Ewan McGregor and Charley Bormann are very close to finishing their journey. Discussions on security are still on the agenda; they cannot travel at night due to dangerous cartels. They will need to do many miles on a bus with space for the bikes inside. The team manage to get the bikes on after concerns they wouldn’t fit. Repairing and conditioning the bus is an achievement considering they did it in a few days. Ewan and Charley get back on their bikes, and they head to their last border cross to enter the United States. After 12 hours in the border, the crew, Ewan and Charley make it to America. It’s an easy stretch to L.A. on their bikes. Ewan, the crew and family, finish the last leg. It’s done, they’ve managed to finish Long Way Up. It’s such an achievement. Episode 11 is a heartfelt finale, showcasing the end of an incredible journey from both Ewan, Charley, and the team that supported them.
The episode opens with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman riding through the sleek streets of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. To add to the excitement, the show also introduces us to Ewan's daughter, Jamyan, and the father-daughter duo are lovable to watch. The audience also gets a chance to see the Masaya volcano up close. The red lava is breathtaking and scary at the same time.
For Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor, their journey in the smooth Ecuadorian roads would most definitely have come as a relief after some rough terrain riding. Next up, they stop by one of the factories that make the famed Panama hats. One of the local producers explains that making them by hand takes roughly up to a month. At the other end, the crew on the Rivians make a dash for Central America where they have to ferry their trucks across as the Darién Gap blocks their path. On their way, they make a quick pitstop at one of the cacao factories to know more about cocoa production, one of the economic drivers of the country.
As the journey continues, there's beauty and danger in equal measure. Charley and Ewan travel through the extraordinary Bolivian desert, but the sandy roads make all more difficult. The duo ride their electric bikes through the exotic and breathtaking countryside and all the way making a challenging ascent. The riders stay in a hotel made entirely out of salt before heading to La Paz. 'Bolivia' also shows some quality work done by UNICEF when it comes to educating and working with the children. McGregor and Boorman spend time with the kids before resuming their journey and ending with a ferry ride over lake Titicaca.
Episode 3 continues to show the obstacles faced with charging electric bikes in remote places, but Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman start to learn and evolve their process. The risk of cold temperatures is high but they bravely do it anyway. The duo is having a hard time of it out there but, thankfully, the scenery is absolutely stunning. Heading through Patagonia, Ewan and Charley stay at an eco-lodge in one of the world’s remotest areas with people that live off the grid.
Ewan, Charley, and the team land in Ushuaia, the southernmost tip of South America, but tensions arise due to snow and mechanical issues. Traveling 13000 miles over 100 days on electric bikes is hard to imagine. Ewan McGregor and Charles Boorman find out how challenging their mission is as they embark on a journey on prototype Harley Davidsons and the Rivian trucks. The first obstacle is electricity. While parts of the city have no problems with charging the bikes and the trucks, the countryside is where the duo face issues.
Ewan and Charley get back on their bikes, and they head to their last border cross to enter the United States. After 12 hours in the border, the crew, Ewan and Charley make it to America. It’s an easy stretch to L.A. on their bikes. Ewan, the crew and family, finish the last leg. It’s done, they’ve managed to finish Long Way Up. It’s such an achievement. Episode 11 is a heartfelt finale, showcasing the end of an incredible journey from both Ewan, Charley, and the team that supported them.