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South America first time
Hi folks. Am intending a 4/6 month trip in Spring 2015 and without picking through the whole HU site is there a guide or a good source of reference material that anyone can suggest ??
Am probably going to start in Equador before moving down the west coast and then following up the east coast. Any suggestions on specific routes to go for/avoid ?? Is there something like a list of does / donts that anyone can suggest ?? Info /hints on particular border crossings ?? I realise all the info is in the site somewhere but maybe there is a compact version available. Not sure whether to ship bike [africa twin]from the UK or just buy a bike on arrival. Any pointers appreciated |
South America first time
Depends really, buy some maps and a guide book and do some research. You want mountains or jungle,etc? Most people head to Patagonia on the Carretera austral in Chile and take the Ruta 40 back up through Argentina, or vice versa.
As for shipping depends on budget! Most ship in and out of Buenos Aires and I can only assume this is the easiest or cheapest option. Personally I bought new in Chile and will sell it (though I have no time constraint). Your questions are rather vague to be honest! |
Sorry for being "vague" with my questions but I suppose the reason for the post is just having a starting point. I know you said to get a guide but is there a guide that you can recommend for travel by motorbike in Sth America or is it just Lonely Planet type guides available ??.
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We're heading to SA in October. It's difficult to find a 'compact' source of info but not difficult to find lots of info. We've found blogs by travellers useful so we're gradually building a few that we follow. Try Paul Pitchforks blog HORCA MOTO he's been out there about 18 months on a XT660Z. Also:
Pat Around the Americas: The Route Blog - A year in the Americas Also websites rather than blogs include: Planning your trip | Drive the Americas Importing a Vehicle - AngloINFO Buenos Aires, in Buenos Aires (Argentina) For guide books we used the library initially to try out Rough Guides, Lonely Planet etc and overall we found the most useful guide (because it includes good detail on crossing borders by road) to be the Footprint guide to South America (it doesn't just focus on the popular tourist spots). The current 2014 edition is ISBN 978 1 907263 77 4 dated Sep 13 and costs about £25. For our route, rather than a very specific route, we are compiling a rough route by reading up on the 'must see' routes like the Carretera Austral in Chile and a list of places we really want to see then we'll just make a route up as we go along. For free opensource satnav mapping go to Free worldwide Garmin maps from OpenStreetMap I've managed to download full mapping for S. America to my Garmin Mapsource software but haven't yet worked out how to put that mapping onto my Garmin Zumo 660 (I'll get to it eventually) Hope that helps. May see you in SA sometime in 2015 - good luck. :thumbup1: |
Meant to add, Marco Polo do good maps for SA. For planning purposes we got two of them, one covers the northern part of SA and the other, the southern part of SA. Both at 1:4,000 000 scale which we find quite good for 'planning'.
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South America first time
What sort of trip you want? Will you be hosteling it or camping? Are you using the bike to get from one attraction to the next, as some do, or are you going specifically for the ride?
If you don't import a bike and don't have anything in particular you want to visit, you can just turn up here with some money and a direction and that's it! Either way I would recommend bring your own equipment out here and riding gear as stuff like decent tents, multifuel stoves, touring jackets are either hard to find or expensive, if not both. I've no idea how to buy a Moto in ecuador but that is something you should definitely research. I've heard of people buying in many countries but most recommend either Chile, Paraguay, and Peru. As for climate, you will find extremes any time of the year but generally south of Santiago is best between October and March, with the far south most suitable in the months of Dec, Jan or February (though snow storms in middle of summer not unheard of in the extreme south). As for central Andes, figure summer months being warmer but wetter and the winter as being dry but cold. That said Atacama has its own climate though it is nearly always dry, so I am told. No idea about the amazon basin or the northern Andes. As for insurance buy travel insurance in the uk, either post office, AA, or Navigator insurance are arguably your best options in terms if price (with Navigator having an excellent rep). Your options for buying are either buy locally, ie something like a Honda Tornado 250xr or a Falcon NX4 400 cam be found new in Chile for around £2800 and £3700 respectively, these are solid options given their simplicity and popularity with locals. You could also buy second hand from another Hubber, usually US plated bikes like KLM or DR650s. Hope that helps! |
research
To prepare I read a small stack of motorcycle travel books. Some were compilations of ride reports. I'll have to look around this weekend for the titles.
