The Trans Amazonian Challenge is a 52 day long adventure motorcycle expedition traversing the great Amazonian basin and visiting 8 countries (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana and Venezuela) in the northern part of South America.
Pricing
| per rider in shared twin/double room (without motorcycle) | $17,999.00 |
| per rider on a BMW F 750 GS, in shared twin/double room | $23,998.00 |
| per rider on a BMW F 850 GS, in shared twin/double room | $24,998.00 |
| per rider on a BMW R 1250 GS, in shared twin/double room | $25,998.00 |
| per pillion passenger in shared twin/double room | $7,999.00 |
| per person single room (surcharge) | $2,499.00 |
Features
| Professional Multilingual Tour Leader |
| Small group sizes (Min 5 / Max 10) |
| 51 Nights accommodation |
| All Breakfasts |
| Group Activities and Entry Fees (including day trip Machu Picchu, Nazca lines fly-over etc.) |
| Pre-tour Preparation Guide and Briefing |
| Transfers to/from Cali International Airport (CLO) |
| Support Vehicle & Driver included with 5+ Riders |
| Appeal Gift |
| All taxes (Colombian Nationals +19% IVA) |
| - |
| WITH RENTAL MOTORCYCLE: |
| Rental Motorcycle of choice |
| Authorisation to cross borders with Rental Motorcycle |
| All shipping of Rental Motorcycle (Amazon crossing) |
| Fuel and Road Tolls |
| Mandatory 3rd Party Liability Insurance |
| Motorcycle Damage and Theft Liability Reduction Insurance |
| Rental Motorcycle |
| Airfare |
| Upgrades |
| Lunches, Dinners and Drinks |
| Personal paperwork, permits and visas |
| Any shipping, emergency and insurance related costs involved with using personal motorcycle |
| Additional costs as a result of unforeseen events that force major disruption of itinerary such as weather, political issues etc. |
| Medical Evacuation Membership (Available from Global Rescue) |
| Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance (not offered by us) |
| Tips to staff |
| Any inclusion not specified |
More details
| Difficulty 65% |
| Off-Road: 50% |
| Comfort: 50% |
| Fun Factor: 100% |
| Group sizes (Min 5 / Max 10) |
| Language: This offer is usually suitable for English and/or German speaking participants. We will gladly provide binding information upon request. |
| Mobility: The offer is not suitable for people with reduced mobility. Please contact us for more information. |
Bucket-list items include: Machu Picchu – Cusco – Nazca – Lima – Quito – Angel Falls – Colombian coffee region – Amazon river basin – and 8,000 miles of incredible adventure…
BRING YOUR OWN BIKE OR RENT ONE FROM US!
The expedition is only possible to complete a specific time a year due to massive rainfall in some of the areas throughout the rest of the year. Everything from dirt, mud, rain, forest tracks, mountain passes, boat crossings and beautiful paved roads will be mixed in with interesting historic and cultural destinations, wildlife, Unesco World Heritage sites, incredible scenery and awesome experiences with both locals, team and crew members. There will be plenty to write home about. This is a demanding journey and riders need to be prepared for anything. The trip is intended only for adventure touring enthusiasts who can demonstrate off road riding experience, the physical condition as well as social qualities conducive to teamwork and required flexibility for the success of the journey. We will be going up to high altitudes around 5,000 meters where it can become quite cold, while most of the expedition will be in humid and warm tropical conditions. The expedition will be fully supported with a 4×4 support truck, on-bike guides and a very experienced crew. You can choose to ride either your own bike or rent a fully equipped dual sport bike in Colombia. We stay in mid- to top-range hotels. We always opt for the best option available – clean, safe and practical location. Temperatures can vary between 12 to 40°C (53.6 F to 104°F). Temperatures can drop for a short period going over the mountains passes. It is recommended to ride with ventilated riding gear. A pull over rain suite is a good idea to carry against mountain temperatures and possible short rain showers that can occur year round..
Day 1 to 4: Colombia
Starting in and ending in Colombia will have mean we get to see two distinct part of the country. The first part riding south from Cali consist of paved roads through incredible gorges and canyons in the southern part of the country. Highlights include the salsa capital of the world Santiago de Cali, the white walled colonial city of Popayan, Pasto’s historic center and the famous Las Lajas cathedral. Super scenic views and thousands of tight curves.
Day 1: Fly-in to Cali
Day 2: Cali to Popayan
Day 3: Popayan to Pasto
Day 4: Pasto to Otavalo
Day 5 to 8: Ecuador
We continue through the high Andes mountains in Ecuador as we cross the Equator. Highlights include the handcraft market in Otavalo, Devils waterfall in Baños, the avenue of volcanos with the majestic Cotopaxi and world heritage city Cuenca. The good pavement continues through the mountains and the views of the Andes mountains are equally stunning in Ecuador.
Day 5: Otavalo to Baños
Day 6: Activities in Baños
Day 7: Banos to Cuenca
Day 8: Cuenca to Mancora
Day 9 to 19: Peru
As we enter Peru we reach the Pacific coast and the landscapes turn to desert with high sand dunes and rugged stoney terrain. Midway through the country we head to the east to ride more of the Andes mountains only to return to the coast near the capital Lima. In the south we again cut east and cross the Andes mountain range near Machu Picchu to reach the Amazon. Highlights include surfer beach town Mancora, the Chan Chan ancient city site in Trujillo, the Duck canyon’s cliffhanger roads and tunnels, ceviche and Pisco Sour, Nazca Lines fly-over, historic Cuzco and Machu Picchu. The terrain is mostly paved and extremely varied from high mountains with thousands of twisties to straight flat desert roads.
