TRANSCONTINENTAL: AREQUIPA – USHUAIA

Welcome to Peru, to Arequipa, the “White City” dominated by the Misti and Chachani volcanoes. After discovering its UNESCO center, the Plaza de Armas, the majestic cathedral, and the Santa Catalina monastery, your incredible South America motorcycle tour begins at Hotel Villa Elisa. Climbing towards the Salinas reserve, the asphalt quickly gives way to dirt: a lunar landscape of salt lagoons and active volcanoes leads us through the Altiplano to Espinar, amidst alpaca herders.

The road then plunges into history, through canyons and high-altitude lakes to reach Cusco, the navel of the world. After exploring its narrow streets, we head to the Sacred Valley and the Maras salt mines. We follow the Urubamba river to Ollantaytambo, where we stay facing the fortress and glaciers. From there, the Machu Picchu experience is a journey through time: its green terraces and stone temples suspended in the clouds bear witness to pre-Columbian genius.

The scenery changes radically after a pass at 15,420 feet: a dizzying descent plunges us into the humid Amazon at Quincemil. After a sensory immersion in a cocoa farm, we climb from 1,969 to 14,108 feet via spectacular hairpin bends towards Macusani, the “alpaca capital”. Finally, crossing the raw Altiplano and its isolated villages, the deep blue of Lake Titicaca appears. It is in Llachon, at the end of a peninsula, that we make a stop. A crossing to Taquile Island offers a last meditative and ancestral break before continuing the adventure towards Bolivia.

Day 1: Arequipa → Salinas-Espinar - 150 miles (including Off Road: 106 miles)
Day 2: Espinar → Cusco - 149 miles (including Off Road: 43 miles)
Day 3: Cusco → Ollantaytambo - 60 miles (including Off Road: 22 miles)
Day 4: Machupichu → Machupichu - 0 miles
Day 5: Ollantaytambo → Quincemil - 196 miles (including Off Road: 22 miles)
Day 6: Quincemil → Macusani - 142 miles (including Off Road: 1.9 miles)
Day 7: Macusani → Llachon - 158 miles (including Off Road: 53 miles)
Day 8: Llachon → Llachon - 0 miles.

We leave Llachon, skirting the indigo shores of Lake Titicaca (12,467 feet) to reach the Bolivian border and its snow-capped mountains. A stop in Copacabana immerses us in local traditions before crossing the immense Altiplano towards Oruro, where the smiles of the inhabitants warm the atmosphere. The scenery then softens in the green valleys leading to Sucre, the “White City”. This colonial jewel, a UNESCO World Heritage site, offers an elegant interlude before the pilgrimage to Potosí. At over 13,123 feet, under the shadow of the mythical Cerro Rico, you trade your motorcycle helmet for a miner's helmet to explore the depths of the famous silver and gold mines.

The road to Uyuni crosses arid and wild plains. After passing through the train cemetery, the scenery becomes surreal facing the Salar de Uyuni, an infinite ocean of salt where we stay in a salt hotel. Exploring this giant mirror leads us to Incahuasi Island, crowned with giant cacti and llamas. En route to the wild south, via Tupiza and Villazón, the earth turns ocher and blood red until the Argentine border.

The Quebrada de Humahuaca (UNESCO) then opens its doors to us: at the end of a winding path, the village of Iruya appears like a postcard in the heart of multicolored valleys. The descent is a symphony of colors, passing through the authenticity of Purmamarca and the traditions of northern Argentina. The last turns finally guide us to Salta “la Linda”. In this beautiful colonial city, we celebrate the stage around a traditional asado and folk music, ready for the continuation of our epic journey in gaucho lands.

Day 9: Llachon-Peru → Copacabana-Bolivia - 150 miles
Day 10: Copacabana → Oruro - 222 miles
Day 11: Oruro → Sucre - 204 miles
Day 12: Sucre → Potosi - 96 miles
Day 13: Potosi → Uyuni - 153 miles
Day 14: Uyuni → Uyuni - 0 miles
Day 15: Uyuni → Villazon - 194 miles (including Off Road: 17 miles)
Day 16: Villazon-Bolivia → Iruya-Argentina - 113 miles (including Off Road: 29 miles)
Day 17: Iruya → Salta - 196 miles (including Off Road: 37 miles)
Day 18: Salta → Salta - 0 miles.

The heat increases from Salta, the compass pointing south through the Quebrada de las Conchas, a glowing red canyon with natural amphitheaters, to reach the green vineyards of Cafayate and its renowned bodegas. The road becomes a challenge towards Belén: gravel tracks slalom between the abandoned mines of Minas Capillitas, followed by remote trails where riding becomes instinctive between dry riverbeds, under the gaze of rare shepherds.

We rejoin the famous Ruta 40 in Chilecito to savor the curves of the Cuesta de Miranda in the heart of a vivid red valley. The journey takes on an extraterrestrial feel in the Valley of the Moon (Ischigualasto Park), a fossil desert dotted with rock formations and dinosaur footprints, before reaching San José de Jáchal, like an oasis at the foot of the Andes. To the west, the corrugated iron tracks of Uspallata lead us to the mythical Paso Caracoles: its 29 dizzying switchbacks mark the spectacular entry into Chile and the descent towards the Pacific.

Mileage given for informational purposes only.

Valparaiso then welcomes us, a chaotic and colorful port where we explore this open-air museum of poetic street art on foot. Following the coast towards Constitución, the salty air accompanies a landscape of cliffs, wild beaches, and pine forests. Finally, the adventure takes us inland, trading aridity for the dense, humid greenery of the volcanoes. The village of Curacautín welcomes us, a haven of peace nestled facing the majestic Llaima volcano and its ancient araucaria trees.

Day 19: Salta → Cafayate - 164 miles (including Off Road: 61 miles) 
Day 20: Cafayate → Belen via Andalgala - 190 miles (including Off Road: 62 miles) 
Day 21: Belen → Chilecito via Tinogasta - 140 miles (including Off Road: 35 miles) 
Day 22: Chilecito → San Jose de Jachal - 208 miles (including Off Road: 37 miles) 
Day 23: San Jose de Jachal → Uspallata - 247 miles (including Off Road: 22 miles) 
Day 24: Uspallata-Argentina → Valparaiso-Chile - 185 miles 
Day 25: Valparaiso → Valparaiso - 0 miles 
Day 26: Valparaiso → Constitucion - 243 miles (including Off Road: 4.3 miles) 
Day 27: Constitucion → Caracautin - 309 miles.