Driving to Panama?

Question

I am in the very early (just starting) to plan to ride the motorcycle from Florida to the Panama Canal. Any suggested reading material? Does anyone know how to find the "driving mileage" from Daytona Beach, FL to the Canal Zone?

Answer 1

You need to be very careful... if you're gringo or non-latino.  Also, make sure you have a spare gas can!   You may not know where the next gas station is.  

Good luck, but be very nice to the people and always keep an eye out for danger... or you're bike will disappear.

Answer 2

Look up Yahoo maps and also consult tourism offices...If somebody has experience, consult him/her. Also, consult the weather department, as this is the season for hurricanes, tornadoes and intense electrical storms.

Answer 3

Dude..I dont know nothing about maps or books, but I can tell you that there are still some anti-military groups in EEl salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua that can give you trouble....Be careful and keep fuel in the car cause you will find long distnaces with no gas stations

Answer 4

I did a round trip from Atlanta GA, to the canal in 2004 in a pickup truck. It was a total of 10,000 miles almost exactly, and took me 37 days round trip, but about 12 of those wrere spent on repairs or sightseeing. Probably direct you could cut about 1000 miles off if you always took the shortest distance, but there are a lot of things you would miss seeing.Odds are you will get lost at least a few times (even if you use a gps).

I suspect you would have about the same distance from FL or a small bit more.

A good book on the subject is "Road Fever" by Tim Cahil. It is in most major book stores.

Most of the borders are ok, but take 1 or 2 hours to cross except into Honduras from El-Salvador. That took me nearly 5 hours and many bribes.

Chiapas is pretty safe and there are no "active" rebellions/insurgencies along the main road. That does not mean that small groups or individuals might not try to rob you. El Salvador, Nicaragua are both safe. Guatemala is probably the most dangerous, but on the Pan-American highway it is fine.

Gas is pretty good the whole way. Probably never more than 100 miles between stations if I remember correctly, usually a lot less.

Sometimes in the rainy season there may be road damage that closes the road for days.

The rebel movement in Chiapas is now little more than a t-shirt industry, although they put up some signs with slogans.

Answer 5

You'll need to find the Pan American highway which runs from Panama through Mexico. Exercize caution because some native populations are engaged in armed conflict against the Mexican national army.

You'll want to look into travelers insurance. Its inexpensive but provides coverage that domestic insurers don't cover. Emergency evacuation is one benefit you need to have - just in case