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Your trip summary, Transcontinental: Arequipa-Ushuaia
Adventure Tour
Motorcycle trip Argentina

Transcontinental: Arequipa-Ushuaia

46 days · 6,524 miles 13290 €
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Vintage Rides → Motorcycle Tours → South America → Argentina → Transcontinental: Arequipa-Ushuaia
Jean Louis
Your motorcycle expert
Jean Louis
Jean-Louis is a Frenchman who fell in love with Peru… and a Peruvian woman. Having lived in Arequipa for 10 years, he pursues his passion for motorcycling every day and enjoys welcoming riders to his home to share his love of the country and the open road.
On the agenda

Embark on a unique motorcycle adventure across South America. In 46 days, this transcontinental expedition brings together the very essence of a Peru motorcycle tours, a grand Chile motorcycle tour, and an Argentina motorcycle tour in one unforgettable odyssey. Crossing borders, you will explore breathtaking landscapes: Andean volcanoes, salt lagoons, salt deserts, and impressive glaciers. Between mythical roads and remote tracks, you will experience the authentic local cultures, from perched villages to traditional markets, while challenging your machine on legendary routes like Ruta 40 or Carretera Austral. A total crossing, designed for lovers of wide-open spaces. The same expedition also runs south to north, from Ushuaia to Arequipa.

Transcontinental: Arequipa-Ushuaia

Your trip summary

46 stages - 6,524 miles
AREQUIPA to LAKE TITICACA (Peru) Stage 1/5 9 days, 857 miles* including 236 miles Off Road
AREQUIPA to LAKE TITICACA (Peru)

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.

From LLACHON (Peru) to SALTA (Argentina) Stage 2/5 9 days, 1,330 miles* including 87 miles Off Road
From LLACHON (Peru) to SALTA (Argentina)

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.

From SALTA (Argentina) to CARACAUTIN (Chile): Stage 3/5 9 days, 1,678 miles* including 155 miles Off Road
From SALTA (Argentina) to CARACAUTIN (Chile):

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.

From CARACAUTIN (Chile) to P. RIO TRANQUILO (Chile) Stage 4/5 9 days, 1,181 miles* including 308 miles Off Road
From CARACAUTIN (Chile) to P. RIO TRANQUILO (Chile)

The adventure resumes in Conguillío National Park, where our motorcycles wind along a black ash track between ancient araucaria trees, under the watchful eye of the Llaima volcano. After crossing the Argentine border towards Villa Pehuenia, we reach the Seven Lakes region. Between asphalt and ocher dust, we skirt crystal-clear lakes like Lake Moquehue and its raw forests to reach San Martín de los Andes, just in time for an asado with the locals.

Resuming the track, the panoramas unfold: the Lanín volcano dominates the horizon, while emerald lakes like Meliquina pass by before the descent to Bariloche. Patagonia becomes more alpine, almost European, and a welcome break allows us to skirt Lake Nahuel Huapi, stroll through the town, and savor chocolates and craft beers. Heading south again towards Esquel, we cross national parks with ancient cypress trees and turquoise lakes, before re-entering Chile via Futaleufú, where deep canyons and abundant rivers contrast radically with the Argentine pampa.

We then begin the mythical Carretera Austral in Puyuhuapi, a thermal village nestled in a fjord surrounded by hanging glaciers and waterfalls. Ruta 7 leads us through Queulat National Park and fishing villages to Puerto Aysén, a small port with colorful houses overlooking misty bays. Finally, the road becomes spectacular towards Puerto Río Tranquilo, on the shores of Lake General Carrera. There, a boat trip to the Marble Cathedrals reveals a labyrinth of natural caves with bluish reflections, the ultimate recharge before the last section of the journey.

Day 28: Caracautin-Chile → Villa Pehuenia-Argentina - 83 miles (including Off Road: 34 miles) 
Day 29: Villa Pehuenia → San Martin de los Andes - 158 miles (including Off Road: 50 miles) 
Day 30: San Martin de los Andes → Bariloche - 236 miles (including Off Road: 62 miles) 
Day 31: Bariloche → Bariloche - 0 miles 
Day 32: Bariloche → Esquel - 216 miles 
Day 33: Esquel-Argentina → Puyuhuapi-Chile - 152 miles (including Off Road: 56 miles) 
Day 34: Puyuhuapi → Puerto Aysen - 165 miles (including Off Road: 43 miles) 
Day 35: Puerto Aysen → Puerto Rio Tranquilo - 173 miles (including Off Road: 62 miles) 
Day 36: Puerto Rio Tranquilo → Puerto Rio Tranquilo - 0 miles.

