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Ride To Darien Gap Panama - Número Tres! Part Of The "Bad As You Want To Be" Series |
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Darien Gap Ride Planning GPX File The Gear Spotwalla Tracking Weather |
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We Did It April 2022 & September 2023 Planning For Ride Número Tres! Mike and I rode to the Panama Canal ( Hell Yea! ) in April 2022, and we had a great ride and a great time. It was a hell of a ride with some crazy experiences you can't get riding in the US. By doing the ride as a long distance endurance ride provided us with some memories that we will not forget! Like sleeping on the ground in no man's land between Costa Rica and Nicaragua and getting attacked by howler monkeys in the middle of the night! In September of 2023 we made a second ride to Central America with our goal of riding to the Darien Gap. We were stopped at the Costa Rica border due to paper work issues with our vehicle permits ( TIP ) from our previous ride the year before and were not allowed to enter Costa Rica with our motorcycles. We decided after 5 hours of trying to convince the immigration persons that we did not leave our motorcycles in Costa Rica on the last ride to just turn around and ride back north to the US. We still had a great ride and a great time. Enough so we want to do it again! We have resolved those paper work issues and its time to attempt this ride again! This time the ride will be taking a different route starting in Laredo, TX and attempting to ride to the Darien Gap ( Yaviza, Panama ) in five days. I am currently planning to start and end back in Laredo, TX. I am planning the ride in the middle of dry season for Mexico and Central America. Just like the two previous years rides this one will be a "quick" LD endurance ride to the end of the road in Yaviza, Panama. If you want to know more about our past rides to Mexico, Central America, Panama and the upcoming attempt to the Darien Gap check out this webpage as it has everything you need to know about each country and some great information, photos and videos from our last two rides. On all of my rides to Mexico and Central America it was strange riding at first but once you get the hang of it, it just works. As my friends in Mexico say, all of the highway signs are there just for decoration, no one pays attention to them. One big thing that took some time getting used too was that on two lane roads with one lane in each direction cars, big trucks and motorcycles will pull out to pass even in no passing zones. In Central America I once had four vehicles abreast including me on a two lane road. Also, just like in Texas vehicles will move over to the shoulder if possible to let you pass. Vehicles will notify you by using their left turn signal to signal you that it is safe to pass. If it is not safe to pass, they will put on their emergency blinkers. It seems strange and crazy, but it works once you understand the rules. I have even had police vehicles move to the shoulder to let me pass and wave as I rode by. My current ride plan, I am going to be riding pretty quick as I only have two weeks’ vacation, and my only goal is the sign at the end of the road in Yaviza, Panama. I am currently planning on leaving Laredo, TX on December 7th in the late afternoon and ride to Guatemala on the first day of the ride, 1,180 miles, on mostly Mexico toll roads which are like interstate roads in the US. Hopefully I will complete a Mexico B2B. I hope to arrive at the Guatemala border in the late afternoon and then ride another 80 miles to the Hotel Monja Blanca ( stayed there on the past two rides ) in La Libertad to get around eight hours of rest. On day two I hope to ride as far as Costa Rica, a total of 795 miles with three border crossings. I plan on staying at a hotel in Liberia, Costa Rica at the Best Western El Sitio Hotel & Casino for around eight hours of rest. Day three on to Panama where I will get a hotel room just south of Panama City at the airport Crown Plaza, 595 miles on good highways, and get some rest before the ride to the end of the road. The next morning I plan to ride to the end of the road at Yaviza which is 165 miles, hang around for an hour or so and then ride back to Panama City where I will stay the night at a hotel just north of Panama City on the Panama Canal, Holiday Inn Panama Canal, we stayed there on the first ride in 2022. I will get another 8 hours of rest before starting the ride back north to the US and most likely staying at the same hotels I did riding south. Hopefully I can complete this ride in ten days as we did in April 2022. There is a LOT of information here about the last two rides to Central America and the up ride coming I am planning. If you are planning a ride to Mexico, Central America including Panama take your time to review all of the information as it will help make your ride go smoother. To find out more about riding in Mexico and Central America go to my YouTube Channel and checkout some of the 100+ videos I recorded of the 2022 and 2023 rides to Central America. I have videos entering and exiting most of the countries borders along with many military, police and other "types" checkpoints. Also the road to the Darien Gap and just some good riding through the countries. Links To Our Spotwalla Satellite Tracking: Mike Bobbitt's Spotwalla Tracking Greg Rice's Spotwalla Tracking
Us After Arriving Back In The USA September 17, 2023 - The Last 200 Miles To The US Border Was Brutal On our ride in April 2022 it took us 9 days round trip to ride from Eagle Pass, TX to the Panama Canal and back. We had some issues like the flat tire I had in Guatemala on the ride down and on the ride back we was delayed 12 hours trying to enter Nicaragua. Nicaragua closed the border crossing early and we had to sleep over night in no-mans land between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Also on the ride down we stopped early in David, Panama because it was raining cats and dogs and we spent the night there. We are hoping that those issues will not happen this time and we can save one day of riding. I am still thinking it could take up to 9 days to do the ride though because we are riding farther south to the Darien Gap. Here are the times of our ride last year based on Spotwalla tracking. We rode an extra 150 miles trying to ride to the Darien Gap ( rain, bad road and running short on time forced us to turn around ) which took 4 hours. |
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Ride Timing From April 2022 Ride To The Panama Canal |
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On our ride in September 2023 it took us 7 days round trip to ride from Eagle Pass, TX to Costa Rica and back. On the ride back to the US we kind of took our time stopping at the best hotel in Central America, InterContinental Managua at Metrocentro Mall, and staying late the next morning to catch up on some much needed rest and have a nice big buffet breakfast. |
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Ride Timing From September 2023 Ride To Costa Rica After our success in April 2022 we planned to ride to the Darien Gap in September 2023. Well things did not go as planned because when we arrived at the Costa Rica border they would not give us a vehicle import permit, TIP. This was due to them being hacked in April 2022 and many of their records were lost so there was no proof that we turned our TIP in 2022. They said if we could prove we entered Nicaragua that day they would give us a TIP. At the time we did not have any proof on us so we decided to end the ride to the Darien Gap and turn around and head back to the US. I have started planning and preparing for my third ride to Panama and hopefully make it as far as the Darien Gap this time. My goal for this years ride is the same as the ride in September 2023 which is the town of Yaviza which is at the end of the road and the start of the Darien Gap on the Panama side. Just like the April 2022 ride we will not have a lot of time to do this ride because of life and work ( someday I may retire ) so we do not really have any plans on sightseeing during this ride. Mike and I have alreaqdy seen a lot of cools things and had some crazy experiences on our rides in 2022 and 2023. I am sure we will see and experience even more new things on this ride since we will have a little bit of a different route. On this webpage you can read about some of our experiences and see some photos and videos as I provide information on what it takes to complete this ride. It is not meant to be a ride report but show some of our experiences so you better understand how to do this ride. There are a lot of good photos and videos of us entering and exiting some of the countries along with a couple videos of the road to the Darien Gap.