Reading countless blogs and forums here and on ADVRider.com provided a wealth of tips. I attended a HU travelers meeting before my first trip (and more before the last trip) and watch a few of Grant & Susan's DVDs. Try to make a record of when thing s happen, like big holidays, ex. Carnival and the wet season in the Amazon. You won't be able to make everything fit, but you might do better. Search for "annual weather" so you plan for some of the micro climates mentioned. As I soaked up the stories I kept a running list of places to see, which I transferred to a Google Map. The next step is to do your best connecting the dots. I use U.S. Passport & Travel Visa Services: Online Application, Visas Requirements. to get the basics on entry requirements. Do try to learn some Spanish. |
Hi Guys
thank you all so much for info/pointers. This gives me a lot to reserarch. Definitely travel blogs etc are very informative. Was considering the idea of shipping my Africa Twin but I think the idea of buying localy is better. I may go from Buenos Aires south and then head up the west coast toward Equador rather than the other way around. How easy is it to source a decent bike in Argentina?? |
You have a year in which to prep, motivate and educate. IMO, not many guide books or DVD's are as good as current ride reports. These offer timely info from folks out on the road NOW or recently returned. Most of the links below started in N. America and moved South into S. America. But all good info and inspiration. Take your time, read the ones that interest you. Leave the rest behind.
I agree with buying a bike once you arrive. Lots of travelers' bikes for sale, some great deals on some great bikes. You just have to figure out the paperwork. Shipping your AT will cost $$$A LOT.$$$ If you buy in Argentina on a Argentinian plated bike ... you can't leave the country with the bike!!! If you buy from a foreign rider, you can, but you'll have to "fiddle" the paperwork at the border. ADV Rider seems to collect many of the best S. America Ride Reports. There are a few duplicated here on HUBB but many more on ADV Rider which has 30 times the traffic of HUBB (and 30 times the BS). Here are a few of my favorite travel reports. There are dozens here and there to choose from. You will learn a lot from all of them: South America and back on a 250 Super Sherpa Minimalist Adventure - ADVrider JDowns (one of the best reports) RTW on a thumper...KTM - LC4 Round the World ADVenturization - ADVrider RTW Paul (A+++ ... good border info for Cent. America) Jammin thru the Global South - ADVrider Jammin Jay (Starts in USA, then Latin America and beyond) No Jobs, No Responsibilities, No Better Time then Now - ADVrider Big Al Smith (crash fest and recovery) http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...50+Baja&page=3 Jedi Master S. America (best photos going!) South for a while maybe longer - ADVrider Air Borne Andy (lots of good info) |
As Mollydog said, only way to buy in Argentina is to buy a foreign plated bike and get some photoshop skills, as (allegedly) foreigners cannot leave the country with local plates. If you buy in Chile feel free to IM me as I've just completed this process myself (bought brand new).
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The transport verses buy decision has many dimensions. I want to ride my bike, the one that fits me and that I have set up just so. Touring seat, tall after market wind screen, risers on handle bar, GPS installed, crash bars, bash plate, panniers, hand protectors...all the crap that is just right for this Goldie Locks. I take my time setting up the bike and we get along great. I know what to expect, no surprises or time getting the hang of new equipment. I dread shopping for big ticket items. Buying a motorcycle in a foreign country, with language issues, dealing with paperwork processing...not for me. Hats off to those do it successfully. Buying a foreign plated bike could be the trick, but it all depends on the timing of finding a seller when you are in the market. PS: would you sell the bike at the end of your trip? A friend of mine did it, but he was in no hurry and planned to ship his bike home when he got a good offer.
There are two shipping methods: air and sea. Before closing the book on shipping your bike, contact a shipping agent and get a quote. It might be more affordable than you expect. Here are pictures of my route planning. Points of interest based on places I had read about on ride reports, then I connected dots as a rough plan. Having a rough plan let me calculate distances and approximate the number of travel days. I thought the trip would take 4 months before working out the route in some detail. Afterward it was obvious the trip would take more like 6 months, then I added a Caribbean leg for good measure and a side trip to Florida on the home stretch...9 months in total. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-watwNwO2vs...d-BaseCamp.jpg...and this is the actual route (yellow lines indicate boat or airplane.) I decided to skip the Amazon as the wet season was already started and at the time I didn't have the level of off road experience I felt I should have. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IRwXA0eDsv...452+PM.bmp.jpg 9 months traveling and I still missed big sections of the Amazon and central Argentina. Time flies when you are having fun. Now I have to go back. |
One of the things I am also passionate about is climbing .
