Outside My Southern Comfort Zone: “The Road of Death”

Standing on one of the cliffs of the Death Road

This past weekend I had the opportunity to do some bike riding. But this was no trip around the block; we descended down the Death Road (El Camino de la Muerte). It was a 60km trip that started in the Snow covered mountains of The Cordeal Real and descended 3000m in elevation to the lush green valleys of Coroico in the Yungas. It was an amazing trip! We started the morning having a small breakfast before gathering all the gear we needed that would hopefully keep us safe. We then loaded in a bus and headed up to the starting point. Once there, we put on our equipment and checked out our bikes to make sure they were good. Next, we hopped on our bikes and started making our way down. The first part of the road is paved and winds down through the valleys between the mountains. With the assist of gravity, we reached some very high speeds. I had never been so fast on a bike before. Hugging the curves as we went down, I think I may have reached speeds of 40 mph. I could hear the rubber of the wheels humming against the asphalt. It was amazing but pretty cold! We soon reached the checkpoint where we took a break for a snack. I had to switch out my bike because somehow the sprocket connected to the rear wheel for peddling became, well, broken…

The Journey started in the snow covered peaks

First part of the Road

Me about to hop on my bike

Flying down the Road

So with my new bike, we made our way to the beginning of the famous Death Road. It is a winding dirt road that makes its way around the edges of steep mountain cliffs as it winds down to the Yungas. You may ask how it got the name. Well, years ago it was named the World’s Most Deadliest Road because it had one of the highest death toll counts in the world. This is very evident today as you can see many cars that have fallen over the cliffs and also the many crosses that line the side of the road. As we sat at the beginning road, looking over the cliff, the fog began to clear and you could make out the road going off into the distance. It was a beautiful sight though a little terrifying. After fixing a flat and checking everyone’s brakes, we set off. This road is not paved like the other one was but consists of much dirt and many rocks. It made for a very bumpy ride. You have to pay much attention while you are riding and also watch your speed or else you might find yourself over the edge. I learned this the difficult way. No, I did not go over the edge, but I found myself a little too close a few times. Also, there are many big rocks in the middle of the road and if you are going to fast then it is hard to avoid them. I hit many, but one almost sent me over the handle bars as my back wheel came off the ground. I managed to maintain control and continue my way down the treacherous road. There are a couple points on the road where you have to pass through waterfalls that run over the edges of the cliffs above. They are very refreshing because by this time on the road things are starting to warm up.

Waiting while the flat got fixed and the breaks were tweaked on everyones bikes

As the clouds cleared out you could begin to see Death Road

Us posing by a Waterfall

Death Road

A couple hours later, which seemed a whole lot shorter, we found ourselves looking across the valley at Coroico. It was extremely hot by now and we were looking forward to finishing soon. Not to mention my rear was getting pretty sore from constantly hitting rocks and bumps. With not much road left ahead of us we slowed down a bit to enjoy the final part of the ride. We had to pass through 2 rivers that got our feet drenched but I wasn’t complaining; it felt great. Around the last couple of turns and down the last hill, we were at the finish line. It had taken us about 5 hours to go down the whole road. Before going on this trip, I thought to myself that maybe the Death Road was a little over exaggerated, but after my experience, I have a lot more respect for this road which has claimed so many lives. It was amazing time and quite an adrenaline rush. If I find myself with some spare time in the future, I may just give it another go….