We set off in October 2017 to cycle 10,000km from the bottom to the top of South America on a pair of worryingly wonky bamboo bikes.
Our fibrous steeds are homemade with natural materials and many a helping hand. A labour of love, sweat and tears, the bikes will carry us through Patagonian peat bogs, up and over 5000m passes and into the steamy tropics.
Along the way we're stopping to meet some of South America’s most inspiring movers, shakers, recyclers and makers in the form of local conservation heroes, sustainability gurus and generally awesome folk doing their bit to care for the planet. Our mission will be to share their stories and raise money for some great causes. But let's not beat about the bamboo bush, it’s also one helluva great adventure.
Click here to find out more and donate to our chosen charity Conservation International.
Who are Two By Bamboo?
Emily
Biologist turned producer Emily worked on a number of documentaries for BBC and Discovery Channel in the UK before moving down under where she joined SBS as an impact producer. By sharing the stories of amazing humans and animals she meets, Emily hopes to inspire herself and others to make more positive choices for our planet. A relative stranger to the saddle she wonders what could go wrong?
Sam
Sam splits his time between strategizing for large companies and escaping to the outdoors for a breath of fresh air. After a short foray into high-altitude cycling in the Himalayas on his childhood bike, he’s the self-appointed trip navigator and mechanic. In his “spare” time (i.e. sheltering exhausted in a tent), Sam will be studying and exploring the question: How can business protect the environment as a source of sustainable advantage?
The Route
Our journey begins on the shores of the Beagle Strait in the port of Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego. Pushing north through the wild winds of Patagonia, we’ll weave between the Andes of Chile and Argentina before climbing steeply onto the salty Bolivian Altiplano and into deepest darkest Peru.
Pedalling onwards with considerably bigger calves we’ll pass between the lofty cones of Ecuador’s volcanoes before cycling into sweaty Colombia, where our journey ends with a cold cerveza in the Caribbean town of Cartagena.