There is no official or exhaustive definition of what makes a partial or a total round-the-world travel route, but the following sets of general and route-specific characteristics can help distinguish the three main type of travel routes: hemispherical, transoceanic, and circumnavigating.
Riding time – The great majority of the travel time is spent riding on a motorcycle and usage of other forms of transportation to carry the motorcycle (ferry, planes, trucks, trains, etc.) seldom occurs and only to overcome expected obstacles (such as crossing an ocean, a strait, or a region where riding motorcycles is not allowed) or unexpected challenges (such as a medical emergency, a mechanical failure, an impracticable road, or long-lasting dreadful weather conditions). Side trips, away from the motorcycle and occurring within the tour's time frame, do not count toward the tour itself.
Distance – Intercontinental tours are usually several thousands of kilometers or miles in length and it is common to see riders covering distances in the 50,000 kilometers or miles range, some even reaching several 100,000s after many years of riding. Riding distance covered within each one of the traveled continent is also often measured in thousands of kilometers or miles.
There are not any specific characteristics about overall tour duration or continuity (making the tour in one single trip instead of multiple ones) since these have more to do with individual traveling styles than anything else.
A hemispherical route features riding through at least two continents, both being located within the same continental block: either the Americas (North and South America) or the Eurasia/Africa/Oceania continental block (Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania). With this type of route, there is no crossing of either of the two main oceans – the Atlantic and Pacific.
Four examples of hemispherical routes
Examples:
U.S.A > Central America > South America
Western Europe > Africa (from North to South)
Europe > Russia (Europe and Siberia)
Europe > Middle East > India > Southeast Asia > Australia
A transoceanic route features riding through at least two continents, with at least one of them being in the Americas continental block and another being in the Eurasia/Africa/Oceania continental block. The other particularity of this type of route is that the rider and the motorcycle do cross one of the two main oceans (crossing the 30th meridian West in the Atlantic Ocean or crossing the 170th meridian West in the Pacific Ocean) in order to bridge the two continental blocks traveled.
Three examples of transoceanic routes
Examples:
U.S.A East Coat to West Coast > Crossing of the Pacific Ocean > Japan > China > Southeast Asia
Europe > Northwest Africa > Crossing of the Atlantic > South America
A circumnavigating route thoroughly goes around the Earth and features riding through at least three continents, crossing at least one of the two main oceans, and with the additional characteristic that all four of the following regions are ridden through, during the tour:
A region bordering the West Pacific front (on or near the East Asia's, Southeast Asia's, or Australasia's Pacific coast).
A region bordering the East Pacific front (on or near the North America's or South America's Pacific coast).
A region bordering the East Atlantic front (on or near the Europe's or Africa's Atlantic coast)
A region bordering the West Atlantic front (on or near the North America's or South America's Atlantic coast).
Each one of these regions to be ridden through is typically an individual country or, for large continental countries: a state for the USA (ex.: Florida, bordering the East Atlantic front); a province for China or Canada (ex.: British Columbia, bordering the East Pacific front); a state or a territory for Australia (ex.: New South Wales bordering the West Pacific front); a republic, an oblast, a krai, or an okrug for Russia(ex.: Primorsky Krai, bordering the West Pacific front).
This type of route usually includes two major ocean crossing (Atlantic and Pacific), for both the rider and the motorcycle, although it may include only one ocean crossing for the motorcycle since it may be left or sold in the last country visited.
Two examples of circumnavigating routes
Examples:
Central to Western USA > Crossing of the Pacific Ocean > Russia (Siberia and Europe) > Europe > Northwest Africa > Crossing of the Atlantic Ocean > South America > Central America > Central USA
Europe > Turkey > Iran > Pakistan > India > Nepal > Tibet > China > Southeast Asia > Australia > New Zealand > Crossing of the Pacific Ocean (rider and motorcycle) > USA West Coast to East Coast
Touring Styles
Touring styles vary from rider to rider and the following are typical ways of touring the world, either as such or as a combination.
