"The Death Road gets all the attention. But the cloud forest it runs through is the most biodiverse place I have ever stood."
— Biography
Elena was born in Coroico, the main village in the Yungas region — the dramatic transition zone between the Bolivian Altiplano and the Amazon basin. She studied botany at the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA) in La Paz, specialising in cloud forest flora and Andean bird ecology.
She knows every metre of the North Yungas Road — colloquially known as the Death Road — not as a cycling descent but as a biological corridor of exceptional richness. She has catalogued over 340 bird species along its length and documented several plant species new to science in its cloud forest sections.
Elena designs and leads all Yungas routes for Love Bolivia, including the spectacled bear (oso andino) tracking routes in the Cotapata National Park and the multi-day cloud forest treks that few tourists ever attempt.
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Book a consultation and you'll meet them personally before designing your route.