With our Patagonia and Chile Motorcycle Tour season about to get underway in November we thought you might like a taste of what riders will be travelling through.
Patagonia has to be one of the most visually stunning countries in South America wedged between the high Andes and the Pacific Ocean and this long, narrow stretch of South America provides the perfect place for adventure motorcycle riding.
The vast Atacama Desert lies high and dry on the northern borders with Peru and Bolivia and offers some of the continent’s most arresting vistas. The desert landscape is home to flamingoes, geysers and of course this region more recently has become an influential part of the Dakar Rally, which in 2014 will include Chile, Argentina and, for the first time, Bolivia.
The main backbone of Chile though is of course the Andean mountains, which stretch the length of the country, and their presence has a constant impact of the lives of Chileans. Mineral resources are extracted from here, the roads and infrastructure are forced to weave between narrow mountain passes and the clouds and mist from the Pacific Ocean plough headlong into the jagged faces to create snowfields and streams, which run down to create the multiple lakes of the lake district and south Patagonia.
Through these landscapes we ride our BMW F 700 GS and the ride is beautiful, at times challenging…but always rewarding. The winds and gravel of the deep south are constant reminders to watch the road but its hard to stay focused in the midst of all that splendor.
In the north in Atacama the scenery is desolate at first glance but life abounds with muted colours and quiet persistence.
We’re looking forward to this new season of Patagonia Motorcycle Tours and our Atacama to Machu Picchu journey in April, which will take us from beautiful Chile across the Andes and into Bolivia and Peru.
So here’s a taste of what to expect for those joining us this season, a little glimpse of the beauty of Patagonia, some views of the highlights of Chile from the air so that when you are rolling along the roads and riding up the mountains, you’ll know what to expect when you get to the top.