World’s most feared destinations crown Yungas Road motorway in Bolivia which is famously nicknamed as the ‘Death Road’ for its unsavory reputation in the terrible road conditions. It is also known as the World’s prime blood-thirsty road that engulfed several innocent lives and yet gaining such repute it has never lessened with its attraction among the adventure trip-lovers across the globe.
Dream destination for mountain biking enthusiasts
Mountain biking enthusiasts find Yungas as the best biking destination since it is beautified with 64 kilometers stretch of downhill riding area just only with a single uphill section. Its narrow hairpin curves, striking downhill routes, awe-striking dreadful ditches are just ready to give cold shivers at sight and horrible dreams.
Attraction leading to my experience…
If Amazon is known for its dark forest ranges and unknown fears, Yungas Road is a terrible competition for its dense ditches that are terrifying yet attractive enough to draw numerous visitors in the pretext of holidays. Its beauty has often defeated the terrifying monster of deadly ditches, which are restricted by Bolivian Government. It runs in the Bolivian Andes (70 km towards Coroico) and connects to the capital La Paz, along with the 3600m & 800m gulfs in the deep regions of Yungas in Amazonian Rain forests.
Fatal accidents at Yungas …
El Camino de la Muerte (Spanish meaning “Road of Death”): Visible reminders in this road can also make you memorize the wrecked cadavers of Lorries, trucks and bus perishing several lives with deadly accidental strokes. In this deadly valley, accidental incidents are recurring and some memorable ones are:
1) The Bus tragedy in July 1983, C. P. Inde, the tourist bus driver accidentally drove his bus to the edge killing almost 200 people at the highway.
2) The famous biker’s tragedy in 1983 took 2 lives while they were chasing the hurdles of Yungas road to win the competition.
3) In 1994, about 26 vehicles slipped from the narrow roads of Yungas Road and several were died.
Yungas (Photo credit: Attraction Voyages Pérou & Bolivie)
4) In 2006, a bus plunged off from the mountain roads killing 29 people while making road to another vehicle at its way. And many more…
Bolivian Government has typically tried their best to improve the road condition in order to respect the attraction which pulls several tourists to this place.
Best time to go
The Yungas Road is open for all but at own risk. May-July serves as best time to visit this place for security reasons as settled by the Bolivian Government.
Bragging Rights:
La Paz Bolivia: Hairpin curves and striking downhill roads are known for their attractive wisdom to pull thousands of visitors every year.
Cost: Bolivia Travel costs vary from operator to operator but initially it stands around US$20 for the ultra-budget travelers whereas mostly it takes about US$30 to US$50 per day. Car rentals and private accommodation can increase the costs up to US$200 per day.
Insider tips:
1) Apt place for the mountain bikers, adventure lovers and trekkers but highly available with permission (by Bolivian Gov.). Often these roads are not apt and so Government denies the permission for the safety of its tourists.
2) You will have to carry luggage bags while journeying to this place as it’s quite a low-temperature area to chill your bones.
3) According to reputed tour travel operators, May-July is the best time to visit La Paz, Bolivia, South America.