Goo North: Motorcycle trip from Ushuaia to Cartagena

Further north you reach the Perito Moreno National Park. You visit the famous glacier that pushes against a mountain ridge and behind it damming a huge lake until it finally breaks through. On this motorcycle crossing of South America, you experience one of the few ice fields that still flows forward.

On this day, you cross the Roballos Pass on your motorcycle tour and once again pass the border into Chile at a very small border station. The lonely path and the backdrop of the Andes make the crossing a highlight. Before you lies the Patagonian part of Chile with the famous Carretera Austral.

Today you will reach Lake General Carrera, the largest lake in the region. You will make a stop and visit the famous Marble Cathedrals by boat, whose caves have been shaped by the water over millennia. Afterwards, you will continue the motorcycle tour along deep blue lakes and rugged peaks.

On the famous adventure route Carretera Austral, you stop at a small national park where a hanging glacier can be seen. During a short hike to the glacier lake, you stretch your legs. This motorcycle expedition through South America follows the route that the Chileans have painstakingly built over the years.

After you leave the ship in Puerto Montt, the route becomes lonely and there are hardly any cars. Some sections are gravel roads, otherwise the road is well developed. From here, the volcanoes accompany you on your motorcycle tour, which you always have in sight on your right side.

It goes up the Andes to the Colbún Lagoon. From west to east you cross the mountains and pass the border into Argentina again. This Andean crossing is one of the most beautiful moments of your motorcycle trip across South America, before the land opens up to the vast Pampas.

Before the next marathon stage, you take a rest day in Mendoza. You visit a winery nearby and taste the Argentine Malbec wines. This relaxed day on your motorcycle trip invites you to catch your breath before continuing through deserts and along Dakar routes to the north.

Between Chilecito and Cafayate, you follow and cross paths of the Dakar Rally, which took place in South America from 2009 to 2019. You pass a rock massif called the Amphitheater and the so-called white desert. This Enduro expedition through South America goes over real rally tracks.

In Salta, you visit the Museum of High Altitude Archaeology with the children of Llullaillaco, three frozen Inca children from the 6,739 m high volcano Llullaillaco. The colonial city invites you to linger before your motorcycle tour rolls further towards the Bolivian border.

Today you cross the border from Argentina to Bolivia. After the formalities, the well-developed road takes you through large gorges and past extensive solar farms. Your motorcycle expedition through South America thus reaches the Altiplano, the high plateau between the mountain ranges of the Andes.

Today you reach the Salar de Uyuni, one of Bolivia's main attractions, with its islands, giant coral caves, and cacti. Even the Dakar has left a monument here. On this South America crossing by motorcycle, you will spend the night on the edge of the lake in a hotel with a heated pool.

You reach La Paz, one of the highest cities in the world. The lower you go from the Altiplano at 4,000 m into the valley, the more expensive the residential area becomes. On your motorcycle trip from Argentina to Colombia, you immerse yourself in the urban life of Bolivia and recharge your batteries.

You leave Lake Titicaca heading southwest towards Arequipa, which is called the white city due to its bright volcanic rock buildings. From here it is only about 125 km to the Pacific coast. Your motorcycle tour immerses you in the colonial architecture and the backdrop of the surrounding volcanoes.

In the Nazca Plain, you can view the world-famous Nazca Lines from the air during a round flight. The massive geoglyphs remain a mystery to this day. This motorcycle expedition through South America combines archaeological world knowledge with the thrill of a small plane over the desert.

Always along the coast you reach Lima. In the evening you try a typical ceviche on the Pacific coast. The capital of Peru marks the beginning of about 1,800 km crisscrossing the Andes. A good moment on your motorcycle tour to gather strength before the mountain stages.

Halfway to Trujillo, you leave the coast and ride up into the western Andes chain towards Huaraz. On this enduro expedition through South America, you will reach altitudes of 3,800 to 4,200 m at Pierina. The glaciated Cordillera Blanca accompanies you on narrow mountain roads.

In Trujillo, you visit the partially rebuilt adobe ruins of Chan Chan, the largest adobe city in the world. In the evening, you eat grilled fish in nearby Huanchaco. This entire South America motorcycle trip connects coastal culture with pre-Columbian history.

From Cajamarca you take a detour to Yanacocha, one of the largest and highest gold mines in South America at around 4,000 m. Over 10 tons of gold are mined here annually. Your motorcycle expedition through South America follows lonely mountain paths further north.

You reach Kuelap, the Machu Picchu of the north and one of the most important fortresses from the Inca era. At La Balza, you then cross the border into Ecuador. This highlight of your motorcycle tour connects powerful ruins walls with the fog forest of the Andes.

Behind Cuenca, the third largest city in Ecuador, you pass Ingapirca, the most important Inca site in the country. On this motorcycle trip through South America, you will explore the Sun Temple and the skilled stonework of the Incas before continuing north.

On the flanks of the volcanoes Cotopaxi (4,000 m) and Chimborazo (4,500 m) you reach the highest point of your entire motorcycle journey. The thin air and the glacial backdrop make this day of the Trans-South American route a true highlight, a summit moment on two wheels.

In Otavalo, you visit the largest indigenous market in South America, whose vibrancy and fabrics immediately captivate you. On this South America crossing by motorcycle, you come into direct contact with the culture of the Andean peoples before continuing to the thermal baths.