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Continuing his journey down the Andes from Colombia to Santiago de Chile, Ryan Wilson travels across the surreal landscape of the Salar de Uyuni and traverses a rarely visited part of the driest desert in the world, the Chilean Atacama. Read on to follow his final days in Bolivia and his route through one of Chile’s most remote corners…
As Ryan Wilson continues his bike tour south from Colombia to Chile, he crosses a remote stretch of Bolivia’s infamous altiplano. Follow along as Ryan takes on this harsh yet beautiful environment through volcanic landscapes and otherworldly salt flats.
Translated from Quechua, the ‘Royal Road’ once united all Andean communities from Colombia to Chile in an intricate road system of more than 30,000 km that in 2014 became an UNESCO World Heritage site. Constructed by the Incas over several centuries and partly based on pre-Inca infrastructure, this extraordinary network through one of the world’s most extreme geographical terrains linked the snow-capped peaks of the Andes – at an altitude of more than 6,000 m – to the coast, running through hot rainforests, fertile valleys, and absolute deserts.
It reached its maximum expansion in the 15th century when it spread across the length and breadth of the Andes. Leonardo Brasil (@leobrasil.photo) and Adam Pawlikiewicz Mesa (@adamonthego) traversed by bike from La Paz, Bolivia to Cusco, Peru highlighting the rich history and diverse culture of this Andean region documenting through both photo and video. Our full film will be launched later this year showcasing this wild adventure full of mishaps, reroutes due to food shortages, days where water was inaccessible, alpaca killings, a visit to the highest mining settlement in the world, and much more.
For McKenzie Barney, cycling the world was never about chasing a record, or even adhering to all of the Guinness Book of Records parameters to qualify for an “official” time. But after an introduction to bike touring in Vietnam and learning about the 18,000-mile goal post for a “Cycle the World” completion, she was intrigued. For the next few years she planned, scrimped and saved between trips while pursuing her own Cycling the World project. Earlier this year, she completed the project after having ridden 18,000 miles, in 28 countries, and on five continents. Read on for Part 1 of her journey download, where she writes about moving from thru hiking to bike touring, gaining solo experience in Europe, and then putting it to the test on a ride from Cairo to Cape Town with her partner James. Plus, don’t miss the trailer to her upcoming self-documented, self-edited film!
Looking for a touring route in South America? Ryan Wilson‘s your guy. How about Central Asia? Yep, he’s been there too. If you’re stewing on a trip, or just looking for a little visual inspiration, check out this greatest hits round up from Ryan’s travels featuring his eight favorite bike touring routes around the world.
Once Upon a Time in the Bolivian West
Photos and words by Ryan Wilson
After spending a year riding the constantly undulating roads in the Cordilleras of Perú and Bolivia, it was time to switch it up just a bit and head out for the altiplano of Bolivia’s volcano-laden western region. This is the area where most cycle tourists head when passing through Bolivia and it’s also the place where the country really earns its reputation of vast open spaces with an endless array of sandy/corrugated roads, and other-worldly landscapes.
