Skip The Rental: The 20 Scariest Places In The World To Drive A Car
Would You Dare To Drive These Roads?
While some roads are meant for leisurely drives, others seem designed to test your courage. Around the world, there are highways, passes, and cliffside tracks so dangerous they’ve earned legendary reputations. From cliffside passes with no guardrails to roads literally built on ice, here are 20 of the world's scariest places to drive.
1. North Yungas Road, Bolivia
Nicknamed "Death Road," North Yungas Road in Bolivia is one of the most infamously treacherous driving routes in the world. It's terrifyingly narrow with sheer drops and almost no guardrails.
2. Khardung La Pass, India
Khardung La Pass is a Himalayan mountain pass that serves as a gateway between the Nubra and Shyok Valleys in Ladakh, India. One of the highest driving roads in the world, it's known for being a challenging road to drive because of its thin air, extreme weather, and rugged terrain.
Vyacheslav Argenberg on Wikimedia
3. Dalton Highway, Alaska
Alaska's Dalton Highway is a 414-mile road known for its harsh arctic conditions and remote location. It offers scenic wilderness views, but the limited services, risk of wildlife encounters, and poor road conditions make it a hazardous drive.
4. Guoliang Tunnel Road, China
Guoliang Tunnel Road was carved into a mountain by villagers in the 1970s. The extremely narrow road gives way to sheer cliff drops, and bad weather often causes deadly mudslides.
FANG Chen from Beijing, China on Wikimedia
5. Eshima Ohashi Bridge, Japan
Eshima Ohashi Bridge in Japan is an extremely steep-looking bridge that has become a tourist attraction for its striking appearance and breathtaking views from the top. Although it looks and feels frightening to drive on, it's actually well-engineered and safe.
6. Stelvio Pass, Italy
Italy's Stelvio Pass is an iconic yet dangerous road famous for its 60 tight hairpin bends and narrow and steep sections. Being one of the highest paved roads in the Alps, it also frequently has extreme weather conditions.
7. Zojila Pass, India
India's Zojila Pass is a high Himalayan pass known for its narrow, winding roads, unpredictable weather, and high altitude. The region is also prone to landslides, heavy snow, and avalanches.
Biswarup Bhattacharjee on Wikimedia
8. Fairy Meadows Road, Pakistan
Pakistan's Fairy Meadows Road may sound cute, but it's actually one of the most dangerous in the world. It's notoriously narrow, unpaved, and situated on a steep cliffside at high altitude.
9. Kolyma Highway, Russia
Kolyma Highway in Russia is also known as "The Road of Bones" because it's so dangerous. It's built on permafrost and passes through regions with extremely low temperatures. Vehicles commonly break down, and the remote location makes it difficult to access services or get help.
10. BR-116, Brazil
Brazil's "Highway of Death," the BR-116, is responsible for thousands of road deaths each year due to its terrible conditions and extreme weather. The road is incredibly windy with no protective barriers, and on top of that, there's the risk of being attacked by armed gangs.
Ministério dos Transportes on Wikimedia
11. Taroko Gorge Road, Taiwan
Carved into the side of a cliff in Taiwan, Taroko Gorge Road is infamously narrow and winding. Typhoons and rockslides add to the danger.
12. Sichuan-Tibet Highway, China
Sichuan-Tibet Highway is an extremely dangerous road in China that connects Chengdu and Lhasa. It's known for its high altitude, perilous drops, unpaved sections, steepness, and risk of falling rocks and landslides.
13. Skippers Canyon, New Zealand
Skippers Canyon is a mostly unpaved mountain road in New Zealand. It's narrow, winding, and known for its steep drops and risk of falling rocks.
14. Patiopoulo-Perdikaki Road, Greece
Patiopoulo-Perdikaki Road in Greece is considered extremely hazardous, even for very experienced drivers, because of its narrow, unpaved surface. It's treacherously windy and lacks guardrails and lighting at night.
15. Luxor-al-Hurghada Road, Egypt
Egypt's Luxor–al-Hurghada Road is dangerous not from an unsafe driving condition standpoint, but because of the risk of being attacked by armed bandits. Motorists commonly opt to drive without headlights at night to avoid drawing attention.
16. Furka Pass, Switzerland
Furka Pass in Switzerland is known for its beauty, but it's also a challenging road to drive, especially when conditions are bad, which happens frequently. The mountain road is narrow with tight bends and steep drops.
17. Sani Pass, South Africa
Sani Pass in South Africa is a notorious mountain pass known for its extreme steepness. What's more, it's unpaved, with tight hairpin turns, and no guardrails.
18. Carretera Austral, Chile
Chile's Carretera Austral is a remote road that winds through mountains and rivers. It can be horribly muddy, rough, and isn't well-maintained, especially in the more mountainous southern stretch.
M M from Switzerland on Wikimedia
19. Commonwealth Avenue, Philippines
Also called "The Killer Highway" because of its high rate of accidents, Commonwealth Avenue in the Philippines is one of the most dangerous roads in terms of fatalities. Drivers are known to speed, and traffic is chaotic.
PNA photo by Joey O. Razon on Wikimedia
20. Transfăgărășan Highway, Romania
Transfăgărășan Highway in Romania is notorious for its sharp turns and steep drops. What's more, bears and flocks of sheep commonly intercept traffic, causing collisions.
