Ride the Death Road - La Paz / Bolivia

Participants:

Iris, age 68, retired adventurist

Ride the Death Road (La Paz / Bolivia)

known as the most dangerous road of the world

Review of the Tour

The author of this review: Iris from Austria - now retired

Many times I have checked at the Internet this ride...

Now, dreams has come true...

The Death Road, or as it is called 'the most dangerous road of the world" is the ultimate downhill ride.

People from all over the world doing this, and try to get a kick.

I did it with the support of 'Gravity Biking'. A very reliable organization, which I really can recommend.

They have experienced tour guides, who makes this ride easy and safe. Gravity Biking also provides the bike.

We had blue sky weather, with some exceptions, e.g. when crossing a waterfall, or a misty jungle area.

You should take into consideration, the start is elevated at a height of 4.700 meters, finally going down to 1.250 meters. Passing at least 3 climate zones.

The road comprises a ride on paved road, round 13 kilometers and about 47 kilometers on dirt road.

Hanging cliffs, makes the ride somehow scenic (...and dangerous).

Today, not so many bikers die per year.... The original name came by the fact, that, before the new paved road, this road has been the connecting road to go from La Paz to Santa Cruz.

Today, as the new road is completed, the old road became a mountain bike Eldorado.

The organized tour ends with a zip line event.

We found a three rope zip line - the flying fox (check out at the Internet!)

Please note: when entering the lower part of the road, just before the paved roads ends, you are passing a local police check point. It may happen that even tourists are forced to undertake a drug test. Because this area is known as one of the Coca farming area. Coca leaves has two sides: one is the Coca leave tea, which is legal and a rather good medicine to overcome height sickness symptoms. The other side is the processing the Coca leaves in jungle laboratories and traffic the final product. They say, the "shining path" organization today comprises no more than 50 people which protect the Cocaine trafficking.

Bolivia does a lot to stop Cocaine trafficking.

In the 90tees the 'shining path' organization has been comprising much more supporters (round 5000 people).

A tourist is not in danger, as they are not interested in tourists.

Nevertheless 'accidents' happens:

It is like the situation with a bear. The bear is not looking after you. But once you enter his territory and you accidentally run onto him, well it can end up deadly for the invader.

Temperature at 4.700 meters is freezing cold. Going down to the jungle makes you take out cloth layer by cloth layer...

Before you start the tour, there is a ceremony in order to remind the riders 'don't be an f-... idiot':

as you will become easily a part of the landscape...

The ceremony comprises a lip wet drink of a 90 percent tequila bottle, which is reached from one rider to the other. 'Three drops on the front wheel, three drops on the road, and finally three drops to the lips' of the rider, which means to combine all three 'elements' and make it therefore a safe ride...

See impressions from the ride at the pages below!

Enjoy the pictures. Good luck to our followers!

some more pictures:

Good by Death Road!

THANK YOU !

+