Is it possible to drive to cape horn

We tried to take it slow and see everything under the sun during the first 9 months of our trip but traveling in this style started wearing on us after a while. When we got to South America, we switched up our approach and only traveled to the main highlights.

It worked better for us since we spent less time exhausting ourselves driving to random little towns and we spent more time exploring the top locations. Again, this just depends on your travel style.

We just wanted to see all the top highlights and sooner than later return back home to our old lives in the US.

The cost of driving the Pan-American Highway is highly dependent on your comfort level while traveling. While we try to travel pretty cheaply, we always leave a little room and budget to splurge on things that we love like cheese and wine. The biggest expense for us is typically food followed closely by gas. Eating healthy and yummy food to us is a priority but that often comes with a steep price.

Since we travel in a van we rarely pay for campsites or hotels , only on special occasions when we feel like taking a break from van life or when our families come to visit. The most expensive single activity of this entire trip was visiting Machu Picchu in Peru. The good news is that we found a cheap workaround from a back entrance that can save you a lot of money.

To read more on that check out our Machu Picchu Travel Guide here. Although the Pan-American highway is known as the longest road in the world, there is a section between Panama and Colombia that is not drivable.

This section is called The Darien Gap. For environmental and political reasons, visitors are not allowed to travel into this section. The only way to get your car across the Darien Gap is on a ship. We heard a lot of theft happens during the RORO shipping since you have to give your keys to the port staff and the cars are left unattended.

When you choose container shipping, you drive your own car into a container which gets sealed before getting loaded on a ship. You get to keep the keys and the car is completely locked up until you go to pick it up on the arriving side. If you decide to ship in a container, first you will need to find a shipping partner to share a container with in order to split the cost in half.

We used the Pan-American Travelers Association Facebook group and the Container Buddies website to see if anyone was shipping at the same time as us. Once you find a shipping partner you will need to arrange a shipping agent who will coordinate everything for you.

We had originally contacted Tea and everything seemed ready to go when last minute she emailed us saying that we did NOT have a spot on the ship and we ended up losing our non-refundable flights that we had booked from Panama to Colombia. We then contacted Boris with Ever Logistics and he was super helpful and got us a spot on the next outgoing boat a few days later.

Passengers are not allowed on this ship so you will need to arrange a flight into Colombia and a hotel while your car ships across. Once your car arrives in Cartagena, you will need to go down to the dock in Cartagena and get it out. This requires 2 days of running around Cartagena to pay various fees and get paperwork signed. There really is no best vehicle and it really just depends on your travel style and personal comfort level.

We even converted our Honda Element by adding a bed, solar shower, fan, and fridge. But after a trial month of traveling through the US and Canada we realized that it was just too tight and crammed for us to enjoy for a long term trip. Instead, we got a Promaster van and spent 3 months converting it into a campervan. Having a midsize van on this trip also helps us stealth camp just about anywhere.

If you have a right-hand drive vehicle, note that you may have some difficulty traveling through Central America, especially in Costa Rica. It is illegal to drive RHD vehicles in Costa Rica so many people end up shipping their vans from Guatemala into Colombia, skipping most of Central America for this reason. Our Promaster van is a front wheel drive. We have driven across some of the most rugged roads in Guatemala and through the sketchiest mountain passes in Peru with no issues.

Personally, we find it almost impossible to provide one single answer when someone asks us what our favorite country or place has been on this trip. However, there certainly are some places that stand out more than others.

Here are some of our top highlights from 15 months of traveling along the Pan-American highway. We started our trip in Mexico and our plan was to spend 2 months there, at the most.

After realizing how much cool stuff there is to see and do, we threw that plan out the window and we ended up spending 5 month traveling through all of Mexico.

We swam in turquoise waterfalls in La Huasteca Potosina , snorkeled in underground cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula and drove through remote mountain roads to get to some unreal hillside thermal pools , all for only a few bucks each at the most. Thinking of countries that left a lasting impression on us, Mexico is definitely on top of that list.

After leaving Mexico we ventured into Belize that offers some of the best snorkeling in the world. Although Belize technically is not part of the Pan-American Highway, we just had to visit it. Our main mission in Belize was to find the top snorkeling sites. Here we swam with sharks, eagle rays, octopus and other incredible sea creatures for half the price and half the crowds.

