Panamericana road trip memories 2

13 January 2021 | Sapa Pana Travel | |

The Pan-American Road Trip began in December 2011. A road trip through South America with 83 classic Volvos. Over 35 days and 16,000 kilometres, these Volvo enthusiasts drove from Buenos Aires in Argentina, southwards to Cartagena de Indias in Colombia. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing memories of this memorable journey on our blog.

Day 7: Comodoro Rivadavia–Rio Gallegos, Argentina

Team 68

Every day I’m amazed by the lorries here. The roads are two-lane, and these giants race back and forth along them. Sometimes you can see for kilometres ahead, but mirages make it hard to see clearly, and then something colossal rises from the boiling tarmac in the distance. Slowly, something begins to take shape that most resembles a moving block of flats. And then it thunders towards us. Our type of car – nicknamed ‘the tank’ in the trade magazines – is reduced to a Dinky Toy, and I, who had looked so cool that morning in my tough overalls (hair slicked back with gel, cool sunglasses on) – am now sitting there sweating, my hands clenched around the steering wheel, waiting for the impact. After a massive gust of wind and a lot of noise, the colossus has passed. Phew.

Day 8, Rio Gallegos – Ushuaia, Argentina

Team 41
Today is an exciting day: we’re heading to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. A journey involving two border crossings, a ferry and 100 km of unpaved road. This evening we did some maintenance on the car: topping up the oil (which wasn’t too bad), lubricating a few bits here and there (which wasn’t too bad either), but also tidying up our mess (which was a bit of a slog). Oh yes, we also cleaned the radiator; it was quite clogged with insects, which was affecting the cooling.

Cooling is, incidentally, a ‘hot’ topic. Everyone wants to know what others have done to provide their motorbikes with extra cooling. When we tell them about our high-tech modification (a block of wood under the bonnet), eyebrows go up.

When we have to stop at one of the many police checkpoints, the officer says: ‘This is wowo?’ We don’t understand his question and just shrug. The officer walks round the car to inspect it and says affirmatively: ‘Yes, this is wowo!’ We say: ‘Aaahh, OK, yes: VOLVO!’

Day 9: Ushuaia

Team 60

Finally, a lovely day off. No excursions, no 800 km drive. Had a bit of a lie-in and pottered about by the cars. It’s breathtakingly beautiful here. On the way here, we drove past forests where the trees were completely covered in stringy moss or something like that – it was quite surreal! In the afternoon, we turned onto a little road that took us even further down south. On the way, we saw foxes. We also drove past a few villages and, a little later, the road came to an end: truly the end of the world! If you think about it for a bit longer, a strange feeling creeps over you. The feeling that you’re right here at the very southernmost tip of the inhabited world. A long way from home and not even that far from the South Pole.

Book a Pan-American Highway road trip

The book ‘Panamericana Road Trip’ has been published as a memento of this memorable journey. The story is told through the stunning photographs of travel photographer Thijs Heslenfeld, accompanied by a selection of the many stories written by the heroes of this journey. For anyone who didn’t make the journey, this is a wonderful book to lose yourself in. The proceeds from the book will go towards the special projects run by the HoPe Foundation. This organisation – founded by Walter Meekes – focuses primarily on developing education in the remote mountain villages around the Peruvian city of Cuzco.

More information

Would you like to join one of these exclusive road trips yourself? Then take a look at our LatinAmeriCar page. Do you have any questions about a unique trip of Latin America, would you like a bespoke travel proposal, or would you like to arrange an appointment at our office? Please feel free to get in touch with us. Send an email to info@sapapanatravel.nl or call +31 73 610 62 04. We’d be happy to help.

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