TRANS AMAZONIAN CHALLENGE

Very few motorcycle journeys anywhere can string together what this one does: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana and Venezuela in a single 52-day loop that starts and ends in Cali. The highlights read like a continent's greatest hits — a coffee plantation tour, Medellín and Cali, the Las Lajas sanctuary, the Pan American Highway, the Devils Waterfall, Cusco and a day trip to Machu Picchu, a fly-over of the Nazca Lines, the Peruvian capital Lima, the high Andes, the Trans-Amazonian highway itself, an Amazon river boat, pink river dolphins, Kaieteur Falls and Angel Falls.

The backbone of the expedition is the Trans-Amazonian highway BR230 — almost 5,000 km coast to coast of incredibly varied terrain, over the Andes and through the Amazon. Along the way the route reaches places most riders will never see any other way: Kaieteur Falls in Guyana, the world's largest single-drop waterfall by the volume of water flowing over it and accessible only by plane, and Angel Falls in Venezuela's Canaima National Park, visited on a day off in Ciudad Bolívar by aerial visit or boat-based excursion. And there is a reason the departure dates are fixed the way they are: the Trans-Amazonian Challenge is only possible to complete at a specific time of year, because massive rainfall closes parts of the route for the rest of it.

This is not a tour we sell as a beach holiday on two wheels. There will be plenty to write home about — historic and cultural destinations, UNESCO World Heritage sites, wildlife, and awesome experiences with locals, team and crew — but it is a demanding journey, and riders need to be prepared for anything.

How South American border crossings work — our full guide →

We publish a terrain profile for every tour so you can match the route to your skills before you book. The Trans-Amazonian Challenge rates 40% off-road, 60% comfort and 100% fun — and that 40% is the honest heart of this expedition. Everything from dirt, mud, rain, forest tracks and red-soiled jungle roads to mountain passes, boat and river crossings and beautiful paved roads is mixed into the 52 days. The remote Amazonian stretches toward Humaitá, Jacareacanga and the Tapajós region are jungle-lined, far from services, and genuinely test riding skills.

That is why this trip is intended only for adventure touring enthusiasts who can demonstrate off-road riding experience, the physical condition for long remote days, and the social qualities conducive to teamwork and the flexibility a journey like this requires. The route climbs to high altitudes around 5,000 meters, where it can become quite cold, while most of the expedition runs through humid, warm tropical conditions. Temperatures range from roughly 12 to 40°C (53.6°F to 104°F), dropping for short periods over the mountain passes. We recommend ventilated riding gear, with a pull-over rain suit in the luggage against mountain temperatures and the short rain showers that can occur year round.

The 60% comfort score is doing real work too. The expedition is fully supported the entire way: a 4x4 support truck, on-bike guides and a very experienced MotoDreamer crew, led by a professional multilingual tour leader. We stay in mid- to top-range hotels — we always opt for the best option available: clean, safe and in a practical location — for all 51 nights, with all breakfasts included. Demanding, yes; roughing it, no.

The 52 days break naturally into chapters. The first two weeks are pure Andes: south from Cali through scenic gorges and mountain roads to Pasto under the Galeras volcano, across the border into Ecuador for Otavalo's artisan markets, the volcanic region around Baños, the Avenue of the Volcanoes and the UNESCO colonial city of Cuenca. Then the route drops to the Peruvian coast — the beach town of Máncora, the pre-Columbian ruins around Trujillo — climbs to the Cordillera Blanca at Huaraz, and rolls into Lima for a rest day of colonial streets, museums and ceviche. From there it is desert and switchbacks through Nazca and Abancay to Cusco, with a full day in the city, the Machu Picchu day trip, and the Nazca Lines fly-over among the group activities already included in the price.

Then the Amazon crossing begins. From Cusco's high altitudes the landscape shifts to dense rainforest at Puerto Maldonado, across the Brazilian border at Assis Brasil, and onto the Trans-Amazonian corridor: Rio Branco, Porto Velho on the Madeira River, remote Humaitá, Jacareacanga's red-soil tracks, Itaituba on the Tapajós, Altamira and the Xingu, Tucuruí, and finally Belém on the Amazon estuary, where a rest day covers the Ver-o-Peso market and Amazonian gastronomy. From Belém the bikes go on deck: a ferry crossing of the Amazon River itself, riverside villages, the Equator region and Macapá.

