Road of death

• Date of construction: 1930s
• Maximum altitude above sea level: 3600 m

In any country in the world there are places that attract hundreds of thousands of tourists not only for their beauty, but also for extreme and even life-threatening conditions. Such a landmark is also Bolivia , where the Road of Death (North Yungas Road). About it and will be discussed.

general information

The road of death in Bolivia passes high in the mountains and connects two cities - Koroiko and the actual capital of the country, La Paz . The road of death in Bolivia consists of many sharp turns. Its length is 70 km, the maximum height above sea level is 3,600 m, and the minimum height is 330 m. The width of the roadway itself does not exceed 3.2 m. Most of the Road of Death in Bolivia is a wet clay soil and only some part about 20 km of the road) - asphalt, the quality of which, to put it mildly, leaves much to be desired.

The road of death was built in the 30s of the XX century with the involvement of captive Paraguayans. In the 1970s, a small part of the Road to Bolivia's death leading to La Paz (those same 20 km of asphalt) was repaired by an American firm. Every year more than a hundred people die here, but this information does not stop curious tourists, because the opening species, according to many, are worth the tests that are on the way.

The road to death is an integral part of Bolivia's traffic . To prohibit its exploitation at the moment is impossible, because this is the only place linking Coroico and La Paz.

Traffic on the Road of Death

If we talk about the rules of the road, then in this place they practically do not work. The only thing that is performed by default is the advantage of the ascending transport. In controversial points, the drivers of transport simply have to stop and negotiate for further movement, and stubbornness and foolhardiness here is useless, as most of the way is laid over the abyss and for any wrong movement one can pay with life.

Another reason for the frequent death of people is the fact that the local car park is in an emergency condition. Cargo transportation and bus traffic is carried out on obsolete transport, which has considerable dimensions, technical problems, and often unsuitable for these places rubber.

Title History

Previously, this South American road had a completely peaceful name - North Yungas Road. Its current name of the road of death in Bolivia was after a car crash in 1999, which killed 8 tourists from Israel. However, this was not the most terrible page in the history of North Yungas Road: in 1983, a bus with a hundred passengers broke into the abyss. Every year, dozens of accidents only confirm the dismal name of the most terrible of Bolivia's sights , and the carved cars in the abyss serve as a sad reminder and farewell to drivers.

Tourists and Yungas Road

Although since 2006, the most dangerous section of the Road of Death in Bolivia can be traversed by an alternative route, the North Yungas Road is still a busy traffic. It moves not only local drivers, but also a lot of tourists who are eager to experience the full danger of this route.

The most common extreme entertainment is a cross-tour on bicycles. On the way, cyclists are accompanied by an experienced instructor and a minibus with the necessary equipment. Before the start of the journey, each participant signs a contract in which he removes all responsibility from accompanying instructors in the event of an unfavorable outcome. Of course, most of the travels end quite well, but it's worth remembering that in case of any accident the help will not come soon, because the doctors will have to travel along the same dangerous road, and the nearest hospital is more than an hour away from the Road of Death.

Landscapes, impressions and photos Death Roads

The most popular views on the photo from the Road of Death in Bolivia are the abyss and broken cars. Landscapes - mountains, forests - of course, also fascinate, but in most cases tourists come here just for the thrill, which they try to capture in the photo from the sites of the Road of Death in Bolivia.

How to get there?

You can get to the Road of Death in Bolivia both from La Paz and from the town of Koroiko, according to coordinates 16 ° 20'09.26 "S 68 ° 02'25.78" W.