Authors: Tim Coxon & Murray Williamson
Into South America we go, starting in Chile, Santiago. Wow! What an amazing launch pad for our adventure which was only made better by the generous people we met.
A massive hearty thanks to Ignacio, a keen cyclist who took us out for dinner and showed us around his stunning city - it truly made our landing that much softer.
Men's Tobago Long Sleeve Hiking Shirt
Although we could have spent a lot longer in Chile, the mystical Andes Mountains were calling and wow, did they have a big voice.
What an amazing 2 day climb ascending to 3200 meters above sea level. The continuous view of snow-capped peaks were woven together by the unbelievable switchbacks that one can only dream of!
It wasn't as cold as we were expecting and the weather seemed to be calm around the late weeks of November.
The steep climb up provides us with the most spectacular descent!
Either face of the Andes Mountain offered a completely different landscape. The Chilean side conjured up dark, lush rock faces and snowy peaks compared to the dry and earthy red Argentinian slopes carved by rushing rivers and old train tracks.
The speed on the descent (80km/h) alone was something that any adrenaline junky would froth for, simply breath taking.
After a short stint in the mountains we rolled into Mendoza, the wine country of Argentina. If you are a wine connoisseur then this is the place for you. Amazing tree lined streets are broken by beautiful vineyards. We may have taken a few extra days off here due to sumptuous Malbec’s and good company.
Helio II 2 Person 3 Season Hiking Tent
A big few days lay ahead through what we called the Karoo of Argentina, route 8 from Mendoza to Buenos Aires. The conditions were hot, flat and accompanied by strong head winds.
We looked forward to the simple pleasures of finding a cold bottle of water or ending the day with a cerveza which is beer in Spanish.
Tough as it was, those 1000kms taught us a lot about perseverance and finding pleasure in the small things.
Cycling into Buenos Aries, we celebrated our efforts with a cold beer whilst watching Argentina crush Australia in the World Cup surrounded by passionate supporters. Football is a religion there!
Buenos Aires definitely held its status of as one of the most iconic cities in the world. It has the neighbourly feel of colonial buildings, al fresco dining and small market tree-lined streets but equally held modern buildings with major bustling avenues and rambling parks. The cultural experience is definitely a big part of this heaving city! It would have been amazing to stay a little while longer to immerse ourselves in this epic city. But...
The bicycles were getting antsy and we set out once again, this time starting with a short ferry across to Uruguay.
Sport played a massive role in this country which resonated with us very strongly. It was truly inspiring to see how enthusiastic people played sport but also supported the spectacle. We quickly found ourselves as the number 1 supporters of a soccer tournament in Montevideo at the Old Boys & Old Girls Club, with both girls and guys soccer teams that would run circles around us. The festivities, talent on and off the pitch were definitely pulling on Tim’s heart strings to stay a little longer but none the less, the journey ahead still had a lot to offer. We ended up making friends at the tournament and met them further down the coast in a small surf/party town called Punte Del Este. We waved our goodbyes with heavy hearts and peddled on towards the magical shores of Brazil!
Crossing over the boarder, Brazil’s reputation held its own as the humidity and animal life picked up greatly. Cycling within an ecologically protected area granted us a few “first” sightings. Be that capybaras, Caymans and armadillos, we lapped up every sighting as this new strange world opened up.
Moving north brought lush greens, sticky weather and a higher propensity for Tim being nailed by punctures.
3 punctures in 2 days :(
Cycling from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro along the verdant coast was a massive highlight of ours! 600km over 7 days was arguably too fast for such stunning scenery. Rolling forested mountains gave way to hundreds if not thousands of idyllic golden beaches. We wild camped our way to Rio de Janeiro and had mandatory swims every morning and evening to wash over the tough riding (20% gradients are no joke in 100% humidity!).
Cycling into the magical city of Rio was breath-taking to say the least. We took a few days off to explore its wonders and celebrated the New Year in true Brazilian style - we sambaed the night away on Copacabana beach with a stellar fireworks display - definitely one for the books!
With our legs rested and hearts full, we said Ciao to Rio and cycled into the New Year feeling content with where we were on our journey. Climbing back up to the escarpment we made our way towards one of the 7 Wonders of the World!
The mighty Iguazu River carves its way through Paraguay and erupts at the border between Brazil and Argentina in the most magnificent of displays. Iguazu Falls is not be missed and was a major highlight of ours. Cascading waterfalls mesmerised our every step as we wandered our way further into the gorge. Wow, Vic Falls you have a runner for your money!
Having topped up our tanks (on stoke of course) we made our way across the border into Paraguay.
From the get go, Paraguay had a different charm to Brazil - rugged, raw and less accustomed to tourists, we felt adventure beckoning.
From the humid capital of Asuncion we stocked up on supplies (white gold + noodles) and crossed over the river into the infamous Northern region called the Gran Chaco, meaning “hunting land” in the indigenous Guarini language.
We forged our way through the Chaco over 8 days, climbing a mere 300 meters and covering 770km.
Pancake flat and straight as an arrow, the roads of Paraguay were anything but boring.
Amid the searing temperatures and abundance of bird life, the kindness and generosity of complete strangers summed up our experience of Paraguay!
Not to mention this is where we met our first fellow South Africans since departing SA two months ago.
Being waved down by a Springbok jersey coming out of a Fortuner, paired with a “Howzit my Chinas” almost brought tears to our eyes. Leon reminisced on his childhood adventures of camping on the Parys River and we couldn’t stop smiling!
Paraguay greatly surpassed our expectations but we pushed on towards Bolivia with eager anticipation of something to break the horizon.
And with those hopes we were greatly met with the foothills of the Andes. Massive climbs, equally epic descents, rain and sunshine, Bolivia has been a special place so far! 4000m peaks and high altitude riding has provided ever changing scenery.
Finally reaching the Altiplato (high plateau - 3600m) we b-lined for a Salar de Uyuni, a must-do on our dream bucket list!
Few words can describe the two days we had riding through the world’s largest salt pan. Surreal, magical, otherworldly… Time and distance dissolved as we soaked in all the Salar had to offer. Camping on Isla Incahausi was something truly special. A lone island covered in 1000 year-old cactuses made for a dream camp spot. We had the entire place to ourselves and watched the sunset and rise over the vast expanse. It was one of those wild moments that will stay with us forever.
Currently we are 4 days out from La Paz (400km) and expect some tough climbing up to the highest city in the world (3625m)!
From there, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia lie ahead and wrap up our time in South America… alas, Central America and Mexico beckon our arrival.
3 months down and 6 to go! What a time to be alive, we can’t thank First Ascent enough for the gear provided - it truly has been crucial to this epic adventure!
See more of our journey on Instagram.