What to Bring and Wear on the Death Road
What to wear and pack for a Death Road bike tour: the gear the companies lend you, layers for a cold start and a hot finish, cash, ID and a change of clothes.
Dress for two climates. The ride starts cold, on asphalt at the pass above La Paz, and ends hot and dusty in the valley near Coroico, so wear layers you can strip off, and pack a dry change of clothes for the end. The companies lend the riding gear: Altitude Travel’s day on Viator includes the helmet, knee pads and gloves, a jacket and trousers, from US$156 per person (checked November 2026). What you bring is cash for the road fee, ID, sun cream, insect repellent and the dry clothes.
What the companies lend you
| Company and platform | Riding gear included |
|---|---|
| Altitude Travel (Viator) | Helmet, knee pads, gloves, jacket and trousers, an Altitude shirt to keep |
| Gravity Bolivia (GetYourGuide) | Normal or full-face helmet, pants and jacket for cold and wet weather, elbow and knee pads, gloves, a buff to keep |
| BARRACUDA BIKING COMPANY (Viator) | Helmet, gloves, knee and elbow pads, jacket and trousers |
| Vertigo Biking (GetYourGuide) | Full-face helmet, pants and jacket, elbow and knee pads, gloves |
| One Death Road (Viator) | A full suit; goggles not included |
From the listings’ included lists (Viator checked November 2026; GetYourGuide checked November 2026).
Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking and BARRACUDA BIKING COMPANY need your helmet and glove sizes at booking, and Gravity your height too, so the bike and kit fit on the day.
What to bring
The listings’ own lists overlap. Put together:
- Warm clothing for the start (Gravity Bolivia, Vertigo Biking), with a layer you can take off as it warms up.
- A change of clothes, and shoes too for Altitude Travel’s day, for after the showers at the bottom.
- Swimwear for the pool at the end (Altitude Travel, Vertigo Biking).
- Sunglasses, sunscreen and insect repellent: on every packing list here.
- Cash in bolivianos for the road fee of about 50 bolivianos, tips, and the zipline if your group stops at one. On BARRACUDA BIKING COMPANY’s ride, bring cash for its 50 Bs road tax.
- Passport or ID card (Gravity Bolivia; Vertigo Biking accepts a copy). BARRACUDA BIKING COMPANY needs passport details at booking.
- Closed shoes: hiking shoes are on Gravity Bolivia's list.
- A daypack (Gravity Bolivia, Vertigo Biking).
Cold at the top, hot at the bottom
On Altitude Travel’s day the first stretch, on asphalt down to Unduavi, is cold, and the end of the ride, at a bridge on the valley floor, is warm. Vertigo Biking's ride goes from cold at La Cumbre to very hot at Yolosita, with small waterfalls on the way, “so don’t doubt you will get wet”. On Gravity Bolivia's ride it gets progressively hotter and dustier near the end. A rider on Altitude Travel’s tour in June 2022 found it “a bit cold in the morning” on the asphalt, and warm and humid once on the old road.
That is why the companies lend waterproof jackets and trousers, and why the dry clothes matter. BARRACUDA BIKING COMPANY rides in all weather, so dress for it; the Death Road in the rainy season covers the wet months.
Altitude
The ride starts high, at the pass above La Paz. The UK Foreign Office’s health page for Bolivia says altitude sickness is a risk in parts of the country, including La Paz (checked November 2026). The Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking and BARRACUDA BIKING COMPANY rides on Viator are not recommended for travellers with poor cardiovascular health, and Altitude Travel’s day needs at least moderate fitness.
Is the Death Road safe has the rest of the UK advice for the ride.
Jacket, Trousers and Helmet Included
Altitude Travel's Death Road Bolivia Biking Tour lends the jacket and trousers, the helmet, knee pads and gloves, and ends with hot showers and a pool at a hotel near Coroico: bring the change of clothes.
Check dates on Viator