Time-constrained, riding-focused tour – This represents the majority of the tours where the riders (usually one to tree individuals) have dedicated a specific amount of time and money in their life to prepare for and complete their adventure. The routes used are usually well known and traveled and the riders spend most of their time riding leaving little time for local tourism, on or off the motorcycle. Under these conditions, some tours focusing on good asphalt roads through North America, Europe, and parts of Asia (Russia/Siberia especially) can be completed within a few months. Sometimes, the riders will chose to add some challenges to their tour by covering some harder stretches of road or ride for cause (for example a humanitarian project with the purpose to raise money through publicity of the tour).
Split in multiple sections – Some riders will opt to spend a few months every couple of years or so to travel only through a few countries at a time. Eventually, over the years, these travelers end up completing a full round-the-world tour by adding up all the individuals sections they traveled. These riders usually prefer to travel at a slower pace to have more opportunities and time to explore the countries traversed.
Opening new roads – Some riders will concentrate on touring in very harsh conditions, opening some uncharted territories, riding though some extremely difficult terrain in the desert or the jungle and sometime under terrible weather conditions. For these patient riders it may take years to complete their journey.
Lifetime touring – A few well known riders have toured the world for the majority of their life, traveling for years, sometimes decades. These riders have chosen to spend their life on the road exploring countries where motorcycle tourism is rare and at great risks, and sometimes exploring the same country multiple times. Some of these riders started in the 1970s of 1980s and are still riding. Their adventurous life is often detailed in books and websites they publish.
Organized tours – Several companies organize trans- and intercontinental tours with potentially larger groups of riders.
Popular Routes
Some routes around the world are very popular or yield exceptional attraction among riders because of the spectacular beauty of their surroundings, their extreme fitness for motorcycle riding, or simply their convenience. Similarly, some particular destinations carry a strong mythical value for riders (such as reaching Ushuaia at the Southern tip of South America) and many of them are systematically featured in intercontinental routes.
The Alps (France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria) - The Alps mountain is a paradise for motorcyclists because of the striking landscapes, the infinite number of twisty roads, and the rich culture from the region. One the advantage of the Alps is that is allows connecting various countries of Europe making it easy to include this region into intercontinental routes which very often go through Europe.
Route Napoléon (France) - This section of the French Alps goes from Grenoble to Cannes, on the Côte d'Azur. The route got its name from the fact that Napoleon used it in 1815 on his return from Elba. It is now a 325 km (200 mi.)section of the Route nationale 85. The main interests of the Route Napoleon, like for most Alpine roads, are the striking beauty of the surroundings, the rick culture, and pleasure riding through such a long winding road provides. From its North end the whole of Western and Northern Europe can easily be reached, while from its South end Italy and Spain can be reached.
Cairo to Cape Town - Riding from Cairo, Egypt to Cape Town, South Africa (or the opposite), along the Eastern side of Africa, has been one of the most popular trans-African route with motorcyclists, especially English-speaking ones, since the route conveniently goes through many English-speaking countries. The route also has a strong geographical significance, going from one end of the continent to the other, while being pretty much the only continuous one viable, although it does require going through Sudan, Ethiopia, or Uganda which feature a higher level of risks to travelers due to local political tensions. The route also has the benefit of avoiding the complexity of going through Central Africa (D.R. Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda) although some travelers deliberately chose to ride through these countries. Another advantage is that both ends of the route offer good land, air, or sea connections to other continents such as the Middle East and Europe (from Cairo) and South America, India, and Australia (from Cape Town or Johannesburg).
Paris to Dakar through the coastal road - Designed as a four-week rally raid in the late 1970s, the Paris-Dakar Trans-Saharan route became somewhat of a mythical reference to many European adventure riders. The initial route was going through the Algerian, Nigerien, and Malian deserts before reaching Senegal's capital, Dakar, on the Atlantic Coast (see the 'Across the Sahara through Tamanrasset' paragraph below). The new coastal asphalt road, here, in Mauritania Because of the high risks to travelers due to political tensions and terrorism activities in the Sahel region, this route is now seldom used by riders and the coastal route from Southern Morocco to Mauritania and Senegal has been preferred over the last few years. A brand new asphalt road built by Korea is now linking all three countries, making the ride even easier, although some dirt road patches remain here and there, especially around the Moroccan-Mauritanian border. It is important to note, however, that since the late 2000s, this route has also featured the same amount of risks to travelers as the central Saharan one, as political tensions and terrorism activities now extend well into Mauritania.