Guatemala is also known for beautiful markets filled with colorful textiles. We have 5 blankets to prove it. Another one of our favorites was Costa Rica. Costa Rica is known for its beaches, surfing and some unreal wildlife that looks like a scene from The Jungle Book come alive. While we certainly enjoyed searching for waterfalls in the jungle, our favorite part was seeing all the monkeys, sloths and macaw birds along the trails. Overall we loved Central America , but at the same time, the heat and humidity was making sleeping and cooking in our van almost impossible.

Colombia turned out to be one of the most diverse South America destinations with colorful colonial towns, lots of history, culture, amazing coffee, and unique adventures. After spending 2 months traveling through Colombia, here are 15 of our top Colombia destinations that we highly recommend for overlanding.

Besides visiting the world-famous Machu Picchu ruins , Peru is home to one of the tallest waterfalls in the world, incredible mountain hikes and a cool oasis city Huacachina hidden between giant sand dunes in the Peruvian desert. And last but not least there is Patagonia , the most southern region of the continent. We could really go on forever sharing all about of our favorite Pan-American destinations, but if you want to read more about our trip highlights, check out our Destinations page here.

This is one of the topics that we get asked about the most and something that our friends and family were really concerned about when we started the trip. One of the worst things that happened to us was getting my backpack stolen in Colombia at a Starbucks from all places while I was working on my laptop and not paying attention. There are some areas, however, that are known to be more prone to crime along the Pan-American highway and travelers should use more caution while driving through:.

We decided to only bring the bare necessities which helped us keep the van light for better gas mileage. Along with everyday necessities like clothing and kitchen utensils, here are some things that you should bring along on the Pan-American road trip :. There are a few countries along the Pan-American highway that require vehicle insurance for international drivers.

US and Canada have reciprocal car insurance laws so if you have insurance in either country, you can use it in the other as well. In the US, Mexico, and Chile we purchased our vehicle insurance online, but most of the time you can purchase the car insurance right at the border.

Peru was the only country where we had to cross the border and drive into the next town to purchase it. We love the Schwab Debit Card because it is free, charges no overseas withdrawal fees, and refunds any ATM fees that we were charged by other banks at the end of the month.

Getting this money back at the end of the month has been pretty sweet. For this trip, you will also need a VISA credit card. For us, this app was a total life saver. The iOverlander app was created by other Pan-American overlanders as a place to note all the best campsites, attractions, gas stations, laundry spots, and other useful places while traveling.

Over the years it has grown extremely popular and is based solely on reviews left by other travelers. There are also a couple of map apps that can make life on the road so much easier.

We also like using Maps. We also recently found out about the app WiFi Map. WiFi Map lists tons of open WiFi networks in the surrounding areas and for someone like me who works a lot online, this app is super helpful. Instead of purchasing local cell phone chips in each new country, Google Fi automatically connects your cell phone to the local cell providers so you never lose reception while traveling, all at full LTE when available. We use just about all of 15 GB of available data every month.

But we also work online, stream shows and slightly obsess over Instagram so most people tend to use a lot less than that. During our trip along the Pan-American highway, we brought along our indoors cat Minka.

We made some special arrangements for her in the van but overall we found that traveling with a pet through Central and South America is very easy. It took her a couple of months to get used to being in new environments every day but now she absolutely loves it. As soon as we stop she hops out of the van, runs around a bit, eats some grass, looks at the farm animals from the distance but mostly just naps.

She has traveled through 15 countries in our van and every new place is like a new adventure for her. Before crossing any borders check iOverlander for any requirements.

All of the information in iOverlander gets constantly updated by other travelers so this has been our best resource for border crossings with pets. I also joined a Facebook group called Animal Travelers specifically created for people that travel with pets. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure for more info. Very helpful, thank you. Brit going to do the journey. No mention of buying US 3rd party insurance here though, any ideas?

Thanks Andy. Personally, we have not used travel insurance and have gotten pretty lucky with never having any issues on our travels so far. But it is something that I am looking info for future travels and I have heard that the World Nomad insurance is a pretty popular choice. First of all, thanks a lot for this great info! Border to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. However, as shown on the map there are extensive unofficial sections to both the north and south of this.

It also has links to a number of other countries. In the process it passes through all the major climate zones and many varied landscapes including arctic tundra, boreal forest, mountains, prairies, arid deserts and tropical jungles. Moving from north to south, the route starts at Deadhorse, Alaska near the Prudhoe Bay oilfields and for the first kilometres miles follows the Dalton Highway to Fairbanks.

From Fairbanks there is a kilometre 96 mile link to Delta Junction at the northern end of the Alaska Highway, the next part of the route. Its purpose was to link Alaska with the 48 contiguous states through Canada to help defend against a possible Japanese attack.

