‘They check everything,’ other travellers told us, so we braced ourselves for a tough, lengthy border crossing. We continued our way north: from Costa Rica to Nicaragua.

But our experience was the exact opposite: it had been a long time since crossing a border had been so quick. It took a whole 15 minutes in Costa Rica and an hour in Nicaragua, and in the end, no one wanted to search the car. We were apparently really lucky with the official – or perhaps hunger drove her to take her lunch break on time.

We were all the more surprised when we left the bumpy roads of Costa Rica behind us and suddenly found ourselves on a perfectly paved motorway. A sign at the side indicated 80 km/h. That made us wonder: hadn’t the customs officer just explained that there was a strict 50 km/h speed limit throughout the country?

We dared to drive faster anyway, after all, there is a sign. At some point, on the beautiful, fast road, an oncoming car warns us by flashing its headlights. A typical sign that there is some kind of obstacle ahead.

The aim of the new regulations is to reduce the number of road deaths, which at first glance seems to be working, given the figures for 2025 – around 900 compared to over 1000 in 2023. However, as in the rest of Latin America, fatal road accidents continue to be an everyday occurrence. This is because the cause of many accidents is not necessarily speed, but failure to maintain a safe distance, dangerous overtaking manoeuvres, motorcyclists not wearing helmets, poorly maintained vehicles and therefore poor brakes, and, of course, ignorance – or lack of knowledge – of traffic rules. It’s actually a miracle that no one has rear-ended us yet. So drivers are not driving more slowly, but they are now warning each other.

The speed limit may be well-intentioned, but its implementation clearly shows how Nicaragua works: a system perfectly designed for corruption.

The fact that the country ranked 172nd on the Corruption Perception Index in 2024 is evident at every turn. Since Daniel Ortega returned to power in 2006, corruption has risen steadily, and the new rules give the police another tool at their disposal. Most of the people we spoke to opt for a direct ‘deal’ during checks to avoid bureaucratic hassle – or even going straight to prison.

That’s what the roads in South America are like. There are huge differences and conditions often change with the seasons. But on the whole, the countries are passable with any type of vehicle. You just have to choose your routes accordingly.

Motorways and toll roads

The main roads are paved and there are usually good motorways. You will make good progress, especially around the big cities. You usually pay a toll, depending on the country, a few cents as in Bolivia (although their tariffs were very opaque) or always a dollar as in Ecuador.

Tolls are usually charged on the motorways, but they’re in good condition. Only the speed bumps used to limit speed are a major hazard. Most local drivers, even those with the best off-road vehicles, brake very hard just before them, so you run the risk of hitting them from behind – it pays to keep your distance. And don’t forget that you have to expect everything on a motorway: walkers, cyclists, horse riders, cows, llamas, simply everything.

Mud and potholes

Country roads are different, they may have just been resurfaced or they may be full of potholes. The mountain roads are always a surprise – even if they’re supposed to be national roads, don’t expect to drive faster than 50km/h.

The smaller roads can have potholes and you have to be prepared for anything. But this is true everywhere. That’s where a high-riding car comes in handy. It doesn’t have to be a 4×4, but a two-wheel drive without a lift is definitely limited. And above all, every pothole (and there are many) becomes a major bump in the road.

Then there are the unsealed roads: some are brilliant, others almost impassable. This mainly depends on when they were last maintained and whether it is the rainy season. This means that conditions can change within months or from one day to the next.

The mountains slide, and there are places that are known for this. After a slide there is not much left of the original road and you can forget about getting through. However, the local bus drivers usually know what the situation is like. It helps to ask or just turn around when the road ends.

Is 4×4 compulsory?

Most routes can be done without 4×4; though if it’s very muddy or steep we’re happy to have it, but there are often alternative routes that are easier.

In our experience, your own driving ability is more important than whether you have 2WD or 4WD. Some drivers get further with their 2WD than any other driver of an off-road vehicle. So it’s worth investing in a good off-road driving course before you start your travels, as you’ll also get to know the car better.

We got stuck three times

In Bolivia, we were stuck for a while because of protests and road closures, but we got to meet a lot of the locals in the town. In Argentina we had to turn back 200 km because we couldn’t cross the river – too much water.

So actually RAIN is the deciding factor. When it rains, you often have to wait for it to stop and the road to dry out a bit or find another route.

Road works and schedules

The many signs with the schedule would be great – if they kept to the time on them. Sometimes they work an extra hour – or two – or they don’t work at all, in which case ‘lucky you’. As a reminder, schedules in South America are only a guide and are never binding.

