Death Road in Bolivia. August 16th, 2012
I often saw mention of this road in Bolivia, saw photographs, but for some reason it seemed to me that everything there was a little embellished for the sake of tourism and promotion of the place. They say the devil is not as scary as he is painted. However, after watching the video (below the cut), I’ll probably take my words back. This is how it should be, out of the blue in the 21st century...
On this stretch of about 70 kilometers, connecting La Paz and Coroico, more than 25 cars crash every year, killing 100-200 people. According to some sources, the road was built in the 1930s by Paraguayan prisoners. Others say that an American construction company worked here in the 70s.
The road descends from a height of 3.6 thousand meters to 330 meters above sea level. There are very steep slopes and slippery and muddy surfaces. In some places on this winding and extremely narrow “road” it is impossible for two cars to pass each other - you need to stop, go forward, sort it out and negotiate.
By the way, one of the local road rules requires the driver of a car going downhill to stay on the outer edge of the road, and vehicles going uphill always have priority right of way. In some places, even one truck fits miraculously, despite the fact that trucks and buses are the main transport on the “Road of Death.”
But that's not all. While traveling along this “highway”, drivers have to deal with not the most favorable weather conditions: the cool plateau of the Andes with average monthly temperatures from 6 to 11 degrees Celsius gives way to the humid jungle of the Amazon. The road here is not only narrow, but also very, very slippery. Only the first 20 kilometers of the road are covered with asphalt, the rest is mud and clay. And don’t forget that Bolivia’s car fleet consists of very old and worn-out cars with worn out tires.
Often, due to thick fog, the road can only be seen a few meters ahead. And then you need to move very slowly and carefully. Not only to avoid colliding with oncoming traffic, but because of tropical downpours, landslides often occur, and a piece of the road can simply be washed away. This is the recipe for mortal fear.
The road received its name relatively recently, in December 1999, when a car carrying eight Israeli tourists fell into the abyss. But this is not the loudest accident on this route. On July 24, 1983, a bus carrying more than a hundred passengers fell into the canyon here - to date this is the worst accident in the history of Bolivia. Local residents, if they have to travel through the “road of death,” pray to get there alive. After all, if something happened, it would take more than an hour to get to the nearest hospital. Along the same road, by the way.
However, North Yungas Road is one of the few routes connecting northern Bolivia with the capital, so its operation does not stop, no matter what. Since the early 1990s, the road's deadly dangers have made it a popular tourist attraction.
Many people come here to raise the level of adrenaline in their blood by going down it on an SUV or mountain bike, reaching speeds of up to 80 km/h in some sections. Not everyone returns. But those who managed to travel along it and survive compare this route with conquering Everest. And ordinary Bolivians continue to “conquer” this road every day.
this is how the blogger describes it 097mcn my journey along this road...
I read about the Bolivian Death Road on the Internet a few years ago. I really wanted to go there, but Bolivia was so far away that I didn’t even think about it at the time. But then suddenly this whole trip to South America happened and... why not?
Although initially, of course, this road was not in our plans. There were other, more interesting things to do. But then suddenly Aerosur had a flight cancellation, as a result of which the entire travel plan that had already been drawn up had to be redrawn from scratch. It turned out that in La Paz we had an extra day that needed to be spent on something. Well, here AA and I had no other options - of course, the Road of Death! But the irresponsible SS preferred to fly by plane to Sucre - the city on the UNESCO list turned out to be more valuable to him than playing sports among exotic nature :)
The tour cost us $37 per person; we bought it the day before at the first travel agency we came across on Sagarnaga Street. We were told that we had to be at the organizers' office at 7 o'clock in the morning. It was February 28, the last day of winter in Estonian time, and the last day of summer in South American time.
So, in the morning we were there. To begin with, we were fed breakfast and then given sports equipment. We were seriously equipped - a tracksuit, a helmet, gloves, as well as knee and elbow pads. Yeah, if anything, falling won’t hurt so much :)
Then we got into minibuses and drove off. The bicycles were already on the roof. For some time we circled the narrow streets of La Paz, and then the road went up. This time we did not go through El Alto, but through some other suburb. The road went up and up until we finally reached the highest point of the route - La Cumbre Pass. Height - 4650 meters.