It was originally around 2, kilometres long but as of had been shortened to 2, kilometres 1, miles and is now paved over its entire length. After Edmonton the map identifies two possible routes. In practice, given the unofficial status of the routes through Canada and the United States, many other alternatives are possible. The Mexican city of Nuevo Laredo, just across the border from Laredo marks the start of the official section of the Pan-American Highway.

With the exception of Honduras, its route takes it through the capital cities of each of these countries, namely:. One of the most challenging sections of the route lies in Costa Rica, where it rises to 3, metres 10, feet at the ominously named Summit of Death Cerro de la Muerte. Indeed, following the completion of the Christ the Redeemer Tunnel between Chile and Argentina see below , it may well be the highest elevation along the entire route.

All but the most intrepid circumvent the Gap by taking one of the ferries that go from Panama to Colombia or Ecuador, from where they can reconnect with the Pan-American Highway. In Ecuador the highway goes through the capital, Quito. From there the route heads south to Peru, where it follows Peru Highway 1, which runs the length of the country and connects all major cities in the coastal area, including the capital, Lima.

On crossing from Peru into Chile the highway enters the Atacama Desert, the driest non-polar location in the world. The highway then follows Chile Route 5 through Antofagasta to Valparaiso. Before , the border used to be at the Upsallata Pass, which at 3, metres 12, feet made it the highest point on the Pan-American Highway. Near its southern end the route goes back into Chile and crosses the Straits of Magellan via a short ferry ride before going back into Argentina and on to Ushuaia, which is located on Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, the largest island of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago.

While the Chilean town of Puerto Williams is indeed farther south , Ushuaia has a much larger population 71, vs. The record for the fastest trip by car from Ushuaia to Prudhoe Bay mostly on the Pan-American Highway is credited to Tim Cahill and Garry Sowerby in the astonishing time of twenty-three days, twenty-two hours, and forty-three minutes. A popular destination for travellers who have come all the wat from the USA.

Especially in the winter months, however even in the summer the high winds make the temperature feel much lower than it actually is. As well as this part of the world is fairly remote with not a lot of habitation so no shops or rescue service nearby. It takes 24 days of continues driving to travel from Northern Colombia to Southern Argentina, but most travellers will take between 6 months to 1 year.

To circumnavigate the continent it would take at least 1 year to complete. However, you can take as much time as you have or as your budget allows.

The furthest south you can drive in South America is Ushuaia in Argentina and make your way to the end of highway 3.

This is where the road stops and only boats are able to navigate the islands scattered around before you hit the open ocean. Is it worth driving there? I think it is, Patagonia has a unique landscape and the drive will feel like a real adventure. South America really gives you the option to travel cheap with plenty of wild camping opportunities, cheap street food and affordable accommodation. As well as the option to live the rich life and stay in fancy hotels.

What makes an average trip more expensive is the money you spend on excursions such as hiking the Inca trail, a Galapagos cruise or an expedition onto a Patagonian glacier. It is probably a once in a lifetime experience, so keep a piece of your budget aside for the things that are really on your bucket list. Yes, it is generally speaking safe to drive in South America. The level of safety depends on the quality of the roads, traffic volume partaking, behaviour of other drivers, amount of animals on the road and if you are used to driving there.

Some countries or even regions or cities in certain countries will be safer to drive than others. Most people would not want to drive around in Paris or Delhi either. When it comes to safety due to criminal activity, the same rules apply as in Central America.

Do not, I repeat, do NOT drive at night, keep an eye on the local news and ask locals how the areas that you are planning to visit are safety wise. Use your common sense and you will be fine. Quite similar to the USA or Europe, the quality of the main road network is excellent. Inside big cities people tend to forget about traffic rules. In rural areas the road quality deteriorates and fuel stations are harder to come by.

You have three options: Drive back Ship and fly back Cruise back. The first option, if you have the time, is a great one. In South America it is possible to follow the other coast to get back up north. Another option is to drive to Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires or Montevideo and ship your vehicle back home and step into an airplane yourself. Or ship onwards to the next continent now that you are hooked on overland traveling. Last option is to book a cargo ship and cruise together with your vehicle back to the USA.

Traveling on a cargo ship is not for everyone, it is not a cruise. But it is a great way to slow down and experience what life on a boat is like. It is unfortunately not cheap, if that was something you were hoping. Which option is the best for you, depends on your time and budget. The last thing I wanted to discuss in this article are what kind of experience traveling the Pan-American highway is. It is not a short trip, it is not a race, it is not cheap. But it is everything else and more.

