Biking down the Death Road – Bolivia Trip 2012 (With video)

One of the most famous things for tourists to do in Bolivia is taking a mountain bike down the old highway from La Paz to Coroico. A couple years ago, it was the only road down to Coroico, but after countless tragedies due to its narrow width and at times 600 meter almost vertical drop to the valley bottom A US group lent the money necessary to construct a large, much safer route. This has eased up a lot of traffic and allowed the tourism to take off for thrill seekers.

Most tours start at La Cumbre (The summit) of the mountain pass (4700 meters or just under 16 000 feet), where you speed down the actively used highway dodging cars and buses (and hoping they dodge you).  The views are spectacular in this part with towering mountains all around  (over 5000 meters), old stone walled homesteads and the occasional waterfall.

After a quick break and opportunity to pay your entrance fee (b$25 or $3.50 US) for road maintenance you jump back in the bus for a short uphill drive before heading off into the death road itself.

The death road, or “The World’s most dangerous road” isn’t as dangerous for bicycles as it was/is for cars… but it is still not something to take lightly. There have been 18 deaths of cyclists on the road since 1995, and the day before we headed down, a 2012 4×4 had gone over the edge trying to pass in relatively dry conditions. A quick search for “Bolivia death road” on youtube is not recommended for the faint of heart as countless results come back of car accidents along the road.

There are a number of companies going down the road, including B-side Adventures the company I went with a few weeks ago. They charge anywhere from $60 to $100 depending on the company, but you get what you pay for. I saw a cheaper group heading down with only basic helmets and old school bikes. In contrast the more expensive ones include full face helmets, knee and elbow pads, full suspension and disc brakes, and b-side takes both photos and videos (low res) of the event which it offers free of charge to its clients. Oh and pretty much all companies offer a shirt to those who complete the trip. It’s a good idea to check Lonely Planet’s guide as it will give you a good idea of who to check out.

A couple things to ask the companies are if the bikes are full or front suspension, disc or standard brakes, if pads are included, if the helmets are full or partial, do they take photos and provide them after the fact? oh and possibly most importantly do they bring extra bikes or tubes in case there are problems. I really like b-side, except for the fact that they didn’t provide extra bikes. I was fine, but 1 other person got a flat (which they fixed) and another had his pedals freeze up. The guides did switch bikes, but it would have been a downer for me for sure! I did send them an email with my suggestions which they graciously received. We’ll have to see if they implement my suggestions.

If you’re a thrill seeker and know how to pedal a bike you should definitely consider this trip if you’re in the country.

I took over an hour of video going down the road, but condensed it down into this less than 7 minute clip for those who want a taste of the trip!