 |
|||||||||
|
Enjoy This Site?
Then why not use the button below, to add us to your social networking site or your favorite bookmarking service? |
Yungas Road - Death RoadLa Paz Coroico Destinations Photos Climbing Tours  Español
Travel high into the Andes Mountains in Bolivia through the Yungas Road or also known as Death Road and World's Most Dangerous Road. The road earned those nicknames because it has more deaths per mile than any other road in the world. This steep and bumpy road plunges almost 2 miles in the four hours it takes to drive it or if you like adventure, try extreme mountain biking down the road. The bike ride starts an hour from La Paz, Bolivia at La Cumbre, with an elevation 15,400 feet (4,700m) above sea level and descends to 5,003 ft (1,525 m). The bike ride winds its way through the narrow roads in the high mountains of the Andes to the subtropical jungles in the Yungas that lead to the Amazon basin in Coroico. There are many tour companies that offer the bike ride down Death Road. The one that first started it and most reliable tour company is Gravity Assisted Tours. They take a group of people and provide them with a bike and other equipment needed. The price of a bike ride down Death Road ranges from $55-$75, depending on the bike you rent and other equipment that you decide to rent. The bike ride down the road is highly recommended for extreme mountain biking enthusiasts seeking thrill. During the ride down the road, bikers must maneuver by tractor trailers, buses and cars. You will also often come across narrow sections of the road that cling to the mountainside as it winds through dramatic, breathtaking scenery and twisting between waterfalls and rocky overhangs. Thousands of bikers from around the world come to "Death Road" each year for a ride of their life. About Death RoadYungas roadearned its reputation because it has the highest death toll per year than any other road in the world. At least 25 vehicles fall off the road per year and more than 100 people per year lose their lives on the Yungas Road in Bolivia. The Yungas road was built by prisoners during Bolivia's 1932-1935 war with Paraguay and continued many years after. It has been the only route linking northern Bolivia and the Yungas Valley to La Paz. The road is carved into the sides of the mountainside and it can have vertical drops of more than 1,500 (457m) feet just off the road and it has no guardrails. The two-way road often times no wider than a single car, has blind corners and hairpin turns. It has been the only route from the farmlands of the Yungas Valley up to the capital in La Paz. There has been a staggering death toll: in one year 300 people died in cars, bus loads of people and trucks have plunged over the sheer cliff sides. Locals refer the road as El Camino de la Muerte (Death Road). One of the local road rules is that the downhill driver never has the right of way and must move to the outer edge of the road. This forces fast vehicles to stop so that passing can be done safely. Also, vehicles drive on the left, as opposed to the right like the rest of Bolivia. The reason vehicles drive on the left side is because all of the vehicles have their steering wheel on the left-hand side. The road is so narrow that the driver has to be able to stick his head out the window to make sure the wheels are on the road, making passing safer. After years of construction, a brand new section of road opened in 2006, giving vehicles a safer bypass around the most dangerous section of the road. Now you'll mostly find mountain bikers going down the most dangerous section of the road, however, you'll still find the occasional vehicle risking it and continue to take the old section of road.
Yungas Road Photos - Next Page Have A Story About Your Ride Down Death Road?Tell everyone your story about the bike ride down the world's most dangerous road. What was the experience like? Did you have any close calls? Have any good photos? Whatever it is, tell us!
The Real Story What is the real story? Is this road really as scary and dangerous as they say? Is it the only way to get to Coroico? NEWS - 'Death Road' claims U.S. mountain biker - Sad Story LA PAZ, Bolivia: A U.S. tourist killed in a Bolivian mountain-biking accident was a casualty of what is quickly becoming one of the country's leading tourist ... Entrance Fee Into Coroico For Bikers of Death Road The Municipality of Coroico recently introduced a small entrance fee into Coroico, currently 25 bolivianos ($3.50) for bikers riding Death Road to Coroico....
|
||||||||