We stopped here and the guides gave us bicycles. They told us to leave our things on the buses. They specifically stipulated that there would be no cameras or video cameras. Well, maybe a small soap dish is OK. "We're doing a bike tour, not a photography tour." I somehow didn't like it. At first I wanted to hang my Nikon around my neck and hide it under my jacket, but it ended up with the jacket’s zipper coming apart. This is disgusting... I had to limit myself to a backup point-and-shoot camera, purchased before the trip specifically for such cases.
Andrei Andreich also decided to stick a video camera, but since he could not resist and began filming with it right here, he immediately aroused the displeasure of the guides. They almost took him off the road, but he somehow managed to persuade them by promising not to take him off while he was running. But the guides probably have good reason to worry, there have probably already been cases when people took out their cameras, were distracted from the road and flew into the abyss :)
So, the Northern Las Yungas Road, the same “road of death” from La Paz to Coroico, photographs of which at one time “blew up the Internet” ;) A few years ago, this was the only road connecting the capital of Bolivia with its low-lying areas in the tropical Selva. Trucks and buses drove along a narrow dirt road, constantly washed away by rains and landslides. How they left there was scary to watch even in photographs. Every year there were many accidents on the road, cars fell into the abyss and people died. Finally, by 2006, a new asphalt road was launched, bypassing the most dangerous section. And now, when all transport has gone along the new road, only tourists travel along the “road of death”.
Some more interesting facts about the Las Yungas road:
- It was built in the 1930s during the Chaca War by Paraguayan prisoners of war;
- In just 64 km from La Paz to Coroico, the road descends from an altitude of 4,650 meters to an altitude of 1,200 meters, taking the traveler from the cool climate of the Altiplano to the hot climate of the rainforest;
- In some places, the depth of the abyss next to the road reaches 600 meters;
- Unlike the rest of Bolivia, on the Road of Death, traffic is on the left - this is done so that the driver has a better feel for the road and can see his wheel when passing oncoming traffic;
- On July 24, 1983, a bus fell into an abyss here, killing more than 100 people;
This is the terrible road we had to travel along.
Finally, the guides gave the start, and we rolled down. At first the road is very good, but at the same time you have to travel along with all the transport - the separation will happen later. What's hardest here is the cold. At an altitude of over 4000 meters it is so cold that your hands get terribly cold even with gloves.
But after a few kilometers the first stop. Then the road goes uphill and, to make our life easier, we were taken along with our bicycles on buses.
After a few kilometers we continue on our own again. And soon we approach a fork. Here the asphalt road goes to the left, and the Death Road itself begins on the right. The guide stopped everyone and gave the final instructions. Among other things, they explained to us that we had to continue driving on the left side of the road, these are the rules here. And if a car comes towards you, you also need to pass it on the left. And indeed, imagine that you are driving along a narrow mountain road in a car. There is an abyss on the left, the steering wheel is also on the left, which side is safer to drive on? Of course, also on the left. But you still can’t change your reflexes so quickly, so most still continue to drive on the right side, fortunately there are no oncoming cars here anyway :)
But in general, everything turned out to be far from being as terrible as expected. It might be scary on a truck, passing a bus, but on a bicycle, on an empty road, there’s nothing scary. And now, ahead of us, that same classic view opens up - the road at a high altitude goes around a forest-covered mountain.
Death Road - classic landscape
And then we ran into an unexpected obstacle. A landslide appeared on the road ahead. Just like that, part of the slope collapsed and buried the entire roadway under it! Frustrated motorcyclists stood near the collapse - there was no way they could get through :(
This little Japanese woman not only smoked, but also ended up covered in tattoos. And besides, on her shoulder one could see a scar in the form of a fascist swastika. It feels like I first got it on myself out of stupidity, and then I started traveling and realized that it’s somehow indecent to appear in public with such a tattoo :)
(They are telling me that the swastika could be a Buddhist symbol. Yes, it can. But I saw this Japanese woman up close, she doesn’t look much like a zealous Buddhist. Here on a motorcycle in a fascist helmet - I’m quite ready to believe that :))
At that moment, our greatest fear was that the organizers would decide to play it safe and cancel our entire tour. Somewhere in Europe they would probably do this. But here was South America, and the men here were no less harsh than in Chelyabinsk :) They announced to us that since the buses accompanying us could not pass, we would go further alone, and they would meet us on the other side. And what about the collapse... and what about the collapse... Take the bikes in your hands - and go!
