Tour Itinerary
La Cumbre To Coroico
Down the World's Most Dangerous Road.
Quite deservedly, this mountain bike ride is our most popular, and has been featured in the 2000 AA Travel Guide to South America, the Lonely Planet: Bolivia VIDEO, two Bolivian Times articles, an episode of "Don't Forget Your Passport", and many many more magazines!!
Please Note
The dates 10th of December until 1st of March are rainy season in Bolivia, and we do NOT encourage people to do the ride during this time. To put it simply, we believe the risks are slightly higher, and that the experience is not as enjoyable due to the very high probability of thick cloud, torrential rain most of the day, freezing snow at the top, tons of mud, etc. However, if you absolutely MUST do it, then exactly for those reasons, Gravity has set up a super-duper reinforced, masochists-only package for the rainy season.
This rainy season package has a whole lot of very important extras to deal with the frequently brutal conditions, to make it safer, and to make it as comfortable and fun as possible. These extras include more warm clothing and wet weather gear, kits for the support vehicles to deal with landslides, more guides, smaller groups, etc., etc. There’s even a SPECIAL-EDITION FREE T-SHIRT to show how crazy they are. This, plus the destruction to the bikes in those conditions and the extra maintenance needed, is why the cost is nominally higher than the normal season.
During the normal season we are happy to have all levels of riders on the ride, however over the rainy season we discourage anyone who is nervous, scared, unfit or a beginner. It is going to be tougher than ever, rougher and scarier, and the group cannot spend too much time hanging around for really slow people (they’ll freeze and get hypothermia while they’re waiting!), so slow riders will be put in the bus for some sections to save the rest of the group.
Notable Highlights:
Incredible scenic variety and a spectacular descent of more than 3,600m/11,800 ft from snow-covered plains and mountain ranges down to the steaming Amazonian Jungle. Part of the ride is on the dramatic and scenic "World's Most Dangerous Road," dubbed as such by the Inter-American Development Bank in 1995.
After the ride relax pool-side in the quiet sub-tropical jungle town of Coroico. Continue from here to Rurrenabaque and the Amazon Jungle, or return at your leisure to La Paz.
Suitable for:
Confident beginners to experts, average fitness and above, and in particular, those looking for a long, world-class, downhill mountain-bike ride.
Description:
We begin the ride at wind-swept La Cumbre (4,700m/15,400 ft) where you'll see fantastic views of a number of snow-covered peaks, including Huayna Potosí (6,088m/19,973 ft). From there we descend rapidly down a twisting road amongst mountain peaks, grazing llamas and alpacas, tiny villages and a drug check-post (?!). We stop for refreshments and a rest along the way, all the better to give us time to take in the scenery: towering cliff faces, dramatic drops and ever greener vegetation.
After a snack we descend further, and after a brief undulating section of road we enter the jungle itself and the most challenging section of the ride. This infamous narrow dirt road is cut precariously into the side of the mountain and descends 2,000m (6,500ft). With 1,000m+ (3,300 ft) sheer drops off to our left and hulking rock overhangs and cascading waterfalls to our right, we ride through mist, low cloud and dust. With your positive attitude and our expert supervision you can safely enjoy some of South America's most dramatic and beautiful scenery as you hurtle down the road. (Besides, in our opinion, it's safer on this road riding a narrow bicycle that you are driving rather than being trapped inside a big bus.)
As we near the end of the ride it gets progressively hotter and dustier. By the time you arrive at the bottom in Yolosa (1,100m/3,600 ft) you will be tired, hot, dirty and exhilarated. From Yolosa we catch a ride 7km (4 miles) up to Coroico (1,600m/5,250ft) ... although masochists may choose to cycle up ... where we can enjoy a late lunch, take in the magnificent scenery, spend time relaxing by the pool, and enjoy a cold drink.
Note:
We can offer you the option of overnighting in Coroico rather than returning to La Paz the day of the ride, in which case we'll arrange for the delivery of your backpack to a hotel in Coroico. Many people take this option and then bus the next day from Coroico to Rurrenabaque and the Bolivian Amazon Jungle.
Total time required: 13 hours (return to La Paz), or 7 hours (stay overnight in Coroico).
Approximate riding time: 4-5 hours.
Approximate downhill %: 90% One section contains a few small uphills.