hello, hello! my name is devo and i'm Canadian wanting to plan a trip to Chile next year. I'd like to drive down over aprx. 8 weeks or so and was thinking on getting a dog for company/ security. we so far will be alone and i was looking for any information about what papers, vaccinations, costs, places to see and stay away from, roads to take (or not..) cities to get Toyota parts in if necessary, basics to take (or what NOT to take), how many types of documentation to have, etc....

this will not be my first trip out of north America but will be my first road trip down to south America.
i'm planning it for next oct./ nov. and will be learning Spanish with in this time too.

thnx for your time and input.
namast'e
devo

Hi my name is Jeff, I live in Australia now, but have done a lot of traveling in the past . I was looking at a similer trip and found the biggest problem to be Panama, the road runs out, up in the mountains at Yarvis ,about 200 k's from the Colombia borber. My only solution at the moment seems to be to put my vehicle on a boat at Acapulco. AS yet I can't find a company to ship it,or a place on the west coast of south america to land it. Apart from that the trip seems fine. Peru,and Chille are both a great drive.

hello hello, and i thank you all for any info. one can provide. i assure anyone, this is no hoax.
i am planning this trip for the end of oct./ '09 so lots of time left to get my ducks in a row as well as learn Spanish.
please feel free to join in/ or use this thread for any informational references necessary.
namast'e
devo

Hi,
I was traveling with my girlfriend in a Chilean van in south america for 13 months. We met some Americans who did this trip. They had to drive in colon in Nigaragua for savety, but we met them in Peru, so they made it. They shiped their vantruck by boat from Panama to Ecuador as Colombia is not save. !you need a carnet de passage for ecuador! We were trying to enter from Peru ending negotiation 2 days on the boarder. We tried to bribe, but the price was too high (would have been half of the value of our car what means 2000 Us$)
Don't worry about spare parts in south america if it is not electronical. they repair everything. If you have a high tech van, it is more likely to get in trouble (like the US people we met). We had no pets, but in south america, as soon you open your van, ten dogs are around you hoping to get some food.
have a nice trip
Maarten (Belgium)
hentzenmaarten@gmail.com

Just a quick tip.. keep your dog close, there are some pretty bad strays in Chile especially in Santiago.
Take care and enjoy the landscape over there I'm sure it'll be fun!

devo here, THANK YOU ALL!!! .... again for the tips and info.
as for the " sunday drive to ikea..." well i guess if i'm dropping a v6 engine and doing a full solid front axle conversion for better 4x4ing and off roading then may be you've miss construed my intentions.
i'm just thinking on seeing columbia, peru and ecuador (as well as the REST of south america) after being in the country for a few months or so, getting to know the local dialect and NOT being a gringo...

the plan is to be there for a couple of years,.. may be not come back and end up building the restaurant i want to run. (i'm a canadain chef of 17 years)

once again i THANK YOU ALL for as much info. as posibel!!!!
much love to you and your worlds
namast'e
devo

You may find this website useful

http://www.go-panamerican.com/road-tips.php

Okay guys now LISTEN from someone with Experience.

Latin America is cut in two halves:
1º Mexico thru Panama and
2º Ecuador thru Tierra del Fuego.

Colombia is the major block. No roads possible there and EXTREMELY dangerous. I recommend to investigate in Panama ways to skip Colombia by sea ferries.

The SAFEST CONTINUOUS ROADS are in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Southern Brazil. They have international standards, ATM and Gas/Convenience stores on the road, and you can drive safe up to 140kph. Most National Parks' roads arent paved , so its recommended to have a vehicle with 4x4 capabilities and tires' chains in case of slight snow in Andes -Some massive snowfalls may occur between June and September so check weather reports before to go- If you are going thru the Chilean/Argentinian Patagonia. The marvellous Chilean fjords has many ferries for an unforgettable experience. Check for it www.navimag.cl and www.gochile.cl/Info/Xporte/Ferry.asp

PERU-Ecuador: Roads do not meet international standards. Flash protest/riots may block the road with stones. Caution in populated areas. Sorry, your trip ends at the colombian jungle's border .

COLOMBIA: AVOID THIS COUNTRY AT ANY COST. Not recommended to do a road trip the country is still in rural civil war.

Panama thru Mexico: Roads do not meet international standards. Panama is improving fast. Costa rica, some areas. Caution in populated areas. Sorry your trip ends at the colombian jungle's border

WARNING! Costa Rica's myth : paved and safe? NO! be warned of robbery and massive sub-standards roads, never leave your car alone by night, Do not stop in massive populated areas or jungles! Read the Canadian Foreign Affairs website for further Warnings . The same for Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Southern Mexico.