Overcoming the collapse on the "death road"
This was the coolest moment of the whole tour. Feeling like wild extreme sports enthusiasts, we climbed over the pile of stones and moved on. Hurray, we are driving along the “road of death”, and no one has died yet! :)
And the weather here changes very often. When we left La Paz, the sun was shining, but as soon as we went deeper into the mountains, the fog descended and absolutely nothing was visible around us. At certain moments we drove along the abyss and saw only nearby bushes!
And here water flows from the mountains everywhere, you can see very beautiful waterfalls and waterfalls everywhere. Some of them pour their water right onto the road, so you had to drive right under them, trying to accelerate quickly so as not to get too wet.
And the lower we went, the damper it became around. There was water both from below and pouring from above, so everyone got wet very quickly. And then I noted that it was very good that they didn’t let me take a large camera - I had to shoot right in the rain, so my little Canon was already all wet.
What was most annoying during the tour was that as soon as you stopped and took out your camera, the guide appeared behind you and urged you on:
It's a bike tour, not a photo tour!
I just wanted to answer him - “Yes, it’s a bike tour, but not an olympic race” :)
By the end, of course, I had already gotten the hang of choosing a position so that several more people were always riding behind me. Since one of the guides rode last, urging those who were lagging behind, I managed to take the necessary shots without colliding with him :)
In general, I must say, as an experienced cyclist, I tried to ride carefully. The road went downhill all the time, and I constantly slowed down so as not to accelerate too much. Honestly, I don’t understand those who rush along such a road at breakneck speed. What if the wheel hits a rock? What if you don’t hold the steering wheel and spin? And it’s good if it’s just on the ground, but what if it’s into a rock or, even worse, into an abyss? So, why are all these races needed?
You can read how such races can end. Just take your time, the story is very long.
So, sliding down like this, and stopping every now and then to take another photo, I gradually fell behind the leading group. But as soon as the road went up at some point, years of training immediately made themselves felt. The people immediately began to run out of steam, and I quickly overtook them :)
But finally the longest section is finished. Everyone stops at a site near a roadside tavern. A light snack awaits us here. But we're still at a pretty high altitude. And there is such beauty around!
By this time we had already left the rainy zone, and the wet clothes had already dried. Even my wet feet were almost dry. But not all difficulties were over! Below us, an elongated loop of road appeared, which at its lowest point crossed a rather deep stream. The guide explained that we would start in turns so as not to create a crowd at the stream. We need to accelerate and try to jump over it without getting our feet wet.
Yeah, easy to say - without getting your feet wet. Especially when you have to ride over rocks, and the bike immediately falls into the water up to the wheel hubs, if not deeper. In general, like everyone else, I got stuck in this stream, and I had to get out of it using my feet. But then, standing on the other side, I began filming how others would cross. Almost no one could get through! It was a lot of fun! :)
Here's how this road is successfully used in the advertising business
Participants in the Ice Road Truckers series, accompanied by Canadian photographer Joey Lawrence, made a dangerous journey along the “Road of Death” (Spanish: Camino de La Muerte)
And of course the places there are fabulous...
This is what it is - the road of death!
A road is an unsafe thing in itself. But there are very dangerous roads in the world. Such as the old road in the Bolivian province of Yungas (North Yungas Road). Many consider it the most dangerous in the world. And they call it nothing more than “The Road of Death”.
On this stretch of about 70 kilometers, connecting La Paz and Coroico, more than 25 cars crash every year, killing 100-200 people. According to some sources, the road was built in the 1930s by Paraguayan prisoners. Others say that an American construction company worked here in the 70s.
