Coroico: Where a Vacation Becomes an Adventure

Sure, you could go to Coroico to sit by the pool and relax. But it would hardly be worth the US $2, 3 hour trip on the most dangerous road in the world. Coroico is where your vacation becomes an adventure, where you can stretch your legs walking to a rushing waterfall in the morning, visit a coca plantation in the afternoon, dine on fondue in the evening and soak in a hot tub surrounded by jungle foliage before heading off to bed.

Located approximately 190 kilometers from La Paz, Bolivia, Coroico is a sub-tropical wonderland, a necessary escape from the cold, treeless sites of the altiplano. With hot, sunny days and cold, peaceful nights, Coroico welcomes you to its mountainous retreat, and most likely, you will not want to leave. Coroico has become home to quite a substantial international community, and it is not hard to see why.

Perhaps most famous for being located on "the most dangerous road in the world", the trip to Coroico has become much safer in the past few years. While still gripping the side of a mountain range whose drop-offs of up to 1,000 meters are dotted with gravestones and definitely not for the weak of heart, the road has recently been paved and detours away from the original path that once led visitors to Coroico. Nonetheless, it is an amazing visual adventure, where the bare hills of the altitude gradually give way to the lush, shockingly green sub-tropical forest.

But many adrenaline-seeking visitors still risk the ride down the infamous ancient road on bike. The ride, which can be arranged from La Paz or Coroico, starts about midway down the new highway, at a conjunction with the old road, and is a full downhill blast all the way to Coroico. Considered one of the most thrilling rides in the world, it should not be missed by the adventurous tourist.