Welcome to the South America leg (2018) of the Edelweiss world tour.

Within the next 10 weeks, we will visit 6 countries (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina) and ride approximately 16.000 kilometers on asphalt, gravel and dirt.

We will cross this wonderful continent from the very north (Caragena, Colombia) to the very south (Ushuaia, Argentina).

On this trip, we will see oceans, jungle area, desert, very high mountains, volcanoes, glaciers, geysers, salt lake, indigineous, floating islands, ...and... much more...!

Enjoy with us and follow our adventure:

Jan 2nd-5th: Cartagena (Colombia)

Welcome to the Caribbean: The beach at our hotel in Cartagena.

Our first task was, to get all vehicles out of the customs at the different ports (Cartagena has only 4 of them)...
First, we had to wait for the complicated procedures to be finished.

For the port, we had to wear helmets, in order to get to the containers.

All sorts of stuff are transported and wait to be picked up.

Tong's bike came from Thailand...

...in the same container, as the van (which came from the last leg of the world tour "Tallin-Bangkok".

European and Edelweiss bikes came from Hamburg (Germany).

Finaly the container is open and all the bikes are ok

Everybody happy after all

All good! (Manfred and Will).

The spare tires, that came with the european container, were transported to a parking lot - on a port pickup truck.

Oli is helping Phil, to connect the battery on his bike, that came in another container - from the US.

The pickup truck was not allowed to bring the spare tires out of the port; so, all were mounted on our bikes and driven out of the secured area, where we loaded them into the van.

It started to get dark till we got the bikes finaly out

Mission accomplished - finally!

We made it. And definitely deserved dinner and beer.

A look into the "restaurant" from the outside.

In the heat, Oli and Marc were fixing the tires on the roof rack, that finally had to be lifted onto the van with the help of some locals, using a fork-lift truck at a gas station.

Ready to roll:
Katrin, Martin, Phil, Will, Bert, Tong, Manfred, Bernd, Jeff, Oli and Marc

Jan 6th: Cartagena to Monteria

At the caribbean sea, we stopped at a nice beach for a coffee.

Katrin, Martin, Bert and Phil, having a good time at dinner in Monteria.

Due to special circumstances Jeff got another bike and shows his good sence of humor

Jan 7th: Monteria to Medellin

A hot day again. Following the river through an almost jungle-ish region (where they also wash gold).

Car wash Colombian style

Little waterfall, that basically also was used for carwashing.

A windy road took us up into the mountains, where we crossed a pass on almost 3.000 meters elevation (after we fought our way throug slow trucks and maaaany cars and other bikes).

hitching a ride

Another waterfall - but this time not used as a carwash - it was a public swimming pool in the mountains!

Bernd taking a nap after lunch

On the descend towards Medellin, we saw this waterfall, combined with a religious spot.
They are not connected in meaning, just, that both (religion and water) are very important to the colombians.

A first view on Medellin, while entering the big city.

Night scene at the top of the cable car, above Medellin.

Our asian friends Tong and Will found some food "from back home".

Medellin - a great city at night!

Marc, Pablo, Oli

Jan 8th: Medellin to Manizales

The road to Manizales took us through the mountains and offered some nice views - such as this colorful village.

Road construction. Waiting for the green light

Street vendors are everywhere selling drinks, snacks or even cell phone charger

For this picture, we (Katrin, Martin, Bert, Marc and Will) actually should not have had to bend in sooo much...

Tong, waiting in the shade at another road construction.

We had to wait just 20 minutes - but in the heat...!

Quick briefing for the next leg at a coffee stop.

Last stop before hotel

Jan 9th: Manizales to Cali

In the garage: getting ready to start.

Leaving Manizales.

Nice curves and beautiful landscapes along the route - but...

...because of heavy rain, we could not see very much and had to stop and put the rain gear on (while having a typical colombian coffee).

...rain?! Pahh! In a good mood: Martin, Will - and Marc (who drove the van ...! )

After rain comes... SUN!
Katrin, taking off her rain gear.

We left the road for 200 meters, to enter a plantation of Guanabana (a local fruit - "the fruit of life"

A farm worker, presenting this healthy "monster".

The fruit can grow big as a football (soccer).

Manfred enjoyed the bitter-sweet taste, as well as...

...Bernd...

...Katrin - and the others!

Field workers in action.

