Monday, July 6, 2015

Coroico, Bolivia. Adventure, risk and adrenaline

Coroico (Bolivia). An amazing walk through the most dangerous road in the world

Human beings seek public and private settings to find inner peace, tranquility or to discover the potential and limits of their strength and capabilities; in the second case, you can explore the jungle, at sea, in the unfathomable desert. Now we are introducing a place where besides enjoying the beautiful scenery of the intermediate zone between forest and mountains, you have the opportunity to practice an activity that require high doses of adrenaline. This time, it's not Peru but in Coroico, a town of our neighbor, Bolivia.

Coroico is head of the municipality of the same name, in the province of Nor Yungas, is located to the north-eastern department of La Paz, and east of the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes in the Yungas region. It covers an area of 1,088 square kilometers.

The climatic characteristics of Coroico and its proximity to the city of La Paz, makes it one of the most visited destinations in Los Yungas. In the village there are all kinds of services, including rest hotels, 5 star hotels and restaurants with a variety of dishes, and can be seen from anywhere in the village large surrounding mountains. Most developed tourist activities in the town are hiking and cycling. It is therefore a special area because there are no 5 star hotels anywhere, we'll see why.

The Way of the Yungas and cycling adventure

The road known as the most dangerous in the world is traversed, from the 4700 m high (as in Ticlio, Peru, the higher the land passage) to reach 1500 m high on a tour of 1 day as part of a is formed expedition organized by a company, or the time you want if you are on your own. For novices, it is best advised to go on an organized group. During the descent you can stop at the lookouts to appreciate great views of the "road of death".

If the altitude is compared, apparently there is nothing special. In Peru we have places and ways that go beyond 4500 meters and beautiful landscapes, villages and scenes that are worthy of a postcard. But in this environment of Coroico, the roads are unique and therefore is called "the road of death". Slopes are 90 ° (ninety degrees), perfectly vertical and who looks to scrutinize the background, you can see just a faint silhouette of streams or rivers, or perhaps nothing if the day is cloudy. The fog covering the road with a mysterious mantle, as when the Peruvian Andes crosses the Porculla, speaking from Chiclayo to the Peruvian jungle.

The Porculla, also known as the Paso de Porculla is through the Andes in northern Peru step; to 2145 meters above sea level is the lowest pass in the Andes towards the jungle. It was discovered in 1902 by Peruvian explorer Manuel Antonio Mesones Muro. What is the relationship with Coroico? Definitely not the height, but the thick fog that obscures more than a few meters; as in Coroico.

In Bolivia, the Yungas Road, also known as Death Road, it is a journey of about 80 km long, linking the city of La Paz and the region of Los Yungas, in their journey from La Paz to Coroico precipitates at a height of 3600 meters of altitude difference, as a path fraught with extremely narrow hairpin curves between depths of 800 meters deep. It is famous for its extreme danger and the number of deaths in traffic accidents per year (an average of 209 accidents and 96 people killed per year). In 1995 the Inter-American Development Bank christened it as the most dangerous road in the world by its steep slopes, with a width of one lane only (3 m in some places), and lack of guardrails.

There is currently a more modern and safer road connecting La Paz with the Yungas which replaced the initial section of the route 3. However, the oldest and dangerous for the vehicle industry is currently used for cycling. The risk increases because the area is usual rain and fog, which reduce visibility significantly, also the muddy floor and loose rocks falling from the mountains down to stop when raises another step to give.

The danger of this route made it a popular tourist destination since the 1990s enthusiasts mountain bike use it for their steep declines and also have the opportunity to see beautiful natural landscapes.

In 2011 a total of 114 accidents (the second route with more sinister in Bolivia after the road between La Paz and Oruro), with a balance of 42 deaths occurred. Along the route there are many visible memories of accidents; remains of trucks and other vehicles remain scattered in the bottom of the cliffs.

Adventure, risk, adrenaline, everything is in Coroico when you choose cycling as a means. Be careful not to exceed their limits, any mistake can be fatal, because there is no time for repentance and no one can come to the rescue. Not even Superman. Falling down that road should be like jumping from the Empire State or Dubai tower dive, without a parachute, without seeing what is below. And no time to imagine.