Oct
15
2012
Nov
15
2012
Oct
15
2013
Nov
15
2013
Death Road Ride - El Camino de la Muerta, My Bike, and Me
Published by James Burt, Writer
Country: Bolivia 
The Experience
Preparades? Yes, I was ready I said. My guide waved a quick goodbye and got back in his car, slammed it into gear and headed back down the mountain. I moved my bike to the road’s shoulder and while I pulled on my gloves, I admired the tranquil morning canyon below me.
I had come to the top of the Yungas Road, also known as Death Road this morning. I had been making the trek northward from Patagonia with no idea of what I wanted to do or where I was going. Along the way I got drunk in a bodega in Mendoza, got the flu in Salta, and ate real locro in Jujuy. Fun, but not real adventure. Then over a cup of coffee in a grimy bus café, an Aussie couple told me about the world’s most dangerous road, Yungas Road. They showed me a map and explained how I could rent a bike and a guide for the Yungas Road which connected the Northern Bolivian rain forest of Bolivia to La Paz through a mountain. It was guardrail-less, paralleled six hundred metre drops, and was often swamped in thick, rising fog. The couple insisted that trek down this road was worth ten trips anywhere. That afternoon I bought a ticket to La Paz, and hunkered down in a hostel for the night. After a long sleep, I inquired about getting a guide and bike. The owner smiled and made a call. Forty minutes later I was in a beat up Jeep driven by a silent yet friendly middle aged man with a greasy yellow mountain bike strapped to the top.
I took a breath and began my journey down Death Road. The bike picked up speed and my wrist tightened on the brake. My adrenal glands began pumping. I had been on a road like this one outside of the small Chinese city of Lai Wu. It was smooth and wide. This road was anything but. My front wheel hit a rut and I swung the handle bars to the left. I could see the edge of the canyon on my right and felt my muscles lock. The road got steeper and although the road looked scary, I felt a rhythm in my wrists. I worked the brakes only slightly and let myself go faster down the hill. The gravel popped underneath the wheels and a thick wind came up. The adrenal feeling returned in full force. I continued to steer, fast, steady, and carefree. The landscape beside the road was wide and vast, and seemed to lead me safely to the bottom. In retrospect, I realized it was also handy that there were no vehicles on road during my trip down.
Every minute seemed like an hour, yet it was only some minutes. I brought my bike to a halt and looked up. I wondered how far down I had come, but it soon donned on me that it wasn’t important. Just coming down the way I did was enough, knowing that hundreds of people over the years had died on this stretch, both in bike and car accidents.
I had come to the top of the Yungas Road, also known as Death Road this morning. I had been making the trek northward from Patagonia with no idea of what I wanted to do or where I was going. Along the way I got drunk in a bodega in Mendoza, got the flu in Salta, and ate real locro in Jujuy. Fun, but not real adventure. Then over a cup of coffee in a grimy bus café, an Aussie couple told me about the world’s most dangerous road, Yungas Road. They showed me a map and explained how I could rent a bike and a guide for the Yungas Road which connected the Northern Bolivian rain forest of Bolivia to La Paz through a mountain. It was guardrail-less, paralleled six hundred metre drops, and was often swamped in thick, rising fog. The couple insisted that trek down this road was worth ten trips anywhere. That afternoon I bought a ticket to La Paz, and hunkered down in a hostel for the night. After a long sleep, I inquired about getting a guide and bike. The owner smiled and made a call. Forty minutes later I was in a beat up Jeep driven by a silent yet friendly middle aged man with a greasy yellow mountain bike strapped to the top.
I took a breath and began my journey down Death Road. The bike picked up speed and my wrist tightened on the brake. My adrenal glands began pumping. I had been on a road like this one outside of the small Chinese city of Lai Wu. It was smooth and wide. This road was anything but. My front wheel hit a rut and I swung the handle bars to the left. I could see the edge of the canyon on my right and felt my muscles lock. The road got steeper and although the road looked scary, I felt a rhythm in my wrists. I worked the brakes only slightly and let myself go faster down the hill. The gravel popped underneath the wheels and a thick wind came up. The adrenal feeling returned in full force. I continued to steer, fast, steady, and carefree. The landscape beside the road was wide and vast, and seemed to lead me safely to the bottom. In retrospect, I realized it was also handy that there were no vehicles on road during my trip down.
