Pan American highway: South America – Let’s explore here
What is the Pan American Highway?
The Pan American highway: South America is the second leg of a road trip that traverses the length of the Americas. The first leg of the Pan American Highway journey travels though North America.
The Pan American highway is the longest road in the world, stretching from Northern Alaska, USA down to the bottom of Argentina in South America. For the whole route, there isn’t only one specific road, as the journey through mainland USA can take multiple roads.
When you near the border of Panama in North America with Colombia in South America, you reach the impassable and dangerous Darién Gap. As there is no road through this area made up of mountains and dense rainforest, to continue the journey to South America, you have to ship your vehicle to Colombia.
The highway restarts in Colombia in the town of Turbo, although the marker is some way to the south on an unfinished roadway that hasn’t crossed the Darién Gap. The road travels through Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina, ending at Ushuaia.
Our route on the Pan American Highway route through South America is around 8,270 miles (13,310 km) long.
Map of our Pan American Highway route through South America
What is the route of the Pan American Highway though South America?
Colombia
Our chosen route on the Pan American highway: South America starts off in Turbo on the Gulf of Urabá.
The marker for the actual start of the highway is indicated on this map with the number one. The Pan American Highway was initially supposed to link the North American and South American sections of the highway, although the Darien Gap (and regional politics) has so far prevented this.
The marker reads: ‘Inicio del tramo sur de la carretera Panamericana’, which translates as ‘Start of the southern section of the Pan-American Highway’.
From either Turbo or the marker at the start of the highway, the road travels south east to the capital, Medellín. From there it travels south to Pereira, then south west through Cali, Popayán, Pasto and onto the border town of Ipiales.
Ecuador
Crossing the border into Tulcán, Ecuador, the highway travels south east via San Gabriel, San Miguel de Ibarra, Otavalo, Tabacundo on to the capital, Quito. From there, the road travels south via Latacunga to Riobamba before head south east to the border town of Lalamor.
Peru
In Peru, the highway travels south east to Marcavelia before heading south via Piura to Chiclayo and Chepen. The road the switches south west to Pacasmayo before heading south east again to Trujillo, Chimbote and on to the capital, Lima. From there, the road roughly follows the coast to Camaná, before heading inland to El Pedregal and Tacna, and on to the order town of Concordia.
Chile
Crossing into Chile, the highway travels through Arica, and criss-crosses southwards to Antofagasta, La Serena and Valparaíso, before heading on to the capital Santiago. From there our route makes its way south east to Talca, Chillán, Temuco, Puerto Montt before arriving in the southernmost destination of the route in Chile, at Quellón.
Argentina
The Pan American highway route travels from Valparaíso in Chile, to the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires. Having already taken the route from Valparaíso to Quellón, our route takes us roughly north east directly from Quellón to Buenos Aires, via Neuquén and Santa Rosa. From Buenos Aires, the highway travels south west to Bahía Blanca and Rio Colorado, before heading generally southwards through Las Grutas, Comodoro Rivadavia, Puerto San Julián before reaching the border village of Monte Aymond.
Chile
Crossing back into Chile, the highway travels south to the Inútil Bay, before heading east towards San Sebastián in Argentina.
Argentina
Once back in Argentina, the Pan American highway route travels south to Tolhuin before heading towards the final point on the Pan American highway in Ushuaia.
We’re creating blogs for each country when we have data, or we can find decent wifi, and we have enough power!
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