Che Guevara's Motorcycle Journey Across South America: The 1952 Route and the Bike

In 1952, Ernesto "Che" Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado left Buenos Aires on a motorcycle. Guevara was a 23-year-old medical student and Granado a 29-year-old biochemist. Their trip covered more than 8,000 km (5,000 mi). The bike was Granado's 1939 Norton 500, which they called La Poderosa II. It broke down for good in southern Chile. From there they went on by truck, raft and plane through Peru, Colombia and Venezuela.

This page tells the story as a motorcycle trip, using published sources only. It's part of our touring destinations series.

Key takeaways- Riders: Ernesto Guevara (23) and Alberto Granado (29). Bike: a 1939 Norton 500.- Sources disagree on the start date: 29 December 1951 or 4 January 1952.- The motorcycle part ended in Los Ángeles, Chile. The rest of the journey was done without it.- Guevara's diary was published in 1993, and the film followed in 2004.

The journey at a glance

When did it start? The sources disagree. Alberto Granado's Wikipedia biography puts the start on 29 December 1951. The Argentine newspaper Río Negro says the pair left Buenos Aires on 4 January 1952. We haven't found a source that settles it, so we show both dates.

Who was riding, and why

Guevara was born in Rosario, Argentina, in 1928. He had already done one long solo trip, in 1950: about 4,500 km (2,800 mi) through northern Argentina on a bicycle fitted with a small engine. Granado, born in 1922 in Córdoba province, owned the Norton.

The trip had a destination: the San Pablo leper colony on the Amazon in Peru, where the two planned to volunteer. Guevara finished his medical degree in June 1953, after he got home.

The motorcycle: La Poderosa II

The bike was a 1939 Norton 500. The book article gives its nickname as La Poderosa, "The Mighty One", and also as La Poderosa II. Some secondary sources name the exact model, but we didn't confirm it in a source we read, so we leave it out.

The Norton didn't last the trip. According to Río Negro, it gave out in the Chilean city of Los Ángeles. The paper adds that the original is believed to have been taken apart and sold for parts. That is a belief, not a documented fact. A replica is on display in the Guevara family's former house in Alta Gracia, Córdoba, which is now a museum.

The route, stage by stage

On the bike: Argentina and southern Chile

From Buenos Aires, Río Negro traces them to Villa Gesell, then south to Bariloche, where the Argentine leg ended. The book article also names a stop in Miramar. They crossed into Chile via Peulla and rode north through Temuco to Los Ángeles, where the Norton stopped for good. If you want to ride the Argentine lakes and the Andes crossing yourself, start with our guide to planning a motorcycle trip in Patagonia.

Without the bike: Chile to Peru

The book article names Valparaíso and the Chuquicamata mine in Chile, then Tacna and Lima in Peru. In Peru, without the motorcycle, they rode in trucks alongside local people and animals.

San Pablo and the Amazon

They reached the San Pablo leper colony in June 1952 and volunteered there for a few weeks. When they left, the patients gave them a raft, the "Mambo-Tango", and they took it downriver to Leticia, Colombia.

Colombia, Venezuela and the split

From Leticia, the route went on to Bogotá and then Caracas. The journey ended in Caracas. Granado stayed there to work at the Cabo Blanco leprosarium in Maiquetía.

Miami and the one US visit people ask about

Guevara flew from Venezuela to Miami on a cargo plane. Problems with the plane held him there for about a month. During that time he worked as a waiter and dishwasher, then went home to Buenos Aires.

He came to the United States again in December 1964. On 11 December he spoke to the UN General Assembly in New York, as Cuba's Minister of Industries.

The books and the film

Is it a true story? Yes. The book is Guevara's own travel diary. It was first published in 1993 as Notas de viaje in Havana, and Verso Books published the first English edition in 1995. The Spanish title is Diarios de motocicleta.

A second account. Granado wrote his own version, Con el Che por Sudamérica (1978). It was published in English in 2003 as Travelling with Che Guevara: The Making of a Revolutionary. To check where the two men were on a given day, read the two books side by side.

The film. Walter Salles directed The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), with Gael García Bernal as Guevara and Rodrigo de la Serna as Granado. It is based on both books and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Because it adapts both books, the film follows the same 1952 journey.

If you like reading about real journeys, two other riders wrote about theirs. Compare this trip with Neil Peart's motorcycle routes, taken from his books, and Ewan McGregor's motorcycle journey.

What a rider tracing the route should know

• The motorcycle stage is the first part. The bike carried them through Argentina and into southern Chile. North of Los Ángeles, the trip went on without it. If you want to ride the stretch they rode, focus on Argentina and southern Chile.
• Use the books for daily detail. Encyclopedia entries and press articles give the outline, not the day-to-day roads. The diary and Granado's account fill in that detail.
• Plan the modern trip as its own trip. Borders, paperwork, roads and seasons in 2026 have nothing to do with 1952. For the practical side, read our guide to motorcycle touring in South America. If you're thinking about the full distance, see the longest motorcycle trips and journeys.
• See the bike. The Alta Gracia museum near Córdoba has a replica of the Norton. Check its opening hours before you go.

The sources we read don't describe what the two men wore. If you plan a long ride over the Andes and down to the tropics, you'll need gear for heat and cold. Leather Collection's riding gear range covers cowhide jackets, pants, chaps, vests, gloves and boots. Each piece is hand-stitched and made to order, with custom sizes.

FAQ

Which bike did Che Guevara use?

A 1939 Norton 500 that belonged to Alberto Granado. They called it La Poderosa II. It broke down in Los Ángeles, Chile, and was believed to have been sold for parts.

How old was Che Guevara on the motorcycle trip?

He was 23, and Alberto Granado was 29.

Did Che Guevara ever visit the United States?

Yes, twice according to the sources we read. In 1952 he spent about a month in Miami at the end of the journey. On 11 December 1964 he spoke to the UN General Assembly in New York.

What is a famous quote from The Motorcycle Diaries?

We don't reprint quotes from the book here. Read them in Guevara's own words in the published diary: the first English edition is from Verso Books, 1995.