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Ride To Ushuaia & Tierra del Fuego & The End Of The World |
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Part Of The "Bad As You Want To Be" Series |
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Click On The Above Country Flags To Take You To That Country's Section / Click On Above Map Images For Interactive Google Map Below |
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Ride Planning (GPX File) The Gear Spotwalla Tracking Weather |
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Ride to The End Of The World Planning To Start In January 2027 Now that Mike and I have ridden to the End Of The Road in Yaviza, Panama where the Darien Gap starts along with two other rides to Central America and Panama including The Greatest Pizza Run Ever ride to the Brooklyn Pizza Co in Guatemala ( click here for information about those rides ) it's time to start the planning for our ride to Ushuaia,Tierra del Fuego and the End Of The World! I created this webpage to help us plan for our ride to Tierra del Fuego to be sure that we take care of everything that is need's to be completed before we fly in to Bogota, Colombia and start our ride to Tierra del Fuego National Park. Also as a future reference for others who may want to ride Tierra del Fuego in South America. There is a lot of detailed information below with my plans and country specific routes and country requirements. Keep checking back here as I will be continuing to add more information about our ride to Tierra del Fuego as it gets closer. |
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I have been wanting to ride to Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego for many years and I have been working on planning the ride for over five years. This has been a big dream for me and now that I have ridden to the End Of The Road in Panama its time to ride tot he End Of The World! I have convinced Mike that this is a going to be a great ride and he is on board for the big adventure on big adventure motorcycles, BMW GSA's. Our only real goal of this ride it to ride to the end of the world and the southern most city, Ushuaia and then Tierra del Fuego. We do not really have any other things we want to do but we will be stopping at some of the cool sights along our route as time permits. We only have so much time available to do this ride as both Mike and I still work full time and really have limited time to be away. So, we are planning a fast ride south and then on to Buenos Aires to ship the motorcycles back to the US. We have a pretty aggressive riding plan ( see daily ride plan below ) and that is one of the reasons I am working out all of the logistics now so when we hit the road in Bogota we are ready to ride hard and far. I know a lot of people say you need a couple months to do this ride but we don't have a couple months but we still want to ride to the End Of The World! So, don't get to upset at us for wanting to reach our goal. We do have a lot of experience of riding in Mexico, Central America all the way to the End Of The Road in Yaviza, Panama. I have ridden south of the Mexico border for over 25,000 miles and Mike and I have twice in the last 3 years ridden from Texas to Panama in less than 78 hours ( 3 days, 6 hours ). Getting our motorcycles to South America is the most expensive part of the ride. There are a few options, one to fly the motorcycles to Colombia from Miami, FL as air freight which is very expensive, $3,400 for each motorcycle. A second option is to ship the motorcycles by ship which is about $1,500 per motorcycle, much cheaper way but no guarantee of when it will arrive in Colombia and clearing customs in Cartagena takes many days and can be a difficult process. The third option is to ride to Panama City, Panama and ship to Bogota from there which cost around $1,000 per motorcycle. So we have decided that we are going to ride to Panama and ship from here. It will add 7 days to the trip but the cost savings is around $2,400 for each of us, so $4,800 total. That is more than we will spend together riding from Bogota, Colombia to Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego and then on to Buenos Aires, Argentina. I will update here if we find more information or change our mind. Shipping Motorcycle To Colombia So I have been looking at options to get my motorcycle to Colombia and my first choice is to fly it from Miami, FL to Bogota, Colombia. This is getting to be expensive the more I wait and I am trying to keep the cost down so I can afford to do the ride. One option we have is to ride our motorcycles to Panama City, Panama and ship the motorcycle from there where cost is much more acceptable, around $1,000. This would save us about $2,400 per motorcycle so not chump change, butwe need 5 days to ride to Panama City. Companies That Ship By Airfreight From USA Or Panama To Colombia Or Back To The USA
