This journey is sponsored by
RUTA
40
This Is The Route of All Time
Think Highway 66 in the USA, think Trans Canadian Highway, think The Silk Route across Asia and you have some idea how esteemed this magnificent route is felt by every road trip hungry Argentinian.
Mostly paved, National Route 40, also known as RN40 or ‘Ruta 40’, is a route in western Argentina, stretching from Cabo Vírgenes near Río Gallegos in Santa Cruz Province in the south to La Quiaca in Jujuy Province in the north, approximately 5194 kms in length.
RN40 is the longest route in South America and one of the longest in the world alongside such routes as U.S. Route 66, Canada's Trans-Canada Highway, and Australia's Stuart Highway, more than 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles) long. At its traditional southern end near the city of Río Gallegos it starts at sea level. It then crosses 20 national parks, 18 major rivers, and 27 passes in the Andes. Route 40's highest point is 5,000m (16,404 ft) in Abra del Acay in Salta Province. The road crosses the provinces of Santa Cruz, Chubut, Río Negro, Neuquen, Mendoza, San Juan, La Rioja, Catamarca, Tucumán, Salta, and Jujuy.
The route parallels the Andes mountains. The southern part of the route, by now largely paved, has become a well-known adventure tourism journey, and there are plans to pave the whole road.
"Top 10 best bike rides of my life"
Nick Sanders
PATAGONIA
the land that never stops giving
Patagonia (Spanish pronunciation: [pataˈɣonja) is a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. This area covers some of the iconic features already described: Perito Moreno, Torres del Paine, Ruta 40 and Tierra del Fuego, in fact the region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers in the west and deserts, tablelands, and steppes to the east. Patagonia is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and many bodies of water that connect them, such as the Strait of Magellan, the Beagle Channel, and the Drake Passage to the south.
The Colorado and Barrancas rivers, which run from the Andes to the Atlantic, are commonly considered the northern limit of Argentine Patagonia.
As I say, the archipelago of Tierra del Fuego is sometimes included as part of Patagonia. Most geographers and historians locate the northern limit of Chilean Patagonia at Huincul Fault, in Araucanía Region. At the time of the Spanish arrival, Patagonia was inhabited by multiple indigenous tribes. In a small portion of northwestern Patagonia, indigenous peoples practiced agriculture, while in the remaining territory, peoples lived as hunter-gatherers, traveling by foot in eastern Patagonia or by dugout canoe and dalca in the fjords and channels. In colonial times indigenous peoples of northeastern Patagonia adopted a horse riding lifestyle. While the interest of the Spanish Empire had been chiefly to keep other European powers away from Patagonia, independent Chile and Argentina began to colonise the territory slowly over the course of the 19th and early 20th centuries. This process brought a decline of the indigenous populations, whose lives and habitats were disrupted, while at the same time thousands of Europeans, Argentines, Chilotes and mainland Chileans settled in Patagonia. The contemporary economy of eastern Patagonia revolves around sheep farming and oil and gas extraction, while in western Patagonia fishing, salmon aquaculture, and tourism dominate.
Sucre, Bolivia
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If I have one favourite city in the world it's this jolly place: Sucre. This is an amazing place, full of cool cultural iconic happenings and great coffee and cake shops. Let's look at the info....Sucre holds major national importance and is an educational and government center, as well as the location of the Bolivian Supreme Court.
Its pleasant climate and low crime rates have made the city popular amongst foreigners and Bolivians alike. Notably, Sucre contains one of the best preserved Hispanic colonial and republican historic city centres in the Western Hemisphere - similar to cities such as Cuzco and Quito. This architectural heritage and the millenarian history of the Charcas region has led to Sucre's designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city has held an important place in Bolivian history from its place as an important center in the Real Audencia de Charcas, and later as the first capital of Bolivia before the fall of silver's importance as a global mineral commodity. Some regional tension remains from the historical transfer of capital functions to La Paz, and even today the issue features an important role in local culture and political ideology.
THE ANDES
Until you've ridden across the Andes, you've not really ridden that far on your bike. This journey will cross this magnificent mountain range 4 times. We will see everything. Here's the basic info: the Andes are the highest mountain range which is outside of Asia. The range's highest peak, Argentina's Aconcagua, rises to an elevation of about 6,961 m (22,838 ft) above sea level. The peak of Chimborazo in the Ecuadorian Andes is farther from the Earth's center than any other location on the Earth's surface, due to the equatorial bulge resulting from the Earth's rotation. The world's highest volcanoes are in the Andes, including Ojos del Salado on the Chile-Argentina border, which rises to 6,893 m (22,615 ft). The Andes are also part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges that form the western "backbone" of the Americas and Antarctica.
