Any adventurous traveller passing through La Paz must take a downhill mountainbiking tour of the 'Death Road.'  This is the precarious route north toward Rurrenabaque, that is carved into a shear cliff.  It is so named because each year 5-7 buses would plummet of the cliff.  Death Road is now closed to vehicle traffic, but it is still open to those brave, or stupid enough to traverse it on mountainbike.  It does still pose a very real risk, and has claimed the lives of 12 cyclists since tours began, but provided you have a tour with good guides and good equipment, theres no reason for it to be dangerous.

Oh and fitness needn't be a concern - the road drops by about 3000 metres over the space of the day, so there really isn't much need for peddling.

Given it is named 'Death Road' we decided to go with a tour who knew what they were doing and had reliable gear.  We went with a group called Barro Biking, who can be found on the touristy street behind the cathedral, on the right as you walk up the hill, and we weren't dissappointed.  On the day we thought they were the best compared to the other outfits we saw biking the road the same day.

Barro biking have great gear and vehicle support services, with spare bikes in case of a breakage.  We had two guides to a relatively small group of 8-12, compared to many of the other groups who were up to 30 strong.  The small group meant we could move alot faster and have a better commentary from our guides, who were really knowledgable.  And at the end you're treated to a shower, a swim, a huge lunch and a CD of photos that they have taken for you - and meant you could leave your camera at home.

Perhaps the best part was the price. Barro cost between $45-$55 USD, which was not the cheapest tour, but by no means the most expensive either (which can be up to $70 USD).  The best part was that we got all the service and extras of the more expensive outfits, for about $20 USD cheaper, so we felt like we found a bargain.  Just don't expect the t-shirts to last more than 2 weeks!

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