The current planned route is 8,000 miles and has us starting in Bogota, Colombia and ending in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Our planned route will take us through a lot of the larger cities in South America including Quito, Lima and Santiago. We will not be riding in Venezuela as it is still very dangerous but it is getting better. We may take the time to ride to into Bolivia and go as far as La Paz, Boliva which is widely recognized as the highest capital city in the world, with its center sitting at approximately 3,650 meters (11,975 ft.) above sea level, and then turn around and ride back to the Pan American Highway entering Chile and continuing south. If we ride to Bolivia it will add around 400 miles and an extra day and then the ride will be 8,400 miles. Plans To Stay Safe And Prepared We will be registering with the US State Department Smart Traveler Enrollment Program ( STEP ). This program allows you to register your trip with the US State Department so that they can notify you of important information from the Embassy about safety conditions in your destination country, helping you make informed decisions about your travel plans. Help the U.S. Embassy contact you in an emergency, whether natural disaster, civil unrest, or family emergency. Help family and friends get in touch with you in an emergency. We have a medical transport insurance called MedJet Assist that provides hospital to hospital transportation on an air ambulance or other means. we also have the motorcycle shipping option that will handle shipping my motorcycle back home if I am transported by MedJet. For this ride to South America I am upgrading my MedJet service to what I call MedJet Black. It is really called MedJet Horizon and with the upgrade to Horizon I get the following additional services ( travel security and crisis response services benefits powered by corporate security experts FocusPoint International ) that at least make my wife and me feel a little more secure knowing I will have some additional help if I need it. This is the current planned cities along my route of course things can change depending on fuel range, border crossings and other types of incidents. An interactive Google map of my route is below is below.
Bad As You Want To Be - End Of the Road - Yaviza, Panama On our ride last ride to Central America and the End Of The Road at Yaviza, Panama where the Darien Gap starts I rode 9,000 miles round trip from Fort Lauderdale, FL on my 2024 BMW R1250 GSA and I think it was a great choice with its all around capabilities. I had no issues with the GSA and it performed great! I will be riding this same motorcycle to Tierra del Fuego from Colombia. The GSA should be able to handle all the different types of roads I will encounter. In April 2023 I rode 8,100 miles my 2023 BMW R1250 RT ( yes a RT ) from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Costa Rica in Central America and back to Fort Lauderdale, FL. I had no issues even though I rode the RT like a ADV motorcycle. On my first ride to Panama and the Panama Canal in April 2022 I rode 8,700 miles round trip from Fort Lauderdale, FL on my 2019 BMW R1250 GSA and other than the flat on the rear tire in Guatemala the GSA performed great. Obviously I have done a few modifications that help me be a ride farther, longer and more comfortable. The changes I made make me be a better long distance endurance rider. Many of the modifications listed below will come in handy on this ride to Tierra del Fuego and give me a better chance of completing this ride successfully. My motorcycle is well prepared for rides like this so I do not expect any issues related to my motorcycle. I performed a full maintenance including valve check and the drive shaft spline check prior to the ride. Fo my rides to Panama and The End Of The Road I had the floolowing the ride and I have been building this list that is still growing. Here is a list of items we will be carrying that I feel is about the minimum needed to be able to get us back on the road.
Tires I am going to be running a the best rear tire that gets the most mileage which is going to be a Dunlop TrailMax Mission on the rear. I normally get around 10,000+ miles out of a motorcycle rear tire but I know many riders who have beene getting 15,000+ on the Dunlop TrailMax so hopefully I can make the trip with out needing a tire change. On the front I normally get around 12,000+ miles so I should be good there.