This sign is still our goal for the year ride! Mike and I both work and we only have so much time we to do this ride so we have approached the past two rides as long distance endurance rides trying not to waste any time. This type of ride also limits our exposure as we are not hanging around for anyone to know we was even there. Just because we only have so much time does not mean we can't attempt this ride as some has suggested. The optimal time for this years long distance endurance ride is three and a half days riding each way ( 2,780 miles - That is an overall average of 33 MPH ) with two nights in Panama to rest up for the ride back. That is basically what Mike and I did in April 2022 as we spent two nights in hotels in Panama. It took us 79 hours to reach the Panama border from Eagle Pass, TX. For this ride we are planning to take four days each way which should give us a little more time to rest. As last years ride I will be treating it like a IBA endurance ride / rally ( that is who I am ) and I am hoping to complete a couple IBA rides including another Mexico Border 2 Border and a Panama Express ride as Mike and I did during the April 2022 year ride. If you are thinking of attempting this ride with us you and your motorcycle need to be ready ride and ride hard! This ride WILL include long days that turn into long nights depending on how long it takes to get through some of the border crossings. For the April 2022 ride when we left Texas and entered Mexico, our first "day" of riding was 29 hours before we reached our hotel in Guatemala. We did a Mexico Border 2 Border in less than 24 hours ( 1,408 miles ). Then after entering Guatemala I had a flat that added 3 hours to make it to the first town that had a hotel and tire repair shop which was La Libertad, Guatemala. On our September 2023 ride we left Eagle Pass, TX at 11:30 AM September 10, 2023 and arrived at the Guatemala border 27 hours later at 2:38 PM on September 11, 2023. It was another 3 hours before we got to our hotel in La Libertad, Guatemala. We ended up riding for 30 hours straight before we got to stop the first day during the September 2023 ride. Hopefully that will let you know what to expect if you rode with us.
Us At The Start Of Our September 2023 Ride To Panama In Eagle Pass, TX
Photos of the flat and what caused it ( file ) that I had on the rear tire in Guatemala on the ride south in April 2022
Tire Repair Shop In La Libertad, Guatemala - April 2022 Once we located a tire repair shop I removed the rear wheel and they had a tire machine and removed the tire and patched it on the inside with a large truck size tire patch. They did a great job and it only cost $20. I also gave them a $20 tip for getting it done quickly. The patch worked and I rode the rest of the ride to Panama and back home to Fort Lauderdale on that tire which was over 6,000 more miles. The next day we rode nineteen and a half hours riding through Honduras and Nicaragua to get to the Nicaragua / Costa Rica border where we arrived at 4:30 AM. We waited three hours ( rested on the ground in a parking lot ) for the border to open and then one hour to complete the exit process and turn in our TIP so we could enter Costa Rica. After completing immigration and getting our TIP we continued to ride until we reached David, Panama. The process at the Panama border was going great until we had to purchase temporary vehicle insurance ( $20 ) and the person who sells the insurance was away at church, it was Easter Sunday. It did not come back for two hours so it took two and a half hours to complete the process to enter Panama. It was a thirty-seven hour day with a three hour rest break at the Nicaragua border. Nicaragua and COVID In 2022 There is a little bit of a story on the April 2022 ride about entering Nicaragua going south and back north due to COVID test rules. I guess the statute of limitations have passed so we can tell you this story about COVID requirements and Nicaragua on our April 2022 ride to Panama. While doing my research regarding COVID requirements for each of the countries I keep reading that for all countries we were going to ride through that we only needed a COVID vaccine card and no COVID test was required. So, we went with that information and headed south. When we checked into Mexico, they asked to see our COVID vaccine card, and we were good to go. When we checked into Guatemala, they asked to see our COVID vaccine card, and we were good there also. Next up was Honduras and again they asked to see our COVID vaccine card, and we were good there too. Costa Rica did not ask for anything COVID related. Panama asked to see our COVID vaccine card. Nicaragua, well that was another story. When we exited Honduras and enter Nicaragua heading south at 8:35 PM, we were stopped at a small blue building that is right at the border, before going to the immigration office and they asked to see our COVID test paper and passport. Well, we only had our COVID vaccine card, so we showed them that and said that was good enough for all of the other countries we entered. We kept trying to get them to accept our COVID vaccine card and said that we are only passing through Nicaragua and not stopping. After about 15 minutes of this back and forth I decided to break out the wallet to see if I could improve our “communications”. I put a $20 bill on the table and said we really are just transiting through Nicaragua, and it would be ok. Then Mike also broke his wallet and also offered another $20 at that point the person working in office pointed to the camera in the celling and we said don't worry. Then someone came to the small office and told them they should let us go that we are just transiting Nicaragua and it would be ok. So, after 20 minutes of trying to convince them to let us enter Nicaragua they finally did! It was another story headed back north when we tried to enter Nicaragua. Our plan was going to be the same as the ride south and to offer some incentive to let us in. We arrived at night when no one would be around and hoped we would have the same results as heading south. Someone put a cog in our plans by closing the Nicaragua border early that night and forced us to wait until morning. When morning came, we tried our luck at entering Nicaragua the way we did when riding south but there was to many people around then and it did not go well for us. They said we need a COVID test and that we had to go back to Costa Rica to get one. Now what, the closest place to get a COVID test was a couple hours back into Costa Rica and would take us half a day to get a test and the results and ride back to the Nicaragua border. We decided to talk to a local border fixer back on the Costa Rica side of the border to see what if anything could be done to get us a COVID test. The fixer found someone who could provide us a COVID test and at first, we thought they were going to actually do a real COVID test and then give us the results, so we got in a line and waited. Well, it turns out that was not a COVID test line. It turns out that the only thing they was going to do was fake a COVID test document by putting our information on it and to do that they wanted $100 each! Mike and I spoke for a couple minutes and weighed the time it would cost to ride back to San Jose, Costa Rica and pay a $100 for a test there and then ride back to the Nicaragua border or take the risk and hope we would not see the inside of a Nicaragua jail for using a fake COVID test document. From what I could see this was not the first time the fixer had arranged this, and we decided to take the risk. One of the reasons we decided to take the risk was that we had already waited all night because the closed the border early and we had already spent 9 hours waiting for the border to open. The document looked just like the sample we were shown at the Nicaragua border when we tried to enter so we decided to go with the fake COVID test document. The fixer said that if it did not work, he would give us our money back so how could we lose with a money back guarantee. Of course, if the fake COVID test document did not work and they figured it out we would probably be in a Nicaragua jail being water boarded and the fixer would not have to give us our money back anyway. The fixer created the documents and gave them to us, and we paid him. The fixer said to wait until the shift change at the border so it would be different persons who was checking us in as they may wonder how we got a COVID test so quickly. We waited about an hour and a half to after 9:00 AM. We geared up and road back to the Nicaragua border and sure enough there was different people working there checking passports and COVID test check. We showed them our COVID test, and they looked at them for a minute and then gave them back and gave us permission to go to the immigration office. We thought that was it, but it turns out there was another office with a nurse who also had to check our COVID test and give us a slip of paper saying we were good. The nurse looked at the COVID test document and our passports and then said OK we are good to go. We were sweating it a little bit as the COVID test document had a QR code on the bottom and if you scanned the QR code it came back to a different name. We were lucky that they did not do that.
We stayed at the Hotel Monja Blanca in La Libertad, Gatemala on both the April 2022 and September 2023 rides in both directions. It was a nice clean hotel where they close the gates and lock them in the evenings. Photos Of Gas Stops We Made Along Our Route In 2023
Photos Of Border Crossings Along Our Route ( 2022 & 2023 )
On the April 2022 ride once we entered Panama it started raining like crazy and we started looking for a hotel. The closest big city was David so we found a hotel there and I called to book rooms on the way.
A couple short videos of the rain we encountered on our ride during the April 2022 ride, one video heading south after entering Panama and the other on our ride north in the Costa Rica rainforest. During the April 2022 ride we stayed at two hotels on the ride south and two hotels on the ride north and couple times we slept on the ground to get some much needed rest. I mention this because I want others riders who may want to ride with me understand what it will take to do this ride with me.
On the April 2022 ride we treated ourselves to a nice hotel in David, Panama, Hampton by Hilton. We got our own rooms and relaxed. We had to dry out our riding gear and get some real food. I ordered so much food from room service I ended up only eating half of it. The room service bill was bigger than the hotel bill which was $60.
On the April 2022 ride back north we stayed at a in Hotel Choluteca, Honduras. It was called Hotel Boutique Casa D' Luna and was a nice hotel and cost $40 for a room with two beds.