Toro was the name of the little village, where we stopped for a simple lunch (chicken).
Quite quickly, the whole community seemed to know about "the aliens" and surrounded us .

That's cool!

This young boy was the most communicative one in the crowd (here with Katrin).

2 different sorts of transportation.

In this area, big road trucks (almost "trains" - with 3, 4 and more trailers), transporting sugar cane.

Just a short shower.

We stopped for coffee (which they did not have - but delicious homemade lemonade).

Looks delicious (deep-fried fish), but we already had lunch!

Bert's view on the road...

...and interesting architecture (really something different to the usual buildings here!).

In Cali, a local is studying the tour map on the van, in front of our hotel.

The hotel patio with bar and restaurant.

Edelweiss dinner

Jan 10th: Cali to Pasto

Party- (Salsa-) Bus on the way out

At a quick stop, we tried fruit juice (tree tomatoe). Tastes like "citrus-banana".

Better riding the bike, than transporting it.

Clean laundry is dried at the dusty roadside

A bit of Germany - in south america

Lunch stop with delicious buffalo meat

Tong, preparing his vegetarian food in the restaurant kitchen

A little local market in a village, we passed

Refreshing break in the shade...

...where the drinks were extra secured

Road construction

Wonderful landscape(s) along the route

Old (church) and new (interesting electricity cables) side by side

He was collecting paper

Briefing for the next day

Jan 11th: Pasto to Otavalo (Ecuador)

Nature here is amazingly green

Old woman, making some money with selling nuts at a gas station

Waiting at the border (first, to leave Colombia - then, to enter Ecuador) - 4 hours in total

The "westerners and their monster bikes" are always an attraction

Business, while waiting

Tong with Bert's "world traveller penguin"

Waiting time cannot kill our mood

Fiiiiinallyyy!

Not just Bert, Phil and Bernd were happy, to arrive in the second country on our journey

Our hotel in Otavalo

Jan 12th: Otavalo to Quito

What a nice surprise: The group had a birthday cake and a song for Marc.
Thank you, guys!

The way to/from the hotel was quite steep

First stop in the morning: "Plaza de ponchos" in Otavalo...

A well known and non-touristic local market

Hahahahaha: Oliver's safety air vest inflated, when he got off his bike quickly, to help Bert

Near Quito is the park of "Mitad del Mundo" - the equator

One leg in the northern hemisphere, one in the southern!

Will

Bernd and Oli

The tourguides: Oli and Marc

Marc, trying (successfully) to balance a raw egg on a nail

Jan 13th: Quito, rest day

They were selling a delicious fruit...

Where one can eat the white fruit meat (that covers a huge black stone); sweet taste

Quito impressions

Again, a beautiful hotel patio

Jan 14th: Quito to Quilotoa

The day started sunny and warm (20+ celsius).
We stopped in a small village, to get some local fruits and pastry.

Beautiful valleys...

...and green nature surrounded us on our route

The view from Will's bike on a road, that was supposed to be gravel - but they paved it (almost perfectly) the last years

After arrival at Quilotoa, some enoyed some wine...

...and the view - onto our motorcycles.

Others wandered around a bit, seeing food stalls...

...or posing as model (Will) with locals...

...Bert...

Mama and baby Lama

...or to see the crater lake (at an elevation of almost 4.000m)

Bernd

Bert and Martin

Breathtaking view on the crater lake

Hey, Will - who is freezing and hiding under that blanket?

...oh, it's Phil!

Bernd was lucky - a hotel worker, firing up the oven in his room.

Jan 15th: Quilotoa to Banos

The day started chilly, wet and cloudy

Shortly after leaving the crater lake, we had that beautiful view at the Rio Toachi canyon.

After the rain stopped, we reached the warmer "valley" of Banos.

Nice welcome to Banos (de Agua Santa), down at 1.820m (and close to the ecuadorian jungle).

One of the little parks in Banos and the beautiful church (made of lava stone bricks).

Here, some of us had super delicious swiss food

Bert, Katrin and Martin...

...went for a swim in one of the public thermal baths.

Banoas is located at the volcano "Turunghuagua", which is still active.
If it erupts, those signs show the escape way.

Hmmm - if that still works?
Many locals already use cell phones, anyway.
...but...one can also find internet cafes!

A local cafe with nice stools

In Banos, one can find a lot of products, made of sugar - like candies etc.