I have been on 15+ serious high altitude expeditions around the world and am looking at combining my SA trip with a few summits in the Andes.I know this involves so much extra gear to manage But I can get by on minimal gear from the UK and source other gear localy. I suppose the trip would be a combination of camping/hostels. I am going in to this with an open mind and have no firm plans/objectives. All the blogs /trip reports you guys have mentiones do offer a wealth of info but I suppose nothing beats getting there and learning for yourself. I am a believer in just getting on with things and trying to handle things as they occour. If I cannot bring Arg registered bike out of Arg then maybe a new from Chile may be an answer. I realise I have also the choice of second hand foreign plated from Arg. |
I've done the same really; scoured forums and blogs and then just came out here, like I said, people do it with much less. The things I would note, having now bought the bike, are;
Bring maps! I bought Reisse maps from the UK. Good maps are nigh on impossible to find here in Latin America. Stuff like high-end hand pumps, 12v compressors, puncture repair kits, etc, should be brought from home. I've found it hard to source quality items out here. That includes tank bags, soft panniers, etc. the selection in Europe/US is much much better. Same goes for riding gear as well; but you can find stuff from Allpine stars, etc, though again choice is not fantastic. Buying in Chile has been trouble free aside from a delayed ID card prevented me from registering my vehicle for 5 weeks (luckily i am living out here so didn't matter). |
I read your other replies to post regarding registering new bike in Chile...RUT/cards etc.
Being from the UK what problems will I encounter if I purchase new in Chile and how do I speed up the process ?? Is there another way around tis ie buy second hand or should I go for second hand foreign plated ?? |
I recommend National Geographic maps. They are printed on some kind of plastic paper, so they won't fall apart if they get wet or stick together if they get damp. You might find them in large bookstores in the UK or the US. They are definitely available online.
I'm standing in a store in New York City as my departure date got close and decided to not buy a map of Guyana. Could I find one there? Nada, nothing, zip. Basically there are only two major roads in Guyana, one that goes north and south, and the other goes east and west along the coast. I made it through, but didn't have the luxury and benefit of the information a map will tell me about my surroundings. I might have skipped something interesting that was an easy ride off the highway. I found OK maps in a magazine/stationary store in Bolivia, then supplemented with freebie maps at a tourist center. I wasted money trying to find a travel map/book in Brazil that had camping spots...ultimately didn't camp in Brazil. On my travels I take maps and a GPS. You can download free open source maps here: Free worldwide Garmin maps from OpenStreetMap These maps are create by thousands of people participating in the Open Street Maps project. They are not perfect, but good enough and surprisingly detailed in places. Know that the Garmin NA South American maps are missing a few countries... Apparently you can download the KLM file from a personal Google map, copy it to your GPS device and all of the place you created in Google maps become points of interest in the GPS... I haven't tried this myself. |
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Question: If you were doing a Mongolia ride or a ride through SE Asia, would you still ship your own bike to the starting point for a couple grand, knowing you can rent a 125 or 250 in Thailand for $100 a month? Or that you could buy a used, well set-up 660 Tenere' or XT600 in UK for £2000? Shipping a bike from UK to S.America is pricey. You may get an initial low quote ... but it always seems to go up by $hundreds$ by the time you get it out of port. And could anything be more convoluted and stressful than dealing with Aduana in Argentina? Certainly no better/worse than buying a bike there or elsewhere in Latin America. Re-selling your bike can take time, not good if on a schedule. Best to consign the bike to a friend or dealer to handle the sale ... and cross your fingers. :helpsmilie: I love your "Goldie Locks" analogy ... but sometimes Goldie locks has to Man Up the ride what's available and have fun. :D PLUS ONE on National Geo maps. Curious what you paid to ship you and your bike from Colombia to Cuba, then onto Mexico (or was it reverse order?) Seems like a good alternative for crossing the Darien! :thumbup1: (if not too pricey) Cheers :Beach: |
it depends
I maintain that sea shipping can be done for a good price. A have read posts of riders that paid more than $1k to ship from South America to Europe, but they got white gloves treatment. Someone crated the bike and managed all of the details on both ends.
