Death Road in Bolivia - Treacherous Mountain Pass In The Amazon

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• published: 20 May 2012
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Bolivia - Death Road is a road about 80 km long, linking the city of La Paz and the region of Los Yungas , northeast. This road was built with slave labor Paraguayan prisoners during the Chaco War in the 1930's . It is one of the few routes connecting the Amazon jungle in the north, with the city Paceña. Currently has a more modern and safer road that connects La Paz with the Yungas who replaced the latter route, eliminating the Route 3 . Because of its steep slopes, with a width of one lane (3 m in some places), and lack of guardrails , the road becomes extremely dangerous. Also in the area are common in the rain and fog, which reduce significantly the visibility, the ground muddy and loose stones falling from the mountains. On July 24th of 1983 , a group has melted down the Yungas Road plunging into a canyon, causing the deaths of over a hundred passengers in the worst road accident in Bolivia. The road from La Paz, at 3600 m., Amounting to "The Summit", at 4700 meters. After the descent of 3,600 vertical meters in 64 km of travel. When driving on this road should be kept on the left, (the only place in Bolivia where he leads retaining the left, as in Great Britain or Australia ) to drivers who go to the left when passing, which often happens during the tour, see more easily the wayside, that in almost all places of crossing is an abyss, arriving in a place up to 800 m vertically. The law states that drivers who drive up the hill (towards La Paz) has priority over the coming down (towards Los Yungas), so that the vehicle must stop when you climb down the other, to give the step. The danger of this route made ​​it a popular tourist destination since the 1990's . In particular, enthusiasts of mountain bike use it for its groomed slopes and exquisite landscapes. In 2011 there were a total of 114 accidents (the second route with more sinister in Bolivia after the road between La Paz and Oruro ), with a toll of 42 deaths.