There are some roads around the world that are both breathtaking and super dangerous! The North Yungas Road in Bolivia, also known as "Death Road," winds through steep cliffs with barely any guardrails to protect drivers. In India, the Leh-Manali Highway takes travelers through high mountain passes, but its narrow, rough roads make for a thrilling, heart-pounding ride. Tourists visiting these places are drawn by the beautiful views, but you need serious courage to tackle these routes. In Italy, the Amalfi Coast road is stunning but has sharp curves and heavy traffic. Even Iceland's Ring Road can get icy and tricky, especially during winter. If you’re into adventure and don’t mind a little danger, these roads are a must-see! Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/ Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me
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00:00Planning your next trip? You need to find accommodation, book airline tickets, and what else?
00:06Make sure you're safe on the road, of course!
00:09Some tourists actively seek dangerous destinations, though.
00:12The Yungas region in western Bolivia is the perfect place to find adventure.
00:17It's home to one of the most perilous tourist destinations on the planet,
00:22Carretera de la Muerte, the Death Road.
00:27The Yungas Road is around 43 miles long.
00:32It connects the capital city of La Paz to a town in the Amazon basin of Bolivia.
00:37The local bus covers the distance in some three to four hours.
00:41But why so long? The road from San Francisco to San Jose is roughly the same length.
00:47You can cover this distance in under an hour by car.
00:51So what's stopping drivers from doing the same on the Yungas?
00:55It's more than one thing.
00:59If you want to drive to the Bolivian capital, you'll set off at an elevation of 5,000 feet.
01:05But when you reach your destination, you'll be at a staggering 12,000 feet above sea level.
01:11After all, La Paz is the highest capital city in the world.
01:16If these figures are making you dizzy, you might want to sit down before you hear the next number.
01:21The highest peak on the whole road, La Cumbre, sits at more than 15,000 feet.
01:28That's the height people go skydiving from.
01:33Such high mountains aren't the best place to build a road.
01:37But the engineers didn't place the road here for no reason.
01:40It's an important trade route.
01:42Trucks transport everything from coffee to tropical fruit along the Yungas Road.
01:48It's nearly a century old, constructed in the 1930s.
01:52In most places, the road is unpaved.
01:55Its main surface is a mix of dirt and gravel.
01:58The workers carved it out of an almost vertical mountainside.
02:02Look down, and you'll feel vertigo.
02:05There's a drop of some 2,000 feet.
02:08It's impossible not to think about this while driving.
02:13But there are at least two lanes, right?
02:16Not quite.
02:17Because of the terrain, there's only one lane, if you can call it that.
02:22The road is rarely wider than 10 feet.
02:25By comparison, a Tesla Model S is 6.5 feet wide.
02:30And that's without the mirrors sticking out on each side.
02:33That would be one tight squeeze.
02:35But believe it or not, even large trucks go up and down this path.
02:40For the most part, there are no guardrails to prevent the vehicles from dropping into the abyss.
02:47And then there's the weather.
02:49In summer, the dust from the vehicles decreases visibility.
02:54And fog often appears, making the drivers feel as if they were driving blindfolded.
02:59In winter, it's no better.
03:01Heavy rains make the road muddy and slippery.
03:05Torrents can wash away whole sections of the roadway.
03:08Landslides occur frequently.
03:10A boulder can fall on an unsuspecting driver at any moment.
03:14Sounds more like an obstacle course than a roadway.
03:17The only good side is that you shower on the go.
03:21There are natural waterfalls along the way that travelers use to wash themselves.
03:28Until 2006, this mountain highway was the only way to reach the capital from the Yungas region.
03:35That's why buses and trucks of all sizes had to squeeze along cliff edges.
03:40Sadly, some of them never made it to their destination.
03:44On average, 26 vehicles plummet over the edge each year.
03:49The total cost in human life?
03:51200 to 300 people lose their lives each year on the Yungas Road.
03:56That's really sad.
04:00The Bolivian authorities were determined to change something.
04:03It took them a full 20 years, but they finally constructed an alternative road.
04:08It runs along a nearby mountain range.
04:11The new bypass has two paved lanes.
