The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) – Filming Locations
Drama · Directed by Walter Salles · Starring Gael García Bernal, Mercedes Morán
Based on the journals of Che Guevara, leader of the Cuban Revolution. In his memoirs, Guevara recounts adventures he and best friend Alberto Granado had while crossing South America by motorcycle in the early 1950s.
Where was The Motorcycle Diaries filmed?
- Buenos Aires, Argentina, Buenos Aires – Opening scenes of Ernesto and Alberto preparing for their motorcycle journey. The film begins in Buenos Aires, establishing the working-class neighborhood where Guevara's revolutionary consciousness begins to develop
- Córdoba, Argentina, Córdoba – The duo begins their motorcycle journey through the Argentine interior. The starting point of their actual cross-continent journey, showing the departure from urban Argentina into the countryside
- San Alberto, Argentina, San Alberto – Ernesto and Alberto reach the leprosarium and interact with leprosy patients. A pivotal location where Ernesto's empathy for the suffering poor crystallizes, marking his ideological awakening
- Lake Titicaca, Peru-Bolivia border, Puno – The travelers encounter indigenous Quechua communities on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The sacred lake region introduces Ernesto to the indigenous peoples of the Andes and deepens his understanding of colonial exploitation
- Cusco, Peru, Cusco – The travelers visit the ancient Incan ruins, reflecting on indigenous civilization. The Incan heritage site symbolizes the pre-Columbian civilizations destroyed by colonialism, furthering Ernesto's political consciousness
- Lima, Peru, Lima – Final sequences in Lima where Ernesto works with leprosy patients and reflects on his journey. The conclusion of their physical journey in Peru's capital, where Ernesto's transformation into a revolutionary thinker is complete