BR156, the road from Macapa to the border is now paved as far as Calcoene. At the time of writing this there was a short stretch of road works as they resurface the road. 18km South East of Porto Grande for 10km. Nothing to worry about; hard compact relief road to the side. I assume they are continuing the re-surfacing work back to Macapa?

Fuel is available at:
Porto Grande - N0 41.505 W51 22.271
Ferreira Gomes – In town, 2.5km from BR156 turn off by the river: N0 51.596 W51 10.879
Tartarugalzinho - N1 30.010 W50 54.675
Amapa – In town, 17km from BR156 turn off: N2 03.143 W50 47.442
Calcoene – In town, 2.5 km from BR156 turn off: N2 29.727 W50 56.978

All the above towns have accommodation and food.

In case of emergencies or you need an alternative food stop there are also limited services but no fuel at the following settlements:

Angelim – 15km south of Tartarugalzinho
A small town 36 km south of the Amapa turn off
A small town 26km south of the Amapa turn off

Calceone

The tarmac ends at the BR156 turnoff for Calceone
N2 29.654 W50 58.424
There is no more fuel on the road until you arrive at Oiapoque
First food stop is at the fork in the road 40km from Calceone
N2 27.844 W51 15.480
That stretch of road is OK but at times littered with potholes. It takes an hour to ride that section.

Another 60km down the road is a restaurant N2 56.958 W51 24.975 from here the next 35km road are excellent. 60 – 75kph. You pass another opportunity to eat about 10km further on from the first restaurant N3 02.620 W51 27.681

You will pass a number of indigenous road side villages. It is forbidden to enter them.

In general the road improves, less potholes, but it does get slippery in places, and when it gets bad it is the worst on this road. I traveled during the dry season so I'd be interested to hear the road conditions when its wet.

There were bad mud sections at
N3 18.615 W51 37.607
N3 21.178 W51 40.020

About 60km from Oiapoque the tarmac starts again
N3 26.959 W51 43.242

Riding distances from Macapa:
Porto Grande 101km
Ferreira Gomes 133km
Tartarugalzinho 230km
Amapa 300km
Calcoene 370km
Oiapoque 590km

Theres plenty of accommodation to choose from in Oiapoque.

To get across the river to French Guiana the price per person in a dug out is fixed at 10Reias or 5Euro. The bridge across the river is no where near being complete. It wouldn't surprise me that it won't be opened before the World Cup arrives in Brazil in 2014.

For a motorcycle you need to negotiate. I'm not so good at this so I paid 40R for the bike. The guy first of all insisted on being paid in Euros only but gave in when I insisted that I pay in Reais. I negotiated without the presence of my bike which I fear has a tendancy to inflate the price

Bradesco & Banco Do Brasil ATM's are in Oiapoque. Fuel prices were about 3 Reais a litre. Fuel in French Guiana gave me 30% more mpg but I didn't make a note of a garage in the border area of French Guiana. Fuel in FG is 1.4 Euro a litre

Customs in Oiapoque is closed on Sunday and only open on Saturday morning. It's best to avoid crossing at the weekend.

Best time to visit French Guiana: August – November
Rainy season: November – July, sometimes dry period in February/March
The great rains start in May

Ah, detail. My report a couple of months ago was much more vague (no gps, limited cognitive abilities, lack of motivation). It should be searchable here or on ADV.

Random notes: There is a barge from Oiapogue to the French Guiana side. It is more expensive than the dugouts, and price seemed to be non-negotiable. It leaves once a day. You'll need insurance in each of the Guianas--sometimes it's checked only upon exit. French Guiana is the most expensive, so negotiate hard in Cayenne. In fact, everything is most expensive in French Guiana--more than anyplace else in South America. Stock up on euros there, however, and use them for a 20% better rate in Suriname.

