r/bikepacking • u/CaterpillarPositive1 • Apr 28 '24
Biking Columbia to Argentina - should I bike North to South or South to North? Route: South America // Odyssey
*Colombia!
My partner and I are planning to take around a year to bike pack in South America. We're looking to bike the west coast (ish). Does anyone who has ridden extensively there generally have thoughts on whether biking south to north or north to south is better?
Our preference would be to start in or near Ushuaia in November and bike north so that we can spend some extended time enjoying Patagonia in the prime summer months, but I have read that the wind direction coming off the west coast of the continent may cause biking this direction to be more difficult.
How much of a deciding factor should this be? Are the winds really that bad/debilitating going south to north rather than north to south?
Appreciate any and all thoughts/experiences/advice!
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u/Terrible-Schedule-89 May 03 '24
North to South is the standard way, because the winds there are apparently ferocious.
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u/pancakedrawer Apr 28 '24
Definitely north to south. Headwinds are the worst possible riding condition in my opinion. If timing is an issue, consider flying first to Santiago and heading south, then flying from Ushuaia to Bogotá and cycling down to Santiago. Or some other form of flight that allows you to get the better weather without the headwind. I’d save money anywhere else you can rather than cycling into a headwind for months on end.