Crossing into Argentina the plan was to start riding the Ruta 40. The Ruta 40 is a road in the west of Argentina that runs all the way to the most southern point – sometimes paved and sometimes not. Our friend George recommended riding the first part until crossing back into Chile. So ahead of…Continue Reading “Northern Argentina: The most challenging time so far – on the Ruta 40”
Arriving in Uyuni our dream had been to ride out and camp on the famous salt flats – Salar de Uyuni. Because of the rainy season the salt flats where flooded though. So we just rode up the side and got a glimpse of the amazing mirror effect with the water on the Salar. After…Continue Reading “Bolivia: Flooded Salt Flats and Challenging Weather Conditions”
One day in Chile: after entering Chile early in the morning and a lunch-stop in the mining town of Puttre we headed up into the mountain towards the Bolivian border. The road lead up to 4’600 m with rain, snow, lots of mud and trucks. We arrived at the border frozen to our bones and…Continue Reading “Bolivia: Reaching the Altiplano and Lamas encounters”
After crossing back over the Huascarán National Park – in the rain and snow again, but this time on tarmac – we spent the night in Huaraz. The next plan was to visit René, a friend of Flo’s Dad in Lima, who had invited us to stay at his place. The ride there first lead…Continue Reading “Peru: Swiss Cheese and Smashed Shoulders in Lima”
Crossing into Peru near the coast was like entering India. Hoards of Tuk-Tuks bumping over potholes, donkeys carrying water crates, loads of trash along the streets and a distinctive stinky smell in the air. For two days the road lead through this landscape in Northern Peru – passing towns with an apocalyptic eerie feeling, bumping…Continue Reading “Northern Peru: Sand, Fun & High Altitude”
Leaving Quito next up was the Quilotoa Loop, leading to a water-filled crater lake in the Ecuadorian Andes. The ride was stunning, running up and down into valleys with snow topped volcanoes peaking out along the way. The last part leading up to the lake is a sandy hiking trail and it was great fun…Continue Reading “Ecuador: Riding the Quilotoa Loop and up to the stunning Volcano Chimborazo”
After six weeks in Colombia we were dreading the border crossing into Ecuador. The crossing is renowned to take for ages. The current unstable situation in Venezuela has lead to many fleeing their country and trying to cross into Ecuador. We were lucky tough – we checked out within minutes and only had to queue…Continue Reading “Ecuador: NYE in Quito and Exploring Volcano Pichincha”
In Bogota our friend Basil joined us for the next stretch of the journey – on his newly purchased Chinese dirt bike – an AKT TTR200. The little Chinese bike made us a bit nervous: how long would that thing last? would it spectacularly explode and let us stranded in the middle of nowhere? Buying…Continue Reading “Colombia: Tatacoa Desert X-Mas and Riding The Death Road”
The next few days were spent in the coffee region of Colombia, hanging out at the Finca Steelhorse in Filandia. This place is run by an English couple who have travelled on bikes and have now turned a small farm into a overlander guesthouse surrounded by a lovely garden with pigs and a horse. Josh…Continue Reading “Colombia: Exploring Coffee Lands and Volcano Nevado del Ruiz”
The plan was to head west direction Medellin to Guatapé along the Highway 60. On the map the road was marked as a highway with the same thick white line leading all the way there. The road started out paved and lead up to 4’000m over a misty mountain pass and soon turned into a…Continue Reading “Colombia: Offroad Fun and Exploring Pablo Escobar’s Past”