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Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca straddles the border between Bolivia and Peru in the Andes Mountains. Said to be the birthplace of the Incas. Lake Titicaca is a large freshwater lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. Titicaca is the second largest lake in South America, both in terms of the volume of water and surface area. It has a surface elevation of 3,812 m (12,507 ft).
ROAD TO THE END OF THE WORLD
The End of the World Route (Spanish: Ruta del Fin del Mundo) is a Chilean touristic scenic route located in the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Region, the most southerly region of the country. The term ‘end of the world’ refers to Chile being the southernmost country in the world, which is why Chilean Patagonia, the southernmost natural region of the country and at the same time the southernmost part of the American continent.
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Attractions that include this route are varied, among which the visit to the Torres del Paine National Park, the Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument (Milodon's Cave), the penguin sighting on Magdalena Island, as well as other species of the Chilean wildlife stand out. In a broad sense, the route also includes the Carretera Austral, which begins south of the Los Lagos Region and crosses through the Aysén Region. Additionally, the route includes the passage through the cities of Punta Arenas (regional capital), where cruise ships disembark with tourists throughout the year and has a free economic zone; a tour of Navarino Island by land or by sea, where it is possible to visit the towns and villages of Puerto Williams, Caleta Eugenia and Puerto Toro, the southernmost human settlement in the Americas. As part of this route it is also possible to take a tour of the Patagonian fjords and channels.
The Atacama Desert
One of my favourate places and I've ridden across this region at least 8 time by motorbike and once on a bicycle. The lack of wildlife means you can ride through the night without hitting wildlife, because other than birdlife, there isn't any.
So to the facts: the Atacama Desert (Spanish: Desierto de Atacama) is a desert plateau located on the Pacific coast of South America, in the north of Chile. Stretching over a 1,600-kilometre-long (1,000-mile) strip of land west of the Andes Mountains, it covers an area of 105,000 km2 (41,000 sq miles), which increases to 128,000 km2 (49,000 sq miles) if the barren lower slopes of the Andes are included.
The Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar desert in the world, and the second driest overall, behind some specific spots within the Mc Murdo Dry Valleys. It is the only true desert to receive less precipitation than polar deserts, and it is also the largest fog desert in the world. The area has been used as an experimentation site for Mars expedition simulations due to its similarities to the Martian environment.
Torres del Paine
Argentina
Torres del Paine National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Torres del Paine) is one of the greatest sights in the whole continent. It's a national park encompassing mountains, glaciers, lakes, and rivers in southern Chilean Patagonia. The Cordillera del Paine is the centerpiece of the park. It lies in a transition area between the Magellanic subpolar forests and the Patagonian Steppes.
The park is located 112 km (70 mi) north of Puerto Natales and 312 km (194 mi) north of Punta Arenas. The park borders Bernardo O'Higgins National Park to the west and the Los Glaciares National Park to the north in Argentine territory. Paine means "blue" in the native Tehuelche (Aonikenk) language and is pronounced PIE-neh. It was established as a National Park in 1959.
Torres del Paine National Park is part of the Sistema Nacional de Áreas Silvestres Protegidas del Estado de Chile (National System of Protected Forested Areas of Chile). In 2013, it measured approximately 181,414 hectares (700 sq mi). It is one of the largest and most visited parks in Chile. The park averages around 252,000 visitors a year, of which 54% are foreign tourists, who come from many countries all over the world. It is also part of the End of the World Route, a tourist scenic route.
Train Cementary at Uyuni
If you love your trains, and I do, you will love what you see here. The ore trains that we do see as we cross the Andes once again are a delight to see. This antique train cemetery is 3 kms (1.9 miles) outside Uyuni and is connected to it by the old train tracks. The town served in the past as a distribution hub for the trains carrying minerals en route to Pacific Ocean ports. The rail lines were built by British engineers arriving near the end of the 19th century and formed a sizeable community in Uyuni.
One of the prettiest little towns in South America. I have taken many riders here and it's the perfect place for a rest day.
San Pedro de Atacama is a Chilean town and commune in El Loa Province, Antofagasta Region. It is located east of Antofagasta, some 106 km (60 miles) southeast of Calama and the Chuquicamata copper mine, overlooking the Licancabur volcano. It features a significant archeological museum, the R. P. Gustavo Le Paige Archaeological Museum, with a large collection of relics and artefacts from the region. Native ruins nearby attract increasing numbers of tourists interested in learning about pre-Columbian cultures.
The riding to and from San Pedro is amongst the best in this part of South America. We will also check out the Valley of the Moon below.