Fun times in San Pedro Sula, Honduras on the return in April 2022 where we meet José Rolan Talbott Muñoz, at this Burger King
This is a short video ( turn up the volume ) of the Howler monkeys closing in on us while we was asleep in no man's land between Costa Rica and the Nicaragua border on our ride back north. This was around 3:00 AM and we was asleep on the ground and thought we heard monsters attacking. The monkeys kept getting closer and more and more of them. The Costa Rica National Guard started shining bright lights up into the trees around us and eventually the monkeys started to move away. Of course we did not go back to sleep after that. Based on what you just read, you could see that we did a lot of night riding on our ride down to Panama and back. We had no issues and easily found gas stations open along our route with plenty of places to eat. We had no problems and no one messed with us. We stayed out of the towns and on the roads on our route which we knew was going to be pretty safe. On the April 2022 ride to Panama I had a GoPro Hero 9 mounted on my GSA and I made over 100 videos during our ride. Here is the first video of us crossing into Mexico from Eagle Pass, TX. I have all of the videos on my YouTube Channel. Greg Rice - YouTube Channel. Video of us entering Mexico from the Eagle Pass International Bridge I - April 2022 In September 2023 I had a newer GoPro Hero 11 mounted for the ride to Panama and recorded a lot of videos on this ride and I uploaded them to my YouTube channel. Here is the video of us entering Mexico at Piedras Negras at the Eagle Pass International Bridge I September 10, 2023. Video of us entering Mexico from the Eagle Pass International Bridge I - September 2023 Based on what you just read, you could see that we did a lot of night riding on our ride down to Panama and back. We had no issues and easily found gas stations open along our route with plenty of places to eat. We had no problems and no one messed with us. We stayed out of the towns and on the roads on our route which we knew was going to be pretty safe. We are planning on a different route in Mexico on this ride and we will be starting in Laredo, TX instead of Eagle Pass, TX. It is getting a little crazy in Eagle Pass and very hard to get a hotel there. Starting in Laredo, TX will make it easier to get a hotel and reduce the miles riding in Mexico around 230 miles. You can do this ride on any motorcycle and a ADV motorcycle is not required. I rode my BMW RT on the September 2023 ride and it did just fine. I know others who have ridden Gold Wing's C14's and FJR's to Panama and back with no problems. That does not mean that a ADV style motorcycle is not a better choice as the extra suspension travel and better ground clearance does help. After the border crossings the hardest part of the April 2022 ride was heavy rain in northern Panama on the ride down and in the Costa Rica rain forest on the ride back. We just rode slow and took our time. We did have some heavy rain in Guatemala on the September 2023 ride but it was just for about 100 miles. The other hard part is seeing the topes ( speed bumps ), these can really wake you up if you did not see them at 40+ MPH. Topes are mostly entering and exiting towns and some in the middle of town. They can be big and potentially damage your wheel. Once you ride over a few you get the hang of how best to ride over them. One of the toughest things I had to do over the years was to convince my wife that my idea to ride to the Panama Canal would be safe and that everything will be ok. It did take some convincing but I was able to prove that I could do this ride safely in April of 2022. The next step was to convince my wife that I could do the ride again and this time all the way to the end of the road the Darien Gap. So in September 2023 Mike and I set out to ride to the Darien Gap and we was stopped at the Costa Rica border due to some document issues and we had to turn around. It did not feel good. We believe we have resolved the vehicle TIP document issues and for this ride to the Darien Gap it should be a little easier to convince the wife but it will stile take some work to make her feel comfortable. Now that I have the experience from the last two rides ( 2022 & 2023 ) I think I have found some ways to improve on the timing of the ride south. One way is that we are going to start our ride in Laredo, TX this time and leaving around 11:00 AM so we arrive at a good time at the Guatemala border crossing. The goal is to reduce the amount of down time we had in the 2022 years ride and one way we are doing this is by starting in Laredo instead of Eagle Pass and this will reduce the miles on the route in Mexico to 1,180 miles from the 1,408 miles in the previous two rides. This should cut the time riding in Mexico by 3 hours. We had a total of 41 hours of stopped time including the flat I had, time waiting for borders to open and hotel stops on the ride in 2022. We only wasted a few hours in Mexico on that ride. One of the ways we are improving the time is that we are starting in Laredo, TX which makes the route 250 miles less than the two previous rides. On the previous ride in 2022 our hotel stops were longer than we liked due to a couple things. The first hotel stop was because of my flat on the rear tire and needing to find a tire repair shop. We were a total of 17 hours in La Libertad and I hope to reduce that to 10 hours. The hotel stop in David, Panama was 14 hours and mostly because we stopped early after dealing with a 3 hour delay at the Panama border crossing waiting on the vehicle insurance office to open. It was Easter and the person who worked at the insurance office was at church playing the piano and we had to wait for them to return as it was the only place to buy the required insurance. We also was riding in heavy rain once we left the Panama border crossing so we started looking for a hotel to get a brake. We stopped at David and checked in to a hotel there around 9:30 PM and did not leave until 12 noon the next day. We needed that rest because of the time spent waiting at border crossings. I am hoping to improve on the time we spent at hotels and improve on the timing of border crossing to reduce the stopped time. A nice thing about riding in Mexico and Central America was that the gas does not contain ethanol and our miles per tank range went way up. We both had AUX tanks so we had over a 450 mile range with since the gas had no ethanol and the speeds are lower. One one leg I rode 538 miles before I bought gas.
My GPS Showing The 538 Miles Since The Last Gas Stop Here is some of the things you should do if you are looking to do this ride as a long distance endurance ride to help make it more successful. First is to be prepared as best you can to solve most any issues that could happen during the ride. One main thing is to have a good tire repair kit and air compressor. On both of my rides to Central America I had two air compressors and three tire repair kits and it turned out that was a great idea as I had a flat in Guatemala on the April 2022 ride that we had to plug three times before we made it to the next town and could get the tire patched. On the ride back north during September 2023 ride I had a TPMS warning on the rear tire showing I had lost 5 pounds and I was able to use one of my tire compressors to add air at a gas stop. I also carry three tire spoons in case I need to remove the tire on the road. I also carry a tow rope to tow me or the other rider if the engine stops working. There are may places along the route that there may be no help for many miles. Another good idea is to carry multiple portable battery packs ( see link below ) to keep your headset charged during the ride. Most headsets last around ten hours on a charge so having the portable charger is a great way to keep it charged. I also have multiple USB ports connected to my motorcycle that I could also use to charge my headset and cell phone. You need to have multiple flashlights in the event you have an issue at night and need light to resolve the issue. I carry replacement cables for all of my devices as it may be hard to find them. I carry two first aid kits that I combine into one to be sure I have the ability to provide some medical attention if needed. Click Here For A ZIP File That Contains A GPX File Of Our Planned Route To The Darien Gap To find out more about riding in Mexico and Central America go to my YouTube Channel and checkout some of the 100+ videos I recorded of the ride last year. I have videos entering and exiting some of the countries, many military, police and other checkpoints and just some good riding through the countries. Greg Rice - YouTube Channel Here is Mike's and my Spotwalla tracking links from our ride to Panama in April 2022. Greg Rice - 2022 Panama Spotwalla Tracking Link Mike Bobbitt - 2022 Panama Spotwalla Tracking Link This is the Sunrise and Sunset times along the route for during the dry season. All times are local time.