Electronics I have a lot of electronics on my motorcycle that help me keep informed and headed in the right direction. This includes multiple GPS, weather and weather radar, radar detector, night vision thermal camera along with other electronics. It takes a elaborate audio mixer system to get all of this information into my helmet as I do not want to take my eyes off the road when I can hear it in my helmet. I have multiple Garmin GPS's ( Garmin Zumo XT and RV 890 ) mounted on the handlebar and the cross bar behind the windscreen. My Garmin GPS's are loaded with 2023 Garmin South America Maps. You can also use free maps that are Garmin GPS compatible from Open Street Maps. Here is a link to the website. http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ I will running Google maps on my Verizon cell phone mounted on the left handlebar. I also have a backup phone that is a Google Fi phone with service in Central America. With Google maps and my two Garmin GPS's I should hopefully not get lost. I have a satellite based tracking device ( SPOT 4 ) also mounted on the dash that will show my tracking location every 5 minutes ( see Spotwalla map link below ) and when I stop for border crossings, hotels or gas stops I will mark the locations with a SPOT OK message. I am going to be using a GoPro camera to take video of as much of the ride as possible. I am hoping to get some good video of the border crossings and the roads and towns I will be passing through. I also want to try and remember to video the border crossings to share for future riders making the trip. AUX Lights and AUX Tank I have installed Sevina AUX lights from Clearwater Lights that will light up the night when ever I am riding through the night. They also add a lot of conspicuity to be seen in the day time. I have a 3.4 gallon AUX tank built by Boyd Welding mounted over the passenger seat that will give me a total of 11.2 gallons of gas that should provide me a 400+ mile range. When I rode to the Panama Canal last year I had no problem finding gas and from what I have heard and read that should be the same in South America. I am identifing gas stations in all of the countries I will be riding through. There seems to be gas stations near most of the border crossings and I have used Google maps street view to check them out. Other Gear I have Aerostich tank panniers that are mounted on the left passenger foot peg that I have tools and supplies stored in. On the right passenger foot peg I have a 1 gallon jug for water mounted with a Garauld hydration system mount. The 1 gallon jug usually last me about 20 hours and keeps the water cold for about the same 20 hours. This is a nice way to carry things low on the motorcycle to keep the center of gravity low. I have a large tank bag by SW-Motech that I can carry things I need to get to while riding including snacks to keep me going. I also store some electronics in a box in the SW-Motech tank bag. I have a pretty elaborate audio mixer setup in the tank bag to mix the audio from multiple devices like my Garmin RV890 GPS and my radar detector. I am carrying two First Aid kits with different items in each to be sure I can take care of pretty much any thing that comes up. Riding Gear The first thing I put on before anything else is my LDComfort underwear / base layer as this is what keeps me comfortable in all types of weather from damn hot to freezing cold. LDComfort really does a great job of transferring the moisture away and keeping me dry. I have been wearing LDComfort gear for over 15 years and I can't find anything better. I wear Aerostich Darien Hi-Viz jacket and Aerostich AD1 pants that will keep me safe and dry throughout the ride. This setup works well and is comfortable enough that I may not take them off for 3 days at a time. I also wear TCX Gore-Tex boots that keep my feet dry and well protected. Tierra del Fuego Ride Planning I started planning this ride to go along with my ride to Panama years ago. I have always wanted to ride from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego but because of work I have had to break this ride up into multiple rides. I rode to northern Alaska in the summer of 2012, Panama in April of 2022 and March of 2025 and now I want to complete the ride by riding to Tierra del Fuego. I have a lot of information that I have used to help make this ride successful. If you are interested in riding in South America to Tierra del Fuego the information below should be helpful. Now that I have ridden to Panama and nothing happened it was easier to convince the wife that riding to Tierra del Fuego would be safe. It did take some convincing but I was able to prove that I could do this ride safely. Before you decide to head south to Tierra del Fuego you should review the US State Department Travel Advisories, here is the link. Travel Advisories (state.gov) No countries in South America currently have COVID-19 entry requirements (checked as of May 2026). All nations in the region — including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, etc. — have removed requirements for proof of vaccination, negative tests, or health declarations related to COVID-19. Fees are generally low/minimal for tourists/motorcycles (often free for TIPs and immigration). Expect minor administrative costs, photocopies, or transport. Always check real-time via iOverlander, recent rider reports, or official sites, as rules change. Arrive early, be patient, and polite. SOAT (Seguro Obligatorio de Accidentes de Tránsito) is mandatory third-party bodily injury insurance in certain South American countries. It primarily covers medical expenses, disability, death benefits, and sometimes funeral costs for victims of traffic accidents (including the driver, passengers, pedestrians, and others), regardless of fault. It is not full vehicle insurance — it does not cover damage to your own vehicle, the other vehicle, or property. For that, you need separate (optional) liability or comprehensive coverage Which Countries Is SOAT Required? Colombia: Strongly mandatory for all vehicles on public roads (including foreign-plated ones). Police check it frequently. Peru: Mandatory for all vehicles, including foreign ones. Very important — driving without it can lead to fines and vehicle immobilization. Other countries: Not called SOAT or not required in the same way. Ecuador generally has no mandatory insurance requirement for foreign vehicles (and it's hard/impossible to buy local coverage). Some southern countries (e.g., Argentina, Chile, Brazil) use different systems like SOAP, Mercosur insurance, or Carta Verde for third-party coverage. List Of REQUIRED Items
All of the countries have some fees you have to pay to enter the country. They are not expensive but they do add up. Some are less but I think it is better to be prepared so I can shorten the time it takes to complete a border crossing. Ecuador ‘s requirements for visas and border crossings are among the easiest in South America. Generally, the whole continent is relatively easy to travel in: for US citizens, the only two countries that require visa fees are Bolivia and Brazil. Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Argentina are visa-free for 90 to 180 days depending on the country I am going to arrange to have local currency for each country so I can pay the fees at border crossings. Many banks will do this for you if you give them about a weeks notice. Also there are some online companies that sell foreign currency and mail it to your house. I am going to try and NOT use any border helpers as I have heard that it only makes it harder for travelers who are following you. Also you never know what will happen to your paper work. Here are the current border crossings I plan to use and the times they are open. I need to plan my ride to arrive at each border when they are open. I do not want to be hanging around for long periods of time while waiting for the border to open.
