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Where It's At
The Yungas region is lush and tropical, filled with
palm trees and cloud forests. It consists of deep valleys
which are incredibly fertile due to the heat and the excessive
rainfall; aside from growing sugar cane and coffee, the area
is used to grow Bolivia's biggest cash crop - coca leaves.
The coca leaves here are the strongest in the world which
leaves Bolivia in a confusion of fortune and trouble. Because
of the production of coca tea, toothpaste and medicine, the
leaves are produced legally. There is however, another side
to the story; illegal cocaine farming unfortunately
brings in a lot of money to the country - each year the US
DEA destroys around 2000 acres of illegal coca but due to
the continuing demand cocaine continues to be produced.
On Your Bike
To visit the Yungas, you can take a day's cycling trip from
La Paz to Corioco, a tropical paradise. The
trip costs about $49, including the return bus journey and
bike hire - you cycle for about 38 miles including a 2 mile
drop in altitude. It is a challenging and an adrenalin stimulating
trek so if you are a fan of bike riding and crave some satisfying
and exhilarating exercise whilst on your travels, this is
perfect for you!
Highs and Low
The trek begins on a paved section of road which allows some
enjoyable riding until the journey brings you to a checkpoint;
this is to stop the transportation of the processing ingredients
to make cocaine from the coca leaves into the valleys.
From this point onwards the journey becomes more challenging
and extreme, and the road which has accquired the name , the
'world's most dangerous road' is narrow, steep and unpaved;
the death toll statistics are high from vehicles falling off
the road. To try to combat the dangerous conditions along
this stretch, the road has now been made one way, which although
reassuring still means that the route should be tackled with
care; it is worth doing a tour with an experienced leader
and taking care in wet conditions.
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