This is the safest route to South America, and this highway extends from Alaska down to lower region of South America. Drive during the daytime. South America is a beautiful, but dangerous country. Stay on the main highway, and get a hotel in the evening. Stay away from the Darien Gap. Be aware that the Pan American Highway temporarily stops near the Darien Gap Panama-Columbia border , which is a dense rainforest with dirt roads and inhabited by dangerous animals.
South America Travel offers a detailed route guide. Kicking off at well over 10, feet, the road, which is also called the Yungas Road, descends into a rainforest before terminating in the Bolivian town of Coroico some five thousand feet below. Once considered the most dangerous road in the world, it was a far riskier drive before the government recently built another road linking the towns of La Paz and Coroico. When to go? Depends on how many tourists you want to run into.
The busiest tourist period is June-August as well as mid-December through mid-January. On the way through it, there are mountain streams, forests, a national park, and more. Route 40 is to Argentina what Route 66 is to the United States. There is no road, properly speaking.
For non US residents that part of the adventure can easily take up a year if you would take the time to enjoy each state. Central America leaves less room for exploration as the land physically narrows to 38 miles or 61 kilometres.
After reaching Panama you could turn around and explore the other coast going up and that would be an amazing adventure by itself. Depending if you travel by car, rv, truck, motorcycle or bicycle you have different option. In South America the route also largely follows the West Coast crossing different countries until reaching Chile where it bends of the reach across to Buenos Aires.
Most travellers finish the route by driving all the way down to Tierra del Fuego and the town of Ushuaia which is the southern most town reachable by road. Even though the fastest record is 11,5 days, most travellers will take at least 6 months to complete the journey. Having more time means you can stay longer in places you like or take more detours from the main road.
On a long road trip you should not drive longer then daylight allows you to. Driving at night is the biggest risk you can take. On average calculate with 6 - 8 hours of driving time each driving day and schedule a break day every three days. It really depends on your style of travel in what range your budget will lie. A shoestring budget traveling by bicycle and bushcamping or couchsurfing most of the times will be at the bottom end of the spectrum whereas staying in a few luxury hotels, doing a trip to the Galapagos or eating out in a nice restaurant in every capital will shift you to the higher range.
No, driving the Pan-American Highway is not particularly dangerous. The biggest risks are other traffic users and animals on the road. As well as driving at night.
Take the right precautions and use common sense to stay safe. As well as reading about the Darien Gap being a dangerous place to drive. Factually, nobody except crazy ex-marines dare to embark on the expedition to cross this piece of jungle, all other travellers are pragmatic and ship their vehicle across.
It is difficult to factually pinpoint a geographical area that is the most dangerous part of the Pan-American Highway. The official crime and theft rates are highest in Guatemala according to the World Bank.
However there are many other dangers that you need to take into account. Danger is a broad term that cannot be measured because it is undefined. Does is mean the amount of murders or the amount of robberies that happen yearly in a country? What about car accidents or flash floods? All of those things you need to take into account while assessing if a country is safe enough to travel through.
My personal biggest fear, after doing two big overland trips, are the other traffic participants and getting into a car accident. This requires you to adapt your driving style, observe how the locals do and adapt to allow the the be able to anticipate your behaviour.
But at the same time, you have to realise that Those are the main point that should keep you safe and out of harms way. Even when we were traveling through Sudan amidst a public uprising that eventually toppled the president and our embassy was advising all travellers to evacuate we stayed in the capital, where most of the protesting was happening and stayed out of any trouble and safely crossed the country to our next.
So as long as you follow the advice of the locals, doing what they do to stay safe, you will probably be too. Yes, the official stretch from Mexico to Argentina is completely paved and in excellent condition.
Except for the Darien Gap, between Panama and Colombia, where there is no road at all. Even the long version, from Alaska to Ushuaia can be done without an all terrain vehicle. As far as I know, this entire route is also paved although the quality will vary. If you want to venture off the main route and explore the smaller villages and remote mountain passes, you will be better off with a vehicle that is not a low riding ferrari but most of the time a normal 2wd car with decent all terrain tires will do the job.
For each section we will discuss the route options, the safety issues, time to take and the best season to travel in.
The journey from the United States to Alaska is not an official part of the Pan-American Highway, but a lot of travellers want to experience everything the Americas have to offer from the most Northern point you can reach by road. For most that means driving to Prudhoe Bay although in the last few years the more adventurous route through Canada to Tuktoyaktuk has also been gaining popularity. Wether you choose Alaska or Canada, there are a few common risks involved. In general, driving to Alaska is not extremely difficult, however there are long sections without any habitation and breaking down might mean you have to wait for help for a long time.
This can be dangerous is the cold winter months. As a traveler you have the luxury of time, so take advantage of that to stay safe on the long boring drives. In summer, daylight lasts deceivingly long, which can give you the impression you can keep going. It is not a bad idea to have a basic tire repair kit with you and knowing how to put on your spare tire so you can keep going and stay safe for the night.
Driving from Seattle to Prudhoe Bay takes 7 - 9 days of continues travel for 8 - 6 hours a day. This route goes through Canada so make sure to bring your passport. The route takes you from Seattle, passing by Vancouver heading to Prince George and up to Whitehorse. Here you decide if you want to drive to Alaska or go up the Dempster highway to Tuktoyaktuk. You cross into Alaska at the Alcan border and continue to Fairbanks.
From there it is a long a lonely way up to Deadhorse in Prudhoe Bay. This last part is called the Dalton highway and very busy with trucks all year round. Not every part of the highway is paved, although accessible with any road vehicle in summer. In winter most travellers should think thrice before attempting the drive. Therefor I do advice to do this part of the trip in summer, anywhere in between May and September would be best.
It is also the time when nature is blossoming which gives spectacular views with the white mountain peaks. One of the reasons more and more people are deciding to drive up the Dempster Canada highway instead of the Dalton Alaska is that you cannot actually reach the Arctic Ocean by yourself in Alaska. That is because it is part of a restricted area where the oil fields are. You can even take a swim if you dare! In the end it really depends on your budget and travel style how much you spend in Alaska.
It is relatively more expensive compare to other parts of the Pan-American Highway especially for accommodation and excursions. I highly recommend taking a trip down to Anchorage, not to visit the city but for the amazing scenery along the way and down in the bay area.
If driving to Alaska is worth it depends on your goals, however the road trip is a gorgeous one and is going to make for a memorable trip and having a your own car and equipment to explore will give a huge amount of freedom. If it is worth your time and effort is up to you to decide. Is it worth it to make it a part of your PanAm adventure? That also depends on your goals, time and budget. Since the USA made the entire highway network part of the Pan-American Highway, you have options here albeit pretty straight forward.
Just South of the border on the east side of Mexico, lies Laredo, the official start of the Pan-American highway, however most travellers stick to the West Coast on the Pacific because the roads and scenery are better. Or because of the world class waves, whale watching options and the cool Spanish ruins. However you choose to descend through Mexico, it will bring you to the border with Guatemala. Just like Mexico and Costa Rica, the inlands of Guatemala is quite mountainous and rough.
The official route sticks to the coast where it is flat and easy to drive. Choose your route wisely and based on your vehicle and travel goals. All these countries are covered in lush greenery. The official Pan-American highway route remains close to the coast, where it is easy to drive. Except from a small area in the North, Nicaragua is mostly flat. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.
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