"It was the trip of a lifetime! I had to pinch myself several times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I think the highlight was the Uyuni Salt Flats, surreal landscape. My favorite place we stayed had no electricity or hot water in La Higuera Bolivia but I give it a five star! Just riding through the small villages of Peru and Bolivia was great. Looking forward to another trip."
-That's the Adventure Riding spirit we love and hope to bring out of more Riders! Karl Arceneaux's Andes & Altiplano Guided Group Tour was clearly a success, and a real Adventure Rider understands that sometimes "things don't work" in places like Bolivia. We make the best of each situation, and have fun with the memories on all of these trips. So glad you enjoyed, Karl!
| "Just to let you know that we had a fabulous time in Peru! Excellent people, excellent route and excellent hotels!
I guess I didn't really know what to expect from Peru - but it surpassed any expectations I had many times over. It really is a sensational trip and both Helen and I loved the riding and the few bits of 'adventure' that we had!"
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-Michael Potter and his wife, Helen must have enjoyed themselves, as so many of us do when riding and exploring the incredible land of Peru. They were part of our Guided Group "Machu Picchu Express" tour, and we look forward to riding with them again in the Andes, soon.
"Just finished the Machu Picchu express tour. The tour was absolutely brilliant! It was very well organised, driving was fantastic. Food and accommodation great ! I will be recommending to my friends when I get home! Thanks very much! - Patrick Fives"
-Patrick and another group of Riders all enjoyed what the Andes Mountains of Peru had in store for them on the Machu Picchu Express Guided Group Motorcycle Tour. Patrick, if this just razzled up some curiosity about what the rest of the Andes may be like, please keep us in mind!
"My dad and I had the best time of our lives! Diederik and Edi were excellent, really help made it a great tour. - If anyone would like to contact me to ask questions about the or tour around Peru, please feel free to pass them my email and Cc; yourself."
-Alexandra Carroll from Australia, having given us exactly what we're after in this business: Great feedback about motorcycle trips! Alexandra and her father joined one of our "7 Highlights of Southern Peru" tours in early 2015.
"Javier was a great guide and a very fun and good person. We are making a movie of the trip (Javier was the main cameras man) and will share that with you. Here are a couple of photos from the trip. Thank you very much for an incredible journey in a wonderful country. Next year we are off to Russia for our annual cruise. We had an AWESOME trip. A big special thanks to Javier...he was extremely special."
-Charles Davidson, Brandon Batagol, and Bruce Syme from Australia after their private motorcycle tour of Peru. Glad you guys enjoyed so much, let's do those "hot springs" tours!
"Fantastic tour on the Machu Picchu Express. Good route with a mix of desert, mountains and rainforest. Some excellent riding and a good crew. Top marks to Geert and eddy who kept us entertained in the evenings and informed during the tour plus on the road whatever the problems that came up."
-David Kellaway from the U.K. after what was a successful first experience riding a motorcycle in the Andes Mountains of Peru on theMachu Picchu Express tour package
-Gustavo Priyoltensky from Massachusetts after what was clearly a great self-guided motorcycle trip in Peru with his father in early 2015. Come back again, guys!
- Mark Larson from Arizona in the U.S. after he and his wife, Melanie enjoyed exploring Peru on one of our BMW R1200GS rentals. Mark had done Patagonia a few years ago with us, and appears to be "conquering Lost Andes!"
"Guys had a great time, despite Phil almost being arrested LOL. He left his ID and money etc. under a mattress at one of the hotels a maid found it and turned it in but not before they were stopped at a checkpoint along the route. Phil had no idea he had forgotten it.
Your staff was wonderful in assisting them. Phil took like 1600 photo’s. Next time they want another motorcycle trip, I will definitely keep you guys in mind. Thank you so much for all your assistance."
-Written by Brandi who assisted in setting up a self-guided Peru motorcycle trip package for the Nelson brothers from the U.S. Worth noting here is that, while we don't recommend leaving things behind in hotels, there are definitely good people all over the world, including beautiful Peru!
