Here I take my Motorbike across Border Crossings in North America, Central America, and South America. At each border crossing, I talk about how to prepare for your border crossings, what paperwork you need, how much money you will need and a step by step process to cross each border by motorcycle.
Border Crossings in Central and South America require patience and planning to make each border crossing as smooth as possible.
I also talk about how to deal with money changers, helpers, and border security at border crossings. I have a USA Registered Motorcycle which is 100% Owned by Myself (No Loan) I also have multiple copies of my Passport (+Original), Insurance (+Original), Title (+Original – If you do not own, get letter from owner), Registration (+Original) and Drivers Licence (+Original)
So finally I head back the 2000 miles to Buenos Aires through Rio Gallegos, Argentina for the night. I had a fantastic time in Ushuaia and spent a few days exploring the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego.
A one night stay in Punta Arenas, Chile and onto Rio Grande, Argentina on my way to Ushuaia. The rain had not let up, I was hoping so much I could get a few nice days in Ushuaia After a few rain soaked days in El Calafate, Argentina and then rain again all day in Punta Arenas I made my way to Rio Grande, Argentina, and yet another border crossing.
After a few rain soaked days in El Calafate, Argentina I made my way to Punta Arenas, Chile, and yet another border crossing. I would start on Ruta 40 then onto Ruta 3, then cross over into Chile on Ruta 255 and finish on Ruta 9.
Finally onto Ruta 40 and Gobernador Gregores, Argentina! I will miss Chile immensely, the country provided me with some amazing highlights so far on this trip, including my rides to Chile Chico and Hornopiren.
Onwards to Chile! I will miss Bolivia, the country provided me with some of the biggest highlights of my trip. I will not miss the gas station scamming that goes on in this country though.
After nearly 3 weeks in Peru, it was time to go from my last stop in Puno and across the border by motorbike into La Paz, Bolivia. The trip would take me following across mostly on paved roads and swept along high altitude valleys for most of the way through a variety of weather conditions. Thankfully there was little to no traffic on this road as it is the northernmost border town from Peru to Bolivia.
After spending the New Years in Vilcabamba, Ecuador, I readied myself with the border crossing at La Balza on my way to Jaén, Peru. The trip would take me more than 10 hours and 200 miles (313 kilometers) across mostly on off-road dirt tracks through the Andes mountain ranges. A friend of mine, Chris, had taken this journey less than a week earlier.
One night in Pasto got me ready for my border crossing heading to Quito, Ecuador. I left for Quito before first light, and I would reach the border crossing by around 8 am, for hopefully a fast border crossing. I only had 216 miles(348 kilometres) to travel, as I always do shorter trips for border crossing days, so I thought I would arrive in Quito by just after midday.
After we had boarded the Stahlratte, we were told to get to our bunks and sort out our luggage and then reconvene in 15 minutes on the upper deck for a full briefing before we headed out to sea. All the cases went into storage areas, and I had a lower bunk and kept my backpack, helmet, clothes bad (including wash bag) and tank bag with my bed.
Just the two nights in Jaco, Costa Rica, saw me swiftly on my way to David, Panama to get to Panama City on the 18th. A riding day that started out just fine, that is, until I reached the Panama border and consistent torrential rain. Traveling just under 200 miles (316 kilometers) a trip which took me all up – over eight hours. Ouch!
After only one night in El Tanque Rojo, Nicaragua it was time to go to Jaco, Costa Rica on a riding day of only 230+ miles (377 kilometers) a trip which took me all up around eight hours. Even though I was early approaching the border at Peñas Blancas I encountered quite a lot of traffic and the usual hordes of “helpers”.
Getting from Tegucigalpa, Honduras to El Tanque Rojo, Nicaragua was not my best riding experience on this trip. I left early in the morning as usual and headed to the border. I had 270+ miles (436 kilometers) to cover and also had my first accident of the trip.
Getting from El Salvador to Tegucigalpa, Honduras was supposed to be a nice mild sort of day. This border crossing is a very busy one for truckers with miles of trucks waiting to be processed.
Getting across this border on my motorbike into El Salvador was supposed to me a nice riding day in the gorgeous sunshine. I headed for the Terrestre Las Chinamas border crossing at first light. I chose this border because it was supposed to be not as busy.
After one soaked night in Belize to was time to head to Flores, Guatemala, I awoke to a nice sunny day at the Lower Dover Field Station & Jungle Lodge, Belize and the host Madeline took me and two other guests o a little excursion through some of the ruins on their property.
After a few days rest and relaxation I was on my way to San Ignacio and a new country in Belize. Unfortunately for me, the weather forecast was for rain for the next 3-4 days and there was really only a few things I wanted to do with my time in Belize. One was to do some diving in Ambergris Caye on an island off Belize City.
I have included my trip across the Gulf of California from La Paz to Mazatlan onboard the Baja Ferry Service to Puerto Vallarta. As this is kind of like a border crossing, I will give as much information as I can. If you have no done some research, there are quite a few horror stories relating to the Baja Ferries service. I, however, had a pretty fantastic experience.
In this post and video on the Mexico Border Crossing, I discuss getting into Mexico through the El Chaparral Border Crossing at Tijuana. This video is for people both wanting to get into the Baja Peninsula from Tijuana (who do not need a vehicle import permit) and also onto the Mexico Mainland (people who do need a vehicle import permit).
What a day for my travels, finally I cross into Baja, California, on my way to El Bajio, Mexico! I could not sleep the night before, as I was pretty excited and a little nervous at the same time. New country, new experiences and my first border crossing.