BootsnAll Travel Community

i sure would like to start nailing down some details for our 30th anniversary honeymoon. i was thinking of driving all the way from canada t the tip of south america. is it possible? what's the "darian gap". what about fuel and repairs etc. chat soon. kevin and lori

A good place to ask this question is in the South America and Central America forums where there are already multilple discussions about driving. I know that several members are actually in the midle of doing this right now as well, so maybe they'll pop in and help you out.

Just dig through the old threads in those forums or start your own.

the darian gap is a stretch of undeveloped land between Panama and Columbia that have no roads connecting. So if you are going to drive from Central America to South America you have to make arrangements to take your car on a ferry from Panama to Columbia. That is about all I know, hope that helps a bit.

I actually had wanted to do this with my boyfriend--driving from NYC down there--but I have heard a lot of things about driving that were discouraging (giving bribes to border guards, etc) and that driving with a car was pretty crazy.

I also wanted to do this from California to Tierra del Fuego, but I was fearful of the troubles I'd have to go through passing through Colombia... also Cherie makes a good point, with all the hassle of bribing, customs, etc never knowing if they'll let you through.

If'n I was going to attempt it, I would buy me a shitbox Bronco II and see how far I'd get. If I lost it, or something. Well, then big deal.
The Darien Gap is complicated, or so I've heard.

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Well, I wouldn't say I know a whole lotta bout drivin' through, but I've driven around Mexico, the Yucatan, etc and it was fine. We are actually going to head down for 6 months or so from November '08 til ??? with a shitty van and our dog. Hoping to see the 7 countries in Central America (we were just in Belize and Roatan - whoo-weee, looks awesome!) properly in that amount of time. We'll see. As for driving to S.A.... look up the roll-on, roll-off cargo ships - you can skip Colombia and hit Ecquador from Panama from what I understand. I have a friend whom I met in Jordan that drove from Prudhoe Bay, AK to Tierra del Fuego through Colombia and all (took 2 years to do it) and he came out okey dokey....
Do it - just don't take the Porsche...

Piecar's observation about getting a shitbox Bronco for the trip reminded me of a few intrepid souls who have a similar journey, crossing Russia from west to east (across ten time zones).

One consideration was availability of car parts along the way. In Russia, Toyota was the brand of choice: travelers would be likelier to find replacement parts for Toyota than any other brand. For travel through central and South America, Ford might well be a good choice, but check out all options.

Take a look at Bear's brief comments after returning from an attempted crossing of the Darien Gap.

Whether going by vehicle or by foot, it's a SERIOUS undertaking. I like to think I'm a pretty adventuorous type, but I wouldn't dream of trying it myself.

I travelled by motorcycle and can't say I bribed anyone at the border yet. Just makes TONS of copies (with notary stamp) of your papers and stash them everywhere in case you lose them. That would be disastrous. I have heard Central America from other motorcyclists is a mess at the border, but haven't personally been there.

As far as gas, I can tell you it's dirt cheap in Venezuela, reasonable in Colombia, $1.50/gallon in Ecuador, 6-7? soles per liter in Peru, 650 pesos per liter in Chile, and 2.7-3 pesos per liter in Argentina. The roads in Ecuador can be terrible around curves; you can lose a car. In Peru, the PanAm was fresh and spotless. In Chile, there was loads of road construction which should be done by the time you arrive; and not too bad in Argentina on well-travelled paths, highway.

As far as repairs, it would behoove you to find out what cars they commonly drive down there. I was too busy dodging them to notice. Repairs - In terms of bikes, if the average mechanic only works on 100cc Hondas and you roll up with a 1100cc Harley, you might have a problem. Doing your own oil changes and little things along the way might be best. I'd recommend, if you don't already know, learning the basics about car repair.