As I’m writing this, I’m waiting in line again. They need to fix a pipe and everything has stopped. All day long, from 9am to 6pm. Even though only one excavator is working. But they had already announced it at the crossroads. Two women stood there with a handwritten cardboard sign – just like the ones you draw in primary school. They told us that the roadworks had been announced on the Ministry’s website a week ago, but no one had thought to put up a sign.

We just laughed and knew that we’d be waiting for 4 hours (until 6pm) or 6 hours anyway. The detour takes twelve hours and is 300 kilometres longer.

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Once again we have to turn around because the road doesn’t continue. We should have stayed on the main road, then we would have reached our destination in ten minutes instead of an hour later. And, of course, in the cities we always end up on a one-way-street where it wants us to turn in the wrong direction.

These are just a few examples of what our dear friend navigates us through. It seems that our friend Google Maps loves adventure and danger.

What have we learnt?

Don’t trust the GPS.

At home we use the navigation app to find everything, here in South America too. But we have changed the way we use it because Maps is less accurate here than in other parts of the world. Well, Africa could be worse.

Prioritising distance over road conditions

One of the most common mistakes Maps makes is prioritising distance over road conditions. Maps always show the shortest route… in kilometres. The problem is that not all roads are paved (even a national road is no guarantee) and conditions vary greatly, especially during the rainy season. Even a tarmac road is no guarantee that it is in good condition; nobody knows when the last maintenance was carried out.

Because it prioritises distance, we often end up on a short cut prolonging the journey. The app often sends us on a detour when the main road has lots of traffic lights, but the road ends up being an impassable market.

Incomplete or inaccurate mapping

This is where we most notice that the Internet does not know everything. Google creates its maps from satellite images and Street View. This allows them to ‘see’ roads, but also details such as traffic signs. They also add official data, such as from the United States Geological Survey or local authorities. But that’s not all, the final touch is always human. On the one hand, Google employs a global team to correct the data; on the other hand, users also contribute by using the app and sending in contributions and feedback. Of course, in the age of AI, Google is also using machine learning to improve maps more quickly.

In the remote areas we usually visit, the task of updating maps is much more difficult. The maps may even be incomplete, as the company has less data to analyse. That’s why one of the most common mistakes Maps makes is interpreting bad field paths or footpaths as roads, and then showing us a route that’s completely impassable by car. The locals might be able to get through on their bikes, but not us.

Wrong interpretation of topography

The tech giant insists that topography plays a role in its mapping, but we’ve had more than our fair share of problems, and we’ve ended up doubting the technology

Restaurants that are garages

This topic is mostly related to the users of the app. Contrary to more frequented places, it’s better not to trust the descriptions or reviews (especially if there are only a few) in more remote villages. It’s better to look at the photos and think about what the owner wanted to convey by adding the place. This will give you a general idea of what the food looks like and therefore the quality (if the photos are theirs and not example images). Or you can see for yourself if there really should be a road, or if it really is a campsite or hotel.

We’ve gone to restaurants that turned out to be garages. Probably because the information hadn’t been updated. Or we’ve been to a Toyota garage that ended up being a ruin with plumbing problems and hundreds of litres of water leaking out. Nobody ever bothered to mark the place as closed. Not to mention repairing the leak.

Another challenge is opening hours. In general, opening hours in South America are indicative and not mandatory; the ones on Google are usually just wrong. The only solution is experience; over time you’ll know what makes sense and what definitely doesn’t.

The problems that arise with this kind of data are not the fault of the app. It’s the users who enter the wrong information or simply don’t update it. Over time, there’s a lot of unupdated information on the platform.

Solution: experience and satellites

Although there are many drawbacks and we’ve “lost” a lot of money in fuel consumption, Maps is still one of the best tools we have. We use it a lot when we have an internet connection – always use the satellite map. There are other apps like MapsMe that work quite well offline, or local apps like Waze (owned by Google). In the end, it doesn’t matter which app you use, they all have the same problems, so our solutions apply to all of them.

We’ve learnt to look at the whole route and zoom out, especially when driving through urban areas. This allows us to see unnecessary detours that take you off the main road through narrow streets. Traffic signs are important, but if there are none, especially one-way signs that seem to be missing in some countries, look at the parked cars or dare to break the law (watch out for the police).

We’ve also learned to trust our knowledge of the area and compare it with what people tell us. More importantly, sometimes the best solution is to ask the locals and to just turn around.

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