From Caracas to Lima - good idea???
 

Hi,

I plan to start a 6 month trip in motorbike in South America alone.

I plan to ship my motorbike from France to Caracas in Venezuela.
I want to start the trip in Caracas and then join Peru through Ecuador. And then keep on riding to the South in Patagonia.

Do you think that the trip from Caracas to Lima is a good idea????
Do you think Colombia and Ecuador are safe countries to travel through??
What are the worst and the most dangerous cities when it is not recommended to stop or go trough when you travel alone by motorbike in Colombia and Ecuador??

What are the best and the safest roads to travel from Caracas (Venezuela) to Lima (Peru)??

Thanks in advance for your comments!!!

Charles

Are you Roxanne's brother?
Why do you want to start in Caracas? I am not sure it's the easiest place to get your bike sent to taking into account the actual political situation in Venezuela.
I think it would be way easier to start in Argentina or Brazil.
you first go down then up until Mexico if you want and we catch up on the road...
Sending the bike from France, Guyane might also be an option you want to check, maybe importation issues will be easier to go through.

Columbia and Bolivia are really nice countries worth seeing, but depending on the people, you'll listen the best and the worst regarding security issues.

Yes I am the brother of Roxane!!! Who are you???

So why not ship my motorbike in Columbia directly??

To be honest at the begining I planed to start my trip from Mexico but I am not sure now because of insecurity in Central America. What do you think of that as I can see plenty of people riding in Central America???

I plan to arrive in Mexico end of october and start my trip from Mexico around mid-november (if I start from Mexico). But I am not sure at the moment.

What do you recommend me? Do you think riding in central Amercia is OK and safe??

Thanks for your comments!!

well, as I'm Renaud, nothing more than in yesterday's mail :oops2:

in your shoes I would start option 1 in Buenos aires, option 2 in Mexico

Regarde la guyane aussi, on sait jamais.

I was in all Central American countries in April/May 2010 and they all seemed quite stable and sleepy to me. The most recent turmoil was when the outgoing president of Honduras was put on a plane and shuffled out of the country at gunpoint. This is now more than a year old and new elections have since been held.

...Michelle
www.scrabblebiker.com

Great idea man! Except maybe Venezuela..... Passed through there a few months ago, not too impressed with security at all. And the cops tried to steal my shit all the time, really. Army was not as bad though. Petrol is really cheap too, can't argue with that...!
Colombia (Bogota) on the other hand is a pretty easy place to ship a bike to from what I've been hearing, and a very safe place too (I spent 5 months of a year in South America there, never a problem). Gorgeous country too, and lots of friendly locals. No worse street crime than many western countries.
Quito in Ecuador is the only place I'd say to watch your back really. All in all though I never really felt unsafe, just take the usual precautions, all will be well.
Keep in mind the seasons dictate where you start or when. Right now it is winter in Patagonia, turning into spring. In a few months is the perfect time to start down there with summer coming in. A few months later you do not want to be down there on a bike.
Whatever you do, it'll be the right choice. Enjoy!