Coroico Hotels
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The world s most dangerous road
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The worlds most dangerous road is a very popular MTB downhill near La Paz. The name may be not that atractive, the stories of travelers who did it and the following discription in my guide book are. So I went for it, enjoyed and, as I am writing this, even survived!
"The journey from La Paz to Coroico must be the most impressive in all Bolivia. It is an absolute must for the adrenalin junkies but a definite no-no for those of a more nervous disposition. Beginning at La Cumbre, a mountain pass above La Paz at 4700m where there is often snow the bike ride drops more than 3600m in around four hours and 64km to the sub-tropical jungle of Yolosa, below Coroico. For most of this route the road is little more than a bumpy, rocky ledge carved into the rockface of the mountains, through streams and under waterfalls and often with a sheer drop of as much as 1000m on the left hand side. Almost every turn of the road seems to be punctuated with crosses for those that have died there. Into this mix should be added Bolivian drivers who think nothing of the odd tipple or two before they set out and trucks who stop for nobody."
The alternative, by the way, was going by bus to Coroico on my way to the jungle... even more reason to do this downhill as the text in my guide book continues:
"The worrying accident rate can´t be helped by the fact that, according to Bolivian road law, the vehicle going downhill should keep to the outside of the road, closest to the drop.
If you´re travelling by bus, bear this in mind when you board in La Paz, and insist on a seat on the left for the best views. A few hours later you will regret this foolish act of bravado. The scenario is this: your driver rounds yet another bend to come face to face with yet another massive timber truck. He reverses back uphill, getting ever closer to the edge of the precipice until you look out the window and can see no part of the road, only the tops of the trees hundreds of meters below. This gets to you after a while.
Similarly, while hurtling downhill on two wheels trying not to look at the view, all your instincts will screaam at you to keep away from the edge as a mommoth truck trundles up the road toward you. To date, six people have died cycling down this road and it´s worth picking a good tour company from among the 30 or so that now offer the trip.
But the dangers of the road to Coroico are far outweighed by the trill of the journey. The views are magnificent as you descend from the snows of the Cordillera to the humid sub-tropics. Not forgetting the considerable delights of Coroico itself, of course."
  
The death road
Well, as I said, enough for me to go for it. I didn´t go with to best known agency "Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking" for financial reasons and because the other agency seemed to offer just the same. I have regretted that choice for some reasons. Safety was OK, as the bikes were very good and the guide knew what he was doing. But the clothes we got were rubbish and with only one guide for our small group of three our pace was constantly reduced by the girl in the group. The gravity group I saw passing by had two guides and so the fast and the slow can both do it on their own pace, without bothering or being bothered by the rest. So that was a little bit of a frustration in the beginning, but after passing the guide a few times (after which he would always race passed me at an even higher speed) we got a good tactic to go fast for 15mins or so and then wait for the others (for half an hour or so :-)).
  
At the start
That said, it is a realy great downhill. Starting with an hour on asphalt, followed by the real thing on a very small, bumpy dirt road. The sight was a bit less due to clouds and rain, but the thrill was enormous. And the trucks that go up indeed don´t stop or slow down for anything! But I wouldn´t call it very dangerous. At every dangerous turn there is a manual "traffic light", being a person waiving a green or a red flag to show you if the road is clear. Those manual traffic lights do this for small payments in natura that the passing cars give them.
  
Waiting, the edge and down
When we arrived down, we were completely wet to the bone, as the protective cloths we got didn´t deserve that name at all. Luckily we were inmediately transported to a hotel in Coroico, where I stayed that night. A very nice hotel with swimming pool, sauna, hammocks, a great view, ... for very little money (5 dollars). A real top day!
Latest Comments (1)
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stress (reply)
Oct 4, 2006 07:30 EST by filippyl
Voel adrenaline in't bloed enkel en alleen door de foto's. Ik ben blij voor jouw dat er ééntje van't vrouwelijk geslacht bij was om het adrenaline gevoel te helpen relativeren.
groetjes Filip
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