High-End Bike Trips

[onimity]

Well, as you saw from the other thread I am planning a similar trip, but independently. It's awesome to see someone else planning a trip to South America, I've been down there for our winter the past couple of years and am absolutely in love with SA.

I prefer independent travel because I like to take rest days when I want them, and account for things like weather rather than stick to a hard-and-fast schedule. I like the option of spontaneity. On the other hand I understand that I am sort of unique in my choice of what constitutes a vacation, and that you may well want to put all the details in the hands of someone that will handle them.

I don't have any experience with the companies you listed, their tours look nice but I would say that as long as you are in reasonably populated cities you won't find any shortage of high-end accommodations and great food. That is, if you like steak. I've not been terribly impressed with Chilean food to date, even in higher-end restaurants. Good wine, though, in both! Argentina also has more delicious pastries than any place I have visited.

On the whole, I have met a lot of travelers going places with high-end agencies in South America, they seem to be hit and miss. Sometimes an international company will contract with a local company that will go with cheaper options & basically disregard the itinerary you saw on a lovely website and paid 10X the going rate for. Other times, you get exactly what you wanted, but it is usually on a very well-beaten path and you can expect to be in very touristy spots. It is important to seek out people that have traveled with these companies, and recently.

It seems from your other post that you are mostly concerned with not doing self-supported touring and that good food and lodging are a concern. Given that, I might also recommend that you chose a place or few, depending on the length of your trip and book individual trips in different areas.

I've been reading a lot about the Lake District since that is the section that I am planning now. It seems like it would be fairly easy there to rent a bike to see some of the major attractions around Bariloche, and there are numerous companies that do bike tours between there and Futuleufu (great rafting, if you are into that). You can also ride up the 7 lakes route to San Martin de los Andes, which looks to be stunning.

On the whole, though, I'd recommend spending the effort to get local guides because they will generally show you things/places that are much more interesting. If you handle your own accommodations, you can still work it out so that you can stay in really nice places, unless you want to venture further into the wilderness. I'll be cycling through here in Dec. and would be happy to send you any info I find on agencies/guides that are recommended. Not to mention good food!

Mendoza is another great area; you can rent bikes to tour local wineries, and there is a ton of great hiking around the city. Regardless it would be a great place to unwind after a long cycling trip. Again, no shortage of top-end accommodations and food to die for. I can send you a list of some great restaurants if you end up there.

Travel between cities in Argentina & Chile is really easy. LAN Chile and Aerolineas Argentinas have regular flights to most major cities, and unlike in the US, generally feed you. Of the two I much prefer LAN Chile. And while the thought of a bus in South America strikes fear into the hearts of many, the bus service in Chile and Argentina is really quite phenomenal, great seats, food and wine. Quite comparable to first class air travel within the US.

Hopefully that is of some help, sorry to not have more info on the tours, I know that is the question you asked . Keep us posted on your plans, I can't wait to hear what you decide to do!

Anne

[crazycanuck]

Umm..If you want to come to Western Australia you could do the Munda Biddi Mtn bike trail.
www.mundabiddi.org.au At the moment it's 332km.

And the best part is you have someone to show you part of the way

I know of an outback mtn bike tour but the details seem to have escaped me at the moment..

What about cycling the Great Ocean Road in Vic, Australia or touring Tassie?

Good luck!
C

[Crankin]

I have been on 2 "high end trips" with Trek Travel and a slightly less plush trip with Classic Adventures (they work with Bicycle Adventures). Everything was great on these trips; the guides, especially at Trek were unbelievably knowledgeable and great leaders. I know several people who have done Backroads trips and I haven't heard any complaints.
The only negative thing I can say about these trips is that some of the other participants were a bit obnoxious, at least to me. When I get back from a hard day of riding I do not want to sit around in sweaty bike clothes and drink beer. I also can't stay up until midnight getting drunk if I have to be up at 8 getting ready to ride again. On the trip we did to the Czech Republic and Austria, half of the group were friends and had known each other since college. They weren't "bad" people, but it definitely made the trip seem like there were 2 groups. The Classic Adventures trip we did to Quebec last summer went much better, even though the level of support was a teeny bit less (2 guides instead of 3). We purposely chose a trip that was listed as easy/moderate so there would be none of the competition we saw on the other trips. Most of the people were strong riders, just older like me.

[maillotpois]

We did a Backroads "epic" trip to the Tour de France several years ago. It was great - the riding was really good and the guides were awesome. We rode by some Butterfield & Robinson buses - my impression was that B&R was a bit more about the luxury and less about the riding than Backroads. Although the easier level Backroads trips are likely less about the riding. I think Backroads has trips to suit just about every riding need (lots of miles or not as many).

I loved the rides they planned for us - I did wish we had a bit more time no our own to just poke around and explore on our own. But that was probably a function of the fact our trip was "epic" and they had to fit in some super long rides along with Tour viewing. It didn't leave much time for poking around on your own.

[bcipam]

I have done Backroads and I have done other organizations which are much less expensive. I don't have a complaint about any touring company. Backroads is definitely top notch, great staff, great inns, but so pricey. I started taking less expensive vacation and frankly am happier. I don't go on these vacation is stay in nice hotels, I go to ride my bike through great scenary. Whether you pay $5000 for the trip or $1500, the scenary and the riding is the same. What a great adventure you have planned. Have a great time!

[spokewench]

I've never done one of these Tours with a company before, but I wanted to tell a nice story about some Backroads employees. This was years ago, when I had first started mountain biking. I was out in Chabot Park which was practically in my backyard and I ran into a group of people riding. I fell in with them cause they were going about my speed and went around a corner and slid out - Almost immediately my left hand started to swell up like a balloon and I was not sure I had not broken it - (it turned out I only bruised it real good) - but one of the people I was riding with (who I did not know at all) was a Backroads employee (tour leader) and he sent his buddy back to get a car and sat with me until he came around to pick me up and took me home. They were great so I would definitely say that Backroads, if their employees mean anything, are a great group.

[ace]

I went on a Ciclismo Classico http://www.ciclismoclassico.com trip to Italy in May/June, and it was fantastic, I wouldn't have changed a thing. They focus mostly on Italy, but also do other trips in Europe.

I found this site really helpful when deciding which company to go with:

http://www.biketour-reviews.com/index.htm

It provides participants' feedback on a wide range of bike tour companies, as well as gives insight into the differences between the various (many many) companies.