This is a image from Basecamp of POI's and routes along our route to the Darien Gap
My Documents Packages For Each Country With Multiple Copies Of The Required Documents This is important information. You do need to have a copy of your registration and title for each border crossing. You do NOT have to have a clear title and it can have a lien ( loan ) you just have to have the title. The original or a color copy will do. Mike had a black and white copy of his title ( it had a lien ) and he had a couple issues in a couple of the country border crossings because it was not a color copy. It worked out but a color copy would have been better. I made two copies of each document for every border crossing. This is important information. You must register yourself a couple days before entering Honduras and Nicaragua. There are links below that will take you to the webpages so you can register. Mexico requires a bond on your motorcycle that you get back once you check out of Mexico. It is around $400 and can be done before going to Mexico ( see information below ) or at the entry point in Banjército in Nuevo Laredo. You will get the bond back the day after checking out of Mexico, it is best to use a credit card to pay it. I spent around $1,400 on my ride back in April 2022 and about $1,200 on the September 2023 ride. It should cost around the same for this ride. I went to my bank and a local currency exchange to get currency for each of the countries we were going to be ridding in and that really helped. Most gas stations took our credit cards with no issues. I think there was only one gas station Mexico that did not take our credit cards. You need to have some local currency for each country except Costa Rica and Panama as they take dollars. You need about $400 in Mexican currency to pay the tolls and other costs for the ride down and back. I had $100 dollars in local currency for each of the other countries. We had NO issues with anyone on the September 2023 ride and the April 2022, and everyone was very nice. We did pass through many checkpoints some being police, military and others with no problems. There are some things that needed to be completed before the ride like the requirement to register with Nicaragua ( link below ) 7 days before arriving at the border and to complete the Honduras Precheck ( link below ) three days prior to entering Honduras. I documented this below for future reference for others who may want to ride south. There is a lot of detailed information below with my plans and country specific routes and requirements. Keep checking back here as I will be continuing to add more information about my ride to the Darien Gap Panama as it gets closer. I will be starting this ride from my home in Fort Lauderdale, FL and it will be around 4,285 mile ride to the Darien Gap, Panama. In 2022 and 2023 we started the ride in Eagle Pass, TX to the Darien Gap was 3,006 miles riding in some difficult areas and conditions. So that made it 6,012 miles in Mexico and Central America. For the next ride we will be starting in Laredo, TX so round trip the ride will be a total of 8,500 miles door to door. In 2022 and 2023 Mike started from his home in Denver, CO and it is 930 miles to Eagle Pass, TX and another 3,006 to the Darien Gap. Mike's round trip ride will be 7,785 miles. This year it will be 1,050 mile ride from Denver to Laredo. Most of the route is planned around roads that have lots of traffic including commercial traffic and trucks. These roads are better maintained and border crossings are usually quicker because they have to be more organized to handle the amount of traffic they have. Many others look for the opposite types of roads but for this ride I think the more the merrier. As in 2022 and 2023 we will be riding on some of the Pan American Highway ( PAH ). We will be riding the Pan American Highway through most of Mexico and then we will ride east on highway 150D and 145D ( toll roads ) and ride other highways into Guatemala and Honduras. We will pick up the Pan America Highway again in Nicaragua. The route will take us through 6 countries not counting US which are Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. It WILL be a very interesting ride. This may increase to 8 countries adding Belize and El Salvador if time permits. Central America border crossings are a challenge and will require some patience's lots of copies of documents. During the April 2022 ride Guatemala and Nicaragua took the most time to complete the paper work. Guatemala took time just because they was slow and the person had a typewriter. On the 2023 ride Guatemala was quick and less than 30 minutes as we learned we could get the required documents in the building next door instead of walking into town. Nicaragua took time because they had many windows we had to visit along with searches for drones and police sign offs to enter and exit Nicaragua. It should be faster now that a COVID test is not required. The other countries each took less than an hour to do the immigration and vehicle temporary import ( TIP ) paperwork. Now that we have some experience doing this ride and what to expect at border crossings we are working on fine tuning the timing of the route. Guatemala border crossing is only open 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM so arriving early helps. Nicaragua can close the border crossing early so arriving before 11:00 PM ( closes at 12 midnight ) in both directions is a good idea. The weather on the past two rides was dry, wet, hot and cold. Pretty much the whole gambit except snow. In 2023 it was above 100 degrees leaving Eagle Pass and for around 100 miles into Mexico. On the 2022 ride we had some pretty cold temps ( low 40's ) in the mountains in central Mexico and we put on our heated jackets. I expect to see temperatures as low as 45 degrees and as high has 90 degrees. On this years ride we hope to be starting in early December and will be in the normal dry seasons for Mexico and Central America but I am sure on this ride there will be rain and maybe even some hard rain in places like Costa Rica and Panama. Both of us have a good Gore-Tex riding gear including boots. As on the last ride to Panama I am planning on staying in hotels along my route but I will be prepared to sleep on the ground as we did a couple times on the last ride. We may have to do that again on this ride so be prepared. I have a tarp and a sleeping pad that I bought from Amazon that work well. Tarp: REDCAMP Waterproof Camping Tent Tarp Sleeping Pad:POWERLIX Sleeping Pad We did register with the US State Department Smart Traveler Enrollment Program ( STEP ) on the last ride and will be doing so again on this ride. This program allows you to register your trip with the US State Department so that they can notify you of important information from the Embassy about safety conditions in your destination country, helping you make informed decisions about your travel plans. Help the U.S. Embassy contact you in an emergency, whether natural disaster, civil unrest, or family emergency. Help family and friends get in touch with you in an emergency. We both have a medical transport insurance called MedJet Assist that provides hospital to hospital transportation on an air ambulance or other means. We also both have the motorcycle shipping option that will handle shipping my motorcycle back home if I am transported by MedJet. For this ride to the Darien Gap Panama I will again use a MedJet service called MedJet Horizon and with the upgrade to Horizon I get the following additional services ( travel security and crisis response services benefits powered by corporate security experts FocusPoint International ) that at least make my wife and me feel a little more secure knowing I will have some additional help if I need it. The entry requirements for each country we will be riding through is a little different like Nicaragua requires you to pre-register at least 7 business days in advance. Honduras has a health pass form you need to complete and there may be other requirements for my ride. I have more about these requirements below in each countries section. COVID Update: As of May 2023 no COVID test for any of the countries was required if you have a vaccine card. This is our current planned cities along our route of course things can change depending on fuel range, border crossings and other types of incidents. An interactive Google map of my route is below is below.
If we are able to ride into Belize and El Salvador we will also ride into these cities.
During our ride planning we have been trying to figure out what we will need to take with us on the ride and I have been building this list that is still growing. Here is a list of items we will be carrying that I feel is about the minimum needed to be able to get us back on the road.
On the April 2022 ride I rode my 2019 BMW GSA and it is a great choice with its all around capabilities. On the September 2023 ride I rode my 2023 BMW R1250 RT and it also was a good choice and handled all of the road conditions that we came upon including a foot deep water crossing. The RT could have used a little more suspension travel and more ground clearance. I am back on a BMW R1250 GSA so lets roll! I have done a few modifications that help me be a ride farther, longer and more comfortable. The changes I made to the BMW RT help make it a better long distance riding motorcycle. Many of the modifications listed below did come in handy on last years ride to Central America and will give me a better chance of completing the ride this year. My motorcycle is well prepared for rides like this so I do not expect any issues related to my motorcycle. I performed a full maintenance including valve check and the drive shaft spline check on the prior rides to Central America. Tires On the September 2023 ride I ran Dunlop Mutant tires on the front and rear. I used these tires in the 2021 Senior Butt Rally and they worked great. I ran an oversized rear tire, 190/55R17, to get a little more ground clearance. The Dunlop Mutant tires got good mileage and worked well on all of the roads we rode on. I first I looked at using a run-flat car tire that would give me a lot of miles but I am not sure I could remove a car tire on the side of the road for repair so I decided against that. I used a car tire back in 2018 on my Gold Wing when I rode to Mexico and it was fine as I was near services all the time so it was not as big a concern for me. I am still reviewing tire options for the upcoming ride but the Dunlop Mutant and the Bridgestone A41's are on the top of my list. Right now I am planning on running a car tire on the rear and a oversize front tire on my BMW RT. Electronics Mike and I have a lot of electronics on our motorcycles that help us keep informed and headed in the right direction. This includes multiple GPS, weather and weather radar, radar detectors along with other electronics. It takes a elaborate audio mixer system to get all of this information into my helmet so I do not want to take my eyes off the road when I can hear information in my helmet. I have multiple Garmin GPS's ( Garmin Zumo XT and RV 890 ) mounted on the handlebar and the cross bar behind the windscreen. My Garmin GPS's are loaded with 2023 North America Maps that includes all of Mexico including POI's for Mexico. For the Central American countries I am using OpenMapChest maps that are Garmin compatible. The maps are available for Basecamp and Garmin GPS's from a website that allows you to select what maps you need and download maps to use in Basecamp and on your GPS. For a small donation of $20 I was able to download a installation file for Basecamp and a map file ( gmapsupp.img ) to load on my Garmin GPS's ( Zumo XT and RV890 ). They work great and have many POI's for gas stations, hotels and other places you may be looking for. They are also routable and blend in with the maps I already have installed on my GPS. I used these maps during last years ride and they worked great. Here is a link to the Central America map website. https://www.openmapchest.org/maps/central-america/ Once you download the map from OpenMapChest for use on Garmin GPS's ( gmapsupp.img, around 297 megabytes ) it goes in this folder on your GPS. "GPS/Internal Storage/Garmin/Map".