South America GPX File Download Link: South America Ride GPX File Currently Planned Itinerary - Bogota To Ushuaia & Tierra del Fuego
Two Options To Ship Motorcycles To USA Ride to Buenos Aires, Argentina and ship by airfreight to USA, $2,600, or ride to Punta Arenas, Chile and ship from there, $3,250. Riding to Buenos Aires is 2,000 miles and will take about four days to get to the airport hotel to get the motorcycles prepared for shipping. This option is about $500 cheaper than riding to Punta Arenas, 300 miles, and shipping from there. If you ship from Punta Arenas the motorcycles are loaded on a truck and driven to either Santiago, Chile or Buenos Aires, Argentina to be airfreighted back to the USA. If you ship from Punta Arenas it will save three days of riding which would give us more time in Ushuaia & Tierra del Fuego. Also the option of shipping from Punta Arenas saves gas and hotel cost. Country Specific Information Below are some specific information that I found for each country. Each country has there own specific requirements and they may change at any time. What you need at a minimum to ride in Colombia. Border Operations - Banjército Allende/Piedras Negras: 24 Hours Google Map Link To Colombia Customs: Keep TVIP / TIP Open: Yes
The route through Colombia is starting in Bogota. Google Map Link For Route In Colombia - Colombia Route Colombia Border Crossing Fees
Photo Of Colombia Customs - Google Street View I am not sure yet if I am shipping my motorcycle by air or ship so I am not sure where I will be entering Colombia. Either way I will be using an agent to handle all of the customs and immigration requirements including obtaining vehicle insurance ( SOAT ) for my motorcycle. You can speed up the TIP process by uploading your documents here before going to Columbia. What you need at a minimum to cross into Ecuador. Border Operations - 24 Hours Google Map Link To Ecuador Customs: Rumichaca International Bridge Keep TVIP / TIP Open: Yes
Google Map Link For Route In Ecuador - Ecuador Route Ecuador Border Crossing Fees
Best practice: Canceling Your Ecuador TIP (Critical for Southbound) Stop at the SENAE customs office about 5 km before the actual border bridge in Huaquillas to cancel the TIP. Many travelers strongly recommend this to avoid having to backtrack if they tell you at the border that it must be done first. facebook.com Hours for TIP cancellation: Daytime business hours are much more reliable (typically 8 AM – 5/6 PM). Late-night or very early attempts often result in having to wait until morning. Step-by-Step Process at Rumichaca (Colombia → Ecuador)Cross the bridge into Ecuador (Tulcán side).
Ecuador ‘s requirements for visas and border crossings are among the easiest in South America. Ecuador has a fairly hassle-free entry system, and even the smaller border posts are usually fast and efficient. Currently there are no costs associated with crossing this border. Exiting Ecuador is pretty easy as entering: get your exit stamp, then go to the aduana office and hand your TVIP in. Normally, the whole process takes about 15 minutes. Ecuador does not require you to buy local ( SOAT ) insurance. Also Ecuador does not require you to have any vaccinations to enter the country except for COVID vaccine. Drive across the bridge from Colombia and take a right. Crossed the main highway and park on the left side of the road near the rock/dirt wall. Go to Migracion which is now on the right inside portion of the building. Once you enter turn to the right and get in the line on the right side of the lobby. I have read and heard that Ecuador is one of the most peaceful and safest countries in South America, but do be careful with your valuables in bigger cities just as you would anywhere else.
