This is the Death road!

So here I was, lazing around in my party hostel called Wild Rover at 2 pm. I was in La Paz for about 2 weeks, since I had to apply for my Colombian visa from the consulate there, and I had already walked around the city multiple times, experienced the Sunday fiesta, seen the ruins of Tiwanaku, and was debating whether to spend a couple of days going down south to Salar de Uyuni and ride bikes on the salt flats and see the train cemetery (!); be adventurous and head North East to the Amazon; or try to climb the Huayna Potosi.

While I was dreaming of such adventures, a bunch of fellow hostelers came into the bar, and we struck up a conversation. Cameron, an American of about my age, spoke highly of the Death Road, and how it was a day filled with a rush not many things can provide, something which was clear from the pictures he showed me. I had already read a lot about the Death Road (also known as Yungas Road, Camino de la Muerte, etc.), and remembered Jeremy being daringly funny on an episode of Top Gear. Feeling convinced, I decided to go for the day-long bike ride on the Road, and along with a British Australian couple from the hostel, went to the main Avenida 16 de Julio, to book a ride. While the couple went ahead with the much more expensive Gravity Bolivia, I went for Barracuda Biking, which was equally good in all aspects but was more economical.

Right after, we booked a cab to go to one of South America’s biggest flea markets, followed by lunch at this Indian place. This place was called Star of India, and boasted of the World’s spiciest Vindaloo. After lunch, we headed back to the hostel, walking through the city, to prepare for the adventure-filled next day.

As per the itinerary, the group of 14 people, and the 2 guides were to meet at a restaurant called Little Italy for breakfast, and from there, the vans would take us to the starting point. Our guide Noel was fantastic throughout the tour, so in case you do decide to go with Barracuda, I would highly recommend him (even as I’m sure the other guides would be equally competent). The drive to the starting point was through the suburbs, and a portion of hilly roads, complete with herds of llamas crossing the road. We reached the starting point called The Summit, where we were handed our bikes (each of which had a name. Mine was rightfully called Avión). The Summit has one of the most scenic views one can see.

The group had a little ceremony here, and we each had like 95% ethanol alcohol, which was supposed to keep us safe (As per local traditions, a swag of this is had before anything important). We even poured Pachamama some! The first part of the trail was on asphalt roads, so we could get used to our Konas, and riding in general. Our group of 14 consisted of people mainly from France, The States and Germany. I was the only Indian there, keeping in line with almost everywhere I went in LatAm.

After a ride of about 20 km on the main highway, including some stunning views of the valley, we reached the starting point of the actual Death Road. We stopped and Noel briefed us on the basics of safety, and after a couple of pics, we started the adventure.

We started slow, and right after the first turn, were met with gorgeous views; clouds covering the mountain tops, and lush green valley below, with the tiny road snaking through the edge of the mountain.

In some parts, the road goes through waterfalls (like the San Juan waterfall), and nothing can quite match the excitement of going through water and feeling at one with nature.

We did stop multiple times, including for lunch, where we were provided with sandwiches and water (a pretty filling meal), and Noel ensured that between the 2 guides, they covered good pictures of all the members of the group, be it riding or posing at dangerous spots. We even took the customary ‘hanging off the cliff’ picture.

The road consisted of flats at some points, and we were really made to sweat to cover these stretches given the humidity, but the views more than made up for it every time.

In the end, we reached at the small village of Yolosa, to end our adventure, or so it seemed. Soon as we reached the bottom of the valley (still at 1100 m above sea level), we were given the option to go zip lining across the valley. The German guy and I decided to go for it, and I must say, the feeling of flying across the valley with the wind in your face, as you touch speeds of up to 80 kmph (about 50 mph) is purely magical. To add to this, one can also wear a Superman cape and go face-first down, in the Superman pose (no, I didn’t do it! Was too clichéd for my taste). For the price you pay, you get to fly twice. Once over the valley, and the other over the village. I recommend going for this.

After the zip-lining adventure, we joined the others at the small restaurant just outside of the village. They were just coming out of their dip in the river. We got a pasta meal at the restaurant and talked and discussed the experiences the group had during the day.

We also got to interact with the beautiful birds in the vicinity.

After all this, we left back for La Paz and took the asphalt highway. The valleys we could see in the morning were now covered in a cloud cover, and we were literally in the clouds, or above rather.  These were views which you HAVE to go there, to see how beautiful they are. No camera can quite capture it. We reached La Paz around 8 pm, and the van dropped us all at our hostels.

The Underline is if you’re going to Bolivia, or La Paz in particular, don’t miss out on this adventure. Trust me, you will have one of the most memorable days of your life!