The road descends from a height of 3.6 thousand meters to 330 meters above sea level. There are very steep slopes and slippery and muddy surfaces. In some places on this winding and extremely narrow “road” it is impossible for two cars to pass each other - you need to stop, go forward, sort it out and negotiate.
By the way, one of the local road rules requires the driver of a car going downhill to stay on the outer edge of the road, and vehicles going uphill always have priority right of way. In some places, even one truck fits miraculously, despite the fact that trucks and buses are the main transport on the “Road of Death.”
But that's not all. While traveling along this “highway”, drivers have to deal with not the most favorable weather conditions: the cool plateau of the Andes with average monthly temperatures from 6 to 11 degrees Celsius gives way to the humid jungle of the Amazon. The road here is not only narrow, but also very, very slippery. Only the first 20 kilometers of the route are covered with asphalt, the rest is mud and clay. And don’t forget that Bolivia’s car fleet consists of very old and worn-out cars with worn out tires.
Often, due to thick fog, the road can only be seen a few meters ahead. And then you need to move very slowly and carefully. Not only to avoid colliding with oncoming traffic - due to tropical downpours, landslides often occur, and a piece of the road can simply be washed away. This is the recipe for mortal fear.
The road received its name relatively recently, in December 1999, when a car carrying eight Israeli tourists fell into the abyss. But this is not the loudest accident on this route. On July 24, 1983, a bus with more than a hundred passengers fell into the canyon here - to date this is the worst accident in the entire history of Bolivia. Local residents, if they have to travel through the “road of death,” pray to get there alive. After all, if something happened, it would take more than an hour to get to the nearest hospital. Along the same road, by the way.
However, North Yungas Road is one of the few routes connecting northern Bolivia with the capital, so its operation does not stop, no matter what. Since the early 1990s, the road's deadly dangers have made it a popular tourist attraction.
Many people come here to raise the level of adrenaline in their blood by going down it on an SUV or mountain bike, reaching speeds of up to 80 km/h in some sections. Not everyone returns. But those who managed to travel along it and survive compare this route with conquering Everest. And ordinary Bolivians continue to “conquer” this road every day.
Meanwhile, according to rumors, the monstrous 70 kilometers in Yungas is only the second most dangerous road in the world. There is supposedly its own “Road of Death” in Bangladesh. If there really is something worse than the Bolivian “highway”, then calling it a road is meaningless. For such a road a shorter name is suitable - simply “Death”.
Hi all! This is Vladimir Raichev and I am glad to welcome you to the pages of my security blog. Remember how I talked about road safety in some of my articles? For example, in this or this article.
Most recently, I presented a video to my visitors for instructing students before the holidays. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out. In general, the topic of road safety interests me very much.
When my wife and I were on vacation in India, I noticed that Goa has very good roads and they are not repaired as often as ours. There is, of course, no traffic at all in India, I wrote about this in this article, but the roads are still very good.
But just recently I changed my mind about our roads. I just found an article that discussed the road of death in Bolivia. I was impressed and literally bit by bit, in a very condensed form, I prepared a small, small article for you. Make yourself comfortable, we're starting.
Death Road to La Paz
The most dangerous road is considered to be the one located in the Yungas province in Bolivia. This terrible road, which locals call the “road of death,” runs between the villages of La Paz and Coroico and is about 70 kilometers long.
Over the course of a year, about 200 people die here and a large number of cars crash. Horrible accidents happen every week. This road is a descent of 3.6 kilometers. The road is very dangerous due to its dirty surface with an abundance of stones and steep cliffs.
Almost everywhere the road is very narrow. In some places one passenger car can barely fit. This is despite the fact that the main transport here are trucks and large buses, which are forced to hang part of their wheel from a cliff in order to travel further.
Weather conditions also take their toll
Another enemy of local drivers is the weather. Due to the fact that the temperature rarely exceeds 10 degrees, the coating becomes very slippery. There is asphalt here only in the first kilometers of the journey. Further on the road consists of a mixture of stone, clay and swamp.
Fog is common in this area. Because of this, visibility drops to several meters and you need to move especially carefully. What frightens you is not so much a collision with an oncoming car, but the possibility of a landslide and ground collapse.