Photo Of The Ecuador Border Crossing - Google Street View What you need at a minimum to cross into Peru. Border Operations - 24 Hours Google Map Link To Ecuador Customs: Puente Internacional Perú - Ecuador
Google Map Link For Route In Peru - Peru Route
I will be entering Peru at the El Alamor, Peru border crossing. Longitudinal Axis PE-1 (Spanish: Eje longitudinal PE-1), commonly known as the Pan-American Highway (Spanish: Carretera Panamericana), is the most important highway in Peru, forming part of the larger Pan-American Highway. It is one of three roads that cross the country from north to south, connecting the country's border with Ecuador with Bolivia and Chile.
Photo Of The Peru Border Crossing - Google Street View What you need at a minimum to cross into Bolivia. Border Operations - Bolivia - Chile Border: ??? Google Map Link To Bolivia Customs: Controles integrados BOLIVIA -PERU Keep TVIP / TIP Open: Yes
The route through Bolivia is ??? mile which should be around ??? Google Map Link To Route In Bolivia - TBD Bolivia Border Crossing Fees
I will be entering Bolivia at the Guaqui, Bolivia Controles integrados BOLIVIA -PERU border crossing.
Photo Of The Bolivia Border Crossing - Google Street View What you need at a minimum to cross into Chile.
Border Operations - Chacalluta Border Complex Google Map Link For Route In Chile - Chile Route
The Chacalluta Border Complex (connecting Peru and Chile) operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, allowing travelers to obtain the Título de Importación Temporal de Vehículos (TITV) or Temporary Import Permit (TIP) at any time. Route 5 is Chile's longest route Part of the Pan-American Highway, Ruta National 5 is said to be Chile's longest route. It's a notoriously dangerous drive filled with deep valleys, steep drops, and desert. How long is Ruta Nacional 5 in Chile? Chile Highway 5, or Route 5, is 3,337 km (2073 miles) long, running north-south from the Peruvian border near Arica (a port city in the northern part of the country) to Quellón (a port city in southern Chiloé Island). Four tunnels are part of Route 5: El Melón, La Calavera I, La Calavera II, and Angostura.
Photo Of The Chile Border Crossing - Google Street View
What you need at a minimum to cross into Argentian. Border Operations - ??? Google Map Link To Argentina Customs: Keep TVIP / TIP Open: ???
Important Argentina Land Entry Process - Currently Required The route through Argentina is ??? miles . Google Map Link For Route In Argentina - Argentina Route Google Map Link For Route From Southern Argentina To Ushuaia - Route To Ushuaia Argentina Border Crossing Fees
Photo Of The Argentina Border Crossing - Google Street View I hear ???.
Photo Of The Argentina Border Crossing - Google Street View Right now my idea is ??? Roads In Argentina On My Route
Argentina Border Crossing Fees
We have to take a ferry on Highway 257 on the Punta Delgada- Bahía Azul ferry.
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Interactive Maps Below |
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Below are three interactive maps Google route map, Spotwalla tracking map and weather map. Route Map The Google route map and the Spotwalla tracking map allow you to zoom in and out using the + and - buttons in the bottom right of the maps and you can drag the map with a mouse. You can also zoom in and out of the maps with a mouse that has a wheel. They show my planned route ( Google Map ) and below that map is a map of my current location with the use of a SPOT satellite tracking device and Spotwalla.com ( thanks Jason Jonas ). Weather Map Here is a link to my ride to the Tierra del Fuego, Argentina weather webpage with weather for 30 cities along the route and 15 different weather maps. This is a great way for me to see what weather lies ahead on my route. There is a nice interactive weather view at the bottom of the weather webpage. Weather Webpage Link: Spotwalla Tracking Here is my direct Spotwalla tracking links that will open in a new browser window. Also below is my embedded Spotwalla tracking map. I have two SPOT satellite tracking devices and I transmit my location every 5 minutes with both SPOT devices. Spotwalla Tracking Link:
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