The world's most dangerous 'Death Road' where tourists take selfies with crosses

Carved into the rugged cliffs of the Bolivian Andes, the North Yungas Road has earned an ominous nickname: the "Death Road." This 64km stretch links the capital city of La Paz to the lush Yungas region, plunging from high-altitude plateaus into dense rainforest. For decades, it has been notorious as one of the most dangerous roads in the world. Before the construction of a modern, safer highway nearby, the North Yungas Road claimed an estimated 200 to 300 lives every year.

The reasons are terrifyingly clear. The road is little more than a gravel track, winding along sheer mountain faces with drops of up to 600m. In some places, the path is barely wide enough for a single vehicle - yet traffic moves in both directions.

Some sections of the road narrow to just three metres, twisting through a succession of hairpin bends and blind corners, while small waterfalls cascade down the cliffs beside it. Safety barriers are a rarity here. Far more frequently, the roadside is marked by memorials: white crosses, faded photographs, and bunches of flowers.

But here's the plot twist -paradoxically, the Death Road has transformed into a magnet for adventure tourism. Every year, thousands of thrill-seekers rent mountain bikes, strap on GoPros, and race downhill.

Cycling the North Yungas Road has become one of Bolivia's most notorious adventure experiences. Riders begin their journey high in the Andes near La Paz, at an altitude of around 4,700m, where the air is thin and temperatures can be icy. From there, the route plunges into subtropical rainforest, descending more than 3,000m. The shifting climate is part of the challenge - riders can start in bitter cold and finish in humid heat, all in a single day.

One Reddit user commented how strange it felt to take pictures on the edges of the road with so many crosses commemorating the dead.

The user said: "I must admit that at the beginning I found it rather bizarre to enjoy a strip of road where so many died, it does at points it felt a bit disrespectful to me personally doing a cheesy photo shoots in such place marked with so many crosses. To feel better about this dilemma, I concluded that it was all but disrespecting those whom died here. After all, Pachamama serves us with all things, death included for everyone at some point."

Another added: "I will say from my personal experience, I think this road isn't too treacherous when it comes to biking, as long as your brakes work lol. But when it comes to driving a car/bus/truck down this road, I think thats where the true danger lies. The road is just not wide enough. And I can't even imagine how dangerous it would be to traverse this road at night. It was an amazing experience though and absolutely spectacular scenery the whole way down! Only took about 2 hours to go the full 60km (40mi) from top to bottom (Not including stopping to take pics)."