SAMtNEWs SAMt TOUR PATAGONIA / OCTUBRE FAREWELL GIONATA / NOVIEMBRE SAMt TOURS PATAGONIA 2013

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1 SAMtNEWs SAMt TOUR PATAGONIA / OCTUBRE 2012 EVERYONE DREAMS TO LIVE AN ADVENTURE 2.0 FAREWELL GIONATA / NOVIEMBRE 2012 THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR THE KILOMETERS TRAVELED TOGETHER NEW GUIDE SAMt: ERIK THOMSEN 3.0 SAMt TOURS PATAGONIA 2013 Official Travel Partner

2 ADVENTURE AT THE END OF THE WORLD See video tour Patagonia SAMt TOUR PATAGONIA / OCTOBER 2012 Everyone dreams to live an adventure. Leaving behind the tedious routine of the city to travel, learn something new and re experience this marvelous world. The Patagonia Tour offers this and much more, with its roads, its unpredictable weather and landscapes that varies from the desolate Pampa to the blue lakes surrounded by pine forests. SAMt opens its season with the first tour of the year with a group of 12 Mexican and Guatemalan friends, two of whom return for the second time to ride more kms with our BMWs. 2

3 SAMt support vehicles start from Santiago with two trailers and 13 bikes heading south to Osorno where the group arrives to begin a journey through 12 destinations and along two of the world s most beautiful roads: Route 7 Carretera Austral in Chile and Route 40, mythical Argentinean route where loose gravel goes together with the wind blowing in excess of 100 km / h: a combination that can sometimes cause incidents to our riders. the beginning... 3

4 See testimony of Chapito: Rain disappears behind us while nine R1200GS and four F800GS cross the Andes towards Bariloche, where we spent the first night. The Patagonia Tour is not only adventure and beautiful scenery, but it also offers delicious dining experiences and fantastic wine tastings....on our way to Bariloche... 4

5 T he second day the group ride 300 km south, approaching the Alerces National Park and its lakes. Once in Travelin we reach a fishing lodge entirely booked for the group, which welcomes us with a typical appetizer and BBQ lamb on a spit.

6 CHALLENGING THE GRAVEL 6

7 riding to Puyuhapi The very special atmosphere at the foothills of the Andes allows the group to relax and feel at home. The sample of gravel from the previous day is way more challenging the third day, when we go towards Puyuhapi after returning to Chile. It is low season for tourism and the road is clear, allowing us to find a great place to serve lunch, which starts with a rich pumpkin soup with parmesan cheese, which we enjoyed in front of the majestic Futaleufu River. 7

8 Coyhaique queda solo a poco más de 200 km, gran parte de los cuales son de asfalto nuevo, posibilitando a los pilotos ir a más velocidad. La lluvia nos sorprende de nuevo y atrasa un poco nuestra llegada al pueblo; no obstante, mexicanos y guatemaltecos, aunque mojados, aprovechan ir de compras y equiparse con unos impermeables para el día siguiente, que será la etapa más larga del tour. Coyhaique Coyhaique is only 200 km away, most of which will be ridden on new asphalt, inviting the riders to increase their speed. Rain takes us by surprise again and somewhat delayed our arrival to the village, however the guys have the chance to visit the hardware store to purchase some wet weather gear before clutch out tomorrow morning, which will be the longest stage of the tour. 8

9 See testimony of Miguel: STARTING THE LONGEST STAGE: 510 Km We head to Perito Moreno very early in order to complete the 510 km before dark. The first coffee break is served facing towards the beautiful Lake General Carrera, however one rider of the group is missing. 9

10 the group continue Enrique had an accident but was fortunate that his injuries were minor considering the potential.the support vehicle and the local police work together to recover the motorcycle which was lodged between rocks and trees. Although the photos are quiet explicit, the rider tells his version without any serious consequences. Once again the group can continue its adventure thanks to SAMt teamwork which takes care of medical issues and police formalities to swiftly resume the march towards Perito Moreno. See testimony of Enrique: 10

