Discover Bolivia and its most popular adventure travel tour. Learn how to safely tackle mountain biking down the world’s most dangerous “Death Road.”
Looking for thrill seeking adventure travel in Bolivia? How about tackling a 64 km/40 mile descent of more than 3,600m/11,800 feet on a mountain bike, a ride that is fast becoming a must-do on the list of every backpacker visiting South America?
Despite the fact that an Israeli woman recently added to the list of 17 or 18 (the exact number is not known) cyclists who have died attempting the descent, thousands of people book this extreme sports trip in Bolivia every year. This article offers advice on how to mountain bike down Death Road safely and live to tell the tale.
Cycle Routes in Bolivia –World’s Most Dangerous Road
The cycle route descent along Bolivia’s Death Road, dubbed the world’s most dangerous road takes up to 5 hours and starts at a breathlessly high altitude of 4,700m/15,400 feet at La Cumbre, an hour’s drive from La Paz. The initial twisting asphalt road surrounded by awesome snow-covered peaks gives way in the jungle to the infamous single lane dirt track where most accidents are likely to occur.
The most dangerous part of the descent through the jungle has sheer drops up to 1,000m/3,300 feet and, although an alternative new road built in 2007 has taken most trucks and cars away, leaving cyclists free to hurtle downhill, the extra space can actually make it more perilous for over-enthusiastic riders who often lose control on tight bends.
Those that make it through the jungle section in one piece finish the hot and dusty ride at 1,100m/3,600 feet Yolosa village with a big grin on their faces.
Downhill Biking in Bolivia on Death Road
Foreigners cannot simply hire a bike and go downhill mountain biking on Death Road without a guide so the safest way to get down in one piece is to use an experienced adventure travel company like Gravity Bolivia for tourist cycle rides down the infamous road.
Their fully guided trips are suitable for “confident beginners and experts of average fitness and above” and they take care to kit riders out with appropriate safety gear (accidents will happen on a 40 mile descent), give them detailed instruction and supervision throughout the ride and, perhaps most importantly, have a fully equipped support vehicle to scoop up any injured participants or riders who are stiff and exhausted from gripping the brakes for so long.
The route is best avoided in heavy rain due to the higher risk of accidents from mud-slides although Gravity Bolivia do offer a “masochists-only” tour with additional wet weather gear for those who simply have to tick the world’s most dangerous road off their to-do list.
Extreme Sports Insurance
Those who want to ride a mountain bike on Death Road are required to get extreme sports insurance. This must include coverage for medical and personal accident risks, and most critically, coverage for repatriation and ambulance transportation, just in case.
It is important to note that, owing to the high altitude, wounded customers cannot be evacuated by helicopter since the air is too thin; this adds to the risk level.
There are specialist insurance policies available to cover year long backpacking trips but not all policies include cover for potentially dangerous activities like downhill biking, bungee jumping or heli-biking so check the policy wording carefully and take out additional insurance if thrill-seeking activities are a must on a list of things to do.
Downhill Mountain Biking
Take the downhill mountain biking trip of a lifetime and ride the world’s most dangerous road from mountain to small Bolivian village. Just remember to use an experienced adventure travel company like Gravity for maximum safety and take out some extreme sports insurance for unforeseen accidents.
