Dødens Landevej | M.C. ASIEN

The Road of Death

Jan 30, 2023

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Photo reportage from a motorcycle trip through Bolivia in South America

A trip down the 64-kilometer "Road of Death" is the ultimate challenge for off-road motorcyclists.

Enjoy waterfalls, jungle and hummingbirds on this thrilling dirt road that connects the Andean capital, La Paz, with the lowlands and Amazon jungle.

There are no guardrails, so keep your eyes on the road for goodness sake - and then enjoy the rush of adrenaline as you pass through corners with 600 meters of free fall straight into eternity!

Text: Villads Kok Mortensen. Photo: David Flores and Villads Kok Mortensen

This photo was taken 4,900 meters above sea level in the Andes Mountains just outside Bolivia's capital, La Paz.
The volcanic landscape is raw, black, dry and barren. The wind comes down from the glaciers, icy and biting.
A few hours later, we find ourselves in a subtropical cloud forest with orchids, hummingbirds and warm, humid air.

The "Road of Death" winds along a steep hillside. We drive on rocks, gravel and mud - with our foot on the brake and our eyes locked on the road ahead. Cascades of water cascade down from the mountains and onto the road.
Every year from 1994 until 2006, approximately 200-300 road users died on this stretch. But in 2006, a new highway opened between the Andes and the Amazon, which is much safer to drive on.
So today, this stretch of the "Road of Death" is reserved for mountain bikers and motorcyclists looking for an adrenaline rush in a magnificent setting.

We drove the Suzuki DR 650 cubic and this enduro machine handles the roads really well.

A cross has been erected in memory of the many victims. The road was built in harsh and dangerous conditions by prisoners of war from neighboring Paraguay to the south, with whom Bolivia was at war in 1930. North Yungas Road is the original name of the road, but due to its harsh history it has been nicknamed the "Road of Death".

My motorcycle companion on the journey through mountainous Bolivia was 27-year-old David Flores (left in the picture).

David is a local motorcycle enthusiast. He works as a photographer and tourist guide in Bolivia.

We spent the night at David's family farm and were invited to dinner. The uncle prepares a "huatia" - a kind of underground oven where corn, potatoes, chicken and beef are cooked for 3-4 hours on hot stones under palm leaves, covered with earth.

Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat and one of the greatest natural attractions in South America.
With its 10,582 square kilometers, it corresponds to about 3 times the area of Funen. And it's a whopping 3,656 meters above sea level. The salt plain is surrounded by mountains, glaciers and giant cacti that are hundreds of years old and some of the only things that grow here. An ancient, dried-up sea has left behind these enormous amounts of salt.
Huge deposits of lithium have been found under the salt layer that have not yet been mined.

The legendary off-road rally, the Dakar Rally, originally ran from Paris, France to Dakar, Senegal in northern Africa. However, due to political unrest on the route, the race was moved to South America in 2009. Now the route runs from Lima in Peru to Cordoba in Chile. Along the way, participants will pass the salt plains of Uyuni in Bolivia.

A wild Vicuña grazing by a mountain lake near Uyuni. The Vicuña, like the llama, is a camelid that lives in the Andes of South America.

The people of Bolivia are a mix of descendants of colonists from Europe, slaves from Africa and the indigenous people of South America.

Spanish is the main language, but Quechua and Aymara, some of South America's indigenous languages, are also spoken. The woman in the picture belongs to Bolivia's indigenous population.

This is what motorcycle boots look like after a long day on two wheels on the dirt roads of Bolivia.

View of the Bolivian part of the 8,372 km² Lake Titicaca, located 3,812 meters above sea level.

It was here that the Inca civilization emerged in the early 1200s. From Titicaca, the Incas migrated north and founded their empire.

This image depicts a leaf from the coca plant and is part of the decoration on a building in Bolivia.
The coca plant is an essential part of Bolivian culture and has been used as a natural remedy for conditions such as altitude sickness long before the Spanish conquered the country in the early 1500s.
The leaves are chewed or tea is brewed on them. Koka has a mild invigorating effect, a bit like a few cups of strong coffee.