PETS and FOOD: As Argentinian, Chile honors their stragtegic isolation from the Tropical Americas. This country do not permits some pets, fruits and vegetables. Ask details with the Chilean Embassy in your country in order to avoid quarentine for your beloved pet.

hola alejo,
i agree with you in full, the success of the trip depends on the moment and how you react/ act in it, at the time.
trusting instincts coupled with common sense (which is not so common these days, most humans ARE pretty sheepish/ main stream.) and there are some of the worst spots on the planet in the richest cities, so i'm sure i'll be fine, but more information is more choice/ ability to act or not act in the given moment.

part of the plan is to possibly build my restaurant there and possibly not come back,.. we'll see, but to attain this i need some kind of capital,.. so,.. 2- 3 jobs all summer and i'll have enough to live for a year or two and travel the country and find a possible location while working a bit along the way, with some money invested for that time it'll hopefully be enough for the start up needed for the restaurant.

have a great trip, as much as i'd love to just jump on board, (last Minuit travel is SO fun) i've given my word for work this summer,.. so.
namast'e Alejandro
gracias y mucho gusto seinor

Hi everyone,

I would like to get a ride to chile just because i got the experience traveling through some area in central America
Mexico Guatemala Costa Rica and live 5 years in venezuela.
My sister who lives in England did a trip from Alaska to Puerto Montt in a mountain bike and it took her 5 years to reached her goal.
I was born in chile, live in canada for the last 18 years so i guess that makes me a dual citizen.
I think it would be fun to share the cost and drive south
Driven a crossed Canada four times, it makes me to take a longer trip.

that is it for now. Any comments please submit them to my gmail halohaisis@gmail.com
Gracia, ciao Isis

HELLO, I WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT IF SOMEONE HAS TRAVELLED FROM OREGON TO ECUADOR BY CAR, I HEAR THAT THE ROAD ENDS BEFORE THE BORDER OF PANAMA AND COLOMBIA, HOW DO PEOPLE CROSS THAT BORDER? IF SOMEONE ALREADY MADE THE TRIP FROM THE UNITED STATES TO ECUADOR OR FURTHER SOUTH PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR EMAIL SO I CAN CONTACT YOU. PLEASE SEND ANY INFORMATION YOU HAVE ON ROADS, HOTELS, GAS STATIONS, ETC. THANK YOU. MY EMAIL IS elva1058@comcast.net

Hi, we are an Irish couple who are currently travelling in South America. We left Chicago one year and two months ago in a Airstream campervan and with our Old English sheepdog. We have driven 38,000 miles through Canada, USA, Mexico, Central America, shipped our van from Panama to Colombia and drive all the way down through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina to Ushuaia. We are heading north now to Brazil where we hope to ship our van back to the USA.All this talk about the countries been dangerous and roads in bad condition is rubbish. The roads everywhere have been great except in parts of Bolivia when we tried to get off the beaten track. People everywhere are extremely nice and in fact Colombians have been one of the friendliest people we have met our trip. Colombia is an amazing country and not one to miss. The people there are sick of people having a bad opinion of them and go out of their way to be friendly and welcoming. We have a website with all information on the border crossings with the van and the dog. Feel free to email us with any questions. GO FOR IT, IT'S A TRIP OF A LIFETIME!

Our website: www.thebrightsideoftheroad.com

Just two things about Colombia. It occupies the 3rd place among the happiest countries in the WORLD! USA is in the 16th place :(
You can ship your van from Panama to Cartagena without any problems. Get to know the Caribbean Coast of Colombia before you go any further down south. You most probably stay there for the rest of your life. The problem with Colombia is that you may never want to leave it... :)

I am pleased to join the forum

_________________________

I've taken the road trip from central Washington state USA to Panama probably a dozen times or more over the years. I've had my share of adventures (shot at, detained, paid lots of considerations) etc, etc, etc. But mostly its a lot of sitting down and driving day after day. Avoid Mexico City unless you're into really hectic traffic and being lost, really lost. Mexico is not incredibly dangerousat all. It is long though and lots of hours (days) of driving involved to get through it. The roads in Central America are poor, but it's not particularly dangerous if you use a little common sense. Road conditions make for slow going there. El Salvador, where I lived for 10 years is nice and worth a look, not particularly dangerous if, again, you use some common sense. It is nice to know Spanish, not just some Spanish, but KNOW it. Dozens of tricks to make life easy (carry all large denomination money in one pocket and some small bills in another for example) if you have to ask why, then you need to get some more experience before attempting this trip. Don't take a dog. The dog will not enjoy the trip, and will eventually be detained at some border or ripped to shreds by the ever present pariah dogs. THERE IS NO ROAD BETWEEN PANAMA AND COLUMBIA. I don't know why people cannot seem to fathom that. Contrary to a posting above, the passage between Panama and Columbia IS a problem, tedious paperwork in a hot, dirty city and expensive (at least $2K) and just as big a problem getting your auto back once you both reach Columbia. I've heard about Columbia being dangerous for the last 40 years (I'm old). It is certainly no more dangerous than El Salvador. Maybe I'm used to it though, I lived in El Salvador throughout their civil war and saw more corpses and murders than I care to count. But, again, common sense is the key. That's what I know. Plan on weeks of sitting on your butt driving, getting lost in the larger cities all the time and heat, lots of heat. Plan on diarria (spelling?), lots of bugs, crumby hotel rooms (don't try camping out in Central America, no matter how many people tell you they do it, that is dangerous. Mexico, South America is fine, lots of room) Plan on giving people you don't know rides. (Mostly at the border crossings. The police will make you an offer you can't refuse.) DO NOT plan on selling your car in Latin America. Practically impossible. Be aware that there is LOTS of wishful thinking on these forums and take all advice with a large grain of salt. Figure on at least 6 months for a trip to Chile. Contact me if you wish at wata3000@prodigy.net. BYE, BYE, Allen