So now for the technicalities of the trip. We are allowing ourselves four to five months to get from Cancun, Mexico to our end destination of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Just fifteen countries, no biggy. What we don't want is for the entire trip to be ruled by strict routes and time limits. So if it takes longer (and we can afford it) then take longer it will.
We’ll be riding on one motorcycle, south through fifteen countries. Hence, Two Up, Fifteen Down.
On average, this gives us between 7 and 10 days in each country. Not bad going really, and we'll probably spend more time in some and less than others.
We’ll be hitting all manner of temperatures and climates over this time - beautiful hot Caribbean coastlines, moist jungles, freezing mountain tops, windy deserts… plus swapping between wet seasons & dry seasons, summer & winter, as we make our way down and around, and back up to Brazil.
So we’ll need a lot of gear, right? Well our beautiful little motorcycle is not a purpose-built adventure touring bike. So we can’t just strap some big old panniers on it and be on our merry way - the bike simply wouldn’t cope. So we need to fit two peoples’ worth of all weather clothing, first aid kits, maps, motorbike gear, spare parts and all other micellaneous travel items in two small panniers and a top box, equalling a grand total of about 100 litres of storage.
But we love a challenge! And with the beautiful retro panniers made for us by Craven, at least we will look pretty darn stylish, and our stuff will be safe and dry!
We’ll spend around two months going through Central America, whack our motorbike on a yacht and sail through the San Blas islands to Colombia, and then spend two to three months travelling through South America.
We’ve planned a rough route through the fifteen countries, but are more than aware that a trip like this is extremely unlikely to go exactly to plan. So we’ll just have to see how we go and keep you up to date every step of the way!