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"Wow! Wow! WOW!!! The three principal environments in Peru are coastal desert, high mountains (and here I mean HIGH, as in really, really HUGE!), and jungle. But there is also everything in between from pine forests at 2000m to the incredible expanses of golden Pampas grasses on the "Altiplano", way above the tree line, starting at 3,000m and up for there. Our highest point was 4,900m, and still we were dwarfed by the giant peaks all around. Amazing is too weak a word for it. AWESOME is often a word that is over-used. This was truly that. |
- Rory Aitken from the U.K. after clearly enjoying his exploration of Peru on one of our BMW R1200GS rentals. With sentiments like this, perhaps more people will finally venture into the Andes Mountains of Peru on one of our motorcycle rentals!
"Just got back from a great ride in Peru...RIDE Adventures helped nine of us to build and ride a personalized tour of Peru...the ninth person was a Peruvian that lives here in the States. Having a Spanish speaking guy with you really makes the trip
-Ted Beck - Montana - If you want more particulars - email me! (Ted and his group did a self-guided motorcycle trip of Peru with motorcycles we provided, and hotels and maps we arranged for them.)
"All around, a great trip. Your entire organization is totally professional. Your email responses were always prompt and accurate. Like I said, Lars was very honest in his assessment of my trip and he was right. It's obvious that all of you actually ride and you know the routes.
-Terry Banen from the U.S, after what was clearly a great self-guided motorcyle trip in Peru, including Lake Titicaca and Machu Picchu.
- Valérie Julie Brousseau from Canada sent another smile across our faces when we saw this note about her motorcycle trip experience in Peru. We are so glad you enjoyed, Val!
- Todd Thorsell and his buddy Roger clearly enjoyed themselves in Peru, taking this photo near the Colca Canyon on our Guided Group "Machu Picchu Express" motorcycle tour. Glad you enjoyed, guys!
Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive in Cochabamba
Welcome to Bolivia! Our Staff will pick you up from the airport as part of the tour package, and take you through this bustling city to your hotel to get settled. Depending on your flight arrival time, we will probably do your bike "check-in" procedure and give you the chance to make any adjustments or preparations for the road ahead.
Our entire group will eventually gather for a pre-trip meeting so everyone can get aquainted, and then enjoy a celebration dinner at one of Cochabamba’s best steak houses. Fuel up for the road ahead.
Day 2 - Cochabamba to Comarapa
Your adventure RIDE in Bolivia begins! We have a nice long day ahead of us to get acquainted and comfortable with our bikes. As regular Guides in Bolivia who have ridden pretty much "everything" multiple times, rest assured you'll be shown only the best routes to get around. The roads today in particular will be an excellent combination of dirt, cobble and pavement and the scenery is gorgeous. Yes, you're 'actually riding in Bolivia,' and will probably be saying this within your helmet throughout the day a few times. Don't worry, we all do it the first time.
Day 3 - Comarapa to La Higuera
Vallegrande, our first stop, is where the Che Guevara route starts. Here we will tour the hospital laundry where Che’s body was displayed for the world to see that he was truly dead, his burial site and the new mausoleum that has been built in honor of Che and his comrades. After lunch, we will have a nice dirt ride to the little village of La Higuera – where Che was held, then assassinated in the schoolhouse. Here we will stay the night in a beautifully restored local hotel.
Day 4 - La Higuera to Sucre
We have an adventurous riding day ahead featuring an excellent local dirt road, that has been described as one of the best in the world, topped off with a winding paved road climb to the town of Sucre – AKA “White City”.
This beautiful Capitol City of Bolivia also happens to be an UNESCO World Heritage Site, well worth exploring by foot at the end of the Day's ride.
Day 5 - REST Day in Sucre
Enjoy your rest day exploring the beautiful city of Sucre, with its restaurant scene and excellent cultural museums. This is also an opportunity to do some laundry and personal errands, all while resting up for more riding action ahead.
Day 6 - Sucre to Potosi
The city of Potosi welcomes us via a short, half day ride on a nicely paved road, arriving in town for a traditional lunch. We will have the opportunity to tour the Cerro Rico mines, once the richest silver mines in the world, that was a significant supporter of the Spanish Empire.
