Are These The Most Nerve-Racking Roads in the World?

The United States has its share of dangerous roads – mountainside passages in Colorado, isolated trucking routes in Alaska, speedy expressways cutting through tourist-heavy destinations.

But if you look beyond our country’s borders, you’ll find that these pale in comparison to the most harrowing roads in the world. These treacherous trails are a driver’s worst nightmare: sharp, winding routes through nearly impassable terrain, wide open to the wicked whims of mother nature, not to mention gravity. And not a guardrail in sight.

From the shores of the Norwegian Sea to the peaks of the Himalayan mountains, here are some of the world’s most nerve-racking roads.

Karakoram Highway

Pakistan and China

The Karakoram Highway is widely regarded as one of the most impressive engineering feats in recent times. The 800-mile road linking China and Pakistan is said to be the highest paved road in the world, reaching heights of more than 15,000 feet above sea level. That’s more than halfway to the top of Mount Everest. Because of this challenging terrain, construction of the Karakoram Highway took roughly two decades. It also claimed the lives of more than 1,000 workers, most of whom died in one of the region’s notorious, and frequent, landslides.

The mountainous home of the Karakoram Highway is the site of countless land- and mud-slides, rock falls, floods, avalanches and earthquakes. Add in hairpin turns and steep drops along the side and you have what many people consider the most dangerous road in the world.

Although open to the public, and a popular tourist destination, the Karakoram Highway is not for the faint of heart.

North Yungas Road

Bolivia

There is one place in Bolivia where vehicles travel on the left side: North Yungas Road. The exception is made here because it gives drivers a better view of the edge of the road – and the 2,000-foot drop beyond it.

Nicknamed “Death Road,” North Yungas features a a perfect storm of perilous driving conditions. The 43-mile path connecting Bolivia’s capital La Paz to the Amazonian town of Coroico is carved into the side of the Cordillera Oriental mountains. It descends nearly 12,000 feet, making it one of the longest stretches of continuous downhill road in the world.

The road itself is rarely more than 10 feet wide and plagued by landslides, fog and heavy rain. As a result, nearly 300 drivers died on the road annually, according to La Paz Life. At one point, cars were falling over the edge at a rate of once every two weeks.

In 2009, the Bolivian government built a new, safer route nearby. North Yungas Road, however, is still open to cars.

Atlantic Road

Norway

Norway’s Atlantic Road looks less like a traversable highway and more like a roller coaster-esque racecourse straight out of a video game. The 5.2-mile road snakes and undulates across the harsh Norwegian Sea, leaving itself susceptible to the blustery winds and crashing waves that accompany the area’s frequent storms. The dangerous road’s location delivers some otherworldly views, which explains the several designated viewing spots along the route. Just make sure to do your sightseeing on fair-weather days.

Guoliang Tunnel

China

Perusing the list of the world’s most dangerous roads, you’ll notice many are found alongside mountains. The Guoliang Tunnel, however, is carved into mountains, China’s Taihang Mountains, to be exact. Just 15-feet high, 13-feet wide and holding the distinction as one of the steepest roads in the world, the perilous tunnel was built out of necessity, according to the Daily Mail. Prior to 1972, the only access to the remote village of Guoliang was through a footpath consisting of 720 steps.

The village wanted to create a more accessible route to the outside world. Shockingly, it took just 13 local villagers to construct the nearly mile-long tunnel (along with 4,000 hammers, 12 tons of steel and five years’ time).

Driving on the road requires laser-like focus, as the path twists and turns without much notice. As if these hazards weren’t enough, motorists will also have to navigate around the crowds of footbound tourists looking to get a firsthand look at what has become a popular tourist attraction.

Passage du Gois

France

The Passage du Gois is a nearly three-mile road located along France’s Atlantic coast, connecting the mainland to the island of Noirmoutier. At first glance, it may seem like a safe, serene roadway. But, twice a day, like clockwork, the Passage du Gois becomes one of the world’s most dangerous roads. Because the path is essentially at sea level, when the tide comes in, it’s flooded under several feet of water.

Digital panels inform drivers when the road is passable. As you can imagine, not everyone obeys these warnings, leading to many a trapped tourist. Elevated towers have been placed along the road for stranded travelers to wait out the tide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-qSN1SmeLo

Zoji Pass

India

Any list of the world’s most dangerous roads surely must include one that winds through the most treacherous terrain on Earth: the Himalayan mountains. Situated more than 11,500 feet above sea level, the 16-mile pass connects Ladakh and Kashmir. The winding, partially unpaved road is most perilous due to the region’s notoriously brutal weather. Zoji La Pass is typically closed during the winter due to snowfall that can total more than 50 feet. There have also been at least 60 landslides fall across the roadway, according to the Daily Mail.

Bayburt-Of Road

Turkey

Zigzagging up the 6,000-foot-high Soganli Mountain, with no guardrails to speak of, is the northern section of Turkey’s state road D915, known as Bayburt-Of Road. The passageway was built back in 1916, but we use the term “built” generously, as the road is made of nothing more than dirt and loose gravel.

All told, the dizzying drive contains 29 hairpin turns. Add in a crumbling road conditions, sections so narrow they can barely fit two cars, and unpredictable snow, blizzards and fog, and you have a road to be avoided at all costs.

Sichuan-Tibet Highway

China

When you think of what makes these roads so dangerous, you’d likely form a list of the usual suspects: sharp turns, poor infrastructure, crowded paths, hazardous weather conditions, etc. One factor that probably wouldn’t come to mind, though, is altitude sickness.

The Sichuan-Tibet Highway spans more than 1,300 miles across China. Along the way, it traverses more than a dozen mountains that reach heights of over 16,000 feet. The air at that altitude contains half the amount of oxygen than at sea level. This can lead to symptoms such as dizziness, headaches and nausea.

But then you have to deal with the road itself, which consists of poor driving surfaces, hairpin turns around mountains and nerve-wracking bridge crossings. Did we mention the frequent snow, ice and landfalls?

Skipper’s Canyon

New Zealand

Just how dangerous is New Zealand’s Skippers Canyon Road? So dangerous rental car companies forbid customers from driving on it. Indeed, the route through the Skippers Canyon Gorge is not for the faint of heart – or the claustrophobic. The vast majority of the twisting, unpaved road is too narrow for more than a single car to pass. Should you encounter another vehicle on your journey, one of you will have to back up until you find a spot wide enough for you both.

Skippers Canyon Road was built by miners in the late 1800s during their search for gold. Unless you, too, want to test your luck, we suggest traveling the road via professional tour companies familiar with the route.

Have you driven on any of the most dangerous roads in the world? How was the experience? Let us know in the comments below!

Make sure to brush up on your safe driving tips before you go on your next four-wheel adventure.