Jan 16th: Banos to Cuenca

When we left Banos, clouds and rain seemed to accompany us again, for the next days.

(Closed) ziplining - just for brave ones!

"where the road ends"...

...was just a nice picture stop beside the actual (and intact) road!

Rain stopped and it became warmer and warmer, as we approached the jungle.
At a small village, we stopped and had a nice chat with some locals.

The entire village was joining a funural of 2 teenagers, who died the day before at an accident on the road, we just passed.

Our route took us along the jungle and back up a bit into higher regions with wonderful landscapes.

Oooops - the track also took us a bit to unpaved roads (and ended at a missing bridge)...

So, we had to take the winding deviation (which was fun, too!)

Road construction with some muddy part, on the way to Cuenca.

In the evening, we enjoyed an Edelweiss dinner at an excellent restaurant in Cuenca.

Back in our hotel, we tried the panama hat (which is actually produced in Ecuador and just got its name by accident!).
Bernd...

Bert and Will...

Marc...

Phil...

...and Oli.

Jan 17th: Cuenca to Loja

As the distance to Loja was not too far, we had a later start and could wander around in Cuenca at least a little bit, to get an impression of this old and colonial city.

Quick coffee stop along our way.

After a smooth (paved) start,...

...with breathtaking views...

...all around us...

... we turned to some gravel...

...which some of us really enjoyed!

Not sure, if this was caused by a fire accidentally - or on purpose...!

We came just along some abandonned huts and lonely villages...

...but the rest was pure nature...

...and fun!

Short after coming to asphalt back again, we reached Loja.

Jan 18th: Loja to Piura (Peru)

These nice people were serving us "a coffee"; the quality of the delicious black drink is absolutely not compareable to what we were used to, back in Colombia - but nevertheless: its coffee!

Bye-bye Ecuador and hello Peru...

Border crossing...

Necessary procedures: Katrin, waiting for the stamp in her passport...

...This peruvian officer was dealing alone with all people...
...Bert entered Peru

...Will, entering his email adress into the system

Who says, border procedures always have to be deadly serious?!?
Phil, having a lot of fun...!

Lunch stop on the peruvian side.

Sometimes, there are even worse "wrecks" driving on the roads.
This was one of the "beauties".

At our hotel, we first had to have a cold boot beer - after a long and hot day.
Noooo - Oli also just had ONE (and taking care of the emptied ones)!!!

Jan 19th: Piura to Chiclayo

First full riding day in Peru.
The route was not long, but took us through desert like areas with straight roads, framed with poor huts, sand and dunes

In the middle of nowhere, we stopped for some photos...

Bert

Bert and Martin

Selfie time: Oli

Even the wind could not completely cover the heat: refreshment stop at one of the few "truck stops".

I wonder, how they load this amount of stuff (here: straw)...?!?

At a gas station: welcome to the country of moto-taxis

Before riding to the hotel, we had some lunch near the beach

Oli with the guard at the parking

Ceviche mixta: mixed "raw" fish (cold cooked over night, by the lemon juice)

Marc: inspecting, what the business girl had to offer.

Bernd bought a "balancing bird" and she signed it

Beach impressions

Typical reed boats

The fishermen sold their catch right after returning to the beach

Chiclayo, view from the hotel entrance (1)...

...view from the hotel entrance (2): little "isneyland"

After arrival in our hotel, we could take advantage of the nice pool

Streetfood (grilled chicken parts)

Today, Manfred already met "the pope" in Chiclayo...
Tomorrow, when coming to Trujillo, he (the REAL pope) will also be there!

Jan 20th: Chiclayo to Trujillo

Visiting the grave of the Lord of Sibban belonging to the Moche Dynasty they ruled here before the Inkas

The graves have been discovered in the late 80s

A curious boy checking out the bikes

Afterwards we got ourself dusty

My new trike Brand : Wanxin

Manfred wants one too

Mad Max Melon transporter

The Pope is here too

We met two Pope fans at the hotel

Jan 22nd: Trujillo to Huaraz

Plaza de Armas - at this cathedral the pope prayed for the people

Marathon dancing in Trujillo has a big Tradition

Chicken

Cañón del Pato
The "uck" is completely paved now ...

