Expert: Juan Carlos Valencia - 2/28/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi Juan,

   I am planning on Driving from Mexico to Teirra Del Fuego.  I have set aside 12 weeks to do this and we plan to leave September 26th.  We have a van that we plan to donate to a mission or something after arrival and then fly home.  A couple of questions.

Will it be difficult to cross from Panama to Colombia by boat?  How long will it take to ship our van?  
If we left the van in panama instead, could we buy a cheap car in Colombia to make the rest of the trip or maybe some cheap motorcycles?

Do you think we are setting aside enough time to make the trip?  

Can you suggest a route through Colombia with places to see?

Thanks a bunch for your help.

-Luther

ANSWER: Hey Luther,

nice trip the one that you are planning. It's being attempted by more and more people. That's why your first question (traveling to Colombia by boat / moving a car from Panama) is the most frequent one that I receive. Please browse past answers here in order not to repeat the same things again... (basically, forget about driving from Panama to Colombia, there's no fixed way of moving cars around and it could cost a fortune).

I would suggest to sell the car in Panama and buy a cheap one in Colombia. Travelling by motorcycle through Colombia (I have also answered this question in the past, browse past answers) is difficult as there are huge mountains criss-crossing the country and truck traffic is heavy and dangerous.

12 weeks to travel from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego? You can do it but it would be tight and you will end up skipping so many sights and rushing around in many others. Sure you cant make it a bit longer?

2 separate groups of friends travelled from Colombia to Argentina by car, a shorter journey than the one that you are planning, and both groups spent 4 months.

What to see in Colombia? It depends on what you are looking for and find interesting.

If you are into nature and adventure sports, I would suggest that you fly from Panama city to Cartagena, a resort city on the caribbean, check the old walled city for a few days, go to Baru island, scuba dive in the Rosario islands. Then go to Santa Marta and camp in Tayrona Park. Try to go to "Lost City" (Ciudad Perdida), an old indian settlement recently dicovered in the middle of a mountain area (the peak is at 5.000 meters above sea level). You will have to hire a tour to do this and it will take at least 5 days round trip. All this through a marvelous rainforest. An extreme but possibly unforgetable experience. Scuba-Dive in Taganga.

Then go to Guajira and camp in Cabo de la Vela. Hire a tour in Riohacha. Dont drive on your own in this area, you will be mobbed. Cabo de la Vela is simply magical. Go to the Wayuu indian reservations, the sea salt producing plant and if possible to Cerrejon, the coal mine area.

Then drive south to Barichara, try rafting in San Gil and go to explore caves in the area. Barichara is amazingly beautiful and quiet. Go to the hand-made paper craft shop. To get to Barichara from Santa Marta you will cross the the Chicamocha cannyon. It's scary because of its depth. Ride the new cable car crossing it.

Drive further south and stay for a few days in the Villa de Leyva area. Ride horses, do hiking, rafting, ... you name it. Check the ostrich farm in the nearby, then drive to the town of Raquira and visit the pottery handcraft shops.

Then head to Bogota, go to the Gold Museum, party a bit in parque de la 93, walk in the colonial area of La Candelaria. Drive southwest and stay at a coffee bean plantation hacienda near Armenia. Learn about coffee varieties, the history of the region. Ride a world war II jeep full of coffee bean sacks. Meet Juan Valdes look alikes everywhere !

Drive further south to the city of Popayan. Relax in the colonial downtown area. Go to the indian town of Silvia and visit the haciendas of the area as well as the thermal springs.

Drive south to the La Cocha lake, very near the border with Ecuador. Ski in the cold but beautiful waters...

Then, head to Ecuador. Down there is also wonderful !

This route is just one among many and will take you through the main roads in the country. Bucaramanga, Medellin, Cali, Manizales and so many other areas could be fun but if my assumption about you looking for nature and sports is right, you can skip these other places without missing much.

let me know if I can help you more

Regards

JC

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi JC,

thanks for the quick response.  You are great.  I decided to add one more week to our trip after your suggestion.  I'm really excited to go.  We may not make it all the way to Tierra del fuego if we are having too much fun along the way but I would like to get there in 13 weeks if possible.