Once you have the map downloaded and installed on your GPS this is what it will look like on the GPS. Be sure to go to settings / mymaps and check the box for the OpenMapChest map, see the red box in the image below.
Here are a couple images of the Central American maps from OpenMapChest installed on my GPS I will running Google maps and Waze maps on my iPhone mounted on the left handlebar. I also have a backup phone that is a Google Fi phone with service in Central America. With Google maps and my two Garmin GPS's I should hopefully not get lost. One very useful thing we found out about using Waze is that it identified most of the upcoming topes ( speed bumps) and this was very useful especially at night. On the past two rides I had a GoPro Hero 9 on the April 2022 ride and a GoPro Hero 11 on the September 2023 ride. On this upcoming ride I am going to be using a GoPro Hero 11 camera and a Insta360 X3 camera to take video of as much of this ride as possible as I did on the last two rides. I was able to record some good videos of the border crossings and the roads and towns we passed through on last two rides and I am hoping to add to those videos and get more videos of the border crossings to share for future riders making the trip. Communication During our April 2022 ride our Verizon cell phones worked 80% of the ride and Nicaragua had the least amount of cell phone coverage. Much of the coverage was only 3G but there was some 4G LTE around the bigger cities. We never felt like we was out of communication. Many places we stopped also had Wi-Fi and we was able to send and receive large files as needed. On the past two rides we used Cardo Bluetooth headsets and they worked well. On this years ride we will be using Cardo Edge Bluetooth headsets to communicate with each other. They work great and give us a good half mile range. On the past two rides I used my Spot satellite tracking devices and was glad to have them to provides location updates for everyone and in the event of an emergency. I have a SPOT GEN4 and a SPOT X satellite tracking devices that worked great in sending our locations and providing tracking for others who were following us during our ride. On the 2023 ride I added a SPOT X as it has two way message capabilities and a built-in compass that can navigate to programed waypoints. I will be using the SPOT GEN4 and a SPOT X again on this years ride. Mike has a Garmin inReach that also has the ability to send two way messages Our tracking devices will show our tracking location every 5 minutes ( see Spotwalla map link below ) and when we stop for border crossings, hotels or gas stops we will mark the locations with a SPOT OK message. Both the SPOT X and SPOT GEN4 can be hired wired for power and that will keep them working without new batteries for the whole ride. AUX Lights and AUX Tank I have installed Erica lights from Clearwater Lights and R7's from Ruby Moto, Mike has D7's and D4's fromDenali that will light up the night when ever we are riding through the night which we have done on both of the previous rides. The Clearwater, Denali and Ruby lights worked great last time and I am sure they will do the same on this ride. They also add a lot of conspicuity to be seen in the day time. Another benefit of the powerful aux lights is that people around us seem to think we are serious professional riders and they seem to treat us better. On the April 2022 ride I rode my GSA and I had a 3.3 gallon aux tank that gave me 11.2 gallons of gas which gave mea 400 mile range. During the September 2023 ride I was riding my BMW RT and I had a 4.4 gallon AUX tank mounted over the passenger seat that give me a total of 11 gallons of gas that also provided me a 400+ mile range. It may be hard to believe but the gas in Mexico and Central America is better than the gas we have in the US because they do not add ethanol to their gas so we got much better gas mileage than we do in the US. In fact there was one stretch where we rode 538 miles between gas stops. On this years ride I will have the same 4.4 gallon aux tank as last years ride but since I am going to be riding my BMW GSA I will have 12.3 gallons of gas and should have a 500+ mile range. On both of the previous rides we had no problem finding gas as it seems like there are more gas stations than any other types of business. I have also identified gas stations that are open 24 hours in all of the countries we will be riding through along our planned route. There also is gas stations near most of the border crossings and we have stopped at some of them. Mike has a 5 gallon AUX tank on his GSA so he has 12 gallons of fuel available and has a 500+ mile fuel range. Other Gear I have Aerostich tank panniers that are mounted on the left passenger foot peg that I have tools and supplies stored in. On the right passenger foot peg I have a 1 gallon jug for water mounted with a Garauld hydration system mount. The 1 gallon jug usually last me about 20 hours and keeps the water cold for about the same 20 hours. This is a nice way to carry things low on the motorcycle to keep the center of gravity low. I have a large tank bag by SW-Motech that I can carry things I need to get to while riding including snacks to keep me going. I also store some electronics in a box in the SW-Motech tank bag. I have a pretty elaborate audio mixer setup in the tank bag to mix the audio from multiple devices like my Garmin RV890 GPS and my radar detector. I am carrying two First Aid kits with different items in each to be sure I can take care of pretty much any thing that comes up. Riding Gear The first thing I put on before anything else is my LDComfort underwear / base layer as this is what keeps me comfortable in all types of weather from damn hot to freezing cold. LDComfort really does a great job of transferring the moisture away and keeping me dry. I have been wearing LDComfort gear for over 15 years and I can't find anything better. I wearAerostich Darien Hi-Viz jacket and Aerostich AD1 pants that will keep me safe and dry throughout the ride. This setup works well and is comfortable enough that I may not take them off for 3 days at a time. I also wear TCX Gore-Tex boots that keep my feet dry and well protected. I will be wearing a new boot from TCX called TCX-Clima-2-Surround-Gore-Tex with some new Gore-Tex technology that should keep my feet dry. Mike wearsKlim Badlands PRO jacket and pants and they provide him great protection from all of the elements just as my Aerostich gear does. Klim does a great job in keeping Mike dry. Before you decide to head south to Panama or anywhere in Central America you should review the US State Department Travel Advisories, here is the link.Travel Advisories (state.gov) List Of Minimum REQUIRED Items
All of the countries have some fees you have to pay to enter the country. They are not expensive but they do add up. I think the most expensive is Mexico when you add up all of the fees because Mexico has an expensive vehicle insurance cost around $100. The fees in the rest of the countries are less but expect something around $20 to $40 total for each country. Some are less but I think it is better to be prepared so I can shorten the time it takes to complete a border crossing. It is a good idea to get local currency before you do this ride because this is a long distance endurance ride you don't want to take time stopping to exchange currency. It is pretty easy to get most of the countries currency fro your bank or local currency exchange. Here is how much local currency I recommend based on my ride last year. Mexico will be the most because of the tolls, there are a lot of them and some are not cheap. The dollar is used in Costa Rica and Panama so you don't need to get those currencies. Almost everywhere take credit cards but having local money for the border crossing fees really helps. Below is the amount in US dollars that you should exchange into the local currencies.
