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Im bike touring S.A. and would like to do it end to end. My timing is not perfect since ill be landing in Lima april 16th and spending a few weeks in Cuzco studying spanish.

I was originally going to ride south, but in a *sudden rush of insight* realize in many ways, it makes more sense to ride from the southernmost point back north (towards home.)..

I figure i could realisticly get myself to Ushuaia by the first week of May...

Is this wise for an amature (but strong and well researched) cycle tourist?

Will there be snow? How long are the days?

The other options are... starting from puerto montt (my original goal) or Buenos aires.

Hey PDU, It will be very cold and there will definitely be lots of snow around Ushuaia. Further north there may be less less snow but it'll be seriously freezing on the pampas. In general its easier to ride Patagonia from north to south than south to north due to wind conditions (but as the wind is mostly from the west it'll still get you much of the time) because the route seems to take you mostly NW. It should be less windy that time of year but you could have major problems with snow and light (dark by approx 4-5pm?), and also its not tourist season so there will be no one around, and probably not many hostels open etc. Many of the towns almost shut down that time of year.
I would advise trying to start your trip later (at least October), go north to south, or start from Puerto Montt (but missing the Carraterra Austral would be sad). In reality, unless you really love flattish rolling plains with no vegetation and limited shelter the road from Ushuaia to approximately El Chalten (covering both Argentina and Chile) could be missed on a bike trip, although the area around Ushuaia itself is spectacular. Tierra del fuego is a pretty remote place.... even in tourist season. Also, you may bot be able to hike Torres del Paine/Fitzroy and other things like that if you were interested at that time of year.
Cheers.

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would advise trying to start your trip later (at least October), go north to south, or start from Puerto Montt (but missing the Carraterra Austral would be sad). In reality, unless you really love flattish rolling plains with no vegetation and limited shelter the road from Ushuaia to approximately El Chalten (covering both Argentina and Chile) could be missed on a bike trip, although the area around Ushuaia itself is spectacular. Tierra del fuego is a pretty remote place.... even in tourist season. Also, you may bot be able to hike Torres del Paine/Fitzroy and other things like that if you were interested at that time of year.

Awesome info! This is exactly what i needed to hear..

I am totally not hellset on the idea of riding in patagonia - it'd nice to say "i rode from the southern most point of south america to ecuador." but... whatever!

I DO NOT want to be utterly uncomfortable, and would prefere to avoid the extreme cold as much as possible.

Since i have my ticket already... the trip will not be starting later ..

Originally Puerto Montt was my finishing point, so perhaps now it is more suitable as a starting point.

Will the winds be that bad along the coast of Chile from Puerto Montt?

Wondering if i should reconsider riding south to north all together?

I don't know anything about the Chilean side but you don't want to ride through Argentine Patagonia at any time except Summer - and maybe a few weeks each side. I promise the wind will blow you off the road more than once - it is frightening just being in a car and being buffeted by the winds. Apart form that - the wind will be cold! If you are into extreme experiences then try it out - but have a back-up plan!

Hmmm.... from Puerto Montt it will still be cold and the lakes district, like southern Patagonia, will be deserted of tourists and tourist accommodation, activities, open campgrounds etc during winter.... except for the ski areas of course (Bariloche, Pucon etc.).

Totally up to you but purely based on weather I would have thought a better idea to start riding north to south from wherever you actually want to start the ride - obviously the further north in South America you start the warmer it will be during the winter months (and is actually tourist season that time of year in Peru/Bolivia). Also, down through northern Argentina (eg. the Jujuy - Salta area which is spectacular) wouldn't be too bad for riding that time of year - just note that it will be very cold at high altitudes so you'll have to prepare for the passes.

If you do ride around the lakes district (ie. north of Puerto Montt in both Chile and Argentina) I would not recommend riding the Pan American Highway in Chile - not for the wind so much which is not too bad up there, but there's not much to see (boring!) and heavy traffic....
Then again, if you go inland you'd have to watch the mountain passes as they'll probably be snowed-in over winter.
Sorry if that's confusing the issue...!


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It was my original plan to ride north to south - so i suppose ill stick with that.

My itinerary is quite open despite a few main destinations... For the most part, im planning on figuring out the details once i arrive.

Thanks for the cautionary notes!

We rode southern Patagonia from south to north in mid March to mid April and it was
already pretty cold with frequent freezing rain and one snow at a pass. Though we
still prefer that over the heat, it'd be much more enjoyable to have better(drier)
weather. It'd be a shame not to ride that section.

The southern pampas after you exit Carratera Austral *is* *very* windy. From our
experience, you might have a slight advantage going from north to south as the winds
are mostly from the northwest, more west than north though.

I would have to say it would be areal endurance test - possibly would be good for a National Geographic article. I have been in Ushuaia in February - the height of summer and there was actually snow mixed in with the rain one morning. If you can wait till the spring it would be an incredible trip, whether you stick close to the Atlantic Coast , or the mountains.

Add Ash to your weather forecast.

There might be dangerous lava on the Chilean side, but there is Ash on the Argentine side and the wind keeps moving between northwesterly and westerly covering Chubut with a layer of grey.

Good luck!!

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There might be dangerous lava on the Chilean side, but there is Ash on the Argentine side and the wind keeps moving between northwesterly and westerly covering Chubut with a layer of grey.

No worries, i wont be going to patagonia.. i cross into Bolivia tommorow heading south.. unsure to chile or argentina.

Thanks for all the info tho!