It is a learning opportunity, it is enriching, it is exhausting, it is gorgeous and it is thrilling. It is smart to prepare before you go, so you know what to expect and how to stay out of trouble, but once you hit the road the sense of freedom this kind of traveling gives you is hard to compare with anything else.

The biggest difference between traveling in North and South America is the culture you are traveling through and the level of self reliance needed to stay out of trouble. South America a little rougher around the edges and will require you to take care of yourself. But if you come with the right mindset, you will have a blast.

You are faster then bicycles, giving a great sense of security. However, the other traffic is probably your biggest enemy with busses overtaking whenever they want. Plenty of people have gone before you on every type of bike imaginable.

I would personally advise an adventure type bike, but it is really up to you. Perfectly possible, although not at the speeds mentioned in this article. Even though the world record from Alaska to Argentina by bicycle is 84 days set by a crazy Austrian. The most popular vehicle on the Pan-American highway in every shape and form. From a simple sedan to expedition kitted 4x4s. Whatever fits your budget and it will take you to the other side of the planet.

Less common, but still possible. The weight of your vehicle and its offroad capability will determine where you can and can't go, but if this is your perferred style of travel Have a read if you are interested, but most questions have been answered in the blog post above.

However, you can ship your car from Panama to Colombia and continue down to your final destination. Yes, you can drive to South America with a small caveat that you will have to ship your car from Panama to Colombia because there is no road connecting the two countries and continents. The drive is interrupted by the Darian Gap where the traveler will have to ship their vehicle across. There is a road system that connects all the countries in North and Central America as well as in South America but the two are not connected because of the Darien Gap.

A stretch of intense jungle blocks any kind of road system. Thousands of people have traveled the Pan-American Highway in one way or the other. Most people do not follow the official route of the Pan-Am but create their own adventure. Yes, you can actually drive on the Pan-American Highway from beginning to the end.

There is a short section in between Panama and Colombia that is missing called the Darien Gap where you will have to ship your vehicle across. The official section from Laredo, Mexico to Buenos Aires, Argentina will take between 21 - 29 days driving every day 8 - 6 hours straight. However, if you are considering this trip for fun then it is better to schedule at least 3 - 6 months.

The official section from Laredo, Mexico to Buenos Aires, Argentina would take between 21 - 29 days driving every day 8 - 6 hours straight. Driving from the southern border of the USA to Patagonia would take at least 1 month of continues traveling because the journey is at least 7, miles long and includes shipping your car from Central to South America. It depends on the stability of the countries is passes through and the safety measures followed by the traveler. If the Pan-American highway is safe to travel depends on the stability situation in the countries it passes through and the safety measures followed by the traveler.

In general, it is safe enough to drive the entire Pan-American Highway for the average traveler. There is no particular route through Mexico that is safer than others. Tourists are not on the radar of the cartels.

Safety can be found in numbers so stay on the busier roads if that makes you feel more comfortable. The biggest risk is getting into an accident with your car.

An important safety rule is to never drive at night. You can drive from Canada to Brazil following the Pan-American highway. The only interruption presents itself in between Panama and Colombia where you will have to ship your car between continents because the Darien Gap is an impassable section of dangerous jungle. You can drive from Alaska to Argentina following the Pan-American highway. You can drive from Texas to Brazil following the Pan-American highway. You can drive from Florida to Brazil following the Pan-American highway.

You can drive from America to Brazil following the Pan-American highway. You can drive from Alaska to Brazil following the Pan-American highway. You can drive from Alaska to Chile following the Pan-American highway. The only interruption presents itself in between Colombia and Panama where you will have to ship your car between continents because the Darien Gap is an impassable section of dangerous jungle.

You can drive from California to Patagonia following the Pan-American highway. July 24, Routes. A little history lesson The first proposal of infrastructure connecting the two continents was proposed at the first Pan-American Conference in The unofficial route.

View fullsize. How long does it take to drive the Pan-American highway? How long should you drive each day on a road trip? How much does it cost to drive the Pan-American Highway? How to Afford Overlanding? Is Overlanding Expensive? Is overlanding worth it? Is the Pan-American Highway dangerous? What is the most dangerous part of the Pan-American Highway? Is the Pan-American Highway paved? North America and Alaska The journey from the United States to Alaska is not an official part of the Pan-American Highway, but a lot of travellers want to experience everything the Americas have to offer from the most Northern point you can reach by road.

How hard is it to drive to Alaska? Photo by Chris Henry. How long does it take to drive to alaska? How much does a road trip to Alaska cost?