Sure I would buy if the right opportunity presented itself. That is all about timing. Delays can be expensive, unless you can hang out in a city like Santiago for a few weeks. Sounds great to me...but no I can't. More likely I would rent or (yikes) take a tour. But it would have to be a pretty cool outfit to get me signed up. Here is a sample of a tour that got my attention, until I started to break it down. The tour that is organized out of Colombia, 45 days from Medellin, thru Valenzuela, dip into Brazil, then north thru Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana...back into Brazil, across the Amazon, then a tear a long stretch of the TransAmazonia, to the TranOceania, into Peru, Ecuador and back to Medellin. Sorry for the run on sentence, but that is how it should be described. ~14000 miles, average of 311 miles per day, in Latin America! If you bring you own bike and pay for your own gas, and that price is $266 per day. The operator provides a guide, breakfast, lodging and any water crossing costs. There is a chase truck I think, but that is likely a joke unless you rent one of their bikes. Screw that. Screw tours in general. Why would anyone want to subject themselves to that kind of schedule, pay those prices and not enter the Dakar? I took the Stalhratte from Cartagena, Colombia, to Jamaica for 7 days, 27 days in Cuba, finally getting dropped off near Cancun, MX. The cost was based on the number of days on the boat, included food for me and transport for the motorcycle, ~$1550.00 in the spring of 2013. I took the Stalhratte early in the trip from Panama to Cartagena, for ~$950 (me and moto.) I imagine cheaper arrangements can be made out of Colon, but I was on a bit of a schedule that time. Next trip I will definitely consider shipping by sea from the US to the starting point of the adventure in South America. Or I might ride Central America again, then ask around the docks of Colon for a budget open cargo boat going directly to a major port in South America (not one of the local cargo boats that stops at every village along the coast!) |
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In Chile .. not ideal. Too expensive overall. I think Ecuador may be the better deal? A foreigner can buy a bike there too and cheaper if you have to wait around. Buying a travelers bike may be the best way ... if one can get the paperwork straight. Many have managed this! Quote:
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all of Cent. America ... maybe another $400 to $800? ... plus several nightmare border crossings. A bargain I'd say! :D:D Quote:
Peter, If you hear of any good shipping (or air freight) deals out of Miami (or where ever) to Colombia or Venezuela, let me know. I've not yet found anything great. It's such a short hop ... yet still very pricey. Any ideas or recommendations? bier |
looking for quotes...
Hi Mollydog,
I missed your post 6 days ago, only noticing it this morning... Sorry, I don't know of any deals from Miami to Colombia or Venezuela. I have a long term plan to return to South America to ride the sections I missed last time. Next time the budget maybe better managed in an overall sense, so container shipping on one or both legs will be carefully considered. From looking at the samples in the shipping database, I noticed a few reports that mentioned paying for "white gloves service." The traveler dropped off the bike and the shipper crated it. Getting a bike crated in Miami is going to cost something. Why not design and build it in you garage or backyard, put the pieces in a pick-up truck, then assemble the crate at the warehouse. I see others mention RoRo (roll on, roll off) transportation. I suspect this would be more expensive compared to shipping as loose cargo. There are shippers that consolidate cargo from multiple customers to fill a container. If you go with a group, look into a 20' container. Much easier to fill that a 40'. When are you planning trip? It never hurts to start research early. I would begin by estimating the size and weight of the crate. I wouldn't be surprised if I had 50 pounds of gear. Add that to the weight of your motorcycle and you have enough to make a few phone calls to get quotes. Vehicles fall into the category of "hazardous cargo" which no doubt adds to the cost of shipping. |
Nunkun,
I'm currently expanding my blog to include info I've gleamed after 20 months riding S Am which may help others planning. Happy to answer questions direct too. HORCA MOTO Best advice I was given was don't over-plan. Just buy a decent bike and get on the road. Worked for me.. Paul |
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