Friday 28th March 2025 El Camino de la Muerte or ‘The Death Road’
And now there are three Bingo, Gringo & Ringo

Well what do you do in La Paz on a rest day, when Ringo should be acclimatizing to the altitude, sod the rest day let’s ride the El Camino de la Muerte or ‘The Death Road’, Bingo and I had all ready sorted the ride, picking us up outside the apartment at 07:00, Ringo has to get used to the early starts. Another thing he needs to get used to is Bingo porridge, I seen the way he looked at it this morning and it was a posh one with yoghurt.

The deal was they pick us up, sort some bikes, helmets and stuff out, drive us to the top of the mountain, then the three of us and a guide (Huelo) ride down, 1st section is tarmac (10 miles, 2nd section rough ripo (28 miles), good that there was only the three of us in the group. The mountain was at 15,500 ft (4680m), with a cracking view over the surrounding mountains. The guide warned us of the freezing temperatures, however the sun was shinning, still cold but not freezing, with a little ride around the car park to get used to the brakes off we set, following the guide at a steady pace, fairly easy what could go wrong. Nice easy first 10 miles, stopped for a few pictures of the rugged mountainous vista, Huelo, said this would change dramatically, as we enter the second stage and the Bolivian Amazon, the contrast between the two areas was remarkable.

As we turned off the new road onto the old road ” El Camino de la Muerte or ‘The Death Road’” This was the only road up and to 2018, now its mainly used by motorbikes, cycles and the odd 4*4 vehicles, plus the traffic that supplies the gold mines. Weirdly its the only road in Bolivia where you drive on the left, signs everywhere warning drive on the left, this was a throw back to when buses and trucks used the road, the vehicles coming up had the safe side against the cliff! Huelo: gave us a little pep talk, just be careful, take extra precaution when next to the sheer drop, he will ride behind then draw level with us go in front take pictures, videos etc.

Few last pictures and we are off, down the ripo track, really difficult to see how this was a road, barely any passing places and when you do see them there is an incredible shear drop, pretty scary. You can feel the humid hot air rise from the valley, where the jungle taken over the whole mountain side, interwoven with the mountain as its one growing organism. Waterfalls cascade down from the jungle above impossible not to get a cold refreshing shower, unless you are prepared to go right on the slimy edge, not for me preferred the shower. Every now and again you will see a small memorial cross on the side of the road in memory of a poor lost soul, who had gone too close the edge, the jungle hides the rusted carcasses of hundreds of toppled trucks and cars, you can just make out a few, that have not bounced all the way down the canyon, eerily morbid.

Huelo sped past us a few times to capture the ride down on video and as we navigated through a recent landslide, thick mud splatting all over the place, all of us loving the freewheel as gravity is doing all the effort, very welcomely so, as the long vertical drop that flanks the track seem to get worse! As we were speeding down the track, for some reason I had got in front, not intended I can assure you, a little cabin came into view, at first I though they where saddles hung up outside, infact they were safety harnesses for a “Zip Wire”, we all stopped outside, Bingo straight in the shack ready to ask if it was open, but the girl had a pet rabbit on the counter so that took his attention, photograph for Charlee of course. Huelo explained the process 80 BOL (roughly £8), you go on the wire about a mile, then they give you a lift back here, immediately we all said lets do it. Guy put the harness on us all, Gringo & Ringo opted for superman posture Bingo went for the conventional posture so he could video it. What great fun and an added bonus we all loved it.

As we reach the lower section we all relax a little let the wheels spin faster and faster the temperature rises, clouds evaporate, multi-coloured butterflies dance and flutter around, birds of prey fly high above us, fetching purple flowers on the side of the track and plantations growing illicit drugs on the hillside (just my imagination I have no idea what they are growing) cloud my peripheral vision.

We are soon soon coasting through a village towards a little bar and the end of an incredible ride, couple of beers then they drive us of to another hotel for lunch and a swim.

Very long day but loved every minute of it, 12 hours all told from the time they picked us up till when they dropped us off. Will write a great review for them “Evolution Adventure Travel”