From P. RIO TRANQUILO (Chile) to USHUAIA (Argentina): Stage 5/5 9 days, 1,348 miles* including 360 miles Off Road
From P. RIO TRANQUILO (Chile) to USHUAIA (Argentina):

We leave Puerto Río Tranquilo for the Paso Roballo border, a “no man’s land” of demanding tracks swept by winds. Back in Argentina, between herds of guanacos and large blue lakes, we reach Lago Posadas. The road to Gobernador Gregores brings us back to the mythical Ruta 40, where we face the challenge of the “Malditos 73”: 45 miles of unstable gravel and crosswinds that put our machines to the test.

The reward appears on the horizon: the summit of Fitz Roy tearing through the clouds at the majestic entrance to El Chaltén, where we enjoy a break in the heart of Los Glaciares National Park. The adventure resumes towards El Calafate, following in the footsteps of Butch Cassidy along Lago Argentino, to the visual shock of the Perito Moreno glacier, a roaring 197-foot high wall of ice.

Skirting Torres del Paine Park, we reach Puerto Natales, the last Chilean passage before entering Tierra del Fuego. After crossing the Strait of Magellan by ferry to Porvenir, we traverse wind-twisted forests and dark peat bogs. Finally, Ushuaia emerges between the mountains and the Beagle Channel. At the end of Ruta 3, in Tierra del Fuego National Park, we turn off our engines facing Antarctica.

This 45-day odyssey ends here, at the southernmost point of the globe, sealing an extraordinary human and mechanical adventure.

Day 37: Puerto Rio Tranquilo-Chile → Lago Posadas-Argentina - 146 miles (including Off Road: 146 miles) 
Day 38: Lago Posadas → Estancia La Angostura - 167 miles (including Off Road: 45 miles) 
Day 39: Estancia La Angostura → Chalten - 183 miles (including Off Road: 45 miles) 
Day 40: Chalten → El Caladate - 224 miles 
Day 41: El Calafate - 0 miles  
Day 42: El Calafate-Argentina → Torres del Paine-Chile - 179 miles (including Off Road: 25 miles) 
Day 43: Torres del Paine-Chile → Puerto Natales - 53 miles 
Day 44: Puerto Natales → Porvenir - 177 miles 
Day 45: Porvenir-Chile → Estancia Harberton-Argentina - 271 miles (including Off Road: 78 miles) 
Day 46: Estancia Harberton → Ushuaia - 47 miles.

Price
From 13290,00 € / rider
The price includes The price does not include

  • A Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 motorcycle

  • An English-speaking motorcycle guide (on riding days).

  • A support vehicle for assistance and equipment transport with driver and mechanic. The vehicle can accommodate 1 motorcycle passenger when truly necessary

  • Meals (estimated $47 /day)

  • Fuel (estimated $18 /day)

  • Entrance fees to parks, museums, and other historical sites (approximately $342 for Machu Picchu)

Book with peace of mind

  • Payment : A 50% deposit when you book and the balance 45 days before departure, by secure online payment. A $41 registration fee applies to your first trip with us only. Learn more
  • Cancellation : Fees depend on the date, from 15% of the price more than 60 days before departure to 100% less than 8 days before, plus handling fees. Learn more
  • Insurance : Medical and repatriation insurance is mandatory. Bring your own policy or take our partner's, at $24 per day. Learn more
  • Riding gear : Helmets and riding gear are not provided. Bring a DOT or ECE approved helmet, jacket, gloves and boots. Learn more
  • Traveling solo : You share a twin room with another participant, or book a single room for a supplement, subject to availability. Learn more
Important
Documents requested :
International motorcycle license if necessary
Motorcycle Driving License
Passport valid for the whole trip
Valid Visa, if required

This expedition is for experienced riders: about 6,500 miles over 34 riding days, roughly 60% good roads, 25% damaged roads and 15% tracks, with some very technical stages (up to 145 miles of track in a day) and passes above 14,700 ft. Breakfast is included; lunch and dinner are paid locally. Passengers welcome. An International Driving Permit is required.

