A handful of tropical countries - perfect for a classic car rally - bordered by the Caribbean and Pacific, with unique natural experiences, long-gone foreign cultures, a long colonial history and an incredible diversity of flora and fauna - that is Central America.
Read below the report of an unnamed participant in one of the most extraordinary classic car rallies through the jungle, as it is available today for money and even including classic car rental.
Do you still remember the old Zack comics? Prince Valiant, Lucky Luke, Mick Tangy & The Gentlemen's Company?
I remember one protagonist very clearly: Michel Vaillant. A fictional character invented by Jean Graton and a homage to Karl Benz, whose childhood name was Karl Friedrich Michael Vaillant. This Michel Vaillant fascinated me then and now. A hotshot who drives in Le Mans, Sebring and Daytona, in endurance races and rallies.
Classic car rally tours in Central America
A handful of tropical countries - perfect for a classic car rally - bordered by the Caribbean and Pacific, with unique natural experiences, long-gone foreign cultures, a long colonial history and an incredible diversity of flora and fauna - that's Central America.
Experience steaming volcanoes, cloud and rainforests, historic colonial cities, pyramids of long-forgotten cultures, hot springs, high plateaus, rugged coastlines, picture-book beaches & thundering waterfalls - and all this garnished with over 8% of the world's flora and fauna!
Welcome to Central America. What could be more valuable than enjoying unforgettable moments, relaxation, adventure and nature - in a relaxed, luxurious atmosphere?
Are you interested in this trip? You can find more information on the Equis Oldtimer-Reisen website.
The "Panamericana" - 23,000 km through hell
In 1972, the aforementioned Jean Graton wrote and drew his 22nd Vaillant comic. "23,000 km through hell". It's about a rally from Whitehorse, Alaska across the Americas to the southern tip of South America, to Tierra del Fuego. I devoured this 49-page comic at least 49 times. Why? Because I've always wanted to drive this rally in a classic car.
Today is the day. We are sitting in a 1968 911 and driving part of the "Panamericana" described above. Not 23,000 km, not through hell and the roads are much better than they were in 1972.
"La Carrera Costa Rica"
Zack, turn the ignition key, left. Yellowbee, the yellow bee, as the narrow yellow 911 is called here, comes to life. And quite violently. From three exhaust pipes, two of which my wife has unscrewed the end caps out of interest. Three hours later, we arrive at the top, at the crater of Irazú, the "rumbling mountain". An active volcano in the Cordillera de Talamanca. Páramo prevails here, a tropical alpine highland steppe. Next to us, a 74 SL with a rumbling V8, a 72 and a 79 Range Rover, both exotic three-door models.
The Irazú offers views over the entire lowlands as far as the Caribbean Sea. Unfortunately not today, the clouds are too low for that. Nevertheless, the view into the deep green crater lake of the volcano is spectacular, especially with a glass of cool champagne in your hand. It will stay cold, because at an altitude of 3,500 meters, even in Costa Rica, it's still quite refreshing. My wife screwed the end caps back on our 911 on the drive to the volcano for our sake, and a police patrol gave us a thumbs-up for the roar. And a photo of the two uniformed men with Yellowbee. Costa Ricans love football, gallo pinto and old cars, preferably with a great boxer sound.
With its seven climate zones, Costa Rica - incidentally the size of Switzerland or Lower Saxony - is home to over 8% of the world's species. This enormous biodiversity in such a small area is widely advertised; we'll jump ahead a little.
Kilometer 1011, day eight.
The past few days have been exciting. We learned how to make one of the best cappuccinos in the world from an old La Pavoni and how to handle old Leica lenses. We also experienced Costa Rica. Volcanoes, roaring tropical waterfalls; we relaxed in hot springs and on dream beaches in the Pacific, saw huge crocodiles, circumnavigated Lake Arenal, visited Quakers in the Monteverde cloud forest and looked for the legendary quetzal. The bird of the gods behaved accordingly. It did not want to show itself.