What do you know about selling a car in panama?  Is it difficult?  

What about buying a car in Colombia?  Do we need special perission?  Will it effect our travel into Peru and Chile?

Is there a good travel site that will tell me distances from different places and how much time it will take to get there?  How many days to you think the trip is from Colombia to Tierra Del Fuego if we drive straight through?

Thanks again,

-Luther

Answer
Hey,  

a pleasure to help.

Guess you could sell a car quickly, but losing some money at a car dealer in Panama, but I'm not sure if there could be issues with the country's license. Will it be a mexican car?  

Customs around Latinamerica are a tough issue...

You may buy a cheap car fairly easily in Colombia. The issue would be the paperwork implied. You are supposed to carry out a simple procedure called "Trapaso" which is a transfer of the property rights from the previous owner to you. A new ownership card would take at least a week to obtain. Car theft is a big problem in Colombia, that's the reason it's better to do the formal procedure, you wont end up with a stolen car and be stopped by the police later on. So when you buy the car in Colombia, go to a big, reputed dealer. Ask the locals about it.

A car with a foreign license plate will surely attract the attention of the traffic police in Peru. I've heard that corruption is really bad there and that you will be "fined" or have to pay a bribe. So relax, ask the locals and be prepared for some odd situation.

There's a legendary road that traverses most of the Americas, the Panamerican road, a sort of Route 66. Maps for it can be found in most travel guides. Guess you could use the google maps to calculate the distance.

As for journeys to get all the way south, here are a few tips obtained from my friends.

Ipiales (Colombia) to Quito (Ecuador)

Quito is very nice (2 days). Try visiting the town of Cuenca (1 day) and the indian communities. How about flying to Galapagos islands (at least 3 days)? It's expensive but seems to be a unique place.

Quito to Guayaquil (Ecuador)

Guayaquil is struggling to become an attractive place but seems that it still has a long way to go. The resort area of Salinas could be worth a short visit (1 day).

Guayaquil to Lima (Peru)

Stop at the Nasca lines and fly over them in a small plane. There's a big desert along this way (2 days). Lima has some fine colonial buildings and one of the best local foods in Latinamerica, little known outside because it's difficult to cook. Try Ceviche, a seafood delicacy(2 days).

Lima to Machu Pichu (Peru)

This is a highlight in Latinamerica, a real must see (3 days). It's not overrated. You will have to get a train to get there. Check the Lonely Planet for Peru or South America for details.

From there one there are 2 possible routes, one through Chile and the other through Bolivia. You will have to make a tough choice.

Chile has one of the most amazing deserts in the north, Atacama. It's an unbelievable place, with extreme nature. It's attracting more and more turists (2 days). And then, you will arrive at the resort of Vina del Mar, with great views and old architecture (2 days). Then, cross the Andes (up to 7000 meters high) to get to Argentina. The crossings are amazing, like the Alps.

Or, go to Titicaca lake in Bolivia, 4000 meters above sea level, watch the descendants of indian communities that live on artificial islands on the lake (2 days), visit amazing ruins and cross Bolivia, full of precious metal mines and strong indian culture (2 days). A couple of friends thought that they will drive to Bolivia quickly and later told us that it was the highlight of the full trip. Then, go to the Iguazu waterfalls (2 days), astonishing, in the middle of a jungle area, another South American highlight. Then shop like crazy in Paraguay (1 day) and get to Argentina.

No matter what road you choose, get to Buenos Aires and enjoy nightlife, excellent restaurants, cafes and culture (3 days). It's one of the nices cities in the world. How about boarding a hovercraft to get to Uruguay, one the best quality of life countries in the continent, with the lowest crime rate, wonderful steaks, huge haciendas and beautiful women (2 days)?

And then, cross Argentina to get to Ushuia. That place is supposed to be magical.

I hope that this helps...! I would love to do this trip myself. I would go through Chile and then come back through Bolivia !

Regards

JC