While we were bartending in La Paz, Bolivia we heard about a little something called the World’s Most Dangerous Road. A name that naturally spiked our interest so we did some research. The ominous name is more than just an empty threat – this narrow, winding, cliff-adjacent dirt road had an estimated 200-300 fatalities per year until 2006 when they opened a new paved road nearby. Now, the old road is primarily used for bicycle tourism.

You’ve got the top three companies to go with. They all do basically the same trip but with some slight differences. All are around $100 for the day trip.

1. Gravity – The most expensive. They have the newest bikes and claim to have the best safety record.
2. Altitude – The company we went with. Totally professional and fun. Plus we got to wear some pretty awesome jumpsuits.
3. Barracuda – Actually owned by Gravity, and uses their older bikes. The cheapest of the three, but still totally legit.

Each of the three companies gives you a t-shirt at the end so if you’re having trouble deciding which to go with, pick based on the t-shirt design like we did!

The day started early with a bus ride to the mountain summit (15,200 ft). After a quick (and cold) breakfast and bike fitting, it was time to hit the road. After a few minutes of roaring down the asphalt highway, we realized why they had us test the brakes at the top of the hill. After about a 45-minute warm-up tearing down the paved road, it was time to put the mountain bike tires and our reflexes to the test on the dirt road. We started out a little timid but as the day went on, we gained more confidence and started taking the curves a lot faster. Luckily nobody in our group got hurt on Death Road and only one guy flipped over his handlebars.

However, we did learn the story of one tourist who was trying to take a selfie while biking and he went flying off the cliff. Now the guides take all the pictures and we just worry about staying upright on our bikes.

After a few more hours of hairpin turns and giant drop-offs, plus one stop for redbulls, and we made it to the bottom of the mountain and found ourselves in the middle of the Amazon jungle at 4,000 ft. In the end we had descended more than 11,000 feet in 4 hours and enjoyed a well-earned beer or two with lunch.

Transit Trekker Tips

• Pick a day with good weather. We had a few sprinkles but it could have been way scarier if it was raining the whole time.
• Make sure your bike fits you well at the top. There aren’t too many places to pull over and fix it later. Tell the guide if anything seems off, like Tam’s chain wasn’t staying on so they got her a new bike.
• Don’t plan on doing much else in the evening. You’ll be pooped afterwards.
• Bring bug repellant for the jungle lunch at the end. You won’t see the mosquitos but something will bite you 47 times.
• Try on your free T-shirt to make sure it fits before leaving.
• Bring a durable camera or GoPro so you can take your own pictures when you’re off the bike.