Trans-Saharan road through Tamanrasset - This mythical route was made popular in Europe with the first Paris-Dakar rally raids in the 1980s. Coming from coastal Algeria, riders were diving South into the heart of the Sahara desert, through tough sandy tracks, reaching places that evoked the times of the trans-Saharan caravans from centuries ago, such as Ghardaïa, El Goléa, the Ahaggar Mountains, Tamanrasset, the Ténéré desert and its famous lonely tree (now a modern sculpture), or Agadez in Niger. Political tensions and terrorism, first in Algeria through the 1990s, then in the entire Sahel region until now, have made this route less and less traveled by riders; the Dakar rally raid itself having even permanently moved to South America in the 2008.
The Karakoram Highway (Pakistan) Also known as KKH, this is one of the most spectacular mountain roads in the world linking Northern Pakistan to Western China across the Karakoram mountain range, and reaching 4,693 m (15,397 ft) in altitude. Riding conditions are extreme with the high altitude, the wild rules of the road, the many blind turns and tunnels, the sometimes rough terrain and, more recently, the added stress due to political tensions in the region. This said, the road is often explored by tourists and having ridden the KKH, in the very heart of Asia, at the crossroad of so many ancient cultures, is probably one of the most rewarding event in the life of a global rider.
The Trans-Siberian Highway - Having been regularly ridden since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Trans-Siberian road links Vladivostok, on the Russian Pacific coast, near North Korea, to Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains, on the natural border between European and Asian Russia (Siberia). The route follows more or less the Trans-Siberian Railway. The popularity of this road resides in the fact that it offers, in summertime, a direct link between Europe and the Pacific Ocean, thus avoiding the complexity of the South and West Asian roads. Although construction has been going for years to make it a fully asphalted road, the 2,000 km (1,240 mi.) long stretch between Chita and Birobidzhan, along the Amur River, known as the Amur Highway, still features some extremely difficult sections sometimes running for hundreds of kilometers. West of Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk the road connects to the dense European Russian network easily leading to the rest of Europe. The other end of the road, the ocean port of Vladivostok, offers sea freight connections to North America via South Korea, and is the Trans-Siberian Railway's Eastern terminal. One branch of the road requires going through Northern Kazakhstan, and the city of Petropavl, while another allows going around that area. Very few riders have ridden the Trans-Siberian Highway in wintertime when temperatures are well below freezing point. The main drawback of the route - aside from the Chita-Birobidzhan section - is its monotony since it more or less following the same latitudes, thus featuring thousands of miles of taiga. Back in the early 1990s, the road was known to be roamed by organized bandits, often linked to the local mafias, but this threat has now mostly disappeared, at least from a traveler's standpoint. One branch off the Trans-Siberian Highway is the very difficult "Road of Bones" which goes through the Siberian Northeast to the ocean port of Magadan.
The Australian Outback and the Southern Cross - Australia is almost a continent in itself and traveling there as part of an intercontinental ride includes transporting the motorcycle in and/or out of the country. Immense territories and open spaces are ideal for adventure motorcycle touring while reaching destinations such as Ayers Rock in the very center of the country can be a goal in itself. Another goal for some riders is to travel through the "Southern Cross" linking the farthermost cardinal points of Australia. Although the Southeast of the country has a reliable road network, some transcontinental roads are still made of dirt and used by heavy trucks.
