....Im currently in Cochabamba and taking stock of my situation. I think I have about 5-6 weeks left to ride. The original plan was to go south through Argentina and to get as close to Ushuaia as possible. But the prospect of Paraguay, Iguazu Falls, Buenos Aires, and Uruguay intrigues me as well. Dont know how the weather is going to be either. Having a tough time with this one, but Im definitely going to the salt flats at Uyuni so I have until then to decide. What would you guys do?
South, but you don't have to reach ushuaia if time is not enough. Ushuaia is just a milestone. Nothing spectacular. First of all, I would try to enjoy the bolivian altiplano as much as possible. That place is IMHO the most amazing place in South America. As you go south, the closer you stay to the border line of Argentina-CHile and on the Andes, the greater the ride is. High mountain passes, totally rugged environment, fantastic national parks. But after Torres del Paine that's pretty much it. Nothing more to see (on a motorcycle that is)... just a boring ride to tiera del fuego.
BUT.......when you get to tdf and ride the last 20 miles through the National Park you will get such a feeling inside it can be most overwhelming.......................... It's the end of the road going south.............how cool is that? Depends on your goals.................for us to ride as far as one can was the goal........................................ If you are on vacation and just looking around you need go no further......there is TONS of stuff to see right were you are......... If you want to ship from Ushuaia to California we have a container there or I can give you a great contact there for other shipping.
Is it raining much there now? I'm hoping for a rear shock fix on my klr in Salta Arg right now and then may head north. With a similar amount of time I headed south and crossed to Chile and to Usuia from there. Many say that there is nothing there and for me that was the attraattraction. I'm glad I did it. I would be very disapointed had I not. I understand that it is not for everyone though. Can be tough riding with wind and weather but look at where you are! If you appreciate the far north in North Amer then this has similar qualities. I've spent many months traveling around South America using storage in Montevideo Uruguay. Craig
I'd say take the road less traveled and discover Paraguay. There's a report somewhere from a gringo riding local bikes in Paraguay. A pain to find it in my phone from where I'm posting. Good luck wherever you decide to go
After heading down south and now north up near Iguazu I know what I would do again. For what it is worth, following the Andes down the spine of the continent is a must. The Paso de San Francisco, ruta 7 in Chile, Lakes District near Bariloche and the Moreno Glacier (National Park) were true highlights. Your adventure however will differ from mine, enjoy the ride!
I just crossed over into Bolivia from the South, currently in Tupiza, Bolivia. Has anyone ridden offroad from Tupiza to Uyuni, on the direct route? I am wondering if I should take the opportunity to change over to my Dunlop D606s from here northward. I keep hearing about the rainy season, and see evidence of mudslides. I loved the lake region in Chile near Puerto Varas and Lago Llanquihue. Be careful in Bariloche. It seems that this is a bad year for tourists being held up and having bikes messed with. El Bolson, Argentina has good beer.
do what Lalo did - Enjoy Salta (great 400 year old city) and then make your way south to Mendoza (wine country) and maybe Bariloche, then cut across the Pampas to Bs As and Uruguay if you want, and enjoy Argentina at it's best ! malbec and asado till you choke, then wash down with mate :) you only live once
As cool as I think the Paraguay - Iguazu, BA - Uruguay idea is, I think I will try to do what hwunger says. I would be missing great things either way, so I figure Ill stick with the original plan and head south - but maybe Ill be kind of forced to cut across to BA if time and weather are not on my side as far as riding all the way to Ushuaia.
You can't go wrong whichever route you choose, but, if you want my 2 cents worth... there's something haunting about the desolate, flat, semi-arid plains of Patagonia... Wind is a problem, but riding early in the morning avoids the strongest winds. My moto adventures in Patagonia click here .
I went all the way to Ushuaia and what has been said before, the ride through the gates there is totally amazing BUT when and if I ride SA again I will not go there. As a tourist spot it's not really worth all the wind, bad roads and very large effort to get there:eek1 but I did like riding the pampas for awhile.
Hey, Ben, It was great meeting up with you in Sucre. When you mailed me, I had already left the condor (first gringo in the door this morning), and was en route to Cochabamba. You were right, it was nine hours of silt and cobbles. Man, pity the laborers who built that 60 miler cobblestone road, eh? Not quite the Road of Bones, but it must have been prison labor. One of the great loops that i did was Southern Chile, Lago Llanquihue and Puerto Varas,
Hey Mike, just saw your reply on here. Yeah - the road to Cochabamba! I hope you had good clear weather, Im sure you enjoyed it as much as me. Im still in Sucre for 1 more night - still loving it here. I hope you are digging Cochabamba
Man, I had an offer of lodging for as long as I wanted, just cook and keep providing wine, in Surcre. I was about to get trapped, and I needed to maintain my inertia. Cochabamba was fun. I decided to look at oururo, but the half million people descending for Carneval, with almost all lodging pre-booked and 500% upcharge for what was left, made me push to La Paz. Unfortunately, I picked up a rock that cored my radiator, as well. So, I arrived in La Paz, in the dark, amid ten thousand of my closest friends, all driving homicidal collectivos. It was the worst driving day of the last five years. So, I have been in La Paz the last three days, fixing my bike before Carneval shuts businesses down for a week. Happy to say, everything appears to work, now. And, I am an expert in KLR radiator removal and reinstallation. Have a great time. Uyuni, next?
