Cycle touring in South America

[n&j]

Has anyone cycled in South America? If so can you offer any advice/tips/places to avoid etc?

[ronyrash]

if u dont want an aborted trip thru rain u must go at the rite seezon in march the sun leevs the ekwator heding to cancer so the place to b at this time is south ov the ekwator and wen it leevs for capricorn in
september the best turing wether wil b north ov the ekwator.gud trip

[gar]

I would thoink that Sa is the golden oportunity for a cyclist to start at the top and pedal downwards either from the top of a mountain or from the head of a river.

The Chile/Argentian ride is surely best done that way .
Start at the top down, get a bus back to the top
and then down the other side; then you have done the whole trip without too much harm.

Whether the Amazon is amenable to top down treatment you would have to consider carefully.
I would certainly think of starting at a source!!

Rivers have just got to be done that way!!

I should start a club the "Top Down Cycling Society"

Gareth Howell

[johan]

I have lived in S America (Ecuador) and so can offer you the benefit of my experience, although I have not cycled much there. First, you need to decide how long you can spend on the trip. If you are thinking of a short trip (a month or less), I suggest that you start with Chile and Argentina. A good target would be the length of Chile, some 2000kms plus. Go between Nov and April. There are plenty of places to stay. I could write a book but my main comment is to give it a go. I have been twice to Chile--it is a very modern country.
Johan

[gar]

An online book about the whole of SA journey which he took some months doing.

http://lutskybob.tripod.com/dailygrind/index.htm