5 months in Chile, Peru, Bolivia & Arg - Any coments on itinery?
 

Hola,
We plan to spend 5 months two up on our 1150GSA with the following approximate itinery, starting at Santiago mid September 06
I'm keen to hear from anyone with comments or suggestions of places we should make sure we visit along the way. Our itinery is not intended to be fixed and will no doubt vary along the way.

Mid September
Santiago - Mendoza - San Juan
San Juan – Chilecito – Belen – Santa Maria - Salta via Ruta 40
Attractions around northern Argentina?
Salta – San Antonio de Los Cobres – San Pedro de Atacama via Paso Sico
Spend time around Salar de Atacama
San Pedro de Atacama – Calama – Tocopilla, up the coast road to Iquique
Visit Humberstone
Iquique – Arica – Tacna (Visit Colca Canyon)
Tacna – Arequipa – Nazca (Visit Nazca lines)

Mid October
Nazca – Cusco (Hike Machu Picu)
Cusco – Juliaca/Puno (Visit Lake Titicaca)
Puno – La Paz via Desaguadero
Might fly to see some of the Amazon?
La Paz – Patacamaya – Putre (What are the roads & conditions like through this crossing in late October?)
Putre – Arica - San Pedro de Atacama - Salta via Paso Sico – Resistencia/Corrientes
Corrientes – Foz Do Iguacu (See the falls)
Foz Do Iguacu – Paso de los Libres – Concordia – Buenos Aires
Might fly to Rio for a couple of days?
BA – San Luis – San Rafael
San Rafael – Malargue – Chos Malal – Zapala via Ruta 40
Zapala – San Carlos de Bariloche – Esquel – Perito Merino
Probably across to Pico Truncado & Rio Gallegos via Ruta 3

Late December
Ushuaia for Christmas
Pto Natales & Torres del Paine National Park
El Calafate & Perito Merino
Tres Lagos up Ruta 40 to Perito Merino – Chile Chico & around Lago General Carreras
Up the Carretera Austral (probably to Chiloe), then to Santiago early February 07

Cheers,
Cords & Aash

hey,
well it really sound very nice what you are planing.

Here i have some info for you, since I did them myself:
- I would ride the way from Arica over Putre lo ta lapz and not the other way round, because it is just a great road with uncountable turns. It might be a lot more interessting to ride it up than down. Near to the bolivian border is a national park area which is fantastic. Stroll around and sleep in your tent next to active volcanos!

- visit also Santa Cruz in Bolivia. A nice city and nice people
- In Arice try to climed the volcano Chachani which is 6075m high. A great thing to do and even better when you succeded
- Colca canyon near arequipa
- Certainly Cusco and Machu picchu. It is a must-do
- Aguas Calientes and the walk up or down to the Machu picchu. Visit also wayna Piccu behind Machu Picchu. It is worth it in my eyes.
- Potosi in Bolivia and visit the mines there. very interssting
- Salar de Uyuni (when its wet use a tourist-guide and go by car).
- La Paz itself is great. Maybe you are interessted in visitig club andino boliviano. Have a look on Google
- ride down the "camino de la muerte" to Coroico. It is impressiv and in case you ride slow and have enough time it is not that dangerous. You can also book a Mountainbike tour down there. I didi that and was very happy to have done it.
- San pedro de Atacama: Springs of puritama (Banos de Puritama), El tatio geysiers (ride up by bike!), old houses of Atacamenos near San perdo, Valle de la luna, salt lake near San Pedro
- lagunas in Bolivia (laguna Colorada and so on)
- Nature at all in Bolivia is fantastic
Sucre is also worth a visit
- there is a road between Sucre and Oruro. It is mainly a tanac road but ok to ride. Use it, since there is very few trafic but beautiful regions and very nice people

Well there is alot more I could tell you, but you will find a lot yourself. just try things out and let you lead by chance.

Have a nice a adventurous biketrip
Burnout1

Don´t forget to visit Cordoba
 

In the way to mendoza you put San Luis.Get into Cordoba and visit the Sierras grandes.You can do a lot of nice old mountain roads en enjoy the mid altitud there.Visit Merlo(San Luis) drive up to the sierras in a nice paved and full of curves ruta to the 2700 m top.There you can see some Condores.
In cordoba you have nice places like San Javier,Nono,Mina Clavero,Tanti,Los gigantes,Chancaní etc.
And don´t forget in mid december the HU Meeting in Viedma(in your direction to Ushuaia) There you can visit Oscar Knecht.
Good luck
KH