Valparaíso, Chile
68 DAYS
Dates shown at the top are: container pack Melbourne and motorcycles available Valparaiso, Chile.
Also offered: Origin Brisbane and Vehicles <3.5t GVM
Timings will be aligned with updated shipping line schedule ETD less 3 months.
DR650s over Chucuito Pass (4,471m) from Vilcabama (the last refuge for Inca resistance)
Read Article South America Season for shipment timing justification. The two primary considerations are: 1) provide enough time to clear the subarctic before too cold; and 2) arrive Amazonian Andes post peak wet season ... and enjoy prime Autumn months before winter sets in!
Due to the new import rule, the Motorbike Owners must now be present to process Temporary Import Permit (TIP). Therefore we have to commit to an import timing that we believe will 'best fit' the majority. If we get enough demand for a mid-December launch (six weeks earlier) then we will run another shipment to meet that demand. If you would prefer a December launch then please make that comment when you REGISTER INTEREST in this shipment.
Picture: DR650s @ 5,567m up the side of Uturuncu Volcano (6,028m), Bolivia
Ideally full container loads (FCLs) are exported via Brisbane and Melbourne, however, the final decision is determined by best possible overall benefit to riders who have paid their deposit. If there are only 4 out of 24 riders who want Brisbane then there won’t be a Brisbane container. It costs vicinity AU$500 to transport a loose motorbike between Brisbane and Melbourne (but cheaper in a stillage).
If you haven't paid your deposit then your depot vote won't count. This is the Early Bird Incentive.
2 WEEKS FREE STORAGE provided to take the stress out of the schedule. This free storage window to deliver your motorbike is vicinity ETD less 1 - 3 weeks. Storage thereafter is AU$5 per day.
Shipping Line : MAERSK Service :
Oceania Service Northbound (weekly) -> Trans-shipment via Manzanillo, Panama -> Chile Express Southbound (weekly)
Origin Brisbane container requires extra week for trans-shipment via Sydney
For import, the local customs authority will no longer allow Temporary Import Permits (TIPs) be completed with a Letter of Authority (LoA), which means the owner must be present. We can no longer transport your motorbike away from the terminal depot to better value secure storage or trucking to Punta Arenas.
We encourage clients to collect bikes ETA + 3 business days + 12 to 14 days. This provides for good buffer period whilst avoiding storage costs. The 3 business days is the estimated time taken to discharge the container from the vessel, truck to the terminal depot and unpack the container. Day one of the storage period is container unpack day. In 2025 it all happened one day ahead of schedule BUT we still recommend clients to use the free storage period as buffer in the schedule.
FREE 2 weeks at terminal depot then US$15 +19%tax = ~AU$25 per day thereafter. For EXPORT, secure storage available for US$50 per month + US$75 to transport your bike to the depot in the two week free period before export.
For export customs clearance, we are still able to manage your motorbike on your behalf because the Temporary Import Permit (TIP) will already have been sorted at Chile land border entry.
Keep in mind that Chile TIP is valid for 3 months and your motorbike must clear customs exit from Valparaiso in that time.
Chile TIP 3 month period resets every time you re-enter Chile. Time your final Chile land border entry accordingly.
Valparaiso <-> Santiago US$150
Santiago to Punta Arenas US$610 650cc / US$745 >650cc
Punta Arenas to Santiago US$410 all bikes
Calama / Antofagasta / Iquique to Valparaiso US$550
(all charges +19%VAT)
ETD second week of June 2027
Allows for prime riding months of Apr + May
Chile TIP is 3 months and resets upon re-entry.
TIP MUST STILL BE VALID at time of export.
Ride window is 2 to 4 months for Valparaiso loop.
Timings are estimates and TBC.
Shipment Pages will be created shortly.
Packs end of July for ETD ~ 04 Aug 2027.
Colombia TIP is 3 months.
Ride window is 4 to 6 months from Valparaiso
Please highlight your interest in this shipment when you register
If we get 6 bikes locked in then we will run this shipment.
Good container share options from USA detailed below.
Photo: Port of Cartagena is the most connected port in Latin America and the Caribbean with a specialty in trans-shipment operations.
If you are considering other shipping options for South America then your best bets are via:
Santiago, Chile - air
Valparaiso, Chile - sea
Montevideo, Uruguay - sea
Buenos Aires, Argentina - air & sea
Bogota, Colombia - air
Cartagena, Colombia - sea
Chile Temporary Import Permit (TIP) is 3 months and resets every time you re-enter Chile.
As of recently (Jan 2024), Argentina have been issuing 8 month TIPs at various border crossings. Keep in mind that nowadays Argentina is computerised when it comes to tracking foreign registered motorbikes entering and exiting land borders - so make sure you exit (to reset the clock) in accordance with TIP.
Uruguay has generous 12 month TIP making it a popular long-term storage or base option for overlanders.
Panama TIP is only 30 days but there is a good option to air freight your bike from Bogota to Panama City and leave your bike in Customs Bonded storage @ US$100 per month. You can fly home from Bogota and resume your journey from Panama City when you're ready, which for most will be when their ride window lines up for Great Divide USA + Rockies Canada.
Picture: ECargo Logistics, Tocumen Cargo Airport
Cargo Rider is agent in Bogota, Colombia
E-Cargo Logistics is agent in Panama City, Panama
All inclusive cost vicinity US$1,340 (AU$1,900)
Overlander vehicles (cars, vans, trucks) use this option. For motorbikes this can be cheaper option than air freight if they get into a container share with other overlander vehicles.
Central America wet season roughly May to Dec. First few months can often just be late afternoon showers. Rain increases through Jun Jul. Oct into Nov not great for Panama and Costa Rica with key parks closed.
USA SW deserts too hot from late Jun to early Sep
Great Divide Ride (GDR) best Jul to Sep when the worst conditions of snow and mud have melted and dried out.
Little Gold Creek Border Crossing (Top of The World Highway) operates mid-May to mid Sep.
High volume of container traffic to Australia from the Ports of Oakland (San Francisco) and Long Beach (Los Angeles). There are great options for motorbikes to container share with classic cars from these ports on a regular basis. Contact West Coast Shipping and Schumacher Cargo Logistics for quotes.
WestJet Cargo's Bike Air program is specifically designed for motorbike tourism with seasonal (Apr to Oct) air freight from Canada (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Halifax) to Europe destinations (Heathrow, Edinburgh, Dublin, Paris, Rome, Barcelona). This is very good value air freight. Contact Air Marine Cargo (AMC) for a quote.
West Coast Shipping also operate out of New Jersey with good container share options to Europe.
Own Bike Odyssey will run North America shipments in the future TBC.