... but still amazing

Lunch on a Bench

Jan 23rd: Huaraz to Barranca - a fantastic day

Perfect weather for a perfect ride

Snow covered Andes in the back

The road is getting interresting

The "Queen of the Andes" (Puya Raimondii) in the snow. Beautiful and rarely ...

It´s becoming thrilling ...

New altitude record

Lunch after a challenging ride

Jan 24th: Barranca to Lima

On the way

A fabulous Ceviche for lunch in Lima

In front of the Statue “the longest kiss”

Downtown Lima

Jan 25th: Lima to Pisco

A short trip through the dessert

Riding the "Panamericana"

Our Hotel - an Oasis in the dessert

Bernd is posing

What a cute couple

Bert found the brothers of his Pinguin
The Humboldt Pinguines in the National Park Paracas

Dirty and hot, but a lot of fun

Four happy bikers

Jan 26th: Pisco to Nazca

More desert

Lunch at an oasis - Marc’s boots are ´smoking´
Really hot here ...

A motorshop overhauling old Chrysler engines for the dune buggies right here in the dunes

Phil made new friends

Peruvian sportsbar

First glance at the world famous Nazca lines

At the lookout tower for the lines

It’s a tough job

Jan 27th: Nazca - rest day

We are taking a flight at Nasca airport to have the best look over the Nazca lines.

It was a fun experience

The Whale

The Monkey

Great views

Sandbuggi time - our afternoon program in the desert

A 2000 year old temple of the Nazca culture

A much younger playing in the sand

One more

Snowboarding also possible

Yeah

Jan 28th: Nazca to Chalhuanca

Great riding

Mighty vistas

Lunch at Anita’s

Anita’s Bar

Anita’s kitchen

The trout was amazing

Alpaca’s everywhere

Jan 29th: Chalhuanca to Ollantaytambo

No low bed truck needed!

Will washing his bike during lunch break

Alpacas crossing

A happy couple taking a walk

Sheep man

Bernd is making new friends

Jan 30th: Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu Pueblo

Taking the train to Machu Picchu Pueblo

Someone seems to be veeeery hungry ...

Downtown Machu Picchu Pueblo

River art

Jan 31st: Machu Picchu - feeling closer to heaven

Starting at 5:00 am we are not the only ones

Goosebumps

Magic moment

Martin and Lamafriend

Wayna Picchu - that’s where we head for ...

Pretty steep for a “flatland tyrolian “

Bert met a Japanese girl on the way up,
a welcomed reason for a break

We made it

On top of the (Inka) world

The way down was also interesting

Time for a break

A bit more sightseeing

The Condor temple - can you see the wings?

Pausing in front of the Inka king´s restroom

Time to say goodbye to this magical place

Feb 1st: Ollantaytambo to Cusco

Salt production at 3.200m altitude
Every Family of the village owns 15 salt pools

A typical lunch for the workers

Folklore on the way

Feb 2nd: Cusco - rest day

City tour with the bus to get a first overview

The Condor - a holy animal for the Inkas

With this natural incridients the Inkas colored the Alpacca wool

Above Cusco Will showing his new baby alpaca cap

The Cathedral of Cusco buildt by the Spaniards on the fundament of an Inka temple

Downtown Cusco - very nice

Couldn’t resist!
First McDonald´s in 6 weeks

Feb 3rd: Cusco to Puno

Coffee break

Altiplano riding above 4.000m for hours

Last ride for the sheep

Just a "little" mountain pass

Only the bell tower remained - we wonder why

We had some natural roads to

Phil, or Feel as we call him, loves the dirt

Finally Lake Titticaca at 3.800 m

Alpaca Carpaccio - definitely not bad at all

A nice dinner with lake view
Let’s call it a day now

Feb 4th: Puno (Peru) to Copacabana (Bolivia)

Before leaving Puno, we first took a boat, to visit the Uros tribe on their floating islands on lake Titicaca

We got a short introduction, of how the islands are made and how life is there

Bernd made new friends - as always

Got'cha

Living and sleeping room in a hut on an floating island

From the beginning, they get used to the reed (of which the islands are made)

Cute, ey?! (the girl!!!)

No, neither captain Kanit (Will), nor anyone else had to work his way back to land.

The city was hosting a carneval fiesta and all sorts of folcloristic music and dance groups were marching through the streets

View on the bolivian part of lake Titicaca from our Hotel in Copacabana.

Feb 5th and 6th: Copacabana to La Paz and La Paz, rest day

Even though the day started quite cloudy ...

