Bolivia Sports Travel

Imagine an 11,000 ft. descent over a distance of 35 miles in some of the most spectacular scenery you will ever see. You start out in La Cumbre, outside of Lapaz, at a very cold 15,400 ft., and end in Coroico (warm 4,260ft.)The road at first is paved, but there might be snow or freezing rain/sleet, so be careful. My group was riding the downhill at a very fast speed, and the sleet felt like needles hitting my face. The road becomes rough later in the trip and eventually turns to rocks and dirt, or as in our case during heavy rains....MUD. This is where it gets less safe. The road from here is basically cut out of the side of mountains. You have a rock wall to your right, and a sheer drop to your left. The view down to your left, thousands of feet straight down, might send your head spinning. The road is quite narrow also, with sharp blind turns everywhere. Oh..guess what? When oncoming trucks approach, they (not you) have the right of way. They hug the inner side of the road near the rockwall as they pass...you must move towards the edge (the drop) to let them get by. Some areas are so narrow that you really have to get out to the very edge to let the trucks go by. The most professional and experienced mountain bike operator is said to be "Gravity Assited Mountain Biking". They have a good reputation for safety and quality bikes. My company was called "Sky Bolivia". They are cheaper, have junkier bikes and are not very safe. The guy was encouraging everyone to ride like a bat out of hell. Another thing, this company didnt even provide water to us. Guides might stop and point what remains of some of the more recent trucks, buses etc. that have plunged down over the side. There is also a stone marker written in Hebrew along the edge where an Israeli girl went over the side in a mountain biking accident. It was put there by her parents for remembrance....very sweet. You really shouldn't miss the chance to make this trip. It might be the most memorable thing you do in Bolivia. Highly recommended!!!!

Bring clothes in layers...since you start out at freezing temps and end in the heat. An insulated coat and gloves (both water resistant), over a sweatshirt, over a short sleeved shirt. This way you can easily remove layers as the temperature gets warmer. DO NOT forget sunglasses...if it is sleeting during the beginning, it will feel like needles going through your eyeballs. Bring some snacks (granola bars,bananas etc), and a couple bottles of water. One more thing..bring your camera, but keep it in a sealed plastic bag to keep it dry. again:
1-insulated water resistant coat
2-water resistant gloves
3-warm sweatshirt
4-short sleeved t-shirt
5-sunglasses
6-bottled water and snacks
7-camera and film(both in sealed plastic bag)

Bolivia Sports Travel

Visiting Bolivia?

Visiting Bolivia?