Mountain Biking Down Death Road

Death Road in Bolivia, also known as Yungas Road, is said to be one of the most dangerous roads in the world! As scary as it may sound, mountain biking down Death Road Bolivia was one of the best experiences I had while I was backpacking Bolivia.

Death Road, or Yungas Road, is approximately a 1.5-hour drive from La Paz, Bolivia’s 3rd largest city. The altitude at Death Road in Bolivia is 4,650 meters above sea level in the Yungas Mountain Region.

There are dozens of biking tours that operate on Death Road Bolivia which can be booked at one of the many tourist offices in La Paz. I personally booked my Death Road Bolivia Tour with Madre Tierra Travel, an adventure tour company that offers dozens of tours throughout South America.

death road bolivia

Although Death Road in Bolivia is one of the most dangerous roads in the world, not once did I feel like I was going to fall over the edge as the gravel road is quite wide and in my opinion, it is not as sketchy as you may think. Also, since a new highway has been constructed, La Paz Death Road is now only used for recreational mountain biking activities, so you won’t have to worry about dodging cars or other vehicles while biking Death Road Bolivia.

The cycle route is approximately 80kms that takes around four to five hours from start to finish. The majority of the Death Road Bolivia Tour is all downhill with some flat sections.

Bolivia Death Road Tours include hotel pick up and drop off, breakfast and buffet lunch, all equipment such as mountain bikes, helmets, shin pads and elbow pads, gloves, waterproof jacket, waterproof pants and a tour guide.

gearing up

it begins

Once you’re all geared up with your mountain bike and other equipment the Death Road Bolivia tour guide will firstly give everyone a very important safety briefing so be sure to listen carefully and then it’s time to finally hit the road!

The first part of the route towards North Yungas Road is a 20km cycle down the newly constructed highway so that everyone can get familiar with their bikes. Do note that cars and other vehicles use this road so you must stick to one side, allowing them to overtake. If you feel comfortable enough to shift your gaze off the road you’ll be able to see the incredible Andes mountain ranges and the Cordillera Real.

After about an hour of downhill riding on the tar sealed road, the tour stops at a security checkpoint and this is where you’ll take a short rest for breakfast and refreshments. The tour guides will then throw all the bikes back on top of the van for a further ten-minute drive uphill to the official starting point of Death Road Bolivia.

At the very top of Death Road Bolivia, we were engulfed in a thick cloud for the first thirty minutes of downhill riding. The lower we got on the trail the clearer it became as the cloud started to disperse, revealing the jungle and surrounding mountain ranges.

We stopped half a dozen times along the trail to take photos at some incredible viewpoints and cascading waterfalls that gush over the road. There were the odd pothole and larger rocks that I had to avoid while biking Death Road Bolivia though all in all, it was the most scenic mountain bike ride I have ever been on!

I must admit, when I arrived at the finishing point of the Death Road Tour Bolivia I was grateful to have survived this once in a lifetime experience. Although I found it fun, exciting and easy to cycle down the most dangerous road in the world, for some it results in injury or death. My advice is only to book a Death Road Bolivia Tour if you are a competent rider and comfortable with heights.

At the end of the tour, our guide handed out t-shirts to us all that stated ‘Death Road Survivor’. We wore our t-shirts with pride as we sat down to lunch at the restaurant and later a refreshing swim in the pool was more than rewarding!

waterfalls on death road

halfway down death road

the full squad

Thanks for reading this article and if you have any questions at all about the Death Road Bolivia Tour, please leave me a comment below.