Planning South America Trip
 

This fall i wanna start a long travel through south america.

Thinking of buying a bike in bogota colombia and then heading clock wise through to venezuela, brazil and heading donw to patagonia.

Anybody have advice or tips for the road. done something similar?

I am a bit worried about motorcycle safety. but all i can do is install a lock and try to leave the bike in a safe parking inside of the accomodations. all else will be fate.

Also thinking of which gear to bring. My own helmet and gloves maybee a summer riding jacket with rain gear.

Anyway if any of you have advice its very welcome :scooter:

I dont know about the security in Venezuela nowadays. It has just been an election there that many think was rigged and many people are not happy with that and it could affect security in the country. You better do some more detailed research…

Gear for south-America - you must be prepared for both very hot and very cold weather. And very wet weather also. The far south of SA is quite cold even in the southern hemisphere summer. I rode into Ushuaia on christmas eve of 2016 in heavy sleet and 2-3 degrees above freezing. It took me several hours to thaw when I came to my hostel. And even though the weather improved the next days it didnt get 2-digit tempratures (celcius) when I was there. A lot of south America is also at quite high altitudes where it can get cold (large parts of Colombia, Equador, Peru, Bolivia, northern parts of Argentina and Chile lies at high altitudes) So gear for all seasons, layers, rain suit etc are mandatory as I see it.

Motorbike security - yes always find accomodation with safe parking or if no safe parking availabe check out if there are a «estacionemento» guarded/locked parking lot nearby. You have to pay a little but its usually not much and in general only peanuts for westerners. And very nice for piece of mind. These parkings are ubiquitos and almost everywhere in south-America. I guess a disc lock with alarm is nice to have too, but could piss off some night watchmen trying to fit in another vehicle in the safe parking area.

Learn some spanish as well. Even though it isnt a whole lot - locals will appriciate your effort.

Personally I carried some food with me - as for breakfast. Oatmeal/cereal, grained bread, some fruits, jam, instant coffee, teabags etc - so that I could have breakfast readily available in the morning, even when staying in a hotel, guesthouse, hostel, Airbnb. So that I avoided starting the day hunting for breakfast and sometimes starting riding on an empty stomach.

Have a great trip - you will learn and adapt as you go. You dont have to bring all things to south-America, most things can be purchased there.

Thank you for your extensive answer appreciate it :)

Unclear how thoroughly you've looked into any of this, or what your prior experience has been. Unclear also what your nationality might be, which has in the past made a big difference at (especially) the Venezuela border. Snakeboy gives good advice in a nice, non-sensationalist tone.

If you're inexperienced or un-researched, best take some time and look into (again especially) the Venezuela and Brazilian portions of your trip. Read some ride reports and pay attention to visa requirements, road conditions in the Amazon basin, medical issues--including but not limited to yellow fever inoculation--and more like that. You can buy what you need in Bogota, but I'd definitely bring boots and riding pants as well.

Once south of the Amazon basin if you go that way, everything becomes much more straightforward, with paved roads, signage, and other infrastructure.

Asking questions more specific than "Anybody have advice or tips for the road...?" will likely attract useful answers. Reading books and online reports from others will help narrow it down.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Good advice in previous posts; to augment this:

I’ve seen minus 14 deg C in Bolivia in the altiplano and snow in early summer in Ushuaia (which is at the same latitude south as central Labrador is north).

In many areas fuel availability is limited - you can travel 500 km with no fuel available in Patagonia, parts of Bolivia, and parts of Brazil. Even in areas with fuel stations, they may not have fuel (Patagonia, Venezuela). Fuel in Venezuela is of poor quality.

Ask for (and heed) local advice - people will generally look after you.

In Brazil be aware that most people have no idea of geography - asking directions is often not helpful, truck drivers are the best source of advice (and even they may not be up to date on bridges being “out”, roads closed, etc.

Use secure parking.

Don't try to travel too far each day, and take a break every week or so.

Have a great trip!

SA Tour
 

Bike safety will be a minor problem.

Traffic, road condition, no roads, dogs, personal safety .... will require much more attention.

Kirk Wilson did a similar tour 2019. But the other way around. (even he turned back at Buenos Aires)

https://www.amazon.com/TWENTY-THOUSA.../dp/1693606275

That is a good reading to start with. Even the political landscape has changed and will continue to change.

I you want a real challenge, your idea is good.

But my view is that starting with going to Patagonia via Ecuador, Chile, Argentina is a better start. Then you do Uruguay, Paraguay and Brasil on the way north.

And in Brasil, decide if you want to try via Venezuela or return via Bolivia.

This is how we travelled on our long trip - Colombia-Ecuador-Perú-Bolivia-Chile/Argentina/Uruguay/Paraguay (lots of back and forth)-Brazil-Venezuela-Colombia. This was in a SUV not a bike.

Good advice here. Buy a small moto, 300cc maximum. Weight is not your friend. Honda is a good choice. Use rackless, soft luggage. Be reasonably cautious about moto security but not paranoid. A small cc local moto will blend in more than a big cc exotic moto. Travel the secondary roads where you will experience local culture (learn some Spanish before you go). Assume the best in people. Stay in local motels so you are traveling light, avoid traveler hostels unless you get lonely for the non-Latin America crowd. Mark your map with places you want to see along the way to create daily itineraries as you travel. Again, most important, learn some Spanish before you go. Use a verbal/speaking oriented program like Pimsleur or Rocket Spanish.