Some stages are far from medical facilities: first aid and transport to the nearest medical center rely mainly on our support vehicle, as helicopters and ambulances are rare, and phone coverage can be patchy. As on any adventure route, road conditions depend on the weather during and before the trip.

Transcontinental Arequipa to Ushuaia: your questions

What is the Transcontinental, and how is it different from your other South America tours?

It is our biggest tour: 46 days from Arequipa, in Peru, to Ushuaia, in Tierra del Fuego, through Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile, in five long sections. It strings together Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, the Uyuni salt flat, Ruta 40, the Carretera Austral, Fitz Roy and the Perito Moreno glacier. Inca Treasures and Andean Peaks and Patagonia: Volcanoes and Lakes cover part of it in two weeks. The return Transcontinental runs the other way.

What riding level do I need, and what is the pace over 46 days?

The tour is rated Sustained: it is for experienced riders in good physical shape. You ride about 6,525 miles over 34 riding days, from 47 to almost 310 miles a stage, with about 15% on dirt roads and a few very technical days, up to 146 miles of dirt on the Paso Roballo. Rest days come back regularly, in Uyuni, Salta, Bariloche or El Calafate. The stages are far from medical help: the support vehicle follows the group.

How does the altitude work?

The tour starts in Arequipa, at 7,550 ft, and climbs onto the Altiplano on the first day. The first weeks are often spent above 11,480 ft, around Cusco, Lake Titicaca and Potosí, with passes up to 15,420 ft: acclimatization is essential. Arriving in Arequipa a day early helps: ask your travel advisor about the extra night. Drink plenty and talk to your doctor about altitude before you go (our health tips for Peru).

Which motorcycle will I ride, and who leads the group?

A Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, serviced by our mechanic. The group rides with an English-speaking motorcycle tour leader and a support 4x4 with a driver, which carries the luggage and the spare parts. The group is limited to 10 motorcycles (12 participants with passengers).

Can I bring a passenger?

Yes, if the rider is already used to riding two-up on dirt roads and in the mountains: 46 days is long for the rider and the passenger alike. The support vehicle can take the passenger when it is really needed. The tour costs $15,690 per rider and $6,990 per passenger. Talk to your travel advisor before booking.

How much does it cost, and what should I budget for on top?

$15,690 per rider and $6,990 per passenger. The price includes the motorcycle, the team, the support vehicle, hotels with breakfast, border crossing permits and the mandatory motorcycle insurance. Unlike our other tours, meals (about $47 a day) and gas (about $18 a day) are on you, as are entrance fees (about $342 for Machu Picchu), flights, tips and a $708 deposit per motorcycle.

What documents do I need for the border crossings?

You cross the borders between Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile several times. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after arrival. Entry rules for US citizens, Bolivia in particular, have changed recently: check the country pages on travel.state.gov before you book, and your travel advisor will confirm the formalities. In Bolivia, make sure you get an entry stamp. We require an International Driving Permit from AAA to enter Chile with the motorcycle, and satellite phones are not allowed. We handle the motorcycle border permits. Details are in our list of documents.

How do I get to Arequipa and back from Ushuaia?

The tour starts in Arequipa and ends in Ushuaia, and you book your own flights. Most flights to Arequipa go via Lima, where you collect your luggage: allow at least 3 to 4 hours for the connection. Ushuaia airport is linked to Buenos Aires; Argentinian airlines often limit checked luggage to 33 lb (15 kg). To arrive earlier or stay longer, ask your travel advisor about the options.

When does the tour run, and what is the weather like?

The tour leaves in early January and reaches Ushuaia in late February, during the southern summer. There is one departure a year, often full well in advance: places are shown on this page, and your travel advisor can tell you the next dates. The weather varies a lot from one region to the next: cold and wind at altitude, humidity in the Amazon and in Patagonia, strong winds in the south. Bring several warm layers and rain gear.

Where do we stay?

In standard to comfort hotels, with a few simpler nights in remote villages and one night in a salt hotel in Uyuni. If you travel alone, a single room costs about $40 a night, paid locally, but it is not guaranteed in every hotel. The support vehicle carries your luggage: bring a soft duffel bag rather than a hard suitcase.

Argentina
Transcontinental: Arequipa-Ushuaia
50% deposit
Cancellation and postponement with conditions
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