When people speak of traveling to Peru, their sights are generally focused on visiting the epic ruins of Machu Picchu. However, this exquisite South American country is ripe with many other opportunities and unique adventures; especially for those wandering by motorcycle and its afforded freedom. Whether you are traveling to Peru for the first time, or planning your fifth holiday retreat, consider this time making the exciting route up the Peruvian southern coast.

If you start at the southern end of Peru and head northbound on the Panamerican Sur highway, you will find yourself riding through an unrivaled stretch of exquisite desert scenery, until you reach the quaint port of Puerto Inca. This hidden beach resort was once an important coastal harbor of Inca Cuesco nobles.
Continue northbound on lazy highway stretches and on to the mysterious Nazca. This dusty desert outpost is home to one of the most mysterious, and too often overlooked, archeological sites in the world: the Nazca Lines. Surmised to be a part of an astronomical pre-Inca calendar, the Nazca Lines consists of hundreds of desert-etched figures of spiders, hummingbirds, monkeys, and more. Each representation ranging in intricate complexity.

Most every great adventure story set in South Africa includes a visit to Cape Town. Located on the shore of Table Bay in the Western Cape, this vibrant city serves as a great trail head to cross-country motorcycle adventures, while also eliciting its own surprises. Whether you are new to the city, or making your fifth journey to the region, one of the most scenic rides is that from Cape Town to the southern tip of Cape Point.

Not going to lie here:  The fact that people are choosing to "Ride the World" on Self-Guided Motorcycle Trips seem to be all the rage right now.

Dutch for "Valley of the Baboons," the Baviaanskloof Road meanders along the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. Beginning in Patensie in the east, this mostly unpaved throughway stretches 197 km to Willowmore in the west. Its rough roads and considerable mountain twists create a ride more suitable to the experienced rider, but those who dare travel its length are in for an unforgettable motorcycle adventure.

The Baviaanskloof region is often regarded as a region of some of the most unspoilt African wilderness. The road generally follows the river, leading first through the rugged beauty of the Grootriver Gorge. On both sides, the motorcyclist will be privy to colorful cliff faces and unique rock formations that are characteristic of the region's predominant hard sandstone. Throughout this section, pinnacles and sandstone slabs overhanging the road are decorated with lucent lichens.

The gorge eventually opens into the Poortjies Valley and the last remnants of the Knysna forest. This is an ecologically sensitive system; its vegetation and wildlife unique to this one region. Following this valley is the road's first pass, known as Combrink's Pass. Here, the road is steep and especially narrow where it snakes upwards. For each turn, however, the adventure motorcyclist is happily rewarded with breathtaking drops and the most dramatic of sceneries; where one can truly begin to understand the wonder and hardships of life as a first settler and pioneer.
At the top of Combrink's Pass is the extensive Bergplaas grassland plateau. This was the location of more recent region zebra re-introductions and parts of these herds are still seen playing throughout the area. The plateau itself offers magnificent panoramic, bird's-eye views. For those seeking a short riding break, this area also serves as an excellent trail head for many great hiking trails into the Berg Plaatz Wilderness area. For more experienced climbers, consider taking the stimulating route up Mac Mountain.

Did you pick up the August issue of Rider Magazine and notice that our March 2013 "Patagonia Experience" motorcycle tour was featured in it?  Of course you did...that's why we've been so busy with inquiries about this upcoming season!

I just realized something: I wasn't even sweating during this video take!  (See video below.)  Just me and an iPhone on the side of a road with full motorcycle padding on in 105F/40C degree temperatures in the middle of July in northern California.  Guess this says something about the Macna Dry Cooling Vest.

My recommendations on motorcycle gear only come on the heels of actual experience with each product.  In this case, the Alpinestars Tech 10 boot deserves all the praise and recommendation a motorcycle boot could possibly get. 

Did you see the news?  RIDE Adventures now has South Africa Motorcycle Rentals available!

Peru motorcycle tours throughout the Andes Mountains consistently increases in attractiveness and there is little wonder why. The food, culture, history, and panorama, all make for remarkable motorcycle adventures! With many guided motorcycle tours offering the opportunity to visit Machu Picchu in the Andes Mountains, it is listed amongst the “New 7 Wonders of the World.” A location that has incessantly left motorcycle explorers mesmerized!

At an altitude of around 8,000 feet, Machu Picchu is a small town around 44 miles northwest of Cuzco and approximately 3000 feet over the Urubamba Valley. It seems to have been a revered, ritualistic city with a vast observatory. The highest peak in Machu Picchu, is Huayna Picchu, identified as “hitching post of the sun.”      

Ample renting and touring opportunities are offered in the area, leaving from Bolivia, Chile, and naturally, Peru itself. A key dissimilarity in a traveler’s place of departure and return is the sort of motorcycle they prefer to use for their trip.

Thanks to the generosity and Trip Reporting of Mark Larson, we get to see the rest of what happened on Mark and Joe's self-guided Patagonia trip from earlier this year.