... we had a wonderful ride along this impressive lake and crossed it on an "adventurous" ferry

Entering La Paz through "El Alto", we visited the here located SOS Children´s Village (orphenage as well as supportive ressort for children, coming from "problematic" families)

After we heard about the philosophy and work of SOS Children´s Village, we played and talked to them and their families.

Here, they find a peaceful place, education and a "family", where they live and grow up with perspectives

...and (of course) the kids were suuuuper curious about the motorcycles!

After our visit, we continued the last kilometers down from the upper parts of La Paz ...

... with beautiful views, that one would not have expected, when coming through El Alto or the outer parts of this mega city.

Taking a cablecar from the city, up to El Alto...

...one has a beautiful view over La Paz!

Today, we wanted to ride the famous death road, near La Paz.
Unfortunately, the weather didn't play along ...

Feb 7th: La Paz to Cochabamba

After leaving crazy city traffic and the flat altiplano bit, we encountered wonderful landscapes

Manfred: could be a model for motorbike clothes...

...or Oli - for hats! LOL

Some road construction gave us the chance, to play a bit in the mud

Katrin and Martin, cleaning off the dirt

Uuhhhhh

Yeah - all good again! (Marc and Manfred)

In the evening, we celebrated the welcome of the second half of this tour...

Salud (cheers)!

Feb 8th: Cochabamba to Sucre

On our way to the capital of Bolivia: Sucre

Just a little obstacle on this road - the rest was curves, curves - and some more... CURVES!

Tasting some local fruits during a stop in the afternoon

Some faces do tell stories

Sucre: the white, beautyful capital (but still with interesting electricity cabling)

We arrived on carneval. Marching bands, almost everywhere

Bernd (one of our pilots in this group) with a little treasure, he found

At the central square: Plaza de Armas, it was quite quiet

Party...

...until late night

Shop with a combination of carneval (masks) and the famous Sucre chocolate

Marc and Bert with a "small" beer

Feb 9th: Sucre to Uyuni/Colchani

What can I say...
...another amazing day with loads of curves and surrounding nature, that forced us to stop almost after every corner...

Amazing to see, but one cannot get rid of the thought "please let this rock stay up there - just some more minutes, at least"...!

Some meters aside of the road, you can see this impressive canyon.

One more canyon: canyon del cactus (up, over 3.000 meters above sea level)

Bolivian Altiplano - breathtaking!

Beware of llamas...

...and ostriches (which we did not see)

Some last curves, before...

...approaching the wide flat of the Uyuni salt lake

Find the Edelweiss sticker...!

As the salt lake is covered by water, we cannot ride it with our bikes - but we booked a jeep tour and hope to shoot some cool pictures (like these ones)

Two sides (sights) from the same spot - we made it just in time to the hotel!

The way to our hotel for the next two nights

Our hotel (on the salt lake), made of salt

Feb 10th: Uyuni salt flat

Martin - waiting for better weather, so that we can we can shoot our great photos on the lake...

Phil is waiting for the tour jeep at our hotel

Manfred, Phil, Will and Bernd with one of the jeep drivers - on their way on the salt lake

Lets go and shoot some cool photos...!

Will and his Thailand flag came all the way to Uyuni (Bolivia)

Feb 11th: Uyuni (Bolivia) to Calama (Chile)

Leaving Uyuni was a bit of a challenge, as there was heavy rain the days before and the dirt road turned into a mud road

Later, the conditions became much better

Phil in the vast lands of the bolivian highlands (Altiplano)

Bernd, trying to find the best angle for his picture

Typical, simple - but delicious lunch (chicken, salad and potatoes)...

...at the border to Chile...

...where all of a sudden, the road was paved and we had a wonderful cruise along a countless number of volcanoes and the dry Atacama desert, until we reached Calama.

Feb 12th: Calama to San Pedro de Atacama

The start towards San Pedro was cool and paved - later, this should change (hot and unpaved)

Sightseeing and picture stop at the geysir fields of "El Taito"

After some fun on gravel (and in the heat of the day)...

...we rode into the moon valley "Valle de la Luna", near San Pedro, before reaching our today's destination

Feb 13th: San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) to Purmamarca (Argentina)

A long riding day, which took us back up to over 4.800 meters and into Argentina

We almost missed this hidden tresure, which was hidden behind a small hill - just a few meters besides the road: A beautiful valley with those monoliths

At lunch, we met some riders from Brazil (here, with Marc)

We -literally- "crossed" another salt lake (but on a paved road)

Oli, trying to find a good perspective ...