Day 9: Mancora to Trujillo
Day 10: Trujillo to Huaraz
Day 11: Huaraz to Lima
Day 12: Activities in Lima
Day 13: Lima to Nazca
Day 14: Nazca ti Abancay
Day 15: Abancay to Cuzco
Day 16: Activities in Cuzco
Day 17: Day-trip to Machu Picchu
Day 18: Cuzco to Puerto Maldonado
Day 19: Puerto Maldonado to Assis Brazil.
Day 20 to 33: Brazil
One of the main tasks in the TAC is to cross the South American continent coast to coast trans Amazonas. The real Amazon starts as we enter Brazil in Puerto Maldonado. from here we will encounter all types of terrain. The Trans Amazonian highway is being built, but that on some sections still means tire tracks through the jungle. If wet we will have our works cut out for us. Of course the tour is planned to run during the dry season, but this is no guarantee we won’t encounter slippery mud. Many of the villages are truck stop type cities and accommodation is in places basic though always in hotels. Highlights include the trans amazonian “highway”, the wild life, the jungle, the riding, the people and the challenge of crossing the continent. We end our crossing in Belem a big modern city before taking a day boat trip crossing the now huge Amazon river. From Macapa we have more offered to reach the border river between Brazil and French Guiana.
Day 20: Assis Brazil to Rio Branco
Day 21: Rio Branco to Porto Velho
Day 22: Porto Velho to Humaita
Day 23:Humaita to Apui
Day 24: Apui to Jacareacanga
Day 25: Jacareacanga to Itaituba
Day 26: Itaituba to Altamira
Day 27: Altamira to Tucurui
Day 28: Tucurui to Belem
Day 29: Activities in Belem
Day 30: Amazon Ferry
Day 31: Amazon Ferry to Macapa
Day 32: Macapa to Oiapoque
Day 33: Oiapoque to Cayenne
Day 34 to 55: French Guiana
Our short visit to French Guiana brings us through the capital Cayenne where we will include a visit to the French European space center and devil’s island Kourou. French Guiana is part of the EU and you will find young French police officers out an a year of practice and french supermarkets, a welcome chance to fill up all deposits.
Day 36: Suriname
The visit in Suriname is even shorter, but an interesting look at just how different the different colonial powers left the colonies. Suriname have many architectural references to the Dutch colonialists with small water ways and dams and agricultural lands.
Day 36: Paramaribo to Georgetown
Day 37 to 40: Guyana
Entering Guyana, an old British colony the architecture and infrastructure once again completely changes. We have more time in Guyana and will have a day to fly out to the Kaieteur Falls and check out capital city Georgtown, before heading back into the jungle.
Day 37: Activities in Georgetown (Kaieteur Falls)
Day 38: Georgetown to Iwokrama River Lodge
Day 39: Iwokrama River Lodge to Lethem
Day 40: Lethem to Boa Vista
Day 41: Brazil
We return to Brazil in order to reach Venezuela as there are no direct connection from Guyana. This part of Brazil is quite outback and far from the main power, meaning dirt road and run down infrastructure.
Day 41: Uairen to Boa Vista to Santa Elena
Day 42 to 48: Venezuela
Venezuela is a country that have been in political turmoil the for years now and the situation is very fluid. This could affect our plans to cross the country by motorcycle. The borders have been opened and closed several time during the last 5 years and it is uncertain whether the situation will stabilize enough for the authorities to allow us passage by the time we reach the border from Brazil. If as expected they do allow us to pass the plan is to stay in the southern parts of the country which is the least affected by the corruption and instability. We spend a day extra halfway in Ciudad Bolivar and fly out to see the worlds tallest waterfall – Angel falls on a day trip. The souther plains of Venezuela are spectacular and full of wildlife. There are many cattle farms and agriculture areas and everyday life is really slow pace. Should the crossing of Venezuela be made impossible by the political situation then Plan B is to re-route our itinerary and spend more time in Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana and then fly back to Colombia from Gerogetown. Some staff will stay behind and organize shipping of the motorcycles back to Colombia by container. This means in all cases that the tour will be the same length and we will make sure you return to Cali in time for you return flight.
Day 42: Santa Elena de Uairen to El Callao
Day 43: El Callao to Ciudad Bolivar
Day 44: Activities in Ciudad Bolivar (Angel Falls)
Day 45: Ciudad Bolivar to Caicara del Orinoco
Day 46: Cascara del Orinoco to Mantecal
Day 47: Mantecal to San Cristobal
Day 48: San Cristobal to Bucaramanga.
Day 49 to 52: Colombia
Returning to Colombia we ride from the Eastern border town of Cucuta back to Cali. But first we visit Bucaramanga and Medellin to big cities, the latter being Pablo Escobar’s stronghold up through the 80’s and early 90’s until he was shot dead by police in ’93. We also go through the wonderful coffee region and visit a working coffee farm before returning to Cali for our grand final farewell dinner and celebration of an incredible trip to what is surely one of the worlds last adventure riding frontiers.
Day 49: Bucaramanga to Medellin
Day 50: Medellin to Salento
Day 51: Salento to Cali
Day 52: Fly-out from Cali
Itinerary may change without further notice due to weather, road- or any other condition that the operator or its guides feel will jeopardize the safety of the group or material.