Bolivia's road of death -- UPDATED

Posted by Cory Doctorow, February 25, 2008 11:47 PM |
Marilyn sends us "Photos of the only road from the west into La Paz, Bolivia, only 5 feet wide in parts, with 400 m drop over the edge." Link (Thanks, Marilyn!)

Fergettit -- the photos aren't of the road in question

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#1 posted by MuffinMan , February 26, 2008 12:38 AM

Is the road one way? Just askin'.

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#2 posted by aaron138 , February 26, 2008 1:46 AM

Sigh… Why supposedly educated people would believe a road that beautiful built into a cliffface(last photo) is a highway and happens to have a high death rate is beyond me. It’s obviously “art” for some civilization as if cars would just drive all over it to ruin the tourist value. The only truth in the article is the last photo is named correctly guoliang_tunnel.jpg

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#3 posted by fabbro , February 26, 2008 2:57 AM

I was in Bolivia in 2006 and took the "world's most dangerous road" (twice). It actually is to the north of La Paz, descending through the Yungas. The first, third and last photos I'm fairly sure are of other roads of death (the last one is in China I think).

It is a pretty scary road though, especially in a bus. However, I have a feeling they've now opened another, safer road. They were building it when I was there, but they had had a lot of money problems with it.

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#4 posted by earle , February 26, 2008 3:02 AM

this is NOT a road in bolivia!

This is a photograph from an old Warn Winch advertisement photographed on Black Bear Pass, an old mining road just outside of Telluride Colorado.

Although the road to Bolivia is indeed a terrifying road, Black Bear pass is scary just to walk down.

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#5 posted by eclectro , February 26, 2008 3:02 AM

^^These photos are from around the net, and the last photo is not in bolivia but of a similar road in China, though it is not as bad (imo) as the Bolivian road. One has to wonder how a government lets a road like the one in Bolivia stay open.

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#6 posted by jennee , February 26, 2008 3:07 AM

Breathtaking scenery? I'd rather keep my breath (and my life).

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#7 posted by ecobore , February 26, 2008 3:40 AM

Drove on one like this in India (going up to Tibet.) It was mud-covered and pouring with rain and as soon as it straightened up the trucks would speed up. The carcasses of lorries in the valley bore testament to how dangerous it was. I won't rush back to that again!

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#8 posted by Adam Stanhope Author Profile Page, February 26, 2008 6:05 AM

Neat! Like ecobore I took the Srinigar to Leh road in Jammu/Kashmir - two days to go perhaps 200 miles. Beautiful and frightening.

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#9 posted by jamesk , February 26, 2008 6:07 AM

Reminds me of a Skipper's Canyon Road in New Zealand's South Island. It's a road so dangerous that car rental agreements specifically forbid you from driving it.

Sheer drop on one side and barely enough room for one car. The road is, of course, two way so meeting traffic means one of the cars having to reverse up to a couple of kms.

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#10 posted by jimcintosh , February 26, 2008 9:31 AM

The old road between La Paz and Coroico is not the "only road" between these two cities. A new road (two lanes, paved, with guard rails, etc.) has been constructed on the other side of the valley. These days the old road is used mainly by bicyclists taking a thrill ride.

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#12 posted by sum.zero , February 26, 2008 5:01 PM

i spent four and a half or so years living in la paz as a pre-teen and have been on the yungas road many times. it was at that time the only road, but i understand an improved road now exists.

the yungas road was high volume [think trucks full of produce and workers coming in and out of the jungle] and was fairly dangerous, although accidents were less frequent than you might think. it was narrow throughout and was frequently washed out by slides or rain [you never knew if you'd be able to complete the journey when you set out]. passing consisted of backing up until you thought you had a wide enough section. there were many check points, usually requiring some form of bribe [i'm ok with this, i believe bribery is a part of every culture. we call it lobbying, etc...].

all of that said, it is truly beautiful and a one of a kind experience. you can lean your head out the window and look straight down for thousands and thousands of feet to dense rain forest canopy. well well worth the journey.

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#14 posted by WombatNation , February 28, 2008 10:24 PM

I've also been on the road to Los Yungas twice, going the route to Coroico in 1993 and the route to Chulumani in 1999. I wish I had taken more photos while we on those roads, but terror is a significant distractor.

Back then, it was a two-way road, though it was wide enough for two vehicles in few spots. The rule was that the vehicle going downhill had to back up to a wider spot, since backing up down a steep slope is obviously pretty dangerous (a relative term in this situation). Also, the downhill traffic always had to take the outside "lane".

On the first trip, I was sitting on the left by the window of a mini-bus/van that held about 14 people. I got to stare down cliffs thousands of feet into the valley starting just 2 or 3 feet to the left of the van as large trucks squeezed by on the other side.

What makes the road even more dangerous is the extremely dense fog that rises up from the valley each morning.

View from Coroico back to the road
http://www.wombatnation.com/gallery/sa93bolivia/RoadToCoroico

Road to Chulumani in Sud Yungas
http://www.wombatnation.com/gallery/bolivia99/road_to_sud_yungas

Morning fog in Coroico
http://www.wombatnation.com/gallery/sa93bolivia/CoroicoFog1

There's some good info and good pictures at the Pulitzer Center blog.
http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2008/01/bolivia-the-roa.html

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