... perfect!
Martin and Bernd (and a salt lama) - from right to left ...!

After crossing a cactus valley, the day had even more highlights for us ...

...
LOOK

AT

THAT

...!!!

... and THIS ...!

At our hotel, some enjoyed the silence ...

... some went downtown and enjoyed the local carneval

Feb 14th: Purmamarca to Cafayate

Following the old RN 9 (north of Salta) was really an experience!
It was narrow, super curvy and almost a bit like jungle (its also called "Yungas" - as the "death road" in Bolivia)

We had a lunch break in the tobacco region

Sign, in front of a shop, that sold everything that a real gaucho (cowboy) needs

Riding in the valley of the "Concha" river was extremely fascinating!
One had to decide what to concentrate on: Awesome nature or endless curves on perfect asphalt

What made this day even better ...

... was our hotel in this famous wine region ...

... where we also had a guided tour and a tasting

Feb 15th: Cafayate to San Miguel de Tucuman

On our ride to Tucuman, we first stopped at some indian ruins...

... but just THIS deviation was unpaved - the rest were paved curves!

Different options for dinner in Tucuman: Streetfood ...

... Argentinian fast food (or is it American? ...

... or a nice restaurant.

Argentinian asado (mixed grill platter)

Cheers: Manfred, Phil and Will

Feb 16th: Tucuman to La Rioja

Happy at a coffee break

Dinosaur found at the parque ischiagasto

Manfred changing shoes from off - to onroad.
He always carries two pairs

What a happy couple!

Feb 17th: La Rioja to San Juan

Great riding

Dark tunnels, no light inside - we always have to approach carefully

Feb 18th: San Juan to Mendoza

Today we will get dirty ...

Nice watercrossing

Martin parked his bike in the soft sand - accidentally

Some challenging sections, too

Feb 19th: Mendoza to Santiago

Crossing the Andes is always spectacular

Even high up in the Andes - busy frontier activities!
Here we will meet Domenico, who will take over Oliver’s tour guide part.

Downwards from Paso de la Cumbre

Feb 20th: Santiago - rest day

Service and new tires for the support van and the bikes

Sightseeing in Santiago - 6 million people and a very modern City

Gran Torre Santiago - 300m high and South America´s highest building

For sure we want to check the vista ...

Fairewell to Oliver - it has been a great experience.
Continued safe ride for the group!

Feb 21st: Santiago to Talca

Saying goodbye to Santiago

Hello again, Pacific Ocean!

In Pichilemu we had lunch and a coffee break

Tsunami area! Dangerous and ...

... and beautiful!

Punta Lobos

Martin and Katrin

Feb 22nd: Talca to Conception

Today we rode for quite a long stretch along the Chilean bautiful southern coastline

Last break in Tumbes, a very picturesque village

Coffee time

Bert enjoying life

On a walk through Conception city

Feb 23rd: Conception to Pucon

Not many pictures today.
A long highway transfer to Villarrica, where we stopped for lunch and enjoied the view of the homonymous majestic volcano and lake before we finally reached Pucon.

Lunch at the road side

What a majestic scenery!

Feb 24th: Pucon - rest day

Today everybody did something different, from riding the bikes (of course!) to sailing and also just relaxing! Here Bert

Martin and Katrin

Manfred and Bernd went sailing on the Villarrica lake

Domenico's first ride!

Pucon is a beautiful place!

Dinner all together

Feb 25th: Pucon to San Martin de los Andes

Time to go back to Argentina, the Patagonia region is awaiting us. We crossed the border with a spectacular view over the Lanín volcano!

Phil and Kanit

At the border

We are in Argentina again

Group shot with a fantastic tripod!

And some riding fun!

Kanit

testing the waterproof boots

Manfred

Feb 26th: San Martin de los Andes to El Bolson

The day started with a fantastic (and quite chilly during the early morning!) ride on the "Camino de los 7 Lagos"

First picture stop

At La Angostura we found a very nice spot for a coffee break

Coffee break

on the way to Bariloche

We are in Patagonia!

In Bariloche, a major tourism centre with skiing, trekking and mountaineering facilities... and chocolate factories!!!

