Motorcycle trip

Bolivia

The Transcontinental, our 46-day expedition between Peru and Tierra del Fuego, spends about a week in Bolivia, from Lake Titicaca to the Argentine border. It runs both ways: from Arequipa to Ushuaia, or from Ushuaia to Arequipa. We do not run a tour in Bolivia alone. For a shorter trip in the Andes, see our tours in Peru, Argentina and Chile.

There is no price for Bolivia on its own. The Transcontinental, which crosses it, costs £11,990 (€13,290) per rider and £5,490 (€6,190) per pillion for 46 days, with the motorcycle, the guide, the support vehicle, hotels and border-crossing permits. Meals, fuel, site entrance fees and your flights are extra, and a £31 (€35) registration fee applies on your first trip with us. For a shorter, less expensive trip, see our tours in Peru and Argentina.

On the Altiplano, the dry season from May to October is the best time; from November to April, rain can make some minor roads hard going. The Transcontinental still crosses Bolivia in the southern summer, to reach Patagonia at the right season: around mid-January from Arequipa, in late March and early April from Ushuaia (next open departure on 27 February 2028). The route is mostly tarmac; expect showers and cold nights.

The Transcontinental is rated Sustained: it is for experienced riders in good physical shape. In Bolivia the road is mostly tarmac, with a little gravel towards Tupiza, but stages run up to 222 miles (358 km) and you ride mostly above 3,500 metres, reaching over 4,000 metres at Potosí. Altitude tires you as much as the riding, and arriving from Peru helps you adjust. Our one-day off-road training in France is good preparation for the rest of the trip.

UK passport holders can visit Bolivia for up to 90 days a year without a visa, with a passport valid for six months after arrival. Follow FCDO advice on entry stamps at the border, or you may be fined when you leave. Bring a 1949 International Driving Permit with your UK licence: Bolivia asks for it, and so do Argentina and Chile on the same trip. Other nationalities should check with their government. Everything else is in our help centre: Preparing your trip to Argentina.

You do not need a flight to Bolivia: the group rides in, from Peru along Lake Titicaca or from Argentina at Villazón. You book your flights to the start of the Transcontinental, Arequipa, usually via Lima, or Ushuaia, via Buenos Aires, and home from the other end. Airport transfers are not included: your adviser tells you what time to arrive.

The Transcontinental follows the main roads of the Altiplano, from Oruro to Sucre, Potosí and Uyuni. The real risks come from the road: altitude, long straights shared with lorries and buses, animals on the road, stages far from medical help, and at times roadblocks or fuel shortages. The group rides with a guide, a mechanic and a support vehicle, and our team answers 24/7 in an emergency. Before you go, read the FCDO travel advice for Bolivia, or your own government’s.

Yes, it is the highlight of the crossing. The Transcontinental spends two nights in Uyuni, one of them in a salt hotel, and keeps a day with no riding stage for the salar, the largest salt flat in the world, as far as Incahuasi Island and its giant cacti. Our crossings fall in the rainy season, when a thin layer of water can turn the salt into a mirror, and the team adapts the outing to conditions.