The third act is one almost no motorcycle traveler ever rides: the three Guianas. Cayenne in French Guiana brings European-style streets and space-center territory; Paramaribo in Suriname adds Dutch colonial wooden architecture; Georgetown in Guyana is the base for the flight to Kaieteur Falls and the gateway to the Iwokrama rainforest, with wildlife viewing and canopy walks before the savannah, cattle ranches and remote outposts around Lethem. Back through Boa Vista in Brazil, the route enters Venezuela's Gran Sabana among tabletop tepuis, drops to historic Ciudad Bolívar for the Angel Falls day, follows the Orinoco through Caicara and Mantecal, and climbs into the Andean foothills at San Cristóbal. The final chapter re-enters Colombia via Cúcuta: the dramatic Chicamocha canyon, Bucaramanga to Medellín, the coffee region around Salento and the Cocora Valley's towering wax palms, and the last ride through coffee farms back to Cali for a closing celebration.

• Cali, Colombia (days 1 and 52). The expedition opens with a welcome meeting and orientation and closes with farewells and a celebration; airport transfers to and from Cali International (CLO) on official arrival and departure days are included.
• Cusco & Machu Picchu, Peru (days 15–17). Time to acclimatize and explore the Plaza de Armas, a full day in the city's ruins and markets, then the included day trip to one of the world's absolute wonders.
• The Amazon, Brazil (days 18–32). Two weeks of jungle roads, river crossings, frontier towns and the ferry crossing of the Amazon River itself.
• The Guianas (days 33–39). Cayenne, Paramaribo, Georgetown, the Kaieteur Falls flight and the Iwokrama rainforest lodges.
• Venezuela (days 41–47). The Gran Sabana's tepuis, Ciudad Bolívar and the Angel Falls excursion, then the Orinoco corridor west.
• Colombia again (days 48–51). Chicamocha canyon, Medellín, and the wax palms of the Cocora Valley on the run home.

The motorcycles. This expedition works differently from our shorter tours: the base price of $20,999 is for a rider on their own bike in a shared room. If you would rather not ship your own machine to South America, you can rent a fully equipped dual sport bike from us in Colombia — the Honda NX500 for +$5,499, the Honda Transalp XL750 for +$6,499, or the Honda Africa Twin CRF1100 for +$7,499. The rental package includes the motorcycle of your choice, authorisation to cross borders with it, all shipping of the rental bike for the Amazonas crossing, fuel and road tolls, and the mandatory third-party liability insurance. The mandatory motorcycle damage and theft liability reduction insurance is a separate +$1,250, and a refundable security deposit on your credit card is required, sized according to the rental bike chosen. Riders on their own bikes carry all costs of using a personal motorcycle — fuel, maintenance, shipping, permits and insurances.

The group. We keep the Challenge small and capable: minimum 6 riders, maximum 12, with a professional multilingual tour leader, on-bike guides, and the support team and 4x4 vehicle alongside for all 52 days. Riding two-up? The Add Pillion/Passenger option is +$10,499. Accommodation is in shared rooms by default, with a single-room upgrade available for +$3,999.

What the price covers. Beyond 51 nights of accommodation and all breakfasts, the price includes group activities and entry fees — the Machu Picchu day trip and Nazca Lines fly-over among them — a pre-tour preparation guide and briefing, airport transfers at Cali, a MotoDreamer apparel gift, up to 25% discount on riding gear and accessories from our partners Klim, Giant Loop and Mosko Moto, our price match guarantee, and all taxes. Airfare, lunches, dinners and drinks, personal paperwork, permits and visas, tips, and travel and evacuation insurance with cancellation coverage are not included — for that last one we point riders to Global Rescue.

Dates and booking. Because of the Amazon's rainfall calendar there is one departure window per year: the next runs August 10 to September 30, 2027 — with 3 spots left at the time of writing — followed by August 4 to September 24, 2028. Private departures are available for groups of 6 or more riders. Hit Book Now, pick your date and pay the deposit; we accept bank transfer, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal and Bitcoin, and you can split the balance into monthly payments with no interest. Booking as a group is rewarded: when 5 riders pay, rider number 6 travels free.

Who can join. You need to be 20 or older with at least one year of experience on a 500cc-or-bigger motorcycle, hold a valid driver's license with motorcycle endorsement, carry a passport with at least six months' validity at tour start, and be physically and mentally fit to ride — plus, for this expedition specifically, demonstrable off-road experience. Seventeen-plus years of operating tours and more than 4,000 riders — starting as the first operator in Colombia — have shaped how we run the Trans-Amazonian Challenge. If a 52-day, eight-country crossing of the Amazon is the ride you have been building toward, this is where it happens.