I rode through during the rainy season. The unpaved section from Calcoene northwards was a struggle on a loaded bike, although the truckers didn't seem unduly alarmed about chaining three tractor trailers together to grind through the knee-deep mud. They told me it was generally fine during the dry season. They also told me that before it was upgraded it used to take two weeks to transit during the rains.

The Guyana section from Georgetown south, which I'd worried about, is actually far easier. If it's not raining, it's probably gloriously fast (for all I'd know).

I was warned about hijackers and thieves between the border and Cayenne and along the first stretch in Suriname. Never knew how seriously to take these cautions, but people told me not to stop for anything or anyone.

Glad to hear of someone else trying this route.

Mark

hey guys Im looking too cross this route next week ,if is anyone around let me know,im riding a africa twin 750,carlospezao@hotmail.com

Thanks for taking the time to post such detailed info. I'll be there this time next year.

Nice one.

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I've just posted a video to complement my original post showing the road conditions on the BR156 as well as sharing information on how to organise a boat from Belem to Macapa.

YouTube - Brainrotting Extras: Crossing Amazon by Boat: Belem to Macapa & Road Conditions on BR156 Oiapoque

easyg, you did well with 40 Reais for the ride to French Guiana.

I got them down to 50 Rs for everything, but when I showed up with the bike they wanted an extra 30 Rs. It took 5 guys to lift the KTM into and out of the canoe and that extra 30 Rs paid the extra hands. However, the guys took great care with my bike and I appreciated that so I thought it was money well spent.

80 Rs was still a bargain as the proper ferry wanted 200 Euros, fixed price!!!!!!! Wow, 200 Euros for a 10 minute ride with a moto..............insane! So, I quickly started chatting and bargaining with the guys that drive the motorized canoes.

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200 euros???? I took the barge, not the launchas, and I believe I paid 30 or maybe 35 euros. It sure wasn't anything close to 200. Maybe they had no one else going when you were there, or maybe that's the car/truck price.

Whatever, you're across. I'm going to try to find a street map of Cayenne later to see if I can remember where the insurance agent I used was located. I sure don't remember the name, but I think I might be able to direct you to him.

Always something, right? Probably you don't want to hang around forever in Cayenne, but the Devil's Island trip and Space Center are worth a look.

enjoy,

Mark

Thanks Mark. I will be here for a while anyway as I have to wait until Monday to collect my passport from the Suriname Consulate.

Space Center and Devil's Island is on my list for sure.


Met up with Drad as well. Great guy, for a Canadian.

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Mmm. My condolences if you're really hung up until Monday. They used to give same-day service--is that over and done?

Alright, here's my best wild guess about the agent I used for insurance: On either Avenue Pasteur or Avenue Voltaire, just to the east of Blvd Jubelin, on the north side of the street. Note that I'm not at all sure about this, but that's the best I could dredge up out of my sludgy memory banks. I also came across a little scrap of paper which reads "Ca2P Courtage/29 Ave Voltaire," which might be significant....or not.

Where'd drad get his insurance? The country's only a couple of hours wide, and as best I recall no one demanded insurance from me until I got to the ferry to Suriname.

One last piece of unsolicited advice: try not to arrive anyplace looking for lodging during mid-day, since most places seem to close up shop during the hot afternoons. There's nothing quite like having nothing to do, no place to go, and no secure parking while wearing full armor in 99.9% humidity.

enjoy,

Mark

No more same day service for Suriname. They hand you a form telling you when to pick up your passport and tell you not to even try to come before that date and time. They were all quite testy and unfriendly at the consulate. I waited for 4 hours, then the lady didnt like the way my photo looked so she said I had to go get a new one (the previous one i got at the same place this morning) but she said I had a grin on my face and that was not acceptable. So, with a smile and a merci, I did what she asked and came back, only to wait another 2 hours to just hand her my new photo. Another hour after that she attached the photo to my paperwork and told me to wait. So, right before the consulate closed at 2 pm, I was invited to pay 140 dollars for my visa. No cash, only MC or Visa accepted, and she sent me off with a scowl. Strange stuff.