Why does the road have such a creepy name?
This road got its name after a terrible tragedy that happened in 1999. A car carrying eight Israeli tourists fell from a cliff. But the worst disaster occurred in these mountains on July 24, 1983. Then a bus carrying more than a hundred people fell into a cliff.
In Bolivia, people are already accustomed to the fact that cars on this road regularly fall into the abyss. To prove my words, I suggest you watch the video. I warn you right away that if you are an impressionable person, I highly recommend that you don’t watch it. I even forbid it.
This road is very popular among tourists. Many people try to go down it by car or bicycle, but not many pass this road completely. Local people have been driving along it for many years, but they always pray before driving.
Thank God that in our country there is currently no need to pray before traveling. But, to be honest, we probably need to start, since the usual means of preventing accidents do not work well for us.
That’s all for today, try to exclude this road from your routes if you suddenly decide to travel around South America. Subscribe to blog updates to stay up to date with news.
La Paz is the highest capital city in the world. It is located on the banks of the river of the same name, at an altitude of 3600 m above sea level, in Bolivia. The administrative center of the province of Northern Yungas, the city of Coroico, is located 56 kilometers from the city. The distance between the cities is small, but the path connecting the two settlements is world famous for its constant sad incidents. Because of its bad reputation, the road received its unspoken name - the Road of Death.
The official name of the route is the North Yungas Road. It passes through the foothills of the Andes, in extremely dangerous conditions for life. Therefore, in 1995, the Inter-American Development Bank awarded it the status of “the most dangerous road in the world.” In the world it received the name Road of Death. In 1983, a bus accident killed more than 100 passengers, and in 1994, approximately 25 vehicles fell into a cliff.
According to official data, about 300 people die here every year. Among them are drivers, passengers and fans of extreme cycling, who do not have time to brake when turning and fall into the abyss. If you drive along the road, you can see many places marked where a car or an extreme athlete crashed. However, despite its bad reputation, the Road of Death does not become deserted; on the contrary, every year the flow of tourists wanting to walk or drive along the road increases.
The Camino de las Yungas, or Road of Death, is one of the few roads connecting the Amazon forest region with the capital, La Paz. Leaving the capital, the road rises to a height of 4650 meters. Before descending to an altitude of 3600 meters, in Coroico, the path passes through mountains, rain forests and steep cliffs.
The road of death is mostly one-lane. It has no fences, and part of it runs along the edge of cliffs 600 meters high. The width is designed for one vehicle and reaches 3.2 meters.
During the rainy season, heavy fog limits visibility. Water flows from the mountains greatly erode the road, it turns into a mess of mud. In the summer, rock falls often occur here, thereby blocking the already narrow road. There is an unspoken rule among local drivers: the driver, going down, does not have the right of way, and must occupy the outer edge of the road, near the cliff. This both speeds up the descent of the vehicle and ensures the safety of the driver going up.
Due to sad circumstances, Death Road has become a popular tourist attraction in Bolivia, since the 90s, about 25 thousand extreme sports enthusiasts, mostly cyclists, have officially visited this place. For mountain biking enthusiasts, the road has become a favorite destination. After all, on most of the road there is no need to pedal, but only rolls downwards by inertia. Many tour operators have made this place one of the main points on their travel itinerary in Bolivia.
The Death Road was built in the 1930s, during the Chaca War, between Paraguay and Bolivia. Until 2006, over the course of 20 years, part of the road was gradually modernized. Part of the road was widened from one to two lanes, and an asphalt surface was also installed. The new route has several paths, sidewalks, railings, and many features that make it significantly safer than the original route.
Currently, the road is used less for traffic, but the number of travelers and thrill-seekers on it is growing. The road of death did not escape the attention of television programs. One of the History Channel series is dedicated to the road - “The Most Dangerous Roads in the World.” A Mitsubishi Outlander commercial was filmed here. The famous BBC program Top Gear was also filmed here. In the episode about a road trip from Bolivia to the Pacific Ocean, the path lay through the most dangerous road in the world - the Northern Yungas Road.