertarian Party President to be elected in Argentina and I think in all of South America. He is systematically defunding about half of the government's ministries, trying to honor debt payments to the IMF (Argentina was headed for another IMF default) and limiting Argentine government trade with China, but in no way is he inhibiting civilian business trade with China. He is systematically devaluating the Peso AR officially so the official rate is now much closer to the "Blue rate. President Milei has suggested
a path to "dollarize" the Argentine economy in years to come.
He defeated the Peronistas who have more or less been in Power since Peron in the forties. Milei has a sister who is his "right hand man" who many say really calls the shots. He lives with a very hot model/actress girlfriend.

The relationship between the official rate (today 10jan23 is approx 814 Pesos AR to One USD) and the blue Rate (today 10jan23 is approx 1,100 Pesos AR to One USD). Tourists can sell USDs to Western Union Offices or on the street for an amount somewhere between the official rate and the blue rate.

Prices are up almost daily. Government subsidies, electric, water etc
are being diminished or dropped, public transportation cost has risen slightly, and there is much talk about privatizing IPF gas, and outsourcing some government agencies to private industry. Some agricultural export taxes are being dropped and in general business is finally being given a free hand. Rent restrictions and thousands of government restrictions are being dropped. The government agency fiefdoms created by corruption and nepotism are being dismantled.

President Milei has turned internal security over to his right wing opponent Ms Bullrich, she is a long time politician with a large following. A big protest is being organized by labor party and Peronistas and planned for the 24th January and I advise to stay clear of the city on that day. There has already been a large but mostly peaceful protest.

Tourism in Pinamar, one of Argentina's spring/summer break hot spots is less than last year, but the beaches are still packed. Life is good on the east coast of Argentina under our "Wing." see photo of Veronica and Elisa.

Generally speaking if you have USD buying food locally, eating out, lodging, and essentials are about half what it costs in the USA. We pay very little for excellent expat health insurance, and medical care is much better than it was in the USA. Tourism in Argentina is mostly from Brazil, other South American countries, Europe and of course there are a few North Americans - we have not met any in Pinamar. For this we are grateful, no offense.

We love our home and our Hondas and our Argentine friends.

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Motorcycle Parking Buenos Aires, Argentina
www.xfiltrate.com

I think I can chirp in quite well here.

In 2007/2008 I rode from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia then up to Bogota.

I've backpacked in Bolivia/Arg/Chile/Central America before Covid.

And I have JUST returned from a Motorcycle trip from Las Vegas to Ushuaia. Four months on the road. I'm fresh off the plane.

Has it changed ?? WOW !! YES !! A LOT....

Back in the 00's, the moto travellers were few and far between. We all stayed in touch via email and the Hubb. People rode XT600's, R80GS and Africa Twins.

There were cool Overlander hangouts like Dakar Motos and Norton Rats. It was a great community. You would stop on the road if you saw another moto traveller.

No more...

There are SO MANY more tourists now. Because travel is so easy. And ADV biking is so popular. There are so many more big 1250GS types on tour groups. And thousands of the richer locals travelling on big bikes too. All of South America is more touristic and developed.

People don't stop anymore. It's just like riding in Europe. You nod or wave. There are just too many other riders to stop.

To me, it doesn't really feel like the big adventure anymore. Although the roads and scenery are still breathtaking. The riding is very good. But it felt no more "risky" or rustic than riding through Greece or Croatia etc.

Argentina is modern. Chile is modern. Brasil is modern. Peru is a dump in the North now. Literally. Bolivia is still very poor and dirty. But even worse now. Plastic everywhere. It's awful to see. The rapid development of Latin America has really destroyed it's beauty and wildness. But that's just my opinion as a tourist. I don't have to live there.

Heading South, the RTA40 is mostly paved and there are more people in rental cars and big buses than I ever remember. Same for the Careterra Austral. Nice tarmac for most of it. Easy access for big buses. Far off cool places in the desert are now rest stops for tourists. WIFI everywhere. ATM's everywhere. Fuel everywhere. The borders are all busy, computerised, modern and organised. No more do you get a stamp in a hut on a dirt road.

Sure, you can still dissapear and find peace and quiet if you want to. But not easily.

Again, it's still a great ride. But rugged adventure it isn't anymore.

I was most shocked to revisit Ushuaia. WOW. It's quadrupled in size since 2008.

The cool overlander campgrounds are gone. Just more houses now. Hotels and restaurants everywhere. Endless cruise liners heading in and out to Antartica have really changed it. Again, it's swamped with tour buses and hundreds of big Beemers on tours.

But this is the way of the world now. The last 15 years of social media and the internet have made the world very small and very accessible. Which means these cool places have been swamped by tourists. And swamped with riders on tour more than overland Travellers.

And with people comes money. And with Money comes development.

I'm in no rush to ride there again. Which is sad. I can't see it getting anything but busier, more paved and more touristic.

Where in the world can you still find wilderness and adventure ?? Perhaps the Stans. Parts of Africa. Not really anywhere.

