We started in Mexico City and ended up in Lima. Some times we took the bus or boat because we were running out of time. From Panama City we flew over Colombia till Quito, in Ecuador.

We took the bikes with us from our country, Belgium in Europe, to Mexico City. Normally with Continental Airlines they shouldn't charge you if you put the bike in a carton box. So take of the pedals, put the handlebar longitudinal and take out the front wheel. To get back from Lima we passed New York before going back to Brussels. To take the bike from Lima to New York they charged us 118 US $, so make sure you still have money untill the end of your trip. We also paid for the bikes to get them from Panama to Ecuador, 45 US $ each. For the flight New York - Brussels we didn't have to pay anything.

Before going to Central America we got some vaccinations against yellow fever, typhus, polio, tetanus, hepatitis A and rabies. The last one is recommendable when you travel by bike because the dogs are really eager to bite you in the ankles. We took medicines against malaria and had quite many other medicines with us, luckily we didn't need a lot of them. We didn't get any disease, except the inevitable traveler's diarrhea. Some of us were bitten (while cycling) by insects (wasps, bees,…). A salve against inflamation can be useful. We also had two mosquito-nets with us, recommendable when you plan to travel through the lowlands and in the jungle.

Two of us drove a hybrid bike, with 28' tires, the other one had a mountainbike, 26' tires. It's hard to find 28' tires in Central and South America, the usual size they sell is 26'. Although in San Jose, Costa Rica, you can find 28' tires. That's also the best place to look for other kinds of materials you need, such as a chain and gear-wheels. There is also a place in San Jose where you can weld aluminum, in case your carrier didn't survive. Also at the coast of Costa Rica, in Quepos, we met a Swiss man who cold weld aluminum. We took with us the most necessary equipment to repair the bikes. Pasters to repair the interior tires are easily to find in any town. There are also many bike repair "shops", they can help you with any problem your bike is suffering from as long as you don't need special materials. With all the material included, except food and drinks, our paked bikes weighted approximately 37kg.

We felt safe travelling through Central and South America. People are very friendly, like to tell about their country and are curious about yours. We got robbed and stabbed once, in the capital of Ecuador, Quito. People warned us, it happens quite often in Quito, so just be aware, especially at night. In our country we bought a map of Central and South America (World Card, Map of America, RV.Verlag), but we bought maps of the separate countries in the country itself or in the neighbor-country which was most of the time quite difficult. A better idea maybe is to order or buy the maps you need in advance. We know you can order worldwide Maps of ITM (International Travel Maps) which are great for biking. It's also good to buy a guide to have something to read after a day of biking and to know something about the history and interesting spots in the countries. We bought the Lonely Planet of Central America in Playa Del Carmen, a nice, tiny town at the Caribbean beach of Mexico.