Around the World there are some great attractions, iconic places where the people just love to go and experience an adventure like no other. One such place is the death road in Bolivia’s capital La Paz, ether is something awesome about the human spirit that upon encountering such a treacherous place, feels the obligation to extract all of the fun that they can out of it and Bolivia’s death road is testament to that. In order to full experience this terrifying road, you need to do it by bike, what better way to spend your vacations than staring death in the face.
Guides
Naturally, doing this alone is not a suggested idea, you should cycle this road as part of a group with a tour guide. This is one of the key attractions in La Paz and just a quick walk through the city will lead you to one of numerous tour operators who can take you up the hill, put you on two wheels and watch as you scream your way down this insane road.
Facts
It is important to be aware of the facts before you take on this adventure, first important fact is that when they call this place death road, it isn’t just because it look scary and it sounds like a quirky title, people actually die here, around 300 annually. The height of the road is 15,000ft, add to that the fact that La Paz is the highest capital city above sea level and you’ll soon realize just how high up you really are. The ride is about 40 miles long, although it won’t feel like it and it will take you around 3 hours to get to the bottom.
Why do it?
The than the sheer thrill of risking death and hurtling at high speed along a dirt track road with sheer thousand feet drops either side of it, the journey actually presents you with the finest views of the Bolivian countryside as you are likely to find. From its peak you can see right across La Paz and its surrounding villages and towns and you actually get a birds-eye of view of the birds themselves.
As you begin to ascend the road you will actually find yourself riding through clouds and past beautiful waterfalls and sloping gullies, not only will you be able to view the beautiful scenery, you will become a part of it when you glide down this infamous road.
How Dangerous is it?
Three hundred deaths a year sounds scary but many of those are from cars and lorries that fall, not that that makes things much less scary, watching out for cars overhead is just an added pressure of riding this road. Huge drops either side for the duration, the possibility of altitude sickness setting in at any time and the threat of incoming traffic makes this place well, very dangerous indeed, definitely not for the faint of heart.