South America

A collection of 33 posts

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

An Épico Adventure in Colombia

Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR) was having a fundraiser that included auctions of goods and services. I saw a nine-day tour of Colombia, threw in a low-ball offer, and suddenly, I was headed for Santiago de Cali and Épico Moto Adventures’ Seven Wonders Tour. The extremely genial host Ricardo Congote greeted

Mar/Apr '23 Premium Content

Chile: Rewards and Just Desserts

With 10,000 miles clocked on the odometer since kick-starting our trip in South America five months ago, I’d stopped seeing it as an extended vacation. Traveling had become a way of life for Jason and me. The honeymoon period wasn’t over—it was a new chapter, having

Sep/Oct '22 Premium Content

Riding in Cuba: Revolution, Raki, and Rum

In 1996, I cruised to Cuba at night like smuggled human freight in Ernest Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not. “Okay, vee go now,” said Rolf, a feisty Swede, tossing me two thick bungee cords to lash my BMW R 100 GS PD to the rail. “Be quick. Vee

News

Explore Ecuador on New Self-Guided Tours

Have you ever wanted to explore the less trodden regions of South America in the saddle of your bike? Ecuador Freedom Bike Rental [https://freedombikerental.com/en/] has launched a new tour that lets you do just that. The six-day, self-guided Northwest Ecuador Explorer tour, launched in mid-August, takes riders

May/Jun '22 Premium Content

Riding Through Argentina

Months ago, I was sitting in a comfy cafe chair, pushing pie into my face. We were in Ushuaia, southernmost Argentina. I was reading a folk tale about a revered gaucho who robbed the rich to give to the poor, congruent with our Robin Hood tales. Currently en route to

May/Jun '20 Premium Content

Peru: Following the Dakar Rally

Few things in my life can compare to the almost monthlong trip I took around Peru to follow the Dakar Rally on a Kawasaki KLR650. It sounds melodramatic, but it was really that good. Starting on January 1, 2019, and ending just before February, my Dad and I experienced all

Sep/Oct '19 Premium Content

Brazil: Monstrous Metropolis to Waterfall Wonder Photo Story

Touring Brazil by motorcycle for nearly three months was an unforgettable experience. After visiting a variety of towns along the coast, it was time for a break in beach town Arraial do Cabo. Next on the agenda: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Curitiba. My riding partner, Lia, and I

Mar/Apr '19 Premium Content

Brazil: Ancient Rhythms, Modern Moves

Dust clouds rise from the rhythmically stOmping feet of dozens of Brazilian Indians during a ritual campfire, in stark contrast to the sea of skyscrapers that makes up the monstrous metropolis surrounding them. Brazil is gigantic and, to the majority who travel here from more developed parts of the globe,

Jan/Feb '19 Premium Content

Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil: Exotic Amazon

After a year of preparation, and waiting two long weeks in Paramaribo, Suriname, we get the green light from customs officials to uncrate and reassemble our KTM 690 Enduro R bikes. Finally, the second phase of “The Riding Reporters” South AmericaN adventure is set to begin! Three years ago, Daniëlle

Nov/Dec '18 Premium Content

Patagonia: Return of the Guanaco

We started at the southern tip of the continent and have seen many wondrous things. After a day off the bikes, the adventure of a lifetime continues … As much as I might have enjoyed a second day lounging on the shores of Lago Gral Carrera, it feels good being back

Sep/Oct '18 Premium Content

Patagonia: Cry of the Guanaco

Write it down, write it all down before you forget! Write about the bikes, the people, the roads, the plains, the mountains, the lakes, the rivers, the glaciers, and the guanaco. Don’t forget the guanaco … Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina We gather in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in

May/Jun '17 Premium Content

Ecuador and Colombia: The End of the Road

We’re riding north on the Pan-American Highway, passing lush, green meadows and houses with gable roofs and stucco façades. For a moment, the landscape feels strangely European. But we’re quickly reminded we aren’t at home: After four months of motorcycling in Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru on

Mar/Apr '17 Premium Content

Peru: Land of the Incas

Contrary to what many Peruvians believe, they’re not the best drivers in the world—at least, that was our experience. In oncoming traffic, they drive straight at you, crossing over lanes on hills and blind corners, and swinging way out on the wrong side of the road when taking

