The Death Road
In Bolivia there exists what is known as "the most dangerous road in the world". For decades this was the main road from the capital, La Paz, to the north and into the jungle. Apparently it was built by Paraguayan prisoners of war who didn´t really care about how good the road was. And for years, about 200-300 people died per year on this road. This road is essentially a one-lane road that was used as a two-lane road. It´s a dirt and rocks road that clings precariously to the mountainside with tons of blind curves and with sheer drop offs of 500 to 1000 meters, and with almost no guardrails to speak of. Lore has it that truck drivers would be so scared to drive through the thick fog that they would stop on the road, only for another car or truck to hit them or for a landslide to drop them off the cliff. Also, instead of having both hands on the wheel, the drivers would often make the sign of the cross to protect themselves, only to lose control and careen over the cliff (ironic, eh?).
Well, finally, in the last two years or so, they have opened the new modern road which has now made the "death road" redundant and it has now been taken over by mountain bike adventurers. Karen and I were very keen to check this "death road" out. Now that the cars and trucks have mostly abandoned it (some local traffic still uses it), it´s actually not too bad. But while cycling down it you can look over the cliff side for hundreds of meters, so it still packs a significant thrill factor. And the best part is that it´s over 90% downhill, as you go from about 4000 meters above sea level to about 1200 meters above sea level.
After riding it, I have to say that it´s reputation as "the most dangerous road in the world" is probably well deserved (or was, at least). But I also have to say that I would also call it "the prettiest road in the world" as the scenery is just absolutely fantastic from start to finish. It´s a good thing we were travelling in a group, because otherwise I probably would have stopped every 10 meters to take pictures of the breathtaking scenery. Simply amazing views.
I´m a bit annoyed because the BBC website had a fantastic article on this road featured just last November. I tried to find it but it has now disappeared off the website (strangely the first paragraph shows up but not the rest of it). If it reappears, I´ll try to remember to post a link to it.
Here´s Karen at the start of our trip (in the cold mountain tops).
And here are just a few of some of the amazing views.
Although there´s a decent amount of cyclists on the road now, while cycling it was almost never crowded. Here´s another group taking a break on the roadside.
And here´s Karen powering her way up the top of one of the small uphills we had to do.
The first part of the trip was actually on the newly paved road before we hit the dirt and rocks "death road" proper. When we first hit the top of the death road, it was shrouded in a thick fog, which got us a bit worried. Fortunately it lifted quickly after just a small descent.
And then it opened up into some more spectacular vistas.
On some parts we had to pedal through some small streams, which was quite fun as well.
At the bottom we got to take some nice showers and enjoy the pool at a hotel before heading back to La Paz. Frankly, the ride back to La Paz, even though it´s on the new road, was 10 times scarier than the ride down the death road on a bike. By evening, the thick fog had rolled back in, allowing the driver to only see about 25 feet in front of him. Scary stuff. The ride back, though, did provide us with one of the prettiest nighttime scenes we have ever seen, as we rose above the fog and saw the fog-enshrouded valley bathed by the light of a full moon. Indescribable beauty.
All in all, it was a fantastic day and well worth the price. We also got to try out full-suspension bikes for the first time, so the ride wasn´t as painful on the hard road as we thought it might be. The ride itself is not too scary while still giving you the sense of what drivers on this road must have gone through for decades. An unforgettable experience.
Well, finally, in the last two years or so, they have opened the new modern road which has now made the "death road" redundant and it has now been taken over by mountain bike adventurers. Karen and I were very keen to check this "death road" out. Now that the cars and trucks have mostly abandoned it (some local traffic still uses it), it´s actually not too bad. But while cycling down it you can look over the cliff side for hundreds of meters, so it still packs a significant thrill factor. And the best part is that it´s over 90% downhill, as you go from about 4000 meters above sea level to about 1200 meters above sea level.
After riding it, I have to say that it´s reputation as "the most dangerous road in the world" is probably well deserved (or was, at least). But I also have to say that I would also call it "the prettiest road in the world" as the scenery is just absolutely fantastic from start to finish. It´s a good thing we were travelling in a group, because otherwise I probably would have stopped every 10 meters to take pictures of the breathtaking scenery. Simply amazing views.
I´m a bit annoyed because the BBC website had a fantastic article on this road featured just last November. I tried to find it but it has now disappeared off the website (strangely the first paragraph shows up but not the rest of it). If it reappears, I´ll try to remember to post a link to it.
Here´s Karen at the start of our trip (in the cold mountain tops).
And here are just a few of some of the amazing views.
Although there´s a decent amount of cyclists on the road now, while cycling it was almost never crowded. Here´s another group taking a break on the roadside.
And here´s Karen powering her way up the top of one of the small uphills we had to do.
The first part of the trip was actually on the newly paved road before we hit the dirt and rocks "death road" proper. When we first hit the top of the death road, it was shrouded in a thick fog, which got us a bit worried. Fortunately it lifted quickly after just a small descent.
And then it opened up into some more spectacular vistas.
On some parts we had to pedal through some small streams, which was quite fun as well.
At the bottom we got to take some nice showers and enjoy the pool at a hotel before heading back to La Paz. Frankly, the ride back to La Paz, even though it´s on the new road, was 10 times scarier than the ride down the death road on a bike. By evening, the thick fog had rolled back in, allowing the driver to only see about 25 feet in front of him. Scary stuff. The ride back, though, did provide us with one of the prettiest nighttime scenes we have ever seen, as we rose above the fog and saw the fog-enshrouded valley bathed by the light of a full moon. Indescribable beauty.
All in all, it was a fantastic day and well worth the price. We also got to try out full-suspension bikes for the first time, so the ride wasn´t as painful on the hard road as we thought it might be. The ride itself is not too scary while still giving you the sense of what drivers on this road must have gone through for decades. An unforgettable experience.
posted by Kevin at 5/19/2007 11:29:00 PM
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