The Panamericana, also under the English name Pan-American Highway known, is a road system in the Americas that crosses both continents. It leads from Prudhoe Bay (Alaska) by North, Central and South America until after Ushuaia (fire land).
In total, the network comprises around 45,000 km of roads, the north-south connection alone measures around 25,750 km.
background
The route is actually not a single road but a network of routes that were built in the middle of the 20th century to close the gaps between the states of America that still existed at the time. In the USA, for example, there is no official Panamericana, but several alternative routes. There are also several variants in Argentina and Chile, some of which are still under construction or in planning, such as the Carretera Austral in southern Chile. The route conditions are extremely different. In the USA, Mexico or Chile, for example, the road is often turned into a freeway, while in other areas it is a gravel road.
The route is through the so-called Tapón del Darién in Panama, a swampy and mountainous jungle area that lacks an approximately 100 km long section, divided into two parts. It is not possible to cross this section by car, the only option is the expensive shipping between Panama and Colombia. Cyclists can also take the plane.
preparation
If you only want to drive a part of the way, the preparation depends on the country in question. The entire route is currently only possible to a limited extent on an off-road motorcycle, or you can change the vehicle between Panama and Colombia.
getting there
There are international airports on the route in numerous cities in the USA and Mexico, as well as the capitals of Central and South American countries.
course
Alaska
The route begins in Deadhorse (Alaska) near the oil production area Prudhoe Bay at the Arctic Ocean. over Fairbanks one arrives in the Canadian province Yukon.
Canada
The Yukon Highway is part of the route and leads over Whitehorse to British Columbia. There is over Dawson CreekVancouver as the first metropolis reached.
United States
There are several variants in the United States. The main variant leads through the states Washington, Oregon, California and Arizona and performs among other things Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and San Diego, the US part ends in Nogales (Arizona).
Mexico
There are also several variants in Mexico, all of them in Monterrey meet each other. Then the route leads over Mexico City, Cuernavaca and Puebla to the isthmus of Tehuantepec.
Guatemala
In Guatemala the road goes through:
El Salvador
Honduras
There is only a short distance through Honduras. The town Tegucigalpa is connected to the Panamericana.
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Panama
The northern part of the Panamericana ends in Panama. The big cities David and Panama City themselves are right on the route.
The end point is the small town Yaviza. There are currently no construction activities.
Colombia
The Panamericana starts again in the port city turbo on the Caribbean Sea.
over Medellin and Cali leads them to the border town Ipiales.
Ecuador
Of Tulcán leads the route over Quito to Riobamba. There are two options:
- old course over the Sierra: over Cuenca to Macará on the border with Peru
- new course over the coast: over the Sangay National Park to Huaquillas
Peru
The two variants lead in the city Piura together. From there it goes over Chiclayo and Trujillo to Lima.
From Lima will Ica, Nazca and finally Arequipa reached.
From Arequipa there are again two variants:
- the main variant: about Tacna to Chile.
- the variant via Bolivia and Argentina's northwest: via Cusco to Puno
Variant via Bolivia
The Bolivia variant leads over into Bolivia Copacabana only after La Paz.
The traditional variant leads over from La Paz Sucre and Potosí to Tupiza and Villazónwhere the Argentine Ruta 9 begins (see below).
Chile
In Chile the Panamericana is called Ruta CH-5. It is tarred along its entire course and runs through the central valley (Valle Central).
Between the metropolis of the central north La Serena and Puerto Montt the road has been expanded to form a four-lane motorway. A toll is required. The route leads over Santiago, Rancagua, Talca, Temuco, Valdivia and Osorno. With the open space Concepción it is connected by a feeder motorway.
In Puerto Montt, the Panamericana divides into two routes. The CH-5 runs on the island Chiloe further to Quellón. The Carretera Austral (CH-7), on the other hand, leads over, mostly as a gravel road Chaitén, Coyhaique and Cochrane until after Villa O'Higgins.
Its continuation, which should go as far as Tierra del Fuego, is under construction, but the terrain is extremely difficult so that it is not expected to be completed before 2030. In addition, this route is ecologically highly controversial, as it leads through a very natural national park, there is only one village on a 900 km route and in Argentina as an alternative the Ruta Nacional 40 on the other side of the Andes.
Argentina
In Argentina, the following routes are generally included in the Panamericana network:
- Ruta Nacional 9: She leads from La Quiaca on the border with Bolivia to Buenos Aires. Bigger cities are on the way San Salvador de Jujuy, Salta, San Miguel de Tucuman, Santiago del Estero, Cordoba, Villa María and Rosario. Between Córdoba and Buenos Aires it is developed like a motorway (with a missing section of about 90 km that is currently under construction).
- Ruta Nacional 7: She leads from Las Cuevas on the border with Chile, which is connected to the CH-5 on the Chilean side, to Buenos Aires. Stations are on the way Mendoza, San Luis, Villa Mercedes and Junín. It has been developed as a four-lane expressway on sections of the route (Mendoza-San Martín and in the province of San Luis).
- Ruta Nacional 3: She leads from Buenos Aires above Bahía Blanca, Viedma, San Antonio Oeste, Trelew, Comodoro Rivadavia, Río Gallegos and Rio Grande to Ushuaia. A short stretch takes you through Chile and there crosses the Strait of Magellan.
security
The most problematic part is still the route through Colombia. Even if guerrilla activity is declining, one should still inquire about the political situation before traveling, as kidnappings are not uncommon.
Crossings of the Darién are generally very dangerous and should only be tackled by experienced adventurers with good planning.
No particular dangers are to be expected on the rest of the route.
trips
A South America tour is possible, for example if you come from Buenos Aires from over Iguazú to Brazil continues. It is possible to do the whole "round", but not on the northeast coast (there are two parts missing) but over Manaus in the Amazon region, where a connection to Venezuela has already been completed, from where you can easily get to Colombia.
From the southernmost point in Ushuaia you can take the ship further into the Antarctic to travel.
There are also numerous circuit route variants in North America.