The Pan-American Highway - This succession of asphalt roads from Alaska to Patagonia allows riding on a good surface across the entire continental block of the Americas in an almost uninterrupted fashion (see some popular sections of the highway, below). The only gap in the highway is the Darien Gap, between North and South America (see this entry in the section about road blockers, below). The highway is often chosen by intercontinental riders, riding it from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina, because it features a significant latitude span of 124° from North to South, is highly meaningful ('crossing the Americas'), offers a variety of landscapes and cultures along the way, and is definitely noticeable on any world map featuring the route (see details about Prudhoe Bay and Ushuaia, below).
Prudhoe Bay (Alaska) - Opposite to Ushuaia at the Southern tip of the Americas, Prudhoe Bay is located at the Northern tip of the Americas, on Alaska's Arctic Ocean coasts. In that sense, it has a high geographical significance and many riders include it on their trans-American route, along with Ushuaia, to formally materialize the extend of their ride through the Americas. Prudhoe Bay being located at a Northern latitude of 70° and Ushuaia at a Southern latitude of 54°, the latitude span covered by linking both destination is of 124°, representing a third of the Earth's circumference. The road leading to Deadhorse, Alaska, Purdhoe Bay's main nearby city, is a dirt one used by many oil tanker trucks.
The US Southwest - The many roads crossing the US states of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado are some of the most stunning in the World going through vast rocky deserts, high mountains, and mind blowing rock formations, most featured in dozens of national and state parks: Monument Valley, Death Valley, the Grand Canyon, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Joshua Tree, Zion or Yosemite. Beyond landscapes, the region also features a strong Native American heritage, especially from the Navajo, Hopi, and Apache people, that definitely adds to the region's richness. Riding a motorcycle through that region definitely bring back memories of old tales from the West where the horse was the primary mean of transportation. Freeways, highways, and the majority of the small country roads are in excellent shape and well serviced, making traveling through that immense region easy. Off-road riding capabilities are also plenty.
Pacific Coast Highway - Also known as PCH or Highway 1, this is one of the most beautiful roads in the World offering almost 600 km (360 mi.) of riding on the edge of California's Coastal Range overlooking the blue Pacific Ocean and through wild Mediterranean vegetation landscapes. Although often narrow and winding, the road is very safe and well maintained. It features some beautiful sights such as Big Sur, the California Central Coast, the Hearst Castle, dozens of surf beaches, and many opportunities for marine wildlife watching. The road runs between San Francisco and Santa Barbara, although it also links the Malibu and Los Angeles area but requiring to ride through a stretch of freeway.
Patagonia (Argentina) - Patagonia makes most of Argentina South of Buenos Aires and the Pampa region. This 2,000 km (1,300 mi.) long, triangular-shaped, vast expense of steppes is bordered by the wild Atlantic Ocean on the East and the Andes mountain range on the West. Roamed by wild vicuñas and sheep and featuring many species of marine mammals and birds along its coast, Patagonia is ideal for long distance riders. The main drawback is, however, the constant powerful winds coming from the East that has its toll on the riders in the long run. Many roads along the Andes are gravel roads, locally known as "ripio", making their way between mountains and glacier lakes in some of the most spectacular landscapes on the planet. Some of these roads, such as the "Ruta 40", are extremely popular with long-distance riders. Most people who ride through Patagonia attempt to reach Ushuaia, at the Southern tip of the Americas. There are many roads that allow crossing from Patagonia into Chile.
Ushuaia (Argentina) - Ushuaia is famous for being the World's southernmost city (although the title has been regularly challenged by the nearby Chilean town of Puerto Williams). It is located at the Southern tip of South America, on the island of Tierra del Fuego, at a Southern latitude of 54°48′, and only 1,000 km (660 mi.) Reaching Ushuaia away from the Northern tip of Antarctica. The city is considered by many riders to be a very significant milestone to reach when riding through the Americas, because of its unique geographical location and also because it evokes the tales of generations of bold navigators who attempted to cross the furious Cape Horn, nearby. Many riders chose to cross the entire Americas continental block by linking Ushuaia with Prudhoe Bay, Alaska (see this entry above), located at 70° of Northern latitude, thus covering a latitude span of 124° between the two locations, equivalent to a third of the Earth's circumference. Ushuaia's popularity is also enhanced by the fact that it is fairly accessible through the good Argentine roads of Patagonia.
