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Driving in Central & South America?

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Advice about driving through Central and South America please
13 years ago, September 14th 2010 No: 1 Msg: #119139  
Hi,
I'm planning a trip to Central and South America for 9 months and would really love to drive so we can get off the beaten track and find some good surf spots. If anyone has any advice or suggestions about driving through Central and South America it would be very much appreciated.
- Which countries are ok to drive in and are there any which are not safe?
- Is a local drivers licence required?
- Where is the best place to buy a car?
- Is there any roadside assistance available?
- What type of insurance is needed?

Thanks!
Reply to this

13 years ago, September 27th 2010 No: 2 Msg: #119835  
We have driven in Chile and Argentina and it was easy and well posted most of the time, though there are many many roads which are gravel or worse and require to be very very cautious and still you will have flat tires, or stones sprayed on your front shield and break your glass... so be prepared.
As there are many countries out there, I do not think one kind of insurance is right for all. I know that we had a rented car from Chile and we had to also buy an additional special insurance that will cover us in Argentina (something that was NOT sold on the border and we had to prepare it in advance) - so I guess you need to check each of the countries you intend to visit.
Take into consideration that the distances are HUGE and though you enjoy the advantage as you said of stopping wherever and whenever you feel like it, you cannot cover long distances continously as you need a sleep, while if you take buses you can take many night busses and cover long distances while asleep.
Most of the roads in Bolivia were unpaved and one can only drive at a speed of ~30km/hr. Peru had good raods but with lots of curves and up and down the mountains, so again the speed is not too high.
Check also well about buying a car, we heard (did not verify it) that in Argentina, as foreigners we cannot buy a car unless we have residence visa...
Good luck Reply to this

13 years ago, October 11th 2010 No: 3 Msg: #120852  
The only thing i know from having visitors pass by our hostel in panama bambu hostel in david, is that everyone says crossing borders is very slow and at times difficult. If your paperwork is not perfect you will be held up for hours or days at a time..Why not leave the car at home and use public transportation, as well as regional air travel, it is a far greener approach to this journey. Reply to this

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