Jan/Feb '17 Premium Content

Bolivia: Salt, Sand, and Altitude Sickness

The border crossing to enter Bolivia is serious. The customs officer checks our passports, insurance, VIN numbers, registration papers, and license plates. Finally we are good to go, heading for La Paz, where we will meet a group of female Bolivian artisans crafting to gain independence. Crossing the river that

Nov/Dec '16 Premium Content

The Riding Reporters: Chile and Argentina - Capturing the Story of the Wichí

Irene and I are ready to ride to places only two wheels can reach, to tell the stories of those we meet. Our rugged KTM 690 Enduros have landed in Valparaíso, Chile. Finally, after eight months of serious preparation, we start the first miles of our journey. From the Chilean

Jul/Aug '16 Premium Content

South America: The Trans-Amazonian Challenge

The first Trans-Amazonian Challenge joint venture tour by MotoDiscovery and Motolombia is a daunting undertaking for participants and guides alike. A huge loop of northern South America is planned, more than 8,700 miles in 45 days, through eight countries. The route starts in Cartagena, Colombia, near the northernmost portion

May/Jun '16 Premium Content

Ecuador: Journey to Middle Earth

Ecuador is a small country on the northwestern side of South America, sandwiched between Colombia to the north and Peru to the south. Earth’s dividing line runs through the northern part of Ecuador, which is Spanish for “equator.” The Galapagos Islands lay about 560 miles to the west. But

Mar/Apr '15 Premium Content

Colombia: Blue Moon Over Bogotá

Imagine the most amazing motorcycle road in the world. What would it be like? Would it race along the Pacific coast like California’s Highway 1? Would it launch you high into the Andes where condors soar beneath the clouds? Maybe you would be greeted by ghosts of the ancients

May/Jun '13 Premium Content

Colombia: The New World Ride

Motorcycle in Colombia? “You must be crazy,” my friends say. “We’ve already established that,” I retort. “You’ll have to come up with a more compelling reason to keep me from going.” “Oh … bandits, kidnappers, drug cartels, armed rebels … you’ll never be seen again,” they warn. But when

Nov/Dec '11 Premium Content

Peru

…At 13,123 feet (4,000 meters), we stop to add liners for warmth and sip hot Coca tea. The world that is The Andes transforms before us: the flora and fauna, the native peoples, the texture of the landscape that defines this magnificent mountain range – everything looks majestic here,

Jul/Aug '11 Premium Content

World Travelers: Bolivia

Following two days in the Chilean desert town of San Pedro de Atacama, we are cruising back to the base of Licancabur Volcano. Its ashen flanks are our signal to turn north, drop from the asphalt, and begin our ascent into a land like no other. At an elevation of

May/Jun '11 Premium Content

World Travelers: Argentina and Chile

The weatherworn sign on the outskirts of Ushuaia proudly reads "Bienvenidos a la Ciudad mas austral del Mundo" - Welcome to the Southernmost City in the World. The tires of our heavily laden GS bikes bite into the freshly fallen snow as we excitedly pull on past. El Fin Del

Mar/Apr '11 Premium Content

World Travelers: Brazil's Amazon Jungle, Part II

The fall from the bridge was this morning. The day has been a blur of failed mechanics interspersed with lost consciousness. I can't choke back any more drugs, especially as we have so few and no soon opportunity to gain more. As the daylight disappears the thick Amazon foliage takes

Jan/Feb '11 Premium Content

World Travelers: Brazil's Amazon Jungle, Part I

It's been said that what we do defines us. Yet perhaps it's as much about what we do, as it is what we endure and what we learn from? We find out who we really are only when we're pushed past what we thought were our limits, when, during those

Mar/Apr '07 Premium Content

Colombia: The Far Side Of The Moon

Riding a motorcycle around the world is the ultimate learning experience. Take Colombia. Whenever Uwe and I had thought about the northwestern-most country in South America, we immediately imagined drug cartels, chaos, and danger. We could only visualize the dark side of a country whose people have lived through many