Every minute seemed like an hour, yet it was only some minutes. I brought my bike to a halt and looked up. I wondered how far down I had come, but it soon donned on me that it wasn’t important. Just coming down the way I did was enough, knowing that hundreds of people over the years had died on this stretch, both in bike and car accidents.
When to Go to Death Road Bolivia
Since Bolivia is at its hottest during the North American Winter, it's best to ride Yungas Road during late October or early November. Spring is coming on and it is warm enough to travel comfortably. A good two week trip is best - Bolivia is not as big as Argentina and you can see a lot in that time frame.
Odds n' Ends
Be wary of luggage thieves in Peru and Bolivia, especially in and around bus terminals. People are friendly, but Bolivia is especially destitute and theft is common.
Want a Guide?
- Bolivia on a Shoestring - GAPAdventures.com
- Trace the Inca empire from its heart in Peru’s Cuzco and Machu Picchu, to Bolivia; traditional Andean South America at its most authentic and unspoilt. Add the extreme landscape around Uyuni salt flats for an experience that’s as intense as it is easy on the wallet.
Places to Stay Nearby
Search over 900,000 global hotel deals from over 30 merchants. Book via Expedia, Travelocity, Hotels.com, Booking.com, Priceline and the websites of popular hotel chains.
13 miles away
Boasting a central location in the Bolivian capital city, Residencial Latino Hotel offers visitors comfortable, cheap accommodation in La Paz. Ideally located for the main ... 13 miles away
+ 23 others. Show all.
More Experiences Nearby
- Cruise The Churches Of Arica Parinacota
- Located on the borders of Peru and Bolivia, the Arica Parinacota region of Chile boasts a diverse natural landscape that includes deserts, lush green valleys, and the breathtaking vistas of the Andes. In addition to its natural beauty, the Arica Parinacota region in Chile has a diverse culture that is represented by thirty churches, most of which were constructed in the mid 16th century. These churches reflect a combination of traditional Andean culture with Spanish architecture and religion. Conquerors from Spain travelled to Chile in the mid 16th century, and the influence of European culture is evident. Each church is ...211 miles away.
Video
Video Wall
You are now being transfered to our Video Wall
Books and DVDs
- Bolivia Travel Guide
- Bolivia pulls out all the stops - soaring peaks, trippy salt flats, steamy jungles and grasslands packed with wildlife. Put on your high-altitude goggles and take a deep breath or three.
Elsewhere on the Web
- Offroaders.com
- A good offroad site for further information on the Yungas.
- Bolivian Geogrpahic
- A detailed geographic site on both Bolivia and the Yungas.
- Yungas Road - Wikipedia.org
- It is legendary for its extreme danger and in 1995 the Inter-American Development Bank christened it as the "world's most dangerous road"
Media References
- Adventures in Bolivia - NYTimes.com (newspaper)
- THE highway drops precipitously down the mountainside, and the pavement is slick with rain and hail.
- Coroico Journal;On a Deadly Road in Bolivia, Exciting New Vistas - NYTimes.com (newspaper)
- Before setting out on this Andean mountain road, Jaime Machicao, a fruit-truck driver, pours a bit of whisky on the ground, chews a few coca leaves and offers a prayer that he will make the journey alive.
- A Dangerous Bolivian Road Attracts Thrill-Seeking Tourists - NYTimes.com (newspaper)
- The single-lane dirt road 40 miles northeast of here drops from an elevation of 11,700 feet in the snowcapped Andes to a steaming jungle.
Travel Insurance. Simple & Flexible.
Language Guides
Spanish 
is one of the languages spoken in Bolivia. If you know of a freely available phrase book or podcast for one of the missing languages, let us know!
Discussion
Experienced this and have something to share? Experienced something like this somewhere else? Looking for advise or travel companions? Use this space to leave your mark. Our writers and editors are more than happy to help answer your questions.
People who wish to experience
Recent Tweets
Listed below are the most recent comments made on Twitter for "death road bolivia":
