One of the highlights I was most looking forward to when visiting Bolivia was riding down the Death Road by bike. I had heard of it many years ago and wanted to go there so badly. So when we first arrived in La Paz we checked out the different tour operators and decided to book it with Gravity since everyone told us how dangerous it can be and that it is not a good idea to do it ourselves. Gravity was back then the best-rated but also the most expensive tour operator to do this. - But my friend Britta and I were sure that this is a tour where you can´t decide on the price 😅
I mean how can´t you take them after talking to them and see what they stand for:
Why ride with Gravity:
Since 1998 we have been rip-roaring, hoot-hollerin, and loving the amazing trails that only the Andes can provide. Taking over 100,000 riders on once-in-a-lifetime, two-wheeled pleasure bombs, in the incredible Andes. We’re talking about the ancient birthplace of the Incas, 3000M+ (11,000 ft+) descents, glacier, jungle (in that order), outta this world and off-the-beaten-path cultural experiences, bragging rights, bring a pen cause we’ve got some bucket list lines to cross out kind of adventures.
We take your safety seriously and our attention to detail shines through in the incredible service we provide every rider. We have been featured in thousands of independent reviews, blogs, newspapers, television shows, and more as the best and safest option for a 2 wheeled adventure in Bolivia and all of South America. And only gravity has been recommended since 1998 in all major guidebooks. We are also dedicated to the communities we work in, are a certified carbon-zero company, and work with Senda Verde Animal Refuge, so have the time of your life and feel good about it!
So right on the spot we booked the tour, filled out all the forms, and tried on the clothes, so they could know which helmet, gloves, jacket, and pants size we would need for the ride.
They also let us try on T-shirts and promised we would get one once we survived the ride as a personal souvenir! I have to admit I still have mine after 7 years! And it's great 😂
So after all these things were done, we walked out of the office pretty confident that that would be a great adventure! we had booked with cool /responsible guys, who are looking out for a group, that values the country and its culture, is sustainable, and has great values.
The days passed, and then it was time! They picked us up very early in the morning, and we boarded a small bus to drive to the starting point. Of course, other people were also picked up, as we were a group. I slept a bit and then was too nervous to sleep more.
We had a great English-speaking guide from Scotland. Once the whole group was onboarded he started giving us information about the day.
He told us that the dramatic and scenic “World´s Most Dangerous Road,” locally known as “The Death Road”, “Camino de la Muerte” or “Yungas Road” is a must-do adventure activity in South America and congratulated us on the decision to be here today! 😎
The road is around 80 kilometers long and leads from the Bolivian city of La Paz to Caranavi in the northeast, in the Yungas region. Built between 1931 and 1936, the Yungas Road, open as a two-lane road until December 2007, was considered the most dangerous road in the world due to many accidents.
From La Paz, at 3600 m, the road first climbs up to the La Cumbre Pass at 4670 m and then descends to about 1200 m in Coroico. It winds in many serpentines over steep mountain slopes and makes a rapid transition from the cold semi-arid to arid Altiplano to the warm, humid rainforest of the Yungas, crossing almost all of South America's climatic zones.
Of course, we only wanted to ride the "easy" part of the road, which means downhill haha - so we drove all the way from La Paz to La Cumbre with the bus and started off there.
The plan and facts for the whole day he gave us were:
• We would ride the world-famous Death Road by bike(the World’s Most Dangerous Road)!
• There we would see an incredible scenic variety and a spectacular loss of altitude of more than 3,600m
• climate range is from the snow-covered high-altitude mountains down to the steaming Amazonian Jungle.
• In total we had 64 km (40 miles) of downhill riding ahead with only a few small uphills and a couple of flat bits!
• After the ride we would relax at La Senda Verde Animal Refuge, featuring rescued monkeys, parrots, and much more.
• On our side THE company with the best safety record in Bolivia and the best bikes in Bolivia
Here you can check out Gravity's YouTube video talking about the adventure ahead of us:
1. La Cumbre
During our bus ride, our guide gave us not only information about what was lying in front of us but also our equipment. That means we got our extra jacket, pants, helmet, and gloves for the ride. Once we arrived at our first stop we understood also why we would need such warm clothes.. here we were at 4.470 meters altitude and there was even some snow at the lagoon next to us.
The bikes were taken down from the roof and the guide made sure that they were all in good shape, breaks were working and we had the right size of the seat for us.
Some of us took the chance to walk around or go to the toilet before the start. Of course, there were other companies there with their groups already.
Before we started riding the bikes our guide gave us a bottle of alcohol to bless our bikes. That is a ritual that the locals do, so they also included it for us on the trip. We had to put some on our bike, the wheels, the breaks and then take a sip as well for us 😜
Once we were all set and ready it got serious and we started riding the bikes to get a first feeling for it. At this point, the streets are still paved and in relatively good shape. Just as our guide told us, we made sure to have enough space from one to the other and not ride next to each other, gave a signal when overtaking, and tried out the breaks, etc.
He told us also to get a feeling about who is driving how fast, to decide at the next stop about a new order of the group. Most of us were experienced in Mountain biking. I mean for me it was normal to drive a bike in the mountains as I had been growing up in the Alps. But I could see really fast, that for some that was not the case. We had some people from Brazil and Mexico who had never been on a mountain bike before.
I guess especially for them this part of the road is super important to get a good feeling for the bike.
2. El Sapo
After the first about 15 minutes of driving through the very amazing and surreal landscape, our guide went to the side and gave us the sign to stop as well. So we stopped and waited for everyone to arrive. There we also learned that he would do that before every change of route to make sure we knew what was coming and how to deal with it to make it through safely.