11 On the sixth day the group approached the gravel and the strong wind of Route 40 with a little more care, preparing for the following day: the toughest gravel stretch that always presents some complications due to the very high winds, road conditions, remoteness of the villages and very low temperatures. At just 6 km before reaching the asphalt a second accident happens. Manuel loses control of his bike in a curve and he s hits the ground. The result is a broken shoulder. SAMt team performs all the first aid maneuvers, places the rider in the support vehicle, and head towards the hospital in Calafate. 11

12 GRAVEL AND STRONG WIND 12

13 During the hospital visit of their companion from Guatemalan, the group takes advantage to visit the Perito Moreno glacier, enjoying a few hours of walking to take pictures and navigate around this huge mass of blue ice. Take care, Chato. We`ll be riding to the end of the world for you too! ERITO MORENO LACIER 13

14 TIERRA DEL FUEGO ENTRY The group says goodbye to Manuel (Chato) and continues towards Cerro Sombrero. Approaching Tierra del Fuego on a ferry across the Magellan Strait is a real celebration, since we are just one day away from reaching Ushuaia and the end of the world that all motorcyclists yearn to visit. 14

15 The scenery around the caravan of BMW`s is absolutely beautiful: the gauchos working in the Argentinean pampas, where all you hear is howling wind; flamingos coloring the horizon with splashes of bright pink. Despite the wind, the sky is clear and the weather is quite nice for this time of the year. Ushuaia doors appear in the distance, in front of a sea which divides the island from the snowy mountain range. 15

16 LLEGANDO AL FIN DEL MUNDO Once the hotel rooms are taken, the group meets and shares a drink to discuss whatever the plans are for the following days. King crab is served for dinner and the next day we all ride to Lapataia National Park, to crown the end of this epic journey in front of the iconic sign. 16

17 The aim of the riders is to stop and pose individually against all signage announcing the world s southernmost point achievable on a wheeled vehicle. This group of brave recall the challenge of 3970 km that led us here, the harsh climate of Patagonia, the little asphalt, curves, gravel, rain, cold, wind and wild animals. To conclude the tour we just need to safely ride from the southern tip of Argentina, Ushuaia to the southernmost tip of Chile, Punta Arenas. 17

18 The last 140 km of gravel roads bring us to Porvenir where a ferry departs and crosses the Magellan Strait with the whole group where our journey comes to an end. WHAT BEGAN TWO WEEKS AGO AS A CHALLENGE NOW IS A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT THAT IS HAPPILY CELEBRATED BETWEEN 12 PEOPLE WHO 3970 KM AGO WERE JUST CUSTOMERS AND ARE NOW FRIENDS! This is what encourages SAMt to provide high quality service: intense emotions and experiences, to remain in our memory of our passengers. 18

19 WELCOME TO SAMt ERIK FAREWELL GIONATA I d like to take advantage of this newsletter to announce that I ll be leaving Chile in January 2013 to get back to my bike journey and complete the world tour that I started seven years ago. My journey will end in Italy, where I will celebrate my arrival with my family and start a new professional challenge, in Florence, where I was born. Thanks to all of you for the kilometers traveled together and for sharing with me memories that made Chile my second home. A hug Gionata ERIK THOMSEN, NEW GUIDE SAMt - 37 years, Argentina. He started riding at the age of 15 with a Honda 125 that he used to discover Patagonia in Since then, bikes and bike traveling became his passion, so strong even to make him drop his university career one year before obtaining the degree in Geology. He has traveled extensively along South America, always on a motorbike and has guided tours in North Africa. He s an enthusiastic enduro and off road rider, as well as a passionate mechanic. Welcome to SAMt Erik 19

20 3.0 SAMt TOUR PATAGONIA Don t miss the chance to ride it! MARCH / NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2013 Punta Arenas - Osorno Total Kilometers / 15 days - 14 nights Mythical ROUTE 40 Do you have a group of 7 riders? Contact us and you ll get a special discount See further details on this tour and the description of the route we will take on: More information! SAMt CONTACT contacto@samttours.com