We cycled 60km downhill on the Death Road and we survived! “El camino de la muerte” is gravel 2 meters wide road (at best) in the mountains behind La Paz. The road is very lacy, starts at 4.000m and ends at 2.300m above sea level. It is on one of the most dangerous and deadly roads that exist and is famous for the steep cliff, with no protection of barrier whatsoever to prevent from falling down 400m into the void.
This road provoked hundreds of accidents when it used to be driven by cars, both ways! Cars and buses used to fall over the cliff when crossing each other or trying to overtake. Since 2007, a new asphalt road has been built in the mountain, much wider and practicable for cars. In fact we took the new road on the way back to La Paz, but even if it limits the number of accidents, the views over the cliff from the mini bus were still pretty scary…
The bike ride lasted 4 hours. We started at the top of the mountain in the cold, and ended in a warm green jungle decor. It was really impressive especially when slightly afraid of heights, but yet it was great fun and we made it safely to the end.
It is only on our way back in the bus that our guide admitted the truth: even though it has become a famous touristic attraction and many companies offer bike tours, it remains a dangerous road. Last year only, 3 people died by losing control of their bike and falling over cliff… Pretty terrifying thought…
TheLittleVoyage 
Leave a Reply