Most of the Central American countries require you to obtain a temporary vehicle import permit ( TVIP / TIP ) and normally they require you to cancel the TVIP when you exit the country. I have been looking into the possibility of keeping my TVIP open and cancel it on my return ride. This would save me some time at each of the borders on the ride south to the Darien Gap Panama. Right now it looks like Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica will let me keep the TVIP until I return on my ride back north. At each border crossing you may have to ask and or insist that you want to keep the TVIP open until you return. It may turn out to be just the luck of the draw if they agree to allow you to keep the TVIP open. I am going to have my wife write a letter in Spanish explaining why I want to do this and maybe that will help. I am going to arrange to have local currency for each country so I can pay the fees at border crossings. Many banks will do this for you if you give them about a weeks notice. Also there are some online companies that sell foreign currency and mail it to your house. Mike and I did NOT use any border helpers on April 2022 ride but we did on the September 2023 ride. It turned out to be a mistake to use the helpers. We did give a child at the Nicaragua border a few dollars to watch our motorcycles but mostly just to be nice. My ride from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Laredo, TX is 1,500 miles and I should be able to do that in one day. I will be staying at a hotel there in Laredo, TX before starting the ride into Mexico. On this ride the route through Mexico is 1,180 miles and should take one day if we can do another Mexico B2B otherwise it will take less than two days. The route through Guatemala to the Darien Gap Panama is 1,597 miles and also should take around two days if everything goes well. If we decide to ride into Belize and El Salvador it will add 90 miles to our route. If we also decide to ride to the end of the Pan American Highway / end of the road at the Darien Gap it will add another 180 miles. Here are the current border crossings I plan to use and the times they are open. I need to plan my ride to arrive at each border when they are open. I do not want to be hanging around for long periods of time while waiting for the border to open.
Mike and I at the start of our ride to Panama in Eagle Pass, TX - September 2023
Mike's photo of me entering Mexico - April 2022
Traffic Cam picture of us entering Mexico at Eagle Pass, TX - April 2022 Below is some specific information for each country. Each country has there own specific requirements and they may change at any time. What you need at a minimum to cross into Mexico. Route in Mexico Is In Central Time Zone - The Mexican government has voted to eliminate daylight saving time in 2023. COVID-19 Requirements: If fully Vaccinated no test required. Below is some specific information I found for each country. Each country has there own specific requirements and they may change at any time. Requirements: If fully Vaccinated no test required. Border Operations - Banjército Allende/Piedras Negras: 24 Hours Google Map Link To Mexico Customs:Banjército Allende/Piedras Negras KM. 53.4 - Google Maps Keep TVIP / TIP Open: No - We tried
I have ridden into Mexico a few times over the years while attempting IBA certified rides and I have always wanted to ride farther south but never had the opportunity. Last years ride was no different, we mostly rode the toll roads and we did ride at night with no issues. Crossing the border paper work in Mexico is done 40 miles south of the border at Banjército Allende/Piedras Negras. It is opened 24 hours and was pretty easy to get the paper work completed.
Banjército Allende/Nuevo Laredo - Location To Check In And Out Of Mexico
Banjército Allende/Piedras Negras - Location To Check In And Out Of Mexico
Mike and I at the Allende/Piedras Negras, Mexico Aduana ( Customs ) - September 2023
"Hotel" in Mexico on the ride back north - April 2022 - It was a LONG day. Based on our ride last year, 2022, I found my planned route is good and efficient. There was plenty of 24 hour gas stations and places to get food. I had many people, including members from IBA Mexico, also review our route before last years ride and they offered advice which some I took and some I took into advisement. I am not changing the route through Mexico for this ride. This has a lot of tolls and you need to have money available to get to quickly. I kept my toll money in my left vest pocket of my Aerostich Darien jacket and we took turns paying the tolls for both of us. This was a good efficient way to get through the toll booths quickly. We entered Mexico at Piedras Negras just across the border from Eagle Pass, TX and rode south towards Saltillo on highway 57 and 57D which is a Mexican toll road. I have been told by many including people living in Mexico that those are the safest roads to use and you can ride on them after dark. I do not plan to ride into Saltillo but around the town staying on highway 57D south. All of these are toll roads and one of the nice things is the tolls you pay include a free service like AAA. There is a 800 number you can dial for help on the toll receipts and on signs along the highway. Mexico has a lot of toll roads and a lot of toll booths so be prepared. We made sure that we had plenty of Mexican currency to pay the tolls. Here is some good information if you are planning on riding to Mexico to speed up the border crossing. There are websites that allow you to pre-register you and your motorcycle so that you can just show the information at the border get your passport stamped and speed up the process especially if there is a line of others waiting. After you pre-register yourself and get the Electronic pre-authorization number ( top of form ) and before you go to register your motorcycle on the third link below to get you TIP ( temporary vehicle import permit ) you must have PDF copies of your passport and your registration or title. The PDF file size cannot be larger than 2.5 mb. Towards the end of the process of applying for your TIP you will upload the two PDF documents that is used for them to verify your information. It will take 2 to 3 days before you receive your TIP by email ( be sure to provide a good email address ). You need to have your passport and credit card available while doing steps two and three. The credit card is to pay for your TIP. All three of the websites linked below offer translation to english. Here are three steps you would need to do to have all of your paper work done when you arrive at Mexican Immigrations. You can do some of them or none of them prior to entering Mexico. The more you have completed the faster you will finish Mexico Immigration. Step One: You must do the pre-registration for yourself first as there is a number ( Electronic pre-authorization number ) that is provided that you will need when you pre-register your motorcycle. That is the link below. You can pre-register yourselves on this website: https://www.inm.gob.mx/sae/publico/en/pre-autorizacion.html
Step Two: You can obtain your FMM ( tourist visa ) at this website: National Institute of Migration - Multiple Migratory Form Step Three: You can register your vehicle on this website to obtain your TIP by email: https://www.banjercito.com.mx/registroVehiculos/ This is the step you need the PDF of your passport and vehicle registration. There will be a place to upload them will filling out the form. Be sure they are readable as they will review the documents before providing the TIP. Be sure to use a current email address while filling out the form because once the TIP is approved it will arrive by email. You will need your credit card to pay for the TIP and the bond at the end of filling out this form.
You need to know where the VIN is on your motorcycle and it must be viewable, readable and match your registration. Your registration must have your name that matches your passport and drivers license and they must be current. Mexico requires vehicle insurance for the time your vehicle is in Mexico and your US based insurance coverage is not acceptable. You can buy the insurance for just a few days or up to a annual plan. There are companies that you can use to buy the required insurance for Mexico prior to arriving at the border. I used a company called MexPro and they have been around for a while and are reputable. There are many other companies that you can use also. The one I used was recommended to me by people in Mexico and some friends who have been to Mexico many times and used them. You can buy the minimum liability insurance or purchase full coverage like you would have in the US. You can purchase the required Mexican vehicle insurance on this website: https://www.mexpro.com/ There are police and military checkpoints through out Mexico and they did ask us to show our Passports and some asked for our drivers license and vehicle insurance. No one asked us for a bribe. On my ride in Mexico in 2018 no one asked for a bribe either at any time including the checkpoints I rode through. Where we entered Mexico at Piedras Negras you ride about 40 miles south to Banjército Allende / Piedras Negras to get our passport stamped and Mexico Tourist Card. It was quick and efficient this time but back in 2018 and it was a long line of vehicles and took over an hour. There is a photo above of us parked at the building. The route through Mexico on this ride is 1,180 miles and should take around 20 hours. On the previous two rides we had a different starting location so the route was 1,405 miles and took around 23 hours. I now have some good experience from ridding in Mexico and using the toll roads. Roads In Mexico On My Route
Mexico Border Crossing Fees
What you need at a minimum to cross into Guatemala. COVID-19 Requirements: Currently No Requirements. Updated 5-2-2023. Border Operations - Aduana El Ceibo: 8:00 AM To 5:00 PM Google Map Link To Guatemala Customs:Aduana El Ceibo - Google Maps Keep TVIP / TIP Open: Maybe
We entered Guatemala at El Ceibo around 9:00 AM and they had just opened the border and we was the only ones there. We went to immigration and it only took 5 minutes to get our passport stamped. But it took an hour and a half for them to process our paper work for our TIP. We had to walk into town to pay the TIP fee. Once we were done with that we rode off on highway PET-13 which turned into highway CA13. I had a flat on PET-13 on the way to La Libertad ( see above photos ) and we had to stop and plug the hole three times before the plugs held. We stopped in La Libertad which was the first real town on our route in Guatemala to find a hotel and a tire repair shop. We found both and nice hotel and a tire repair shop where they did a great job patching the hole from the inside of the tire with a truck tire patch. We stayed in La Libertad for the rest of the day and had a good night sleeping after riding for 30 hours. We did not leave to early and by the time we did leave we had been in La Libertad for 17 hours. This put us behind on our timeline. When we reached the town of Morales, Guatemala we turned on to highway CA-9 which turns back into CA-13 and took us all the way to the Honduras border. The roads were all paved roads but some are in need of repair and on one bridge crossing a river there was a big hole and you could see the river below.
