The Death Road

This road became the “ Camino del Muerto “ because until a new road was built this steep, narrow dirt track was used by vehicular traffic in both directions. At its peak it was averaging one death a day over the year. Now it is only used by local traffic and mountain bikers!

When you get to la Paz you realise that there are many offices offering the death road trip and other rides in the hills surrounding the city.We found Gravity Assist’s details in the Lonely Planet guide and as they say, this is not a ride where you should skimp on the budget.

I also visited their office to have a look at their operation and was reassured by what I found.The Kona downhill bikes are excellent and the gloves, jackets etc up to the job.

Our guide for the day was Marcus. He is exactly the kind of guide you would wish for in that he successfully combined the emphasis on safety whilst remembering that this was also a bike ride to enjoy.

You do not actually have to be a terribly experienced cyclist to undertake the route, although it helps. It is more important that you have the ability to follow your guides very clear instructions for each segment of the route and then, most importantly, FOCUS on the track, because, yes, if you do not then the consequences ( ie a drop of 600 meters plus) can be dire!!

The day before the ride, we had dinner with an English couple, who, unaware I was on the ride the next day, told us their friend's daughter has just come out of a three week hospital stay after attempting the ride.

During the course of the 3600 metre, 40 mile descent we passed through snow, cloud forest and tropical jungle and had to adapt our clothing accordingly. We were in T shirts by the end!

And yes, I did enjoy it though by the end, because of the concentration levels required over the day,you are not fit for anything more then the bottles of beer lined up at the bar by the finish!