El Camino de la Muerte - Death Road - La Paz->Coroico Photo Gallery by MarkoP at pbase.com

El Camino de la Muerte - Death Road - La Paz->Coroico | Potosi (silver mine) | Chacaltaya - down from the world's highest ski-slope | Salar de Uyuni

El Camino de la Muerte - Death Road - La Paz->Coroico

The distance between La Paz and Coroico is only about 70km, but the road to Coroico starts on a summit near La Paz - La Cumbre, 4640 meters above sea level, and heads down to 1295 meters above sea level (Yolosa), a more than 3300 meters descent. Not only that the road is extremely steep, but it is also narrow, muddy, and has steep drops of over 1000 meters instead of margins. A recipe for disaster! And disasters indeed occurre - and that is why the road got its name - the Death Road.

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Eric Herbelin		12-May-2009 09:06
Thanks for remembering me this images: I was there in 83 but remained with very lttle images. see this trafic jam: http://www.pbase.com/eric_herbelin/image/85530788 On one segment our bus had to drive reverse and down down down....finaly he just stoped with only 2 weels in the air: piece of cake!!1

Jim		25-Mar-2009 22:00
Did this road both ways in Dec, 2008. A beautiful ride on my BMW 1150 GS....not so dangerous as in the past, as another road is now finished, so that some of the trucks now take the new route......Still had to pass a few cars and trucks along the way...

Buba Jafarli		12-Feb-2009 05:58
Superb presentation! The power of pictures is so strong that I have a feeling I've been over there! V.

Julie Aucoin		09-Feb-2009 06:41
Hello Marko, fellow traveler! Thanks for these thrilling memories of Death Road, where I spent my day toggling between being in awe in front of the majestic Andes and being frantically focused on my front bike wheel with both thumbs firmly clenching the brakes, eying the edge of the cliff! Not sure I'd do it again, but it's an incredible memory!

victor veizaga		01-Aug-2008 18:55
As a youngster, I used to travel this road in my motorcycle at least once a month. It was and I am sure still is cruel beauty. I am planning to retrace my past in the death road this Fall after 40 years.

Genevieve		17-Jul-2008 04:21
I have done it myself and I'm very happy I survived. Never forget: if you do decide to try it, be sure that the driver is not drunk or driking on the way! Be careful and remember that they think that praying before taking the road will protect them so they are not afraid of doing some serious dangerous things. The landscape was amazing and Coroico was awesome but just follow your feelings...esperanza

juan		21-Apr-2008 20:02
Lamentablemente la carretera de la muerte se cobro una vida mas, esta vez una chica de estados unidos el dia sabado 18 de abril del 2008 con la agencia Gravity... debido a fallas mecanicas...

Dave		17-Jan-2008 02:37
What a dream motorcycle trip. Hope I can do this before I die!!!!

Guest		03-Jan-2008 18:08
chewing coca is the same as drinking coffee...it's not cocaine until it's refined.

patrickjoust		18-Oct-2007 16:37
Very well done and interesting images. Great gallery!!

Milan		08-Sep-2007 11:08
Very nice presentation! Good work. I guess also the trip was great.

LoneStar		28-Jul-2007 15:57
There is a one hour program on History.com that shows a former soccer player driving the Death Road. Interviews with a man who has survived going over the side of the road TWICE and locals who drive the road regularly are very good but just the video without any audio at all would still be awesome. There isn't enough money in America to make me travel the Death Road on a bus. If the road isn't enough hazard,averaging 1 death per week, bus and truck drivers are often chewing the coca leaf - yes, it's the leaf coke is made from.

Guest		12-Jun-2007 20:36
hi

Phil		01-May-2007 00:34
there is now a new road open on the other side of the valley and very few vehicles now use this road although the bike trips still run. There will be alot less accidents now as there is les traffic. Having said that 3 weeks ago an Israeli on the mountain bike tour went off the edge to his death. The offical mountain bike route is about 64 km and that stat of 50 people dieing per mile per year is absolute rubbish. The death figures have been close to 300 per year in the past but its usually about 80 to 90 per year/ of course that will stop now noone uses it. There are other roads that are actually more dangerous in Bolivia but less used than this one was. I expect the South Yungas road to Chulumani to be a contender for the title next

Guest		10-Apr-2007 23:39
Haha Former Hiker did you notice the contradiction in your silly message? You chastise people for not having the sense to protect their lives, then encourage them to enlist in the army and spread their stupidity by killing others. I hope you did join, and therefore won't be posting anymore messages on blogs. P.S. The death rode is safer on a bike than in a truck and it's bloody fun.

Guest		10-Mar-2007 10:28
thats crazi! Surely thr must be something that can be done to prevent more lives from being lost!

former hiker		14-Feb-2007 01:42
people who waste money to go bikeriding or hiking up to the mountain are absolute fools.. if these thrillseekers want thrill then enlist yourself in the army and see what "living on the edge" really means... it amazes me how impudent human beings can be with their lives and don't think twice about life-threatening circumstances...the pictures are great, but maybe we should just keep them in the encyclopedias

Memem		19-Nov-2006 06:09
I just found out about this road a few weeks ago and have not been able to shake the horrid images of the bodies found at the landing marks of fallen vehicles. Bodies that rolled down are sometimes in a swatting position and at times some bodies are never recovered. It's been said that the average number of deaths per year are 50 deaths per mile. The road is said to be a 90 mile route. It's insane to and cruel to ride the road for simple pleasures. The local people use that route as the only mode or transportation and yet bikers travel from afar to hog up the much needed space. Really, if we were a driver on one of the narrow curves there and come across a biker or pedestrian, "Do we swerve away or do we run into them head on?"

Anonomuos		14-Nov-2006 00:51
Wow, this really encourages people to go on this road. It is interesting, but really scary.

Anonomuos		14-Nov-2006 00:51
Wow, this really encourages people to go on this road. It is interesting, but really scary.

Anonomuos		14-Nov-2006 00:47
Wow, this really encourages people to go on this road.

Vipin Mayer		30-Aug-2006 20:25
wow! what a location, thrilling ride it might�ve been ,specially for those guys on the bike.thanks for sharing these shots.

MarkoP		06-Jul-2006 09:00
Yes, it's the same road I don't understand russian language, but anyway - they stole one of my pictures

Vlado Marinkovic		06-Jul-2006 06:36
Really fantastic. Just a few days ago I got this address: http://ziza.ru/2006/07/05/doroha-v-bolivii-24-foto.html Seems it is a same road. Regards, Vlado

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