Biking down the Death Road
One of the best days while travelling in Bolivia was the one when I went on a bike ride down the Yungas road, also known as the Death Road or, in Spanish, Ruta de la Muerte.
It’s called this way because quite a few people died when this road was still open to traffic. It used to be the only road between the altiplano and the Amazon basin. And it’s very narrow so some trucks and buses ended up in the valley 100 or more metres down from the road. Now it’s an attraction popular with bikers. Some of you know me as a keen biker so I couldn’t resist the temptation and not try it.
There are a lot of tour operators who offer this exciting tour. It is important to choose an operator wisely because it might be the last tour in your life if you choose a wrong one. Some operators have a bad reputation for not complying with the required safety standards. I went for Barracuda Biking and paid 500 bolivianos for the tour (approx. 70 USD or 1.800 CZK). Quite a price for a day trip. But it was totally worth it. I gave it to myself as a birthday present and it was one of the best presents I have ever had.
We started off early. It must have taken an hour or an hour a half before we reached the starting point. We were taken by a bus to an altitude of some 4700 m. It was freezing cold up there. We were given instructions, gear and a shot of supposedly 95% alcohol to pluck up the courage.
The first section, some 20km, was actually on a tarmac road with all the traffic like trucks suddenly appearing from behind sharp bends. There is no biking culture in Bolivia so drivers do not really care about you. It’s you who has to be careful.
The next section, about 35 km, was the Death Road itself, unpaved road with steep slopes on one side, waterfalls pouring down on your head, sharp bends, but with breathtaking landscape all around. At the beginning it was foggy, but then it cleared up so we could enjoy the ride.
As we were biking the temperature changed a lot. It went from freezing cold to boiling hot. The altitude difference was more than 3,5 km. We finished at 1000+ metres above sea level, somewhere where the Amazon jungle starts. The temperature was around 30 degrees. There was a pool and lunch waiting for us. It was a perfect end to a perfect adventure.
Biking down the Death Road is one of the most exciting things I have ever done. I had a blast!