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.
References
Coroico
Ciclismo en Coroico
Abra de Porculla
Camino
a Los Yungas
Las cinco carreteras más
peligrosas del mundo. Dangerous Road in the World
La Paz
– Coroico, Bolivia
https://lifeisbutalabyrinth.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/sunday-travel-tales-16/