Entering Guatemala Riding South - Spetember 2023
Getting ready to leave our hotel in La Libertad, Guatemala heading south after having the rear tire fixed - April 2022
Leave our hotel in La Libertad, Guatemala At 4:00 AM Riding South - September 2023
Us At The Guatemala Aduana ( Customs ) in El Ceibo - Heading South - April 2022
Our bikes entering El Ceibo, Guatemala and getting our TIP - Heading South - April 2022
Us entering and exiting El Ceibo, Guatemala - September 2023 Video of first miles riding in Guatemala after entering at El Ceibo - September 2023
That's me entering Guatemala at Corinto - Heading north ( Mike's photo ) - April 2022
Riding In The Rain Guatemala On HWY CA-13 - Riding South - September 2023
Me at Guatemala Border exiting at El Ceibo - Heading north to Mexico - April 2022 The ride through Guatemala starts at El Ceibo and it exits Guatemala at Cinchado on highway CA-13. The route is 280 miles so I do not expect to be in Guatemala very long. But as can happen expectations don't always turn out to be what you expect. I had a flat by running over a file in the road that we had to plug 3 times to make it to the next city 30 miles away. We ended up spending the rest of the day in La Libertad, Guatemala getting the tire repaired and spending the night in a hotel. I will not be passing through any major cities while riding through Guatemala so I do not expect any major issues with traffic. I have found a few 24 hour gas stations along my route in Guatemala that I will be able to buy gas and water if needed. Gas was very easy to find along our route. There was a couple Police checkpoints and they are NOT very common in Guatemala, they only asked to see our Passport and the temporary import permit ( TIP ) that I was issued at the border. The route is 280 miles in Guatemala, maybe 7 hours of riding but I will also be taking a rest break of 8 hours at a hotel in La Libertad. Roads In Guatemala On My Route
Guatemala Border Crossing Fees
What you need at a minimum to cross into Belize. COVID Vaccine Card COVID-19 Requirements: If fully Vaccinated no test required. Updated 3-18-2022. Border Operations - Belize Western Border Station - Melchor de Mencos: 24 Hours Google Map Link To Belize Western Border Station: Melchor de Mencos - Google Maps We may decide to cross the border into Belize to get a receipt showing that we was in Belize. Entering Belize will be a "game time" decision. What you need at a minimum to cross into Honduras. Honduras uses Central Standard Time (UTC−06:00) all year-round and currently does not observe daylight saving time. COVID-19 Requirements: Effective March 22, 2023: Travelers are no longer required to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or negative test results for a PCR, Antingen, or ELISA test prior to entry in to Honduras. If fully Vaccinated no test required. Honduras Health Precheck: INM - Prechequeo Migratorio (There are 2 parts to the form. After finishing the first part (immigration info) and back at the home page, the link to the second part (health info) is in fine print at the top ) Border Operations - Honduras-Guatemala Border: 6:00 AM To 6:00 PM Google Map Link To Honduras Customs: Honduras-Guatemala Border - Google Maps Keep TVIP / TIP Open: Yes
I will be entering Honduras at the town of Corinto and I will stay on highway CA-13 until the town of El Progreso where I will turn on to highway RN-21 and take that all the way to the town of Santa Rita. At Santa Rita I will take highway RN-23 to highway RN-43. I will stay on highway until I reach the town of Talanga where I will turn on to highway RN-15 for a few miles and then turn on to highway RN-37 to the town of Ojo de Agua. There I will turn on to highway CA-6 which I will ride all the way to the Nicaragua border. The roads in Honduras were mostly in good shape and it was pretty easy riding. Video exiting Guatemala and entering Honduras at Corinto - Heading South - April 2022 Video exiting Honduras at Guasaule - Headed south - April 2022
At Guatemala / Honduras Border Crossing at Corinto - Heading South - April 2022
At Guatemala / Honduras Border Crossing at Corinto - Heading South - September 2023
Mike at Corinto ,Honduras getting TIP - Heading South - September 2023
Entering Honduras at Guasaule - Heading North - April 2022
Inside the Guasaule, Honduras Immigration - Heading North - April 2022
Honduras rest and food break - Heading North - April 2022 We had no issues in Honduras heading south but it did take a long time for them to process our TIP. We did not have any one ask us for money and no issues at checkpoints. We did not ride on the Pan Americain Highway in Honduras. When we arrived at the Honduras border after exiting Nicaragua heading north it was a shit show! There was a lot of buses that had many migrants trying to enter Honduras for their trip north to the US border. It took a couple hours to get immigration and TIP processed to exit the country. Exiting Honduras and entering Guatemala heading north took only 12 minutes, the fastest border crossing on the whole ride. The route through Honduras is 320 mile which should be around 8 or 9 hours. Roads In Honduras On My Route
Honduras Border Crossing Fees
What you need at a minimum to cross into El Salvador. COVID Vaccine Card COVID-19 Requirements: If fully Vaccinated no test required. Border Operations - El Amatillo : 24 Hours Google Map Link To El Amatillo: El Amatillo - Google Maps We may decide to cross the border into El Salvador to get a receipt. Entering El Salvador will be a "game time" decision. What you need at a minimum to cross into Nicaragua. Nicaragua uses Central Standard Time (UTC−06:00) all year-round and currently does not observe daylight saving time. COVID-19 Requirements: If fully Vaccinated no test required. Updated 5-2-2023. Nicaragua no longer requires a COVID test if you have a vaccine card showing at least two vaccines. Drones are NOT allowed in Nicaragua. They will search your luggage and if they find a drone you won't be happy so do not bring one! Vaccines accepted by the country All vaccines approved by the World Health Organization, WHO, and the Government of Nicaragua: Sputnik V, Sputnik Light, Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Covishield, Soberana 02, Abdala, Janssen/Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm and Coviran. Mike and I thought that if we was vaccinated when we rode last year we would be good. Well that was wrong and even though we had vaccine cards showing three vaccines they still wanted a COVID test that was done within 72 hours. On the way south we found a way to convince them that we was okay to enter and on the return ride we had to get very creative to obtain a COVID test. Border Operations - Custom Guasaule: Closes At Midnight Google Map Link To Nicaragua Customs: Custom Guasaule - Google Maps Link to map of all Nicaragua border crossings: Border Posts – General Directorate of Migration and Aliens (migob.gob.ni) Keep TVIP / TIP Open: No
Important Nicaragua Land Entry Process - Currently Required All travelers before visiting Nicaragua by land transportation must notify to the corresponding authorities about their upcoming trip at least 7 business days in advance. All trip details must be listed in the required forms and sent via e-mail to Nicaragua´s Interior Department ( solicitudes@migob.gob.ni with a copy to preyes@migob.gob.ni ) and the Embassies of Nicaragua in their respective countries. Here is a link to the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (migob.gob.ni). Here is a link to the Nicaragua immigration website, you can translate to English if you use a browser that has that capability like Microsoft Edge. Directorate-General for Migration and Aliens (migob.gob.ni) The e-mail must have the following documentation attached: Entry list to Nicaragua Form Application form Letter addressed to the Government Department including the following information: number of travelers on the trip, reason for the trip, name and address of the hotel or place of accommodation, list of places to be visited, general information of the driver, vehicle, the name of the border where they intend to enter, etc. If the reason is only to transit through Nicaragua, travelers must and are still expected to provide all the above information to the corresponding authorities. The e-mail must only contain the 3 requirements mentioned above. In case of not carrying out the previous process, the Nicaraguan authorities can refuse or deny entry to travelers. It is important to clarify that this process applies only for trips made by land and not for air travel. We entered Nicaragua at the town of Guasaule on highway 3 / 24 and will stayed on highway 3 / 24 until I reach the town of Las Mercedes where we turned on highway NN 252. We changed our route in Nicaragua because we came up on a dirt road in our route that may have been more than 20 miles long. We ended up crossing the border at Peñas Blancas. This routed us through the capital, Managua. It was around 2:30 AM so it was pretty easy riding. We took Highway 1 ( Pan American Highway ) from Managua to the Costa Rica border. We Entered Nicaragua around 11:00 PM and rode straight through to the Nicaragua / Costa Rica border and arrived around 4:30 AM a few hours before it opened. We got a little rest in the parking lot while waiting.