04:14It's secured with guardrails, and it even has drainage.
04:18This helped relieve pressure from the old and dangerous route.
04:22Today, there is significantly less traffic than in the 90s.
04:26At that time, the Inter-American Development Bank proclaimed the route as the most dangerous road in the world.
04:33In come the tourists.
04:36Yes, after the locals could finally travel safely across the region,
04:40travelers from all over the world took on the challenging road.
04:44Tens of thousands of them flocked to the road in search of adrenaline, mostly traveling by bike.
04:50But the path is still dangerous.
04:52Since 1998, at least 25 cyclists have lost their lives here.
04:57The road is so narrow that you don't have enough space to brake.
05:02The side of the road is lined with memorials to people who perished riding their bicycles here.
05:09But the Bolivian Highway isn't the only dangerous destination tourists like to visit.
05:15In Africa, there is a natural pool at the very edge of Victoria Falls.
05:20It becomes accessible only in the dry season.
05:24That's when the water level of the mighty Zambezi River drops enough to reveal the pool.
05:30People come here to take amazing photos, but they're just inches away from danger.
05:35A rock lift forms the edge of the pool.
05:38If a careless swimmer goes beyond it, there is a huge drop, well over 300 feet.
05:44The danger is very real.
05:46Tourists often forget they're in the middle of a powerful river.
05:50More than a million gallons of water cascade down Victoria Falls every minute.
05:55A complete lack of water can be dangerous as well.
05:59That is the case in one region of California, Death Valley.
06:03This is the hottest place on Earth.
06:06Temperatures here reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
06:10But tourists are attracted to these extreme conditions.
06:13In 2022 alone, more than one million people visited the area.
06:18Trekking in this desert landscape is highly dangerous.
06:22Even driving can cost people their lives.
06:25If you have a car accident here, the heat will soon get to you.
06:29Dehydration and heat stroke are real dangers.
06:32And if that wasn't enough, there are rattlesnakes.
06:36Seven species of snakes live in the Mojave Desert.
06:41Back in Europe, Ireland is a popular travel destination.
06:45In 2019, 19 million people visited the Emerald Isle.
06:50That's close to four times the population of the Republic of Ireland.
06:54Tourists first explore Dublin.
06:56But then they want to see the countryside.
06:58And the biggest attraction there is as dangerous as it is beautiful.
07:02The Cliffs of Moher.
07:04They stand on the island's rugged west side.
07:07Visitors who try to get close to their edge for a better photo are risking their lives.
07:12The drop is 700 feet.
07:16One wrong step and they can fall down from a height greater than the height of the Great Pyramid at Giza.
07:22Sadly, this has already happened several times in the past.
07:28In Florida, there is a place that looks like a dream to any American surfer.
07:33New Smyrna Beach.
07:35But there is a danger lurking beneath the waves.
07:38Sharks.
07:40New Smyrna is a hotspot for them.
07:42A surfer paddling on his board looks like a seal to the shark below.
07:46And seals are their main prey.
07:48Since 2010, there have been 32 reported shark attacks in the area.
07:53That's why people call this section of the coastline the most dangerous beach in America.
07:58Not your ideal summer destination, definitely.
08:04Maybe it's better to go to Hawaii.
08:06Or not.
08:08This atoll hides dangers of its own.
08:11The Hawaiian Islands were formed by volcanic activity.
08:14These volcanoes attract tourists from all over the world.
08:17But slow-flowing lava isn't what's going to get you.
08:21It's poisonous gases.
08:23Can you guess what VOG is?
08:26No, I'm not speaking about the fashion magazine.
08:29This is volcanic smog.
08:31A mixture of ash and sulfur dioxide.
08:34That's the toxic gas you smell when you light a match.
08:39And when the lava flow hits the saltwater in the ocean, you get lays.
08:43Or lava haze.
08:45These plumes can travel up to 15 miles downwind.
08:49And they're not pleasant to inhale.
08:51Your eyes become dry.
08:53And your throat starts to itch.
08:55And those are the less severe symptoms.
08:57In a span of just 20 years, five tourists passed away due to exposure to volcanic gases.
09:05That's it for today.
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09:11Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!