El Camino de la Muerte

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North Yungas Road â€" Bolivia â€" Road of Death

The North Yungas Road is also called El Camino de la Muerte which is the Spanish for “Road of Death”. It is a forty three mile road that leads to La Paz to Coroico situated 35 miles northeast of La Paz in Bolivia. Though the road is breathtaking when seen in a picture, it can be a little scary and takes extreme caution to drive through the road. -- http://images.nitrobahn.com

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It is one of the few routes that connects the Amazon rainforest region of northern Bolivia, or Yungas, to its capital city. Upon leaving La Paz, the road first ascends to around 4,650 metres (15,260 ft) at La Cumbre Pass, before descending to 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) at the town of Coroico, transiting quickly from cool Altiplano terrain to rainforest as it winds through very steep hillsides and atop cliffs.

Because of the extreme dropoffs of at least 600 meters (1,830 feet), single-lane width â€" most of the road no wider than 3.2 metres (10 ft) and lack of guard rails, the road is extremely dangerous. Further still, rain, fog and dust can reduce visibility. In many places the road surface is muddy, and can loosen rocks from the road.

One of the local road rules specifies that the downhill driver never has the right of way and must move to the outer edge of the road. This forces fast vehicles to stop so that passing can be negotiated safely. Also, vehicles drive on the left, as opposed to the right like the rest of Bolivia. This gives a left hand drive vehicle's driver a better view over his outside wheel, making passing safer.

On 24 July 1983, a bus veered off the Yungas Road and into a canyon, killing more than 100 passengers in what is said to be Bolivia's worst road accident. --Wiki

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The danger of the road ironically made it a popular tourist destination starting in the 1990s, drawing some 25,000 thrillseekers. Mountain biking enthusiasts in particular have made it a favourite destination for downhill biking since there is a 64-kilometre (40 mi) stretch of continuous downhill riding with only one short uphill section. There are now many tour operators catering to this activity, providing information, guides, transport, and equipment.

Nevertheless, the Yungas Road remains dangerous. At least 18 cyclists have died on the ride since 1998. --Wiki

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ABC News, Highway of Death