Tiffany Coates is known as the world's foremost female motorcycle adventure traveller. She has ridden countless miles on two wheels, crossing every continent - some of them several times. Tiffany has just returned from three months in South America, where she encountered peckish piranhas, fierce heat and some of the friendliest people in the world.
Welcome home, Tiffany! Tell us a bit about your trip.
Thank you! My vague plan was to travel to Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana. As things turned out, I also ended up riding through northern Brazil. I flew into Georgetown, Guyana, in early August, soon after the start of the dry season. Guyana is an English-speaking country in the north-east of South America, above Brazil and to the right of Venezuela.
This was another solo trip. I met other bike travellers along the route, but only four in two months - this is a rarely visited part of South America. There are few tarmac roads in this part of the world, and I was determined to find my way through the tropical rainforest on the dirt roads. I managed to see everything that I wanted to see. While in Brazil, I also went down the Amazon on a boat from Manaus, deep in the rainforest, all the way to Belém at the mouth of the river - a four-day voyage with my bike parked on the lower deck.
Did you take your own bike to Guyana?
I usually take Thelma, my 1992 BMW R80GS, on my travels, but it made sense to source a bike locally for a shorter journey like this. There are no rental bikes in Guyana and very few second-hand bikes, so I ended up buying a brand-new Chinese bike for $1,300 – a Hao Jue 150cc bike, which I named Jasper. At the end of the trip, just before getting on the plane home, I sold Jasper to a rice farmer from the East Coast.
How are the riding conditions in these parts of South America?
The road conditions vary wildly. In some places, there is smooth tarmac, though this is minimal. Guyana only has two tarmac roads: one along the coast and another that heads inland 100km from Georgetown. The towns have tarmac, but it is often of poor quality, with big potholes. In the rural areas, the roads tend to be rough, with mud, gravel, sand and rocky sections in the rainforest.
The weather was very hot and humid throughout – these are the tropics! I aimed to be there in the dry season, but unpredictable climates meant there was some heavy rain in the early days, which led to tough riding conditions. Travelling across the savannah was brutal - the intense, dry heat with no shade and minimal settlements meant that I could not escape the equatorial sun as I tried to focus on the extremely challenging track.
Successfully getting through the rainforest track in southern Guyana to reach the border with Brazil was a high point. There’s nothing like feeling at your lowest ebb, dealing with non-stop sand and mud for days in intense heat, and eventually reaching the tarmac again, knowing you’ve made it. Also, as a fan of Papillon (Henri Charrière's classic 1969 autobiography), after reading the book as a teenager and seeing the film – finally reaching Devil’s Island and seeing the place where he escaped first-hand was a thrill.
How did you get on with your motorcycle kit and clothing?
I wore a vented tropical bike jacket and lightweight off-road gloves, but the biggest change on this trip was wearing the Roadskin bike jeans for the first time in the tropics. They made such a difference for me; they were comfortable in the heat and gave good protection. Plus, when dipping in the rivers to cool down, I discovered they’re piranha-proof - always a bonus in the Amazon! When I stayed in hostels, I would pop the jeans in a plastic bag at the bottom of the fridge so they were cool to put on at the start of each ride.
Space is always at a premium on a trip like this when I’m travelling light but still carrying my camping gear. I wild-camped a lot in the rainforest, putting my tent up for the night wherever I happened to be. I also used hostels hosted by bike clubs and slept in my hammock on long boat journeys.
Where are you travelling to next?
I’ll head to Nepal in a few months to lead a bike tour group through the Himalayas.
What are your top tips for motorcycling in South America?
- The most unexpected animals will appear from nowhere as you come around a bend. It might be a herd of llamas, a rhea (known as the South American ostrich) or even a snake. Keep your eyes peeled.
- It would help if you had high riding awareness on the roads. Yes, there are some smooth stretches of tarmac, but the road surfaces are variable. Expect potholes larger than your bike wheels, roads that suddenly turn to gravel with no warning, and roadworks around you as you ride through construction areas trying to dodge the bulldozers.
- Take time to enjoy the incredible views as you ride. The mountain scenery along the Andes is amazing. Patagonia is breathtaking, while the Amazon basin is wildlife-central.
- Be ready for the friendliness and hospitality of the locals.
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Tiffany is a guest speaker at Motorcycle Live at the Birmingham NEC on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 November and will also be at the Roadskin stand between 11am and 12pm on the same days. Come and say hello to her along with the friendly Roadskin crew.
Travel with Tiffany on one of her motorbike tours: Tiffany Coates - Motorcycle Adventure Traveller (tiffanystravels.co.uk)