Cusco, Peru
One of the most beautiful cities in the world
The city was the capital of the Inca Empire until the 16th-century Spanish conquest. In 1983, Cusco was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO with the title "City of Cusco". It has become a major tourist destination, hosting over 2 million visitors a year and providing passage to numerous Incan ruins, such as Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World. The Constitution of Peru (1993) designates the city as the Historical Capital of Peru.
Sacred Valley, Peru
The Sacred Valley of the Incas or the Urubamba Valley, is a valley in the Andes of Peru, north of the Inca capital of Cusco. It is located in the present-day Peruvian region of Cusco. In colonial documents it was referred to as the "Valley of Yucay". The Sacred Valley was incorporated slowly into the incipient Inca Empire during the period from 1000 to 1400.
In 2019, 1.6 million people, the majority non-Peruvians, visited Machu Picchu, its most famous archaeological site. Many of the same tourists also visited other archaeological sites and modern towns in the Sacred Valley.
Stretching from Pisac to Ollantaytambo, this fertile valley is irrigated by the Urubamba River. The Chanapata civilisation first utilised this area starting at around 800 BCE because of its rich soil used for agriculture. The Qotacalla civilisation lived in the Sacred Valley from 500 to 900 CE. The Killke civilisation then flourished in the Sacred Valley from 900 until it was absorbed into the Incan Empire in 1420. The Incan Empire ruled this area for little more than 100 years until the arrival of the Spanish.
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a mountain ridge at 2,430 meters (7,970 ft).Often referred to as the ‘Lost City of the Incas’, it is the most familiar icon of the Inca Empire.
One of the 7 modern wonders of the world, this magnificent city is located in the Machu Picchu District within the Urubamba Province above the Sacred Valley, which is 80 kilometres (50 miles) northwest of the city of Cusco. The Urubamba River flows past it, cutting through the Cordillera and creating a canyon with a subtropical mountain climate.
The Inca civilization had no written language and following the first encounter by the Spanish soldier Baltasar Ocampo, no Europeans are recorded to have visited the site from the late 16th century until the 19th century. As far as historical knowledge extends, there are no existing written records detailing the site during its period of active use. The leading theory is that Machu Picchu was a private city for Incan royalty.
Salar de Uyuni
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The Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat, at 10,582 square kilometres (4,086 sq miles) in area It is in the Daniel Campos Province in Potosí in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes at an elevation of 3,656 m (11,995 ft) above sea level.
The Salar was formed as a result of transformations between several prehistoric lakes that existed around forty thousand years ago but had all evaporated over time. It is now covered by a few meters of salt crust, which has an amazing flatness with the average elevation variations within one meter over the entire area of the Salar.
The crust serves as a source of salt and covers a pool of brine, which is rich in lithium. The large area, clear skies, and exceptional flatness of the surface make the Salar ideal for calibrating the altimetres of Earth observation satellites. Following rain, a thin layer of dead calm water transforms the flat into the world's largest mirror, 129 km (80 miles) across.
The Perito Moreno Glacier is located 78 kilometres (48 miles) from El Calafate and was named after the explorer Francisco Moreno, a pioneer who studied the region in the 19th century. The Perito Moreno (Spanish: Glaciar Perito Moreno), Francisco Gormaz or Bismarck Glacier is a glacier located in Los Glaciares National Park in southwest Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, and originated in the Magallanes Region in Chile, being also part of the Bernardo O'Higgins National Park.
It is one of the most important tourist attractions in the Argentine Patagonia.The 250 km2 (97 sq miles) ice formation, 30 km (19 miles) in length, is one of 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field located in the Andes system shared with Chile which has a small part of the origins of the glacier. This ice field is the world's third largest reserve of fresh water.
Perito Moreno Glacier
Carretera Austral
Carretera Austral provides road access to Chile's Aysén Region and southern parts of Los Lagos Region. These areas are sparsely populated and despite its length, Carretera Austral provides access to only about 100,000 people. The largest city along the entire road is Coyhaique with a population of 53,715 in 2010.
Construction of the highway was commenced in 1976 under the military dictatorship era in order to connect a number of remote communities. Before that, in the 1950s and 1970s, there had been unsuccessful attempts to build access roads in the region. It is among the most ambitious infrastructure projects developed in Chile during the 20th century. The engineering corps of the Chilean Army used thousands of conscripts from 1975 to 1985 to build the road. Dictator Augusto Pinochet is said to have made annual visits well into the 1990s to follow the progress of the road. General Hernán Abad was for long in charge of its construction.
As it was constructed during the military dictatorship, the Carretera Austral bears the unofficial name of the Augusto Pinochet Highway.