Motorcycling to the End of the World (a Lonley Planet style itiniary of a very non-Lonely Planet type travel)

Motorcycling to the End of the World

8-10 weeks/ Sucre, Bolivia to Ushuaia, Argentina

If you are heading South into Argentina, don´t do it half-arsed. Go all the way through  Patagonia to the Southern most city in the world, where there are no more roads further south to take. With your own set of wheels is the best way to see the expanses of Argentina and Patagonia. You will pass through remote regions, incredible landscapes and see a side of Chile and Argentina that most people never will. While some sections would certainly benefit from a 4WD, it is all doable on a 150CC Chinese Motorbike. It will require time, resourcefullness and patience, but it will be the adventure of a lifetime.

While passing into Argentina via Villazon on almost all paved roads would be better, they will not let you in with a Bolivian registered bike if you are not Bolivian. Instead, take the remote dirt roads past Uyuni to cross into Chile at Ollague (or just buy a bike in Northern Argentina). Join up with Route 5 at Calama and take it South through over 1,000 kms of the Atacama desert. Take a break and soak up some rays on the beaches around Viña del Mar, before spending a couple of days in the Nation´s Capital – Santiago. Continue South on a combination of highways, seconary roads and dirt tracks to Pucon in the Lake District. Here you can enjoy crystal clear lakes and gorgeous forested mountains. From Puerto Montt, take the Carretera Austral, skirting the thin strip of land between ocean and mountains with the help of several ferry crossings. You are now in Patagonia, but come prepaired for rain. Continue through Coyayque and cross into Argentina from Chile Chico (this little border crossing is less concerned with such trivial things as laws). Take the windy and challenging section of Route 40  South, remebering to fill up on Gasolina in Bajo Carocoles. Detour to El Chalten for treking around Mt Fitz Roy. Go to Calafate to visit the epic Perito Moreno glacier. Then cross back into Chile at Cerro Castillo (or down to Puerto Natales if you need more gasoline and supplies) to explore stunning Torres del Pain National Park. You have now made it from the border of Region I in Northern Chile to Region XII, the final region in the South. From Punta Arenus, take a ferry accross the Magellan Strait to Tierra del Fuego (make sure your bike is secured because the seas can get rough). Join up with Route 3 and continue on to el Fin Del Mundo (the end of the world) at Ushuaia. From there you can illegally sell your bike and fly to Buenos Aires for your return flight home (unless you turn around and head all the way back to Bolivia, using all different roads and traveling solo).