I’d like to do this…I figure that it will be about 7600 road miles from Boston to Ushuia, Argentina. I actually met a Honduran lawyer who did this (on a motorcycle). I intend to drive a Jeep Wagoneer, and i have a heavt-duty suspension and a modified electrical system (extra battery).
I’m told that mexico is fairly safe-but that you should only drive during the day…also, I have a radio to call the fedrales if necessary. This guy told me that it really gets dangerous from the Guatemalan border south…and that the darien gap (in panama) is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS (lots of banditos).
He said that the Columbian portion of the highway isn’t too bad…just be prepared to pay some small mordita (bribes) to the local cops.
Anybody know what the drive from Ecuador south is like? Looks like major portions of the road are through desert-and a VERY dry one at that? I’m planning a three-week trip, and intend to sell the jeep in chile (and fly home).
Anybody have personal experience with the Pan-Am Highway?:eek:
I had dreams of doing this back in college and spent a little bit of time researching it. In addition to the personal safety aspects you noted, the biggest concern involved bringing a foreign vehicle into each country. If I remember correctly, you were required to register and re-insure the vehicle just about every time you crossed a border in Central America. The cost of doing this was too much for my limited budget and the idea was scrapped. Now this was 15-20 years ago, so maybe some of the countries now have arrangements/ aggrements that allow you to bring your vehicle without major hassles…
Tim Cahill wrote a book about it called Road Fever you may want to read.
In Cahill’s book, he points out that you can’t drive the Darien Gap at all. You’ll have to make arrangements to go around it by ship. More broadly, he makes clear that you run a great risk of robbery or murder over much of the road. You will have to have a great deal of documentation as well as bribe money at every border crossing.
Darn you to heck, toque, I wanted to point him to that book!
sulks
I have wanted to do this for a while too, except I thought it would be cool to start on the North Slope of Alaska and really make the ultimate road trip. I believe that there is a ferry that you can hire to go around the jungles of Columbia- I’ll look for a cite on that. I was concerned about Mexico too, but Mexican friends of mine going to school in the US act like it’s no big deal to drive anywhere you would want to go in Mexico. (I don’t know if being Mexican would make any difference and they have probably never been way down South) At any rate, I think I will check out that book. Also, you might want to check out http://www.comebackalive.com/df/index.htm
Under the Black Flag Cafe Section you can probably find some advice or post a question on the boards. The site is ran by Robert Young Pelton, notable adventurer/loony bastard.
Please let us know, Ralph, if you make it happen.
Good luck.
You better allow for more than three weeks, since as others have pointed out there is no road through the Darien Gap in eastern Panama-western Colombia. You will need to ship your vehicle from Panama to Colombia, which is both time-consuming and expensive.
The part of the Pan-American highway from the Costa Rican border to Panama City is not dangerous at all (aside from speeding tickets) and mostly in good shape. (There is one bad stretch in western Panama with lots of potholes.)
It might be possible to drag a motorcycle (trail-bike type) from the end of the highway through eastern Panama to Colombia along foot trails, but this is indeed very dangerous. That area is full of FARC (Colombian guerillas), paramilitaries, and general maleantes (bad guys). Don’t do it unless you think you would really enjoy being kidnapped.
Last week I had the opportunity here to meet someone who actually did drive the Darien Gap. Col. John Blashford-Snell of the British Army led a group that drove Land Rovers from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in 1972. It took them three months to hack and winch their way through the Darien. Snell has been in town to raise money for another expedition to eastern Panama - ship-borne, this time - to start next January. I will be joining the expedition for part of the time. (Fortunately, it’s to a safer part of eastern Panama.)
I live in Colombia and I don’t know too much about safety in other countries, but here in Colombia, the danger is high because of the activities of the FARC Guerillas. You will be in danger of being killed or kidnapped. Check with the State Department office for Colombia or write to the American Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia about traveling through Colombia. I put a red flag up for you about traveling through Colombia. Much danger here.
Here’s more on driving the Darien Gap.
And on shipping a vehicle around by boat:
http://www.poorbuthappy.com/colombia/travel/places/42
Of course, making these arrangements means hanging around the port of Colon in Panama, one of the most dangerous cities in the world. (I’ve been working in Panama for 26 years, and I’ve only visted Colon twice, although it’s only an hour away.)
Here is an article about Americans kidnapped in Colombia:
Get a satellite phone (Iridiums can be had for around a $1000 or so). This will let you check in with home anywhere on the road, plus you can call the local authorities if need be.
One of the grad students who had the same advisor as me did this about 15-20 years ago. He and a friend bought a cheap car and drove to Tierra del Fuego, where they left the car. As noted above, there are places where they had to leave the road and get the car around in other ways. Also, I don;'t think Colombia was anywhere as near as bad then as it is today.