Hot Roads

In western Bolivia, the Yungas Road winds for 533 kilometers through a jungle of spectacular beauty, overhanging precipices over 4,000 meters above sea level. The accidents that occur there regularly have earned it the nickname of Carretera de la Muerte - "road of death". Between two spectacular bird's-eye shots, we discover the meanders and pitfalls of this route, taken by everyone: shamans, peasants and mountain bike enthusiasts.

Burundi's bicycle delivery men have a dangerous job that is vital to the country's economy. The bicycle is the main means of transport in this country which is one of the smallest in Africa. Bananas, Burundi's staple food, are transported from markets to a brewery that makes banana beer. We will follow Tharcien, a bicycle courier, on his exhausting journey across the country on the Burundi highway.

The Sichuan-Tibet highway is the main road connecting China to the Himalayas. It crosses isolated regions and fascinating landscapes, but dangers lurk everywhere: snow and torrential rains, collisions, risks of falling rocks or even landslides that drag vehicles into the precipice.

In Canada, it is not uncommon for temperatures to drop below minus 50 ° C in winter. It is the season for the ice roads: specially designed, they provide supplies to the inhabitants of the most remote regions of the Canadian Far North. But every journey involves risks: no one knows how long the ice will be able to withstand an armada of overloaded heavy goods vehicles. During this lonely journey, drivers find themselves at the mercy of polar bears and wolves, but especially breakdowns, which can be fatal in these freezing temperatures.

In the Philippine jungle, a road boils down to an "improved" track. Serious accidents occur there frequently. This is the case on the Halsema road, which winds through the northern Philippines. This ancient footpath stretches for 166 kilometers along the ridges of the central cordillera, which culminates at an altitude of 3000 meters. For the drivers of jeepney, old jeeps abandoned by the American army and used as taxis, as for the motorcyclists of Manila who love thrills, each trip is an adventure: in the high mountains, fog and heavy showers multiply