Motorcycle Diaries: Ruta del Che, Bolivia

Nine days across eastern Bolivia, guided, on a supplied Suzuki DR650SE, following the route of Ernesto Che Guevara’s last campaign.

Motorcycle Diaries is the smallest tour in the Bolivia Motorcycle Adventures programme and is dedicated to Guevara, who died in Bolivia in 1967. The operator describes it as 920 km with 60 percent dirt road, rated Medium, with the highest point at 2,400 metres. Much of it follows the Ruta del Che, and some of the tracks are the ones Guevara used to escape. Possible options on the way include Vado del Yeso on the Rio Grande and a meeting with members of the Fundacion Ernesto Che Guevara in Vallegrande.

The group starts from the base at Samaipata, with a briefing and a short ride to the El Fuerte archaeological site on day two. It then rides to La Higuera by way of Vallegrande, where the mausoleum and the hospital laundry building are visited, and on to Villa Serrano, with a suspension bridge stop over the Rio Grande. Gravel days continue through Monteagudo and Lagunillas to Camiri, before the return to Samaipata and Santa Cruz. Some nights are basic, and the operator says so plainly.

Each price is per rider and covers the Suzuki DR650SE, tourist-class hotels, three meals a day, entrances, local guides, road tolls and fuel, with airport pickup at Viru-Viru in Santa Cruz and a 4WD support vehicle following the group. Scheduled groups are capped at six. Riders bring their own helmet and riding gear, book their own flights, and need travel insurance with adrenaline cover. Departures are on demand rather than fixed, so dates are agreed with the operator directly. Private and on-demand versions can also be arranged through the operator.