From Bariloche we went for a loop to the "Llao Llao" area, and it was a fantastic ride!

Domenico having some fun

Bernd and Manfred

Breath-taking sceneries!

Feb 27th: El Bolson to Esquel

This area of the Andes in Argentina is fantastic, today after leaving el Bolson we entered the Los Alerces National Park, where we could also find a spot for a coffee break and for a simple lunch.

The Nature was the biggest highlight of the day!

Gravel, of course!

The shores of lake Futaleufu in the Los Alerces National Park

Bernd, Bert, Manfred and Phil

Katrin

Back on asphalt, the last few kilometres to Esquel

Feb 28th: Esquel to Puyuhuapi

See you soon again, Argentina, today we entered Chile again and, after many kilometres of gravel, we reached the famous "Carretera Austral" that we then rode until our final destination for today!

In the middle of the Andes lies the border between these two countries. Here we are crossing the Futaleufu river.

Kanit

Goodbye Argentina

Welcome to Chile

Katrin

On the Carretera Austral

Bert in small talk with a local at our lunch spot

The Carretera Austral is not yet completely paved!

The bikes were thirsty after this ride. And the van, too!

A warm welcome in Puyuhuapi

Phil and Bert

Mar 1st: Puyuhuapi to Coyhaique

What a beautiful day! After some rain during the night, the sky in the morning was clear again and we continued enjoying our ride on the Carretera Austral, that is not yet completely paved...

Our first stop was at the Queulat "hanging" glacier, a very unique sight!

The glacier seen from a distance, just spectacular!

The Queulat National Park

Marc

A little bit closer to the glacier

Backlit picture

Fresh meltwater

Our today´s good deed: we helped a guy who had fallen down on gravel. Safe travel to him!

Another glacier

A little break after the gravel section

Great riding through amazing sceneries

Yes, we are still in Chile

A view of Coyhaique, a few kilometres before entering the town

Mar 2nd: Coyhaique - rest day

The last "big" town before Ushuaia was the best place for a rest day, to relax a bit and recharge our batteries. And we also found a good BBQ restaurant for a common tasty dinner.

Local market

Phil and his gaucho buddy

A trial of strength at dinner, guess who won...

Mar 3rd: Coyhaique to Puerto Bertrand

Leaving Coyhaique we stopped at the monument dedicated to the "Gauchos". In Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, an also in Chile, gauchos are referred to as descendants of Iberian migrants and Indigenos, cultivating cattle in the pampas. A gaucho is a skilled horseman, reputed to be
brave and unruly, yet strong, honest, silent types, but proud and capable of violence when provoked.

The first part of the today's ride was on tarmac ...

... followed soon by a gravel section...

... through wonderful landscapes!

Riding the Carretera Austral ...

Phil

The view of lake Bertrand from our lodge, another beautiful day despite some rain before and after lunch!

Mar 4th: Puerto Bertrand to Gobernador Gregores

Today was one of the most beautiful and scenic but also one of the toughest days! That's why we departed very early, clutch out at 8AM, very chilly!

Let's go!

On the way to Paso Roballos

Bernd

A guanaco

Stunning beauty all around

More riding fun - today we did more than 200 km on gravel!

Entering Argentina again

Some other impressions - we stopped quite a few times for taking pictures today!

end of the gravel section! Back on paved road!

Can feel (see) the crosswind?

Warning sign for strong wind, we are in Patagonia after all!

Mar 5th: Gobernador Gregores to El Calafate

Back on the Ruta 40 heading south! Today we planned to reach El Calafate quite early to enjoy some time there and rest for tomorrow's excursion to the Perito Moreno glacier. But not everybody reached our destination in time. Take a look at the pictures and you will discover why ...

Phil is a passionate photographer

Time to gas-up and to have a coffee. The wind was so strong!

Another stop, this time for some more pictures

The Fitz Roy massif in the background, one of the most famous peaks of the Andes because of its beautiful shape

The Santa Cruz river, its water comes also from the Perito Moreno glacier

Our support van decided to quit today, pity, it had almost done it!

Mar 6th: El Calafate - rest day

Start very early today, so we could also enjoy a beautiful sunset!

After around 70 km we could finally see the Perito Moreno, stunning!

Some impressions of the glacier. The pictures don't do justice to it, it is majestic!