Meh !!

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

It was interesting to read your post, because I did a similar Latin America in 2007-2008. I just got married in Colombia and am living here for a year until my wife's paperwork clears.

That is too bad to hear about the nature being destroyed and urbanization.

Colombia kind of has a similar feeling. It is still a beautiful country, but there is more and more development in remote areas.

In 2015 my friend and I did a 2 week Laos motorcycle trip in Southern Laos and it was great because of how remote we were from society. One day we didn't see a cow, person, telephone pole, store, gas station the entire day and we almost ran out of gas.

Shortly after 2015 the Chinese came in with their Belt and Road program and since they have built roads and gas stations all over the place, so now Laos no longer has that "wild and uninhabited" feeling anymore.

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http://www.journeyrider.net Latin America blog (07-8)

In San Jose, Costa Rica summer 1968, after serving two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Puerto Limón, Costa Rica, I bought a CD-175 Honda and rode the Panamericana to the States. I was in Mexico City for the Tlatelolco Massacre and the 1968 Olympic Games.
Reading Touring Ted's post made me remember returning to Costa Rica years later and yes, the Panamericana was finally totally paved, and yes Costa Rica was no longer the only country in the world without a road to its' principal port, and yes, IBM and other multinational companies were employing tens of thousands of Costa Ricans, and yes locally owned co-operatives were displacing the multinational fruit companies and yes the Colegio de Limón finally had a real gym instead of the basketball court my students and I built, and yes the people, not only the Port, Police and Hospital had telephones, and there was much less malnutrition and yes, the first aid station I helped to build in the jungle (now called rain forest for funding purposes) was replaced by a modern hospital, and yes there were hippies and surfers roaming the sandy streets of Cahuita, yes my students had done exceptionally well, Quince became a very successful professor and author, another became Costa Rica's Ambassador to Jamaica, and my girlfriend Kumari's brother became the Minister of Education. Somehow during my many visits to Costa Rica the pain of the paving of the Panamericana was lessened when I learned how well my students had done. Meeting their children and knowing their world was a much better world than the world their parents knew....and when I lay in bed at night and remember I was a part of all that, I feel good inside.
After riding South America in 2004, I rode South America two more times, finally settling permanently in Pinamar, Argentina. I do not resent or miss at all not having GPS and not having a cell phone and I don't miss rolling into a village and asking around if anyone had a room to rent for the night or where I could hang my hammock or put up my tent.
For you see, I have changed too. I have learned to bush camp. Argentina is a big country and it is more rural than developed, you can even discover this without gps, just look at a map. But most importantly I have learned it is the people who are important, not the place.
I married Kumari, and we were the very first bi-racial couple on Chuck Barris's NewlyWed Game broadcast nationally on NBC television 04july1969. After, I helped cover the immigrants and the Chicano student protests as a cub reporter with he LA Times and I worked with Ruben Salazar during the Anti Vietnam war protests.
It was people along the way, their friendship, not riding the Panamericana, not riding 65,000 K through South America, not riding from Spain to Turkey and back and not riding Mexico and the Southeast and Southern States and not even riding California that have made worthwhile differences in my life. Enjoy the photo of my then girlfriend Kumari and my 1968 CD-175 Honda.
And know, here I have shared a little scenery you might find interesting.

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Motorcycle Parking Buenos Aires, Argentina
www.xfiltrate.com

Of course it's true that everything sucks and nothing is as (choose any two) good, hard, wild, fun, cheap, unpredictable, character-building as it used to be. That's true at home as it is out in the world....unless, of course, you happen to get caught up in one of those undeniably adventurous wars, civil disturbances or natural disasters which seem just as plentiful as ever.

I spent a year motorcycling around Latin America just a year or two after a few of the posters above. I found it remarkably easy, for the most part, even without a GPS or cell phone. There were ATMs, for example--when I started traveling there were only travelers checks, redeemable at selected banks in major cities. There was internet, the possibility of which I don't think had even occurred to anyone back in the early seventies. There were Lonely Planet guides, which again didn't even exist when I cut my travel teeth. I didn't use a cellphone, but I certainly could have, and I didn't use booking services for my lodging, although most people did. There were places where not too many tourists much like me went, but no place where we were entirely unknown. So easy, so simple, so predictable, so....un-adventurous.

I also rode around Laos in 2018, and was recently in Central Asia. Those places seemed easy and fairly straightforward to me, too. That's because my points of comparison are skewed by the places I went and the things that I did when I was young, fearless (to a fault), and had nothing much to lose. But even then, everywhere I went people told me how things had changed since the seventies, sixties, fifties, before the war, before the OTHER war....

And they were right, as far as that went. I complain about this too, but when I do I'm mostly trying to cling to a certain sense of myself, the bold and adventurous traveler guy. There are, at best, only scraps of truth in that sort of self-description, and I think this goes for most of us--and Charlie and Ewan, too.

We now return you to your regularly-scheduled kvetching. Stay tuned!