And yes, now I understand the biodiversity thing.
"La Carrera Panamericana"
We also drove on the Panamericana, but now we are in Sirpe, on the Osa Peninsula in the south of Costa Rica. Life seems to move a little slower here. The river ferry waiting for us takes some getting used to.
But we cross the river and find ourselves in a different world. Tropical lowland rainforest with huge kapok trees. The jungle giants grow over 70 meters into the sky here. We drive through the rainforest on winding paths. We have to stop abruptly twice. Because of sun worshippers warming up on the path. A huge green iguana and a large boa. The iguana quickly scurried into the thicket as we approached, while the boa calmly allowed itself to be photographed, albeit hissing.
After around two hours' drive, we reach Doña Yensi. Yensi runs a, well, let's call it an informal restaurant here in the middle of nowhere. Perfect for a mid-morning break. There is no telephone reception here, but there is native howler monkey jungle sound, macaws and toucans, good coffee, breakfast and a cold beer.
In the rainforest in the humid heat, in the morning. Great fun.
The journey continues. We cross several rivers in this jungle. Without bridges, of course, and perfect for photos. Our Range, SL & 911 have no problem with this. Olivier, our rally guide, tells us that this is not always the case. October and November are taboo for river crossings, the water is too deep and raging.
We arrive at lunchtime. In Drake Bay. The Pacific bay where Sir Francis Drake had his "Golden Hind" overhauled in March 1579. Apart from the offshore island of Caño, there is nothing of interest to see here, so we continue through the rainforests of Osa - always alongside the Corcovado National Park.
After a few more river crossings, monkeys, sloths and Brahmins under the huge kapok trees, we finally reach the Golfo Dulce, the "Sweet Gulf". The path along the gulf is quite picturesque. Glistening water joins the green of the rainforest. The views are more than spectacular at times.
We head south and reach Puerto Jiménez, a former gold mining town. Known for its gold, its flocks of red macaws and brothels. The latter are now obsolete due to the dwindling number of gold seekers in Corcovado. It is said that there are still some who illegally dig for gold in the streams and rivers of the gigantic national park.
Anyway, we are sitting in an Italian restaurant right by the water and I am wondering how such good cuisine could have ended up in this penultimate corner of the rainforest. We are about to head even further south, to our hotel, the Lapa Rios Lodge. On the way there, we will come across a few more monkeys. And we will also see a huge tapir.
Kilometer 1482, day 10.
Today we return to the Equis, to Inga & Ingo, our hosts. Past some interesting sights and over the legendary "Cerro de la Muerte", the "Mountain of Death". Almost 3,500 meters high, a mountain that has indeed claimed many lives in earlier times. Do you remember Michel Vaillant? There, in 1972, it was described as the "pass of death" with "...300 kilometers...of the most horrible roads...". Well, crossing it is no longer a problem. The organizers of the rallies, Inga & Ingo, once crossed the pass in an open Land Rover. At night. In thick fog and rain. It should have been quite entertaining.
We eight participants are back at the Equis, lying by the pool and enjoying the last day with a sundowner. What are we missing? Clearly, the Caribbean coast!
But it's already planned. We are on the list for the "La Carrera Veragua" rally. Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama. Next time in the SL, including the Caribbean.
Classic car rally tours in Central America
A handful of tropical countries - perfect for a classic car rally - bordered by the Caribbean and Pacific, with unique natural experiences, long-gone foreign cultures, a long colonial history and an incredible diversity of flora and fauna - that's Central America.
Experience steaming volcanoes, cloud and rainforests, historic colonial cities, pyramids of long-forgotten cultures, hot springs, high plateaus, rugged coastlines, picture-book beaches & thundering waterfalls - and all this garnished with over 8% of the world's flora and fauna!
Welcome to Central America. What could be more valuable than enjoying unforgettable moments, relaxation, adventure and nature - in a relaxed, luxurious atmosphere?
Are you interested in this trip? For more information, please visit the Equis Oldtimer-Reisen website.