The Spanish have harvested so much silver from this mine that is has been said that they could have built a bridge made of pure silver, with some still leftover! Currently, the mining conditions of Cerro Rico are in despair, and you will see first-hand the living and working conditions of the local Bolivians.
Day 7 - Potosi to Uyuni
Today, we skip the highway route and jump on an alternative route featuring narrow dirt roads and forgotten villages – the authentic Bolivia. This is NOT your typical tourist route!
Day 8 - Uyuni to Tunupa
This unforgettable day includes visiting the famous Train Graveyard, then onto one of Bolivia's greatest highlights: the Salar de Uyuni. Enjoy riding on one of the most sought-after surfaces in the world with nothing in your way but Isla Incahuasi and a few naturally-forming potholes. (Of course in the rainy season here, we don't ride on the Salt Flats because they're covered in 20cm of water.)
We'll enjoy a picnic lunch here on the flats then head onto our salt hotel for the night – where everything is made of salt; beds, chairs, tables, etc.
Day 9 - Tunupa to Oruro
We start our day riding a fast and flowing dirt road that takes us through remote villages and colorful (during growing season) fields of quinoa.
After lunch we will ride the highway for a couple of hours to the mining town of Oruro, an indigenous Bolivian city, still showing you the best routes to get around by in this part of the world.
Day 10 - Oruro to Quime
To the top! Today we ride to 4780 meters (15,680’ +/-) above sea level, then ride down to the views of the ancient glacial valleys and on to the tiny town of Quime. Sitting on the edge of the Amazon Rainforest and often in the clouds, Quime is home to our rustic but character filled accommodations for the night.
Our eccentric host is an Alaskan hermit, who hand-built the place, and has lived here for 30 years.
Day 11 - Quime to Chulumani
A full day on dirt, we will ride into the Amazon Rainforest and everyone gets to see how the lowland people of Bolivia live versus the highland people, as we've been amongst for the last few days.
This'll be an early morning start so we can take full advantage of this scenic and beautiful riding day, as there'll be extra reason for photo-taking for sure!
Day 12 - Chulumani to Coroico
Today holds yet another day full of incredible views and Bolivian riding, still in the upper parts of the rainforest ad on a rarely driven dirt road. Here you will also see the up close and personal the processing of the coca leaf for yourself.
Mixed simply with hot water and a little sugar, perhaps a sip of coca tea leaves will help remind you why this is such a popular plant in the world.
Day 13 - Coroico to La Paz
On our final riding day, we ride the famous “Road of Death!" What an excellent way to end our tour by taking what is also referred to as "The World’s Most Dangerous Road" or "El Camino de la Muerte" into our finishing city & Bolivia's financial capitol of La Paz.
Careful not to gaze out into the "abyss" of the valley below while riding, because the twists, turns, and varying widths of the Road of Death means riders simply must stay focused on the mission at hand. Stop and look straight down 2,000 feet from the road's edge, and you'll see the remains of vehicles who sadly, didn't "make it." (NOTE: We as guides and many other riders have completed this route many times perfectly safely though, so please be assured, it's really just like motorcycle riding anywhere else: Stay focused, mind your surroundings, and your speed.)
Arriving in La Paz, we'll check into our hotel and get ready to celebrate our tour at a great local restaurant.
Day 14 - Departure Day
We'll be arranging your transfer to La Paz airport for your flights home, if you absolutely must go. Start organizing the hundreds or thousands of photos you probably took, and posting them on Facebook with the news of your riding accomplishment. Fly home safely and with a smile...we hope you had a great trip!
BMW F800GS
X
34.6 in
472.0 lb
4.2 gal
798 cc
Suzuki DR650
Chosen by adventure riders around the world, Suzuki's DR650, is an excellent bike for adventures rides anywhere. It'll maintain it's power well at altitude, and handle all the dirt and rocks you can throw it's way while still feeling comfortable on those stretches of pavement in between. With a seat height of only 885mm (34.8 inches) its accommodating stature makes this manageable machine easy to handle no matter what the situation.
X
34.8 in
366.0 lb
3.4 gal
644 cc