This glacier is one of the most impressive and most beautiful in South America.

It´s likewise quite impressive to hear the ice cracking!

The excursion starts!

Approaching the glacier

Mutating from motorcyclists to expedition members - putting spikes on the shoes

A penguin! wowww!!!

not only we walked on the ice, also under it!

Freezing feet after the excursion on the glacier!

Mar 7th: El Calafate to Puerto Natales

Back on the Ruta 40! Today we entered Chile again and reached our posada that will serve as our basecamp for exploring the "Torres del Paine" National Park, another big highlight of South America!

Bernd

Martin and Katrin

A little bit flat, but beautiful as well!

Highest density of stickers per square metre

Also Phil put his sticker

and the Edelweiss one was already there

Arrived at destination, a well deserved toast

An original young gaucho

Bernd found a propeller

Mar 8th: The Torres del Paine National Park

Today's rest day ride took us through one of the most beautiful attractions of the entire continent, the Torres del Paine National Park, the most famous park in Chile!

Kanit

Many picture stops along the road

Some action

Gravel and wind can be quite challenging but the scenery is worth all the
effort in Torres del Paine National Park

The nearly vertical “Towers of Paine” are spectacular
granite pillars that dominate the landscape

Manfred

The Salto Grande (big jump)

Martin and Katrin

Marc

The Paine river and waterfall

It is written welcome, but for us it was a goodbye. What a beautiful day!

Mar 9th: Puerto Natales to Cerro Sombrero

A combination of roads led us to Tierra del Fuego today, the land of fire. And this means, that now we are really close to our final destination! The road was easy going with lots of straight-aways, but it was quite a cold day, so we struggled a little bit!
Our day ended in Cerro Sombrero, a small commercial center for people working in the oil business.

First picture stop

Coffee break

A flock of sheeps (around 2000!) crossing our path

Fin del Mundo, we are coming...

The wind can be very strong in this region, but today we were lucky!

A shipwreck in the Magellan Strait. This connection between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans was very important prior to the construction of the Panama Canal.

The abandoned Estancia San Gregorio

In Punta Delgada waiting for the ferry to cross the Magellan Strait

Bert, Martin and Katrin

Portuguese captain Fernando Magellan found this passage in 1520. Two of his ships were driven by a storm into a bay, which later proved to be the connection between the Atlantic and the Pacific.

We are in Tierra del Fuego!

Mar 10th: Cerro Sombrero to Ushuaia

Crossing the border once more, we entered Argentina for the last time! Today we crossed the Tierra del Fuego from North to South to reach the southernmost city in the world. The name
“Tierra del Fuego” (Land of Fire) goes back to the now nearly extinct Yaghan Indians with their warming fires, seen by the first European explorers.

In Tolhuin we stopped at the famous bakery that, since the 80s is a must for every traveller.

Lake Fagnano, from here the road became twisty again!

We are in Ushuaia! Crossed the entire South American continent!!!

Congratulations to everybody!!!

Mar 11th: Ushuaia, the End of the World

Today we rode west to the end of Ruta 3 to reach the "end of the world". The last miles, naturally befitting on gravel. Mission completed!

End of the world?

Kanit, Phil, Martin and Katrin

Marc posing for the next brochure

Probably the southernmost post office in the world

Taking a walk in Ushuaia in the afternoon

Some distances

More impressions ...

Mar 12th: Ushuaia to Rio Grande

The route from Ushuaia to Rio Grande is not that long, so we took the chance for a "little" detour to Puerto Harberton, which became the real highlight of the day!

The wind can be that strong here!
But today we were lucky!

On our way to Puerto Harberton

What a beautiful and wild coastline

A very cozy place for a rest and a good lunch that we found by accident

Seemingly this place is not as lonely as we thought

Mar 13th: Rio Grande to Punta Arenas

Our last riding day on our epic trip! The same road we travelled south brought us back to the ferry. On our way we took the chance to visit a Penguin colony near Porvenir.
Back on the continent, we rode along the Magellan Strait until Punta Arenas - here we can really say: Mission Accomplished!

Arrived at the "Pinguino Rey Park"

A big (and loud) family

Waving at his friends...

Coastline impression

Bert left his penguin here with his new family

Riding again towards Punta Arenas, fortunately not much wind!

Waiting for the ferry to cross the Strait of Magellan

Farewell dinner with happy riders