There seemed to be quite a few unhappy people waiting around at the consulate. I thought it was interesting.

A very polite British guy had been there for 2 weeks trying to get his visa with no luck. For some reason, they didnt like how many countries he had visited previous to Suriname. He got quite some entertainment from watching what happened to me throughout the day.

Ah, Ca2p. Yes.They dont sell by the month anymore. All the places now only sell by the year and its about 800 euros for a policy. Several places say that they used to sell by the month a few months ago, but not anymore.

I will figure out something.......

All the same, thanks for your help Mark, truly appreciated.

Vince

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Sorry I got the thread a little off topic with my whining.

So, here is a vid of one of the mud sections on BR-156. It wasnt very deep but it was like riding on ice and the mud berm to the side grabbed my pannier, so that was fun.

YouTube - Brazilian Mud

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Howdy,

I ended up faking insurance with my old European green card. I just changed the dates and removed the references to it only being valid in the Schengen Area of the EU as it excludes remote holdings- like French Guiana.

The border guys were actually pretty cool (I speak good french), but all about the rules. Once they could see something that looked right though, they were happy. I didn't even print it out, I just had on the computer and told them I had it e-mailed to me...

I checked the 3 insurance companies in St. Laurent and about 6 other ones in Cayenne and non of them insured by the month anymore.

Leaving for Brazil no one said anything about wanting to see insurance, so it seems like it's really only the Suriname side that is the issue.

I just finished the BR156 today and am in Macapa, from the border to here was about 9 hours including waiting from bridge repairs and dealing with trying to ride around stuck trucks- say 8 hours actual riding. It had dried since CrashMaster went through, but there were still a couple of nasty spots and one crazy bad spot- 3 trucks chained together for traction were trying to get through and got stuck- about 10 vehicles on either side of the mud patch just waiting for their chance to get stuck. Luckily the ruts were deep enough to keep me upright since my panniers rested on the each side! Made it through with no problems even on road tyres- heck I didn't even drop the bike once (a special feat for me!)!

The ferry costs 200euro divided by the number of vehicles using it. I crossed with just me and a truck and the truck paid the majority and I was only stuck with 50reales to pay ($25USD). If I had gone alone I would have been in it for the full 200euro. Seems a bike counts as less unless they are the only people crossing.

BTW, Crashmaster has serious issues. Beware!

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DRad
http://gsguy.wordpress.com

I will take that as a compliment. The first night I tried to keep up for with the Canadian and I didnt fare so well. I usually know better than to try to keep up with Canadians or Aussies.

But, I think I put a hurtin on him the second night.


Good to hear the route dried out a bit for you. Still no rain at all here in France. Yeah, thats quite a sight with the trucks on that road cabled together going, or not going, through the mud.

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Thanks for the great information! I just did the part rom Cayenne to Macapa in 7 days on a fully loaded mountain bike. 2 days to Oiapoque, 2 days to Calcoene and 3 to Macapa. The information was absolutely essential as I needed to know where I could spend the night and get food and drinks.
It´s been extremely tough cycling the dirt section between Oiapoque and Calcoene due to the steep hills and because it isthe rain season.
I wish I would have brought another tire s Ireally needed one after one tore.
thanks guys!
PS (Watchout for the creepy guy that wants to touch your knob at one of the restaurants on the dirt section!)

Cheers,

Daan

My hat is off to any bicyclist following that route. I met a bicycling couple in French Guiana, and what took me two easy days had taken them a week (including a lot of pushing the bikes through gumbo mud). Seemed like whenever I started to feel slightly rugged and adventurous in South America, I'd immediately see a bicycle doing the same thing as me but without benefit of internal combustion. This included stuff like riding through sudden snow squalls at 15,000 feet in Bolivia, and fighting the winds on Ruta 40 in Patagonia. The takaway lesson: adventure motorcyclists sometimes need practice at staying humble.

Mark