Entering Nicaragua at Guasaule - September 2023
This is the first building you see when entering Nicaragua at Peñas Blancas - September 2023
Waiting to exit Nicaragua at Peñas Blancas. We arrived at the border a few hours before it opened at 6 AM - April 2022
Entering Guasaule, Nicaragua - Imagration and Aduana - Heading South - April 2022
Guasaule, Nicaragua Immigration - 11:30 PM - Heading South - April 2022
Nicaragua Immigration Officers At Guasaule, Nicragua Border Crossing - 11:30 PM - Heading South - April 2022
Vehicle Fumigation at Guasaule, Nicaragua border crossing - Heading South - April 2022
Leaving Guasaule, Nicaragua Border Crossing - Riding South - September 2023
Checking In To The InterContinental Managua - Heading North - September 2023
Checking Out Of The InterContinental Managua - Heading North - September 2023
Cool volcano in Nicaragua - Heading North - September 2023 Video Exiting Guasaule, Nicaragua - Heading south and waiting for border crossing to open - April 2022 Video Exiting Guasaule, Nicaragua - Heading south and waiting for border crossing to open - September 2023 There was military and police checkpoints not far past the border and no one tried to shake us down only a vehicle check. We found a lot of 24 hour gas stations along our route in Nicaragua and we was able buy gas and water as needed. Just like Honduras we had no issues in Nicaragua and did not see that many Police checkpoints. My route through Nicaragua is 195 miles and I ride near by the capital, Managua. I am hoping to get through Nicaragua in around 5 hours. Roads In Nicaragua On My Route
Nicaragua Border Crossing Fees
What you need at a minimum to cross into Costa Rica. Costa Rica uses Central Standard Time (UTC−06:00) all year-round and currently does not observe daylight saving time. COVID-19 Requirements: No Requirements.Updated 5-2-2023. No Longer Required - Costa Rica Health Pass Form: Pase de Salud Costa Rica Border Operations - Directorate General of Immigration and Nationality: 6:00 AM To 12:00 PM Google Map Link To Costa Rica Customs:Costa Rica Customs - Google Maps Keep TVIP / TIP Open: Yes
On the way south we changed our route in Nicaragua because we came up on a dirt road in our route that may have been more than 20 miles long. We ended up crossing the border at Peñas Blancas instead of Los Chiles. This changed our route in Costa Rica also so the plan now is to enter Costa Rica at Peñas Blancas and ride highway 1 ( The Pan American Highway ) to highway to highway 34 along the coast of Costa Rica to bypass the capital, San Jose, and all of its traffic. I pick up the Pan American Highway ( now called highway 2 ) in southern Costa Rica in a town called Palmar Norte and ride it the rest of the way to Panama.
Peñas Blancas, Costa Rica border crossing - Heading south - Just checked out of Nicaragua- April 2022 Video entering Peñas Blancas, Costa Rica - Heading South - April 2022
Our "Hotel" in No-Mans Land at Peñas Blancas, Costa Rica Border Crossing - Heading North - April 2022 We had no police checkpoints in Costa Rica and no one bothered us. It was a nice ride once we got over on the Pacific coast. On the ride back north it rained like crazy for about 60 miles. It was very slow riding until we got out of the rain forest. The route through Costa Rica is 325 miles and should take around 10 hours. I will be picking up the Pan American Highway in southern Costa Rica where it is also called Highway 2. I am not going to follow the Pan American Highway all the way though as it goes through San Jose the capital and I want to avoid that traffic. Roads In Costa Rica On My Route
Costa Rica Border Crossing Fees
What you need at a minimum to cross into Panama. Panama uses Eastern Standard Time (UTC−06:00) all year-round and currently does not observe daylight saving time. COVID-19 Requirements: If fully vaccinated no test required. Border Operations - Paso Canoas Border: 6:00 AM To 10:00 PM and 8:00 PM Sat & Sun Google Map Link To Panama Customs:Aduanas Paso Canoas - Google Maps
We entered Panama at Paso Canoas on the Pan American Highway where the highway name changes to Highway 1. We rode Highway 1 all the way to Panama City stopping in the town of David and spent the night at a nice Hamptoon Inn. We stopped early because it was raiing like crazy.
Photo of the Paso Canoas, Panama border crossing - Photo by Mike Bobbitt - April 2022 Video of us entering Paso Canoas, Panama - Heading South - April 2022 We saw a lot of police running radar on the highway in Panama on the Pan American Highway and we found out that the people in Panama use Waze to mark the location so we also used Waze. The route through Panama is 485 miles and it takes around 10 hours. It is all on the Panama American highway all the way to the Darien Gap Panama. I believe this should be the easiest country I ride through except the last 160 miles south of Panama City. Right now my idea is to stay at the Crown Plaza hotel on the south side of Panama City before riding the next day to the end of the road and the Darien Gap. The plan is to ride to the Darine Gap and back on the same day and then staying at the Holiday Inn Panama Canal in Panama City went before starting my ride back north to the US. This could change based on arrival timing, weather and if I find a better option. My route in Panama all the way to the end of the road at Yaviza and the Darien Gap is 485 miles. This will be broken up with a stay at the Crown Plaza hotel on the south side of Panama City. Roads In Panama On My Route
Panama Border Crossing Fees
Me at the Panama Canal - April 2022 My main goal of last years ride was to get a photo of the Panama Canal with my motorcycle and me in the photo. I had been scanning Google maps street view looking for the best location for the photo and I think I have found this location near our hotel, Holiday Inn Panama Canal, that allowed me to have my motorcycle in the photo. Video of the road to the Darin Gap - April 2022 Video of the road to the Darin Gap - Heading North - April 2022 |
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Below are three interactive maps Google route map, Spotwalla tracking map and weather map. Route Map The Google route map and the Spotwalla tracking map allow you to zoom in and out using the + and - buttons in the bottom right of the maps and you can drag the map with a mouse. You can also zoom in and out of the maps with a mouse that has a wheel. They show my planned route ( Google Map ) and below that map is a map of my current location with the use of a SPOT satellite tracking device and Spotwalla.com (thanks Jason Jonas ). Weather Map Here is a link to my ride to the Darien Gap Panama weather webpage with weather for 30 cities along the route and 15 different weather maps. This is a great way for me to see what weather lies ahead on my route. There is a nice interactive weather view at the bottom of the weather webpage. Weather Webpage Link: Darien Gap Panama Ride Weather Spotwalla Tracking Here is my direct Spotwalla tracking links that will open in a new browser window. Also below is my embedded Spotwalla tracking map. I have two SPOT satellite tracking devices and I transmit my location every 5 minutes with both SPOT devices. Spotwalla Tracking Link: Trip: Greg Rice - Travel Man (spotwalla.com)
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