Hi HU Riders!



Forgive this long and detailed post. I’m seeking suggestions from you.

First, I have been mining the Internet and first want to share two resources for identifying places to see when traveling:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/ - quirky and unusual spots to visit
https://new.horizonsunlimited.com/destinations - Horizons Unlimited own source of cool places to see. Do visit this section and add your own destinations!



I will be traveling in South America for several months starting in late July 2023 and I am looking for cool places to visit, principally in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. The basic clockwise direction starting in Peru and key waypoints have been worked out, but I am open to enhancing the route. 





Here is the map of my 2012-2013 trip, showing where I have already been and mostly don’t intend to revisit.





Here is a long list of places I am planning to visit and places I’ve already seen.

Peru - Planning to Visit
Rainbow Mountain
Moray (series of concentric terraces)
Salineras de Maras (salt springs)
Has anyone been on a jungle between Cusco and Iñapari (the last town before entering Brazil)

Peru - Been there, seen that:
Machu Picchu, Nasca Lines, Lake Titicaca, and nearby Sillustani, the ancient burial ground featuring giant cylindrical funerary towers

Brazil - Plan to Visit
Manaus (via Porto Velho BR-319)
Fordlândia
Serra da Capivara National Park
Brasilia
Belo Horizonte and the nearby sculpture center Instituto Inhotim
The Pantanal wetlands (tour operator suggestions anyone?)
Bonito (I am intrigued by the crystal clear waters, but the photos on Google Maps make the town look touristy, like Disneyland, true?)

Brazil - Been there, seen that
Parque Nacional dos Lençóis Maranhenses (I highly recommend riders visit the amazing dunes. I could be talked into returning if I end up riding with someone when in northern Brazil…)
Recife, San Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo
Iguazú*Falls and Mocona Falls/Salto do Yucumã. I highly recommend visiting these waterfalls!

Paraguay - Plan to Visit
Other than visiting Asunción, I’ve got nuthin’
I will be riding through from southwestern Brazil to northern Argentina and have no idea what is good to see… any suggestions?

Argentina - Planning to Visit
Bueno Aires - the city is just too good to pass up even though I’ve been there before. It is also on the way to points south.
Valdes - hoping to see sea lions, penguins and whales…and if the timing is right a killer shark lunching on a seal.
Punta Tombo - Wildlife habitat
Ushuaia - The End of the World
Cueva de las Manos - prehistorical cave painting

Argentina - Been there, seen that

Perito Moreno Glacier
Monte Fitz Roy

Chile - Plan to Visit
Puerto Tranquilo - Marble Cathedral cave
Queulat National Park
Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park
Bahía Inglesa - white sand beach…enough said
Hand of the Desert
Atacama - several points of interest in this amazing desert



Chile - Been there, seen that
Torres del Paine National Park



Bolivia
I’ll be noodling around the eastern side of the country on my way back to Peru. Any suggestions?

Bolivia - Been there, seen that
The Death Road
Salar de Uyuni (did a truck tour of the salar, the mountains, and lakes south)
Sucre, Oruro, La Paz

Thanks in advance!

__________________
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

Bolivia: There are several Jesuit monastries in the eastern lowland areas of Bolivia. They are maintained and in use nowadays and can be worth stopping at.
San Ignacio de Velasco and San Jose de Chiqiotos amongst others. Tarija is a bit south but an interesting town. The local market was said to have + 70 different potato types…and heaps of other stuff.

Santa Cruz de la Sierra is the biggest city in Bolivia (popolous at least) but its not the most interesting or beautiful imo. But maybe worth a stop for motorbike service and spare parts - because there are quite a few bike shops in town.
A very nice camping in the lowlands between Santa Crus and the brasilian border at the town of Aquas Calientes if youre in for that…

__________________
In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

Thanks Snakeboy! I added your comments to my notes and will try to visit the places mentioned.

__________________
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

20 years ago I stayed in that region...


Paraguay:
There are two partly build monasteries/ reducciones: Trinidad and Jesus. Trinidad is more important to see as the whole "installation" is relativly huge. Jesus is nothing more than the downer 30% of a big church on a lawn.
These two were never finished - lifelong ruins.

"...riding through from southwestern Brazil to northern Argentina..."
They are both right behind the border coming from Brazil. First T then J.



Bolivia:

Plan that eastern road trip outside the harvest season as they burn the fields. You will not be able to breathe and your eyes will burn. I asked a guy when it would stop, he answered: "When the rain sets in!"
In those days I did not drive on (coming from north) into the Jesuit region as I needed air.


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Argentina - Planning to Visit
Bueno Aires - the city is just too good to pass up even though I’ve been there before. It is also on the way to points south.
Valdes - hoping to see sea lions, penguins and whales…and if the timing is right a killer shark lunching on a seal.

Punta Tombo - Wildlife habitat
Ushuaia - The End of the World
Cueva de las Manos - prehistorical cave painting


Allow me:

In 2001 we rode on Africa Twin overloaded from La Paz to Chile Chico, we used an overnight ferry from Chiloe to Puerto Chacabuco, where a US cruising ship ankered. 5km inland was a little waterfall and an elderly couple from that US ship had used a taxi. I lent that lady a hand as she had trouble to come up again from the water pond.They said they were on way to the south into the ice. Very nice people!

We talked a little, I had a smoke and off we were with best wishes for the rest of life.



Days later we rested in Perito Moreno and I could not ride the ruta 40 there - terrible stones, we used a minibus to cueva manos. There is nothing but this area. Man can live everywhere. We enjoyed it. Might be with tar today.



From there we went to Comodore Rivadavia and north to Camerones, where a penguin colony was and we in the middle of them - great expierence. There was camping. VERY High winds.
From there we rode to Puerto Piramide and now it comes. The biggest coincidence of my life. We got of the bike, walked a little over the plaza and I shouted: "Hey, what are you doing here?" Wife thought I was making fun with her, but this US couple had a change in cruising plans because of bad weather on sea. So we met again on the other side of Southamerica.

On Valdez you will see elefants close and lions well (from above, cliffedge), but penguins are small - maybe you want to look up Camerones or such a place.



So, my tub water is cold now - regards from a nude man.

Hi Frank,

Thanks for the suggestions. From my research, I found there are several places along the coast south of Valdes where penguins can be seen. With your input, I recorded two spots on my route:

Reserva Faunística Provincial Cabo Dos Bahías, ~1-hour south of Camarones.
https://www.interpatagonia.com/camar...s-bahias.html\
...and nearby Pinguinera Cabo Dos Bahias
https://ioverlander.com/places/13078...abo-dos-bahias

>...I could not ride the ruta 40 there - terrible stones, we used a minibus to cueva manos

I'll be riding a fairly light single-piston Honda XRE 300, which was selected for its ease of riding off-road. Very much looking forward to visiting cueva manos. There are a few cave painting sites on my route. If I see them all, great.

>...Plan that eastern road trip outside the harvest season as they burn the fields

I looked up the seasons in Bolivia. It looks like autumn starts in March. I'm planning to be home by late December. I live in New Jersey and we've been experiencing smoke drifting south from wildfires in Canada, so I have had a taste of smokey air.

__________________
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