Maps of Movies
The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
Where The Motorcycle Diaries says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
Two friends, one broken-down Norton and 14,000 km across South America: the stops of Che Guevara's 1952 road trip, and which of them were really filmed where
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Scenes and places
Setting off from Buenos Aires (1952)
On 4 January 1952, medical student Ernesto Guevara and biochemist Alberto Granado leave home on Granado's worn-out Norton 500, La Poderosa. Ernesto's family sees them off and his uncle admits he would love to join. The plan is to cross South America and reach Venezuela by Granado's 30th birthday.
Set in Buenos Aires — Where Ernesto and Alberto leave on a battered Norton 500 on 4 January 1952. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Argentina's capital and the starting point of the 1952 journey.
Filmed at Buenos Aires — Buenos Aires is listed as a filming location for the film. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
A visit to Chichina in Miramar (1952)
Ernesto and Alberto detour to Miramar, where Ernesto's girlfriend Chichina lives. A planned two-day stop stretches to six days. Before they leave, Chichina gives Ernesto fifteen dollars and asks him to buy her something in the United States, and the two friends argue over spending it.
Set in Miramar — Seaside town where Ernesto visits his girlfriend Chichina and her family. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A seaside resort town on the Atlantic coast of Buenos Aires Province.
Posing as doctors at San Martín de los Andes (1952)
Short of money, Ernesto and Alberto present themselves as doctors to get free food and a bed. When a landowner asks about a swelling on his neck, Ernesto bluntly says it is a tumor. The two friends argue over how to tell a patient the truth.
Set in San Martín de los Andes — Andean town where the two travelers pass themselves off as doctors to earn food and a bed. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A mountain town in Neuquén Province, in the Argentine Andes.
Bariloche and Lake Nahuel Huapi (1952)
Cold and hungry, Ernesto and Alberto hunt for a duck in the freezing water. At the Bariloche train station three days later, Ernesto is unwell and Alberto urges him to spend Chichina's money on a hospital. Ernesto refuses.
Set in Bariloche and Lake Nahuel Huapi — Patagonian lake district where the travelers hunt for food and Ernesto falls ill. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A large glacial lake in the Patagonian Andes, with Bariloche on its shore.
Filmed at Bariloche area, Nahuel Huapi Lake — Bariloche is named as a filming area for this stretch of the journey. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Crossing into Chile at Lago Frías (1952)
On 15 February 1952 the two reach the border at Frias Lake and cross into Chile on foot, their bike failing. Ernesto, abroad for the first time, hears Alberto's idea of setting up a clinic on the lake one day. The cold and frost make the crossing a miserable one.
Set in Lago Frías — Frontier lake on the Argentina-Chile border where the pair first enter Chile on foot.
A mountain lake on the Argentina-Chile border.
Fixing the bike in Temuco (1952)
In Temuco, Ernesto and Alberto get a local paper to print that they are renowned leprosy specialists, and use the article to talk a mechanic into fixing their bike for free. At a dance that night, Ernesto leaves with the mechanic's wife and a fight breaks out.
Set in Temuco — Chilean city where a local newspaper turns the penniless travelers into famous leprosy specialists. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The main city of Chile's Araucanía Region, in the south.
Filmed at Temuco — Temuco is named as a filming location for the film. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
A night with the fire brigade in Los Ángeles (1952)
On 26 February 1952, 25 days behind schedule, Ernesto and Alberto meet two local sisters and are offered a bed by their father, the fire brigade chief. Ernesto is asked to visit a dying woman and can only give her pills. Their bike is finally declared beyond repair.
Set in Los Ángeles, Chile — Chilean town where La Poderosa breaks down for good and the pair volunteer with the fire brigade. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A town in central-south Chile.
Valparaíso (1952)
Without La Poderosa, Ernesto and Alberto arrive in Valparaíso, a port city whose beauty Alberto quotes Neruda about. A package from Chichina reaches Ernesto here.
Set in Valparaíso — Chilean port city the travelers reach on foot and by lift after losing their motorbike. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A hillside port city on Chile's Pacific coast.
Filmed at Valparaíso — Valparaíso is named as a filming location for the film. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The Atacama couple on the road (1952)
On foot in the Atacama Desert, Ernesto and Alberto share a fire at night with a penniless couple who fled because they are communists. The travelers are ashamed to admit they are not looking for work. The couple's story makes Ernesto feel closer to humankind.
Set in Atacama Desert — Desert road where the two meet a persecuted couple walking to the mine. Google Maps · Apple Maps
One of the driest deserts in the world, in northern Chile.
Filmed at Atacama Desert — The Atacama Desert is named as a filming location for the film. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Chuquicamata copper mine (1952)
The duo accompany the persecuted couple to the Chuquicamata copper mine. Ernesto watches workers being loaded onto trucks and is angered by how they are treated. A mine manager then throws the two out for trespassing on company property.
Set in Chuquicamata — Giant copper mine where Ernesto sees how the workers are treated. Google Maps · Apple Maps
One of the largest open-pit copper mines in the world, in northern Chile.
Filmed at Chuquicamata — Chuquicamata is named as a filming location for the film. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Cuzco, the Inca capital (1952)
After crossing into Peru, Ernesto and Alberto reach Cuzco on 2 April 1952, the date Alberto had hoped to be in Venezuela. A local guide shows them the old Inca walls and the Spanish buildings on top. They also meet indigenous farmers who tell of losing their land.
Set in Cusco — Former Inca capital where a local guide shows the pair the Inca and Spanish walls. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The historic capital of the Inca Empire, in the Peruvian Andes.
Machu Picchu (1952)
On 5 April 1952, Ernesto and Alberto visit the ancient Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. Alberto jokes about founding an indigenous party, but Ernesto's thoughts turn to how a civilization able to build such beauty could be destroyed.
Set in Machu Picchu — The Inca citadel where Ernesto reflects on a civilization that was wiped out. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A 15th-century Inca citadel high in the Andes of Peru.
Dr. Pesce in Lima (1952)
In Lima on 12 May 1952, Ernesto and Alberto look for a bookshop address, then meet Dr. Hugo Pesce, who runs Peru's leprosy program. He feeds them, gives them money and ideas, and has them stay in a hospital for early-stage patients. He sends them to the San Pablo colony in the Amazon.
Set in Lima — Peruvian capital where a leprosy doctor welcomes the pair and sends them on to the Amazon. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Peru's capital, founded by the Spanish after they destroyed the Inca capital Cuzco.
The San Pablo leper colony (1952)
On 8 June 1952, Ernesto and Alberto start three weeks of volunteering at the San Pablo leper colony. The river divides the staff on the north bank from the patients on the south. Ernesto refuses to wear rubber gloves with the patients, as the nuns require.
Set in San Pablo Leper Colony — Leprosy colony on the Amazon, divided by the river between staff and patients. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A leprosy colony on the Amazon River in the Peruvian rainforest.
Filmed at San Pablo Leper Colony, Loreto — Filmed in the real leper colony Guevara visited. The coordinates are the village, not the colony buildings. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Characters
- Ernesto Guevara — A young Argentine medical student, nicknamed Fuser, who sets out in 1952 with his friend Alberto and sees poverty across Latin America.
- Alberto Granado — An older biochemist and Ernesto's travel partner, who hopes to reach Venezuela for his 30th birthday.