South America - routes and locations

[Rolando]

All geological eras exposed in one place! Ischigualasto Provincial Park, a UNESCO world heritage site in Argentina. Impressive spot and less-visited them other less interesting places. Check these perfectly spherical rocks! The name of this area is "bocce court". It's awesome!!!

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Beautiful pictures as always, Gustavo. You're not helping with my Fernweh ;-)

 

[Gustavo Amaral]

Beautiful pictures as always, Gustavo. You're not helping with my Fernweh ;-)

Tks Rolando! I hope you can hit the road ASAP! The PanAm route is "short" and fun! ;-)

 

[Rolando]

Tks Rolando! I hope you can hit the road ASAP! The PanAm route is "short" and fun! ;-)

Well, there will be some more time until then - 2 kids in college, in between switching jobs
(read: have success and establish yourself first), and then selling the house, etc etc. And I heard that learning Spanish would be helpful too ;-)

My guess is that it takes half a year to a year for the trip itself to not stress yourself out on the Pan-Am, a timeframe that wants to be planned.

But either way, keep the pictures coming :-)

And if you ever make it to North America, let me know...

 

[Gustavo Amaral]

Well, there will be some more time until then - 2 kids in college, in between switching jobs
(read: have success and establish yourself first), and then selling the house, etc. And I heard that learning Spanish would be helpful too ;-)

My guess is that it takes half a year to a year for the trip itself to not stress yourself out on the Pan-Am, a timeframe that wants to be planned.

But either way, keep the pictures coming :-)

And if you ever make it to North America, let me know...

hahahah
You are in advance of me! Of our two, only one in college! We visit your country a feel times, but never to overland. One day we will hit the road to see how far Alaska is from here! ;-) Until there, we will be visiting our amazing South America! We keep in touch!

 

[Gustavo Amaral]

Conguillío National Park (Chile). Inside there is the Llaima volcano. One of the most active volcanoes in Chile. On 01/01/2008 (last eruption) it spat a 3.000m column of smoke, displacing entire communities that live around them. Thos pictures were taken exactly 12 years after that (on (01/01/2020). It's an amazing spot, with nices campgrounds.

 

[Gustavo Amaral]

Those places that you arrive with low expectations and be surprised by the scenery and Nature (Los Alerces National Park, Argentina). I highly recommend for a few nights. (on the 3rd. pic is a beaver swimming)

 

[scott17818]

cool, goals for me.. still stuck in the Northeast USA here... but I have driven across country.. Maine to Texas, and back again..

 

[Gustavo Amaral]

cool, goals for me.. still stuck in the Northeast USA here... but I have driven across country.. Maine to Texas, and back again..

Cool! A long-distance road trip is always a therapy. I enjoy a lot this kind of trip.

 

[Gustavo Amaral]

Some views from Carretera Austral (Chile). Certainly, one of the most scenic roads in South America.

 

[Gustavo Amaral]

It's a touristy place, but it must be visited! "Capillas del Marmól" (marble chapels), Puerto Río Tranquilo, Chile (Carretera Austral). I highly recommend you visit it early morning!

 

[El-Dracho]

Wow, beautiful pictures of stunning landscapes. Thanks for sharing!

Gustavo, Could you tell more about the current situation in South America, please? Any indication that things are gradualy moving upwards? When do you think overlanding South America would be possible again? I like more to rely on poeple like you who are onsite than folliwng the media, you know.

Thank you!

 

[Gustavo Amaral]

Wow, beautiful pictures of stunning landscapes. Thanks for sharing!

Gustavo, Could you tell more about the current situation in South America, please? Any indication that things are gradualy moving upwards? When do you think overlanding South America would be possible again? I like more to rely on poeple like you who are onsite than folliwng the media, you know.

Thank you!

Hi Bjoern,
I agree. I trust more in local people them media!
Here in Brazil, you can travel by land without difficulties, even tho some of the best places to overland are closed (National Parks, etc.). I don't recommend you come to South America now. Argentine and Chile are closed and, if I'm not mistaken, all South America borders (except Brazil) are closed too. Maybe next year all things are better. If you will come to SA, fell free to contact me for tips, routes, etc. It will be a pleasure to help you with your plans!

 

[Alanymarce]

Looks like a great trip. How much of it was dirt tracks versus paved highway? Any must see places more towards the west coast of Chile? I am keeping a bucket list of places to check out when we do the panam in a few years.
Jason

I suggest that you stay off the Panamericana - it's often boring, has a lot of slow truck traffic, and lots of loose bolts, nails, etc., to puncture your tyres. Use the minor roads, get into the sierras and deserts, and if you go far enough, into the rain forest. This is not a blanket recommendation - there are interesting cities, towns, and other places to visit, and some parts of the highway offer great scenery, however if you want to experience the continent spend a lot more of your time off the Panamericana than on.

 

[Alanymarce]

Wow, beautiful pictures of stunning landscapes. Thanks for sharing!

Gustavo, Could you tell more about the current situation in South America, please? Any indication that things are gradualy moving upwards? When do you think overlanding South America would be possible again? I like more to rely on poeple like you who are onsite than folliwng the media, you know.

Thank you!

As Gustavo says - it's not possible to travel the majority of South America right now. For example, we're not allowed out of our home for anything other than essential purposes - food, medical, other essntials. Some people are permitted to travel by road but need an authorisation letter stating the "essential purpose of travel". Borders are closed, parks are closed, museums are closed. Overlanding is not even remotely possible. More to the point, Covid-19 is peaking all over SA; personally I wouldn't think of any travel yet.

 

[Gustavo Amaral]

Looks like a great trip. How much of it was dirt tracks versus paved highway? Any must see places more towards the west coast of Chile? I am keeping a bucket list of places to check out when we do the panam in a few years.
Jason

I suggest that you stay off the Panamericana - it's often boring, has a lot of slow truck traffic, and lots of loose bolts, nails, etc., to puncture your tyres. Use the minor roads, get into the sierras and deserts, and if you go far enough, into the rain forest. This is not a blanket recommendation - there are interesting cities, towns, and other places to visit, and some parts of the highway offer great scenery, however if you want to experience the continent spend a lot more of your time off the Panamericana than on.

I agree 100%!

 

[El-Dracho]

Thank your guys for all the useful information. Let´s see how the situation evolves in the next months.

 

[Gustavo Amaral]

Base Camp to access the Cerro Castilho (Carretera Austral), Chile. Awesome hiking until the lagoon!

 

[Paula - Canadian Explorer]

Base Camp to access the Cerro Castilho (Carretera Austral), Chile. Awesome hiking until the lagoon!
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Oi Gustavo! Beautiful pics. Great camp setting you have there. Thanks for rerouting me to this forum. Loved it! Keep it coming! Stay safe

 

[Gustavo Amaral]

Looking for a nice place to sleep… This road, around Carretera Austral (Chile), was perfect with a small dream beach…

 

[El-Dracho]

Looking for a nice place to sleep… This road, around Carretera Austral (Chile), was perfect with a small dream beach…View attachment 174540View attachment 174541View attachment 174542View attachment 174543

Beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing!!!