The Southern Andes (Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina) - The 4,000 km (2,600 mi.) long, North-South mountain range of the Southern Andes, on the Western edge of South America, is a prime destination for mountain road motorcyclists. Through the Andes the rider can travel in Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Bolivia. However, the range extends even further into Ecuador, Columbia, and Venezuela but under a tropical weather. Southern Bolivia, in the region of the Salar de Uyuni, features some very difficult terrain for hundreds of kilometers and at very high altitude, often above 4,000 m (12,000 ft). The local cultures, either pre- or post-Columbian, are fascinating and offer unlimited opportunities for off-motorcycle tourism.
In 1999, Slovenian motorcyclist Benka Pulko succeeded in shipping her bike from Chile to Antarctica and in riding it for a few miles on the seventh continent, a first in History. Although this challenge can still be met with proper logistics and means only the most motivated riders will embark in such a unique adventure where riding opportunities remain extremely limited.
Difficult Routes
Some roads and regions are known to be difficult to cross, if at all, because of poor terrain or because of complex administrative or unstable political conditions. This list below is only indicative of the global situation and is available to the community of riders to update. Also, the US Department of State offers some up-to-date information about country-specific travel conditions and warnings.
Central Africa - The many civil wars in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda since the mid-1990s, as well as involvement from Uganda, has made tourism and travel through this region difficult and unsafe. However, several travelers still ride through the region.
The Horn peninsula - This region is currently one of the riskiest area in terms of political instability. Although Ethiopia remains a accessible, Somalia, which has been under a state of civil war and lawlessness for the last two decades, is definitely a no-go zone for tourism.
Sahel (Southern Algeria, Niger, Chad, Mali, and Mauritania) - The entire Saharan region called Sahel, stretching from the Mauritanian Atlantic coast to Chad and from Southern Algeria to Northern Mali is politically unstable and terrorism activities and recent kidnapping and killing of Westerners has made it almost a no-go zone. Tensions rose so much over the last 5 years that even the Dakar Rally organization decided in 2008 to move the entire rally raid to South America.
Dakar to Bamako - In addition to the political tensions in the entire Sahel region, the road between Dakar (Senegal) and Bamako (Mali) is extremely difficult going through rough terrain. Going East, conditions worsen starting from Tambacounda in Eastern Senegal and don't clear up until Kayes in Western Mali. An alternative is to use the Dakar-Bamako train, although this also remains a adventure in itself. These conditions force the rider who do not want to engage on this road but wishes to continue onto Africa to chose the West African coastal road or the Northwest African coastal road onto Mauritania and Morocco, although both are marked by significant political instability. The other option is to ship the motorcycle out from Dakar to another destination in Africa or South America.
Zimbabwe - The country's current regime has made tourism and travel in the country extremely risky since the late 1990s. There are however alterne routes bypassing the country, through Zambia, Botswana, or Mozambique, for the trans-African rider.
Iran - Iran has been unanimously described by riders as a great place to tour by motorcycle because of the sheer beauty of the landscapes, the richness of a 3,500 years old culture, and the very welcoming people. This said, recent escalation in tension between Iran's government and Western countries has made the country riskier to travel through.
Pakistan - Aside from the Karakoram Highway (see this entry above) which is still ridden, Pakistan has traditionally not been a place for motorcycle riding. Tensions in the region bordering Afghanistan and in Kashmir and frequent acts of terrorism as well as the scarcity of road linking the country to its neighbor countries doesn't make Pakistan a reasonably safe and practical destination for motorcycle riding.
The Amur Highway (between Chita and Birobidzhan, Russia) Some rough terrain on the Amur Highway, between Chita and Birobidzhan (2004) - The 2,100 km (1,300 mi.) long road is a combination of asphalt recently laid down and poor terrain that range from deep gravel to dirt and broken bridge. Traffic is regular, especially from spring to fall, and assistance can always be found from local drivers. The road is supposed to be fully covered with asphalt as of August 2010[1].
