Mountain Bike Death Road in La Paz

The Getting There:

While there are many things in Bolivia you can do without a tour company, this is not one of them. When you arrive in La Paz, shop around for the best deal. There's a million places, just look around to make sure you don't get ripped off.

The Trail

The drop-off point is on a main road, which may seem a bit daunting at first. From here you go about 12km, winding through the valley. The views are unbelievable as you descend, just make sure you're conscious of vehicles passing you. After about an hour or so, you reach the first break point. You load the vehicles into the car, and are taken up into the mountains to begin the next section.

This section is where the name "Death Road" came from. Back in the day, this was a popular bus route; however, after the death toll on this road rose, the government built a new, safer passage. You literally start in the clouds, with almost zero visibility. For the next 50 odd kilometers, you'll race (at your own pace) down the jungle with a 700m drop off to your left. It's absolutely exhilarating. At the end of the trail, survivors are rewarded with lunch and a pool. The bus back to La Paz is a long one, but you'll be so exhausted you'll just pass out.

This sounds a lot scarier than it is, every single person we ran in to said this was a must do and I completely agree. Don't miss out!