Welcome to drivetosouthamerica.com. This site is inteded to provide information to those that are interested in driving from North America to South America.
On June 1, 2007, I began the journey from Los Angeles, California with a 1980 Mercedes Benz 300SD Turbo Diesel. Along the way, I was robbed, picked up a few backpackers and a Colombian hitchhiker, and almost drove off the Andes. I overcame a blown turbo, reverse transmission failure, power window failure, broken CV boots, leaking master brake cylinder and a sticking accelerator.
On August 14, 2007, after 14143.4 miles, I completed this journey by driving to the Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world.
I hope to encourage and assist those interested in making a similar journey and to provide as much pertinent information as possible to make your experience an enjoyable and ultimately a successful one.
Image compliments of Google Earth (to navigate the GPS coordinates, right click here and save as. Open with Google Earth).
Preparation
Did you know that Panama and Colombia aren't connected by roads? How much would it cost? Other imperative considerations are listed here for you.
On the Road
What does a border crossing entail? What should you do in case of emergency? All this and more.
Darien Gap
That impassible area between Panama and Colombia is called the Darien Gap. Here's my recommended way of bypassing it using a container ship.
Photo Journal
Want to know how I did it? Follow me through my travels from California to Central America to South America.
Links
This site was designed to contain as much pertinent information as possible, and as a hub for many other sites you should consider looking into. Here are those other sites I've found through my research.
About Me
Why did I go on this trip? What did I do / am I doing now?