The Road of Bones (in Northeastern Siberia) - Branching off the Amur Highway, near Never, the 4,000 km (2,600 mi.) long road heads Northeast through Yakutia, a vast expense of land covered with thick taiga, to reach the Pacific ocean port of Magadan. The unpaved road is known to be extremely difficult with featuring dirt, gravel, and collapsed bridges and has remained a major challenge for motorcyclists, few having succeeded in riding it all the way through.
North Korea - The country is obviously unreachable, especially since the mid-2000s, when international tensions with Western countries, Japan, and South Korea about the communist regime's nuclear weapon program reached a peak. It is unheard of any motorcyclist having traveled through North Korea.
China - The only real difficulty in China is that the rider must get a local driver's license. The task is definitely feasible but requires a bit of time and logistics.
Mongolia - The country is a paradise for motorcyclist who love open spaces and who want to share the life of the locals horseback riders. The first difficulty to reach Mongolia, either from China or Russia, is the time it takes to obtain from the local consulates the proper documentation for independent motorcycle riding. A typical unpaved countryside road in central Mongolia (2004) The second difficulty is the poor quality of the road outside of the capital Ulaanbaatar, although most can be handled by a motorcycle. The third difficulty is the vast distance between towns and even between yurts, and the very low traffic on the roads, making assistance extremely scarce if needed for a technical or medical emergency.
Burma - The country is practical because it can link Eastern India with China and Thailand, thus helping making the Southern Asian road more continuous. The country is, however, a communist dictatorship which means that independent travel, particularly with a motorcycle, will require complex administrative processing.
Pacific Islands - The main problem with riding on the Pacific islands (Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia) is that the motorcycle must be shipped over to each island while the riding opportunities remain limited due to the small size of the islands.
Cuba - Like for any island, the motorcycle needs to be shipped over which adds to the trip's cost and logistics. More, citizens of the United States are officially not allowed to travel to Cuba, although this restriction is only enforced on the US side.
The Darién Gap (Panama/Colombia) - The Darién Gap is a large swath of undeveloped swampland and forest separating Panama's Darién Province in Central America from Colombia in South America. It measures just over 160 km (99 mi.) long and about 50 km (31 mi.) wide. Road building through this area is expensive, and the environmental toll is steep. Political consensus in favor of road construction has not emerged, and consequently there is no road connection through the Darién Gap connecting North/Central America with South America. It is therefore the missing link of the Pan-American Highway. Only a few riders have attempted to cross the gap and this multi-week long endeavor was met with incredible challenges, sometime having to haul the motorcycle with ropes, across swamps. The only way to bypass the gap is to ship the motorcycle by boat or airfreight from Panama to Columbia, Venezuela, or Ecuador.
Boa Vista to Manaus (Brazil) - The road allows going from Venezuela to Manaus. It is a difficult trans-Amazonian road, and pretty much the only one worth being labeled that way. Weather is definitely the main factor deciding on how difficult traveling will be. Daily showers can transform dirt roads into muddy marshes very difficult to cross.
Bolivia - Half of the country is at very high altitude in the Andes but many roads are in terrible conditions, especially in the South going through the Salar de Uyuni. The roads are also very sensitive to poor weather conditions.
Colombia - The country has been marred with guerilla and mafia activities for the last few decades with some foreigners, including a renown world-touring rider, being kidnapped. It seems, however, that recently travel is becoming more accessible. Many motorcyclist have traveled through Columbia over the last years, though, as the country is directly on the Pan-American Highway.
Reaching and riding in Antarctica - Cost of transportation and extremely limited riding opportunities are the main problems with riding in Antarctica. The only way to bring a motorcycle to Antarctica is to use one of the expensive cruise boats that sail from Southern Chile or Argentina to these countries' respective scientific bases on the iced continent. Once arrived, one can only ride around in the base assuming the iced or snow-covered ground allows for it. Not a practical choice but definitely a symbolic one fir the rider who wants to ride across all of the seven continents.
