Death Road claimed 200...300 victims per year
The Yungas road in the Andes is about 80 kilometers long and leads from the Bolivian city of La Paz to Coroico in the northeast, in the Yungas region. It was built in the 1930s by Paraguayan war prisoners. Since a two-lane road was opened in December 2007, only residents and mountain bikers use the road.
Previously it was the most dangerous road in the world and was nicknamed Death Road because 200 to 300 passengers per year died on the route. No wonder, there are hardly any road barriers. The slopes are often 90° steep and go down several hundred meters deep. Also, rain and fog as well as wet and muddy ground often cause a bad road condition as well as low visibility. In addition, the road is extremely narrow, when 2 large vehicles come from opposite directions, one vehicle must slightly overhang the abyss in order for the other to pass.
Starting high in the mountains like a true downhill driver
I booked a tour with "Xtreme Down Hill" which organized everything very well. Around 6am I was picked up from my hostel. My group consisted of Brazilians, Japanese, Germans, almost all of whom were my age. I was the only one in my group who did not have a Fully, but that was not necessary on this road. A hardtail is enough. You get downhill equipment, a full body suit and a full face helmet.
Biking down more than 3000 Meters of altitude
The small tour bus dropped us off over 4600 meters altitude, the La Cumbre Pass. And it was really cold up there, so cold that I even thought about getting back into the car. In the beginning the road was still normal asphalted. However, the further we got, the lower we got and the warmer it got.
Then the real Death Road started, the paved road ended and the road consisted only of gravel. Besides you couldn't see anything because of the low clouds and the underground was dangerously wet. The road winds in many serpentines over steep mountain slopes and makes a rapid transition from the cold semi-arid to arid Altiplano to the warm and humid rainforest of the Yungas, crossing almost all climate zones of South America. For us almost the whole time went downhill.
Always stay focused!
I never had the impression to be in danger. However, when I looked back once because other riders were behind me, I noticed how threateningly close I was already to the abyss. A buddy of mine had done this tour earlier and told me that one of his guides had died a short time before, because he also turned around and crashed into an arriving car. Also mountain bikers already found their death here. At least 18 cyclists have died on the road since 1998. Most of these deaths are due to lack of concentration because the road is not technically demanding for mountain bikers.
Reaching the final destination in tropical climate
The landscape became more and more tropical and in the end it even got so warm that we had to open our protective suits. We passed small waterfalls and also the cross that stands as a reminder of the worst bus accident in the history of Bolivia. On 24 July 1983 a bus skidded on the road and crashed into a ravine, killing all 100 passengers.
We reached Coroico at a height of 1200 metres. The landscapes on the way there are really gigantic beautiful. We treated ourselves to a beer and had lunch before we were brought back to our hostel by minibus. I was really glad I did this tour, it was one of the highlights of my trip and I would do it again for sure!