Mark

I remember reading your HU posts. We were there at the same time altough our paths never crossed.

Colombia is wonderful. Some of the best mountain roads in the world for sure. But what really dissapointed me this time is the trucks. So many trucks. Endless trucks. Colombia was an experience over-taking. Or sitting behind belching black smog trucks whilst waiting to over-take. Quite dangerous really. Very slow going at times.

My memories of Colombia in 2008 were montain roads that were sweeping and mainly clear. They're like a carpark now. What's happened ??

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

YES TED, this is what changed ....



Maybe we passed each other in Central America just a few months ago and I didnt even know you were there ....






mika

I remember both in 2009: wide open, empty mountain roads, and others completely clogged with soot-belching trucks moving remarkably slowly. The worst truck traffic I can ever remember experiencing was in Colombia somewhere between Bogotá and Ibague. Second worst was a two-lane headed south out of Budapest, with some runners-up in South Asia and Vietnam. YMMV.

On our recent trip from Canada to Patagonia the only place we had bad truck traffic was Mexico and that was due to their extensive road building projects at the moment.
I appreciate we were lucky as just missed the big landslide in Colombia but, in general, it was fine.
What has happened is that Latin America is becoming richer and the population is growing. When we’re out and about in UK/Europe the vast majority of people in pubs/restaurants are baby boomers, it was great to see lots of young people with small children. At many borders we were the oldest people in line (at 59) and even got called to the front once - due to our age

There is more traffic and more people but, realistically, has the experience changed that much - perception?
There has always been people living in remote areas even Mongolia and Siberia. There were very remote parts of Australia back in the 80’s but even the Telegraph track is now mostly paved. It’s still a dangerous place to break down but a 1st world country.
As we know travelling is just about the next stop - to eat, to see, to rest and there’s nearly always been a village or town, only now it’s a town or city.
Even if your wild camping, really how far are the nearest people (even if they’re nomads) - they get their food from somewhere.

The mountains and rivers, the lakes, sea views and attractions haven’t changed in my lifetime, I just have to share them a bit more. In Central and South America the increase in tourism is coming from the locals and I’m glad that they are able to do it.

But let’s not forget the flip flop off road school as we valiantly ride our adventure bikes through the mud in that remote mountain range, only to be overtaken by a moped with 3 immaculately dressed school girls on board

I just returned from 5 months in South America. The first map was the planned route, not the actual one. There was a little more zigging and zagging in Brazil to add Sao Paulo and a couple more cities on the way to the Pantanal. Truth be told, I only dipped into Chile for a few days before going back to Argentina. Northern Chile is in my future. Also attached is the map of my 2012-2013 trip. Not shown, a handful of trips to Peru over the years and another to Ecuador.

The biggest change for me, South America is easier to tour. More restaurants and lodging take credit cards, more cell coverage and higher quality service, more ATMs...

I didn't see a lot of changes in the countries and found a lot of enjoyment in the places I revisited. Peru was a lot of fun—no complaints about too many tourists in the center of Cusco and coursing around Lima. Ok, the La Victoria district of Lima was crazy, but isn't it always?
BR 319 is still mostly dirt and challenging. The central market in Porto Velho felt like they were in a 50s-style time warp. Manaus was a new experience, all good, delicious caipirinha from a push cart next to the Theatre Amazonia. Cell service was generally good in cities and some small towns. And wifi was almost always available and working in lodging.
Peruvian currency went down in value a few years ago. It's basically in between where it was 10 years ago and where it is now. USD goes further in Brazil than it did 10 years ago. Paraguay was now to me on this trip and for the limited time there the exchange rate was very good. Argentina...a bit stressful as I was there longer and needed to exchange more times. USD goes a long way in AR, the economic situation is nothing new, hats off to the Argentines and their resilience. Getting gas in Bolivia is still a nightmare at times. There are still diesel trucks everywhere bleaching black smoke. Chile is still expensive and Bolivia is still poor.

A friend moved to Italy and visited a famous tourist city in the off-season. He said if they went during high season walking down the street would be impossible. For the countries I visited, at the time I year I went, South America was not overrun with tourists. I stayed in many hotels, hostels, and posadas that were far from being at capacity.

2023 Heart of the Beast Journey


2012-2013 South American Sampler Ride

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Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride

If you get off the main highways the roads continue, in general, to be quiet (or at least quieter). Since there are no railways to speak of truck traffic is the only economical means of distribution in the country, and the east/west roads are mostly two lane and with heavy traffic.

Lots of routes are better now - the Bogotá-Ibaque road is now mostly 4 lanes; the crossing of the mountains west to Armenia is now much improved (they finally completed the tunnels), however others are beset with problems - the Bogotá-Villavicencio route had a major fire in one tunnel and now traffic is alternating - 2 hours one way, 2 hours the other, and 2 hours for repairs (with variations most days).

The "Great North Road" from Tanzania into Zambia can be tough going, at least south of Mbeya.