As described poorly in my other post on Death Road, I was stupid enough to travel down this thing three times in total. Once heading to jungle from La Paz via bus, once returning to La Paz via bus, and once on a mountain-bike. My decision to risk this route three-times notwithstanding, I have to say - seeing it via bike is easily the most enjoyable way to experience Death Road.

understand

Properly called “Yungas Road” the Death Road is a thoroughfare between the Bolivian capital of La Paz to the town of Coroico. This snaking, highly dangerous jungle path winds through rainforest, snowcapped peaks, and local villages, and descends several thousand metres. However, the road is very, very dangerous, with Bolivian government reports suggesting about 300 people losing their lives on this treacherous route each year. The majority of these are from bus and car crashes. As you’ll find when on the road, The Death Road is only as wide as a single vehicle in most points, and for the most part, the road snakes alongside huge cliffs without guardrail or any means of stopping vehicles - as such, countless vehicles plunge from the road every year.

One of the more popular backpacking activities in La Paz is to join an organized mountain bike tour down Death Road. it was certainly one of the activities I was most looking forward to when arrived in La Paz. despite knowing all of the dangers, seeing several hair-raising photographs, and hearing a few intense stories from other travelers about how risky it was, I was determined to shoot down Death Road on a bike. Why? Because it sounded fun. Really, really fun.

Several companies run mountain bike tours that will do death Road by bike, and as mentioned above, it is well worth your time (and life) to find a reputable company and guide. the companies that kept getting recommended to me were Barracuda biking, Gravity Bolivia, Altitude Adventures, and Vertigo Biking, all of which employ bilingual local guides skilled in first aid and mountain and rope rescue, and well maintained bikes with brakes and suspension.

WHAT TO EXPECT

When biking down Death Road, you can safely expect to be scared, exhilarated, and very sweaty, all at once. while everyone’s experience biking death Road is likely to be different, it’s safe to say that the way down goes for about 62 km’s, descends from cloud forest into rainforest, and will involve you cycling first on large roads, and later on thin, snaking jungle paths. While most of the trip feels fairly safe, there are definitely some extremely treacherous corners, and the road is in poor shape - so traction is fairly poor riding down, especially in the middle sections. you can safely expect to ride past teetering cliff sides, through small waterfalls, and up a few tough hills. Definitely pack plenty of water, bring some swim-wear (for the end), and prepare for the ride of your life.

GENERAL ADVICE

1. Don’t attempt the trip unless competent on a bike

2. Don’t attempt the trip if terrified of heights

3. Book with a reputable company (I’d recommend Barracuda Biking)

4. Don’t try and do the tour on your own

5. Take the route really, really slowly.

6. Keep your eyes on the road at all times whilst riding.

7. Don’t try and take a selfie whilst riding (a backpacker died doing this in 2013.)

8. Stay behind your guide at all times

my experience

I opted to book with Barracuda Biking, mainly based upon the advice of other backpackers, and due to the fact that they had a functioning website. Booking the tour was easy - I just walked to their office at #971 Linares St. in central La Paz and booked a tour for the following day. I’d recommend booking in person this way - however, if you’d like to get in contact, they can be reached at info@barracudabiking.com.

I was picked up the following morning from my hostel at about 8 am. Filled with other thrill seekers and fools alike, we were driven to the top of the hillside that overlooks La Paz, where the start of the Death Road begins. The views from up here were truly extraordinary - I could see all along the thing ridge-line of the Andes, and was able to see for huge distances across the sprawling, mist-coloured rainforest below. the guide we had was awesome - he was young, multi-lingual, and really easy-going - he didn’t push anyone to race, or go beyond their comfort zone.

The start of the trip down was probably the most exciting. The route begins with several km’s downhill on smooth tarmac - you’ll carve around some really lovely corners, twisting down the hill, and probably reaching the fastest speeds you’ll hit all day. this part was really fun, and felt pretty safe. the roads were largely empty but for mountain-bikes. After descending a ways, we then hit Death Road proper, which is marked by the road transforming into the thin, snaking jungle path that causes so much carnage. this is when things started to get slightly scarier - with each turn we were faced with perilous falls over cliffsides, and the road itself turned to mud, gravel and dirt. However, as we descended, no longer able to see snow-capped Andean mountains, we were afforded amazing vantages over the hot amazon rainforest below. despite the terrifying viewpoint of hurtling downhill on a mountain bike, the views were outstanding. However, they were made sobering due to the presence of crosses on the roadside, and the occasional sight of a crushed bus down below - victim to the dangerous road.

One of the really awesome things about the trip down, aside from how exciting and terrifying it is, is the constantly changing climate. along with the transforming scenery, I felt the air start to grow hot, the smell of the rainforest fill my nostrils, and could hear the sound or chirping birds, all within the space of half-an-hour. During this latter half of the journey, we were actually forced to use the pedals, with some of the terrain turning to short uphill climbs and lengthy periods of flat. Despite the slight taxing nature of this, it was here that I was really able to appreciate how glorious the view was becoming as we descended deeper into the rainforest. In this final few km’s, the route became less dangerous, with far fewer blind corners, and significantly fewer teetering cliffsides. The final stage of the journey was a fairly leisurely coast down a hill-side into the town of Yolosa. Here, we were treated to a lunch, a beer, and the chance to swim in the local river, merciful, given how sweaty we all were. Afterwards, we were driven back into La Paz, all unscathed, and glowing from the experience.

All in all, the trip down Death Road by mountain-bike was considerably more enjoyable than by bus. there were very few times on the tour that I felt unsafe, and for the most part, the experience was extremely fun, and one that I’d encourage anyone game enough to do.

Any questions about charging down Death road on a bike or otherwise? Fire away in the comments below!