‘Iconic roads – you need to get out and ride Patagonia now, before all the best bits are asphalt and full of bus tours’
definitely the top two are Carretera Austral and Ruta Cuarenta. Carretera Austral runs through thick forests, fjords, glaciers and steep mountains and is still largely a dirt road. Ruta Cuarenta (Route 40) rivals the famous Route 66 in the USA for length, at over 3000 miles running north to south across the Patagonian Steppe alongside the Andes. Mostly tarmac, we still find some great dirt sections. There’s a section of the Carretera Austral out of the village of Puyuhuapi with a fantastic climb up some 15 hairpins on a dirt road; a really tight, steep climb. One common theme though is the paving of these iconic roads – you need to get out and ride Patagonia now, before all the best bits are asphalt and full of bus tours.
The best photo opportunity
There really are too many to choose from on this trip; each time we go, every single day our riders are saying ‘wow’, then there’s another ‘wow’ and then a bigger ‘wow’ and then they’ve run out of ‘wows’ and the word starts to sound silly. But it really is like that every day; blue lagoons, green lagoons, incredible lakes, incredible mountains, the national parks; it just goes on and on. If you keep going down you end up crossing the Magellan Straits onto Tierra del Fuego, the land of fire. Criss-crossing the border with Argentina, you continue down to Ushuaia – the southern-most city in the world. Ten miles south of there is the Lapataia national park where the road stops and you reach the revered sign saying Fin del Mundo – The end of the World. South from there it’s the Antarctic Ocean.
Things to do off the bike…
If you fancy some off-bike activity, you might want to pack for glacier walking, horse trekking and a spot of fishing. As well as the views. We also visit Butch Cassidy’s hideout.
The accommodation
Many of the nights on the trip are spent in Hosterias – the Patagonian version of a simple hotel, all with good, clean en-suite rooms. One of the highlights of the trip is staying in a remote, working Estancia (farm). On face value, the en-suite fourberth bunkrooms may seem like roughing it compared with the rest of the trip, but the lack of distractions from the outside world fuels a great evening atmosphere. nd
What to eat and drink?
Argentina is famed for its food and Patagonia is home to some of the best steaks and red wine in the world, and in most places for not a lot of money either.
What are the locals like?
From the Welsh speaking settlements, through the German and Swiss villages to the Spanish-speaking Estancias, everyone is friendly and no two places are the same. Variety really is the theme on this trip.
What about Wi-fi?
Most of the hotels have an Internet connection, with the exception of the remote Estancias, but then that’s part of the experience of this trip – to get away into a proper remote wilderness destination.
How much does it cost?
Our ‘Ride to the End of the World: Patagonia’ trip starts from £7995 for a solo rider, riding a BMW F700GS. For this you get:
• Pre tour pack including tour information, Michelin maps, route notes and GPS routes and GPS mapping in Garmin/bmw format
• Accommodation
• All breakfasts
• Welcome and farewell dinners (excludes beverages)
• Dinner in the Estancia on Ruta 40, Cerro Sombrero x2, Puerto Guadal x2 and Tolhuin (excludes beverages)
• Motorrad Tours tour leader throughout the tour
• Motorcycle rental for the duration of the trip
• Third Party insurance only – upgrades are available if required
• Support vehicle and driver throughout the tour
• Carriage of one 40-litre soft bag of luggage per bike in the support vehicle
• Carriage of any flight bags directly from the first hotel to the last
• Airport transfers
• Return ferry crossing to Tierra del Fuego
• Entrance to national parks
• Boat trip at the Penguin colony at Estancia Haberton
• Commemorative polo shirt for all riders and passengers
Why choose ‘Motorrad Tours’ for your 2018 motorcycling adventure?
Motorrad Tours is an Official Travel Partner of BMW Motorrad. We operate a range of motorcycle tours throughout Europe as well as tours in Africa, the Americas and Asia. You are welcome to ride any make of bike on our tours, but we always ride BMW. We are a fully bonded travel operator, allowing you to book in confidence that you will get what you are paying for.
Guided or self-guided?
Our touring style is about freedom – we provide route guidance notes, maps and GPS routes so you can choose to ride independently or with the tour leader or swap and change.
Contact
For more info about Motorrad Tours and to book trips, head to motorrad-tours.com, or give us a shout on 08000 131 282.