Also at every stop, he told us some facts, stories, and legends about the spot, cultural and historical wise.
In the next part, we would go downhill passing by a bigger rock and for the first time really along the edge, we also had a small part of gravel road. He told us to try out our breaks there and learn about the reaction of the bike to the different road surfaces. He told us be careful not to break too much as we could fall. The second guide would be waiting for us taking pictures of us while we were driving by.
With that instruction done, we jumped on our bikes again and started driving, looking forward to that first try.
As you can see one of the first guys didn´t use his breaks well. He fell right away and some others right behind him crashed into him, even though they had taken distance. I was lucky enough to go around with good reflexes but 2 of the others got a little bit hurt.
Of course, our guide was with them very fast and checked if they were ok. Nobody was hurt badly, but one girl who had already been nervous from the beginning was too nervous to go on now. She decided to go back to the bus and enjoy the view from there for the rest of the day. - The bus was always following us.
With that lesson in our heads, we knew how fast it can happen and how important it is to keep distance and follow the rules. I was happy to go down with Gravity, as I could see the other groups from other companies weren't following those rules - and I guess didn´t even know about them.
The view was already stunning. Riding in the middle of the Andes was so much fun! - I loved having the cold wind in my face, racing mostly downhill with not much effort really, and enjoying the view. We took a group picture at that spot and then went on.
3. La Rinconada
The next part was sooo much fun as well. We were still going on asphalted streets. There were only a few potholes we had to look out for. But most of the time it was looong roads mostly downhill, in good shape, and not a lot of traffic. There were only a few trucks going pretty slow that we had to overtake, but our guide had told us what to look for, so we were pretty confident and enjoyed it a lot.
We were going super fast and the wind was blowing in our face. It was good that we had the jacket and the extra pants on, and even a scarf. We felt very safe with that equipment and the bike was reacting super fast. Since our start in La Cumbre, we had already almost passed 20km when we arrived on the next stop. The last part was going through some villages. Here it was not that steep anymore and we had to bike a little bit making an effort 😅
We stopped at one of the villages and made a break. We had some snacks, and drinks and went to the toilet once again. After this first section, the bikes were loaded onto the minivan again and we drove a few minutes. This is probably because two tourists had a fatal accident on this part a few years ago and the section has been closed to mountain bikers since then. - At least that was what our guide told us, while the driver played a playlist including songs like Highway to hell, bicycle etc. to get into the mood for the real Death Road 😂😎 - it felt like now the serious part would begin, and I started to get nervous and excited.
4. Start of the World's Most Dangerous Road
When we arrived at the entrance of the road, we jumped out of the van and had a look. The weather had already changed a lot compared to La Cumbre. We only had another 40 km ahead of us. I took away my scarf and the hoodie below my jacket. This was almost cloud forest - very foggy but humid. - Still, it was a good idea to keep the long cloth on ontop of the shirt and shorts, just in case we fell at the gravel street.
Our guide informed us about the danger of this road and gave us instructions on how to behave while driving it, while the other guide helped the van driver to put down all of our bikes.
The old single-lane road mostly runs along steep slopes, mostly without guard rails, and rain and fog as well as muddy, boggy ground often result in poor road conditions with poor visibility. Rockfalls or landslides due to erosion can be expected at any time.
Of course, back in the day the high volume of traffic on the road also contributed to the danger: heavy goods traffic with over-wide vehicles in particular caused problems, the weight of which also led to road damage. After a new route was opened in 2007, traffic is way less on the old Yungas Road. We were very glad to hear that today mountain bikers and the accompanying vans of the tour providers were predominant.
Also very important to know is that a local traffic rule stipulates left-hand traffic on Yungas Street, unlike Bolivian right-hand traffic, so that drivers sitting on the left can better see the edge of the road in the event of a vehicle encounter; a misjudgment would have fatal consequences.
Also biking on the left, it would be faster and easier to see when a car or else comes uphill and also easier to avoid an accident. - Of course, it's way more spooky to drive along the edge. We would keep our order and distance from each other. It was not allowed to do any races and we would only overtake when necessary, giving a sign while doing it.
We jumped on the bikes and started the first few curves. We were down the street that we had seen from above in no time. The guide stopped there again and waited for us. Once we were all there he made sure we all were fine with the gravel road and then he told us what the next curves would look like and what would be the best to take them well.
I am not gonna lie. The street was wide enough to not feel like really riding on the edge, but it was very steep and the gravel was not easy to handle. If you would break on the wrong parts you would fall right away. So I had to be very concentrated and choose my moves wisely. Not that easy not getting too fast while breaking only on the right spots.
It was a big help that we took a break every 15-20 minutes to get info about the next part of the road and how to react to it. Of course, as it still is THE DEATHROAD, our guide told us how many people had died in what occasion in what part, to keep the adrenaline and respect high.
5. Martyrs
After a while, we arrived at a spot where many accidents had taken place. Our guide told us that from here on it would get even more dangerous as the curves are longer, the road gets more narrow, and it´s even steeper than before.
An accident on July 24, 1983, in which a bus skidded, fell into a ravine, and killed all 100 passengers, is considered Bolivia's worst traffic accident. According to one estimate, two vehicles crashed every month until 2007 and 200 to 300 travelers died on the route every year. Numerous crosses on the side of the road mark the accident sites.
Here is one of the highest points and you can look down over the edge. A good place to take some pictures.
Soon I am gonna tell you all about the second part of the road. Peakd is already telling me to slow down because of the many pictures 😅, so I decided to do two parts of this post.
Feel free to check out the first video as well to see what kind of instructions we got and which histories we´ve heard from our guide:
I hope you liked it, stay tuned for more,
Cheers,
Liz