The North Yungas Road is a 61-or-69-kilometre road leading from La Paz to Coroico, 56 kilometres
northeast of La Paz in the Yungas region of Bolivia.
It is legendary for its extreme danger and in 1995 the Inter-American Development Bank
christened it as the "world's most dangerous road".
In 2006 one estimate stated that 200 to 300 travellers were killed yearly along the road.
The road includes cross markings on many of the spots where vehicles have fallen.
A South Yungas Road exists that connects La Paz to Chulumani, 64 kilometres east of La
Paz, and is considered to be nearly as dangerous as the North Road.
Photographs of China's Guoliang Tunnel are often incorrectly identified as showing the
Yungas Road.
Route description
This is one of the few routes that connects the Amazon rainforest region of northern Bolivia,
or Yungas, to its capital city.
Upon leaving La Paz, the road first ascends to around 4,650 metres at La Cumbre Pass,
before descending to 1,200 metres at the town of Coroico, transiting quickly from cool Altiplano
terrain to rainforest as it winds through very steep hillsides and atop cliffs.
The largely single-lane road has no guard rails and cliffs of up to 600 meters.
Most of the road is the width of a single vehicle, about 3.2 metres.
During the rainy season from November through March, rain and fog can severely hamper visibility,
and water runoff can turn the road into a muddy track, affecting traction.
In the summer, rockfalls are common and vehicle dust limits visibility as well.
One of the local road rules specifies that the downhill driver never has the right of
way and must move to the outer edge of the road.
This forces the faster downhill vehicle to stop so that passing can be negotiated safely.
Unlike the rest of Bolivia, vehicles are required to drive on the left side of the road, to
give the driver a better view of the vehicle's outside wheel and making passing safer.
Attraction The danger of the road made it a popular tourist
destination starting in the 1990s, drawing some 25,000 thrillseekers.
Mountain biking enthusiasts in particular have made it a favourite destination for downhill
biking since there is a 64-kilometre stretch of continuous downhill riding with only one
short uphill section.
There are now many tour operators catering to this activity, providing information, guides,
transport, and equipment.
Nevertheless, the Yungas Road remains dangerous.
At least 18 cyclists have died on the ride since 1998.
It was featured on the BBC show, Top Gear: Bolivia Special where the hosts travelled
1,610 kilometres from the Bolivian rainforest to the Pacific Ocean.
The danger of the road was readily apparent when the road began to crumble under the wheels
of Jeremy Clarkson's Range Rover, as he was forced to the edge while passing another vehicle.
A Mitsubishi Outlander TV commercial was the first ever filmed on the road.
The second season of IRT: Deadliest Roads, a spin-off of the History Channel series Ice
Road Truckers, follows six North American drivers as they haul cargo along the road.
The road also featured on the BBC show World's Most Dangerous Roads in series three, episode
three.
The episode starred Phill Jupitus and Marcus Brigstocke and first aired Wednesday 9 January
2013 on BBC HD.
History
The road was built in the 1930s during the Chaco War by Paraguayan prisoners.
The Yungas Road was modernized during a 20-year period ending in 2006.
The modernization included enlarging the carriageway from one to two lanes, constructing asphalt
pavement, and building a new section between Chusquipata and Yolosa, bypassing to the north
one of the most dangerous sections of the old 'Death Road'.
This new route features modern construction, multiple lanes, pavement, guardrails, and
many other elements that make it considerably safer than the original route.
The original North Yungas Road is currently much less used by traffic, although an increasing
number of adventure travelers bike it for the thrills.
See also Slaughter alley
Dead Man's Curve References
External links BBC News – The world's most dangerous road
Personal account of a tragedy on Yungas Road Photos and videos of Yungas Road
Driving Bolivia's Road Of Death Photos and first-person video taken while
driving the Yungas Road, November 2010 Photos, gps map and info about the Road of
Death