Search:

Yungus Road: Death Road

Location: La Paz, Bolivia
Latitude & Longitude: -16.222834, -67.778259
Views: 5503   Posted By: bmeyer2 (04/04/2008)
Default View: Google Maps
Editted: 0 time(s)
Categories:
- Transportation --> Highways & Roads
Bookmark and Share
Current view: Others: View This Satellite Image in Google MapsView This Satellite Image in Microsoft Live Virtual EarthView This Satellite Image in Google Maps Street ViewView This Satellite Image in Google Earth (kml file)View Panoramio Photos of this Location
 
 
bmeyer2 (04/04/2008)

"The North Yungas Road (also Grove's Road, Coroico Road, Camino de las Yungas, El Camino de la Muerte, Road of Death, and Death Road) is a 61 to 69 km road (depending on source) leading from La Paz to Coroico, 56 km (35 miles) 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". One estimate is that 200-300 travellers were killed yearly along the road. The road includes crosses marking many of the spots where such vehicles have fallen. Upon leaving La Paz, the road first ascends up to around 5 km, before descending to 330 m (1079 ft), transiting quickly from cool altiplano terrain to rain forest as it winds through very steep hillsides and atop cliffs. The road was built in the 1930s during the Chaco War by Paraguayan prisoners. It is one of the few routes that connects the Amazon rainforest region of northern Bolivia, or Yungas, to its capital city. Because of the extreme dropoffs up to 2,000 feet, single-lane width, and lack of guardrails, the road is extremely dangerous. Further still, rain and fog can make visibility precarious, the road surface muddy, and loosen rocks from the hillsides above. On July 24, 1983, a bus veered off the Yungas Road and into a canyon, killing more than 100 passengers in what is said to be Bolivia's worst road accident. 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 fast vehicles to stop so that passing can be negotiated safely. Also, vehicles drive on the left, as opposed to the right like the rest of Bolivia. This gives the driver in a left-hand-drive vehicle a better view over their outside wheel, making passing safer. The danger of the road ironically made it a popular tourist destination starting in the 1990s. Mountain biker enthusiasts, in particular, have made it a favorite destination for downhill biking, since there is a 64 km stretch of continuous downhill riding. A South Yungas Road (also Chulumani Road) exists that connects La Paz to Chulumani, 64 km (40 miles) east of La Paz, and is considered to be nearly as dangerous as the north road." -Wikipedia

Scoobs (10/01/2009)

I will never complain about the M25 motorway again

krobinson (11/15/2010)

Astonishing!!!! saw the Bolivia road  in the Discovery Channel, and seeing the pictures of this horrific road. It was really hair raising, just like static electricity. It is very curvy and very narrow road,  on the other hand the view is splendid.

Most dangerous roads


Add Your Comment or Description:

Login (at top of page) or Signup for this comment to be permanently attributed to your user account!

Comment/Description (basic HTML is allowed):
Name: Enter the security code: