The world is an amazing place and filled with so many natural wonders that will take your breath away.
But sometimes the most breathtaking spots aren’t created by nature, but by man.
Humans have been building roads since ancient times, and some of these are still standing today.
Whether new or old, there are roads across the world built in the most incredible ways, seemingly defying nature, gravity, and belief.
Read on to see some of the most amazing roads that will have you truly questioning whether what you are seeing is real.
The Atlantic Ocean Road, Norway
This road looks like something out of a futuristic science fiction movie. Parts of it have actually been built into the side of the mountain, whereas other parts are long stretches of bridge running over and through the Atlantic Ocean.
You have to be careful driving along this famous highway, as huge waves can sometimes crash over from the wild Atlantic and totally engulf it. In case you are planning on exploring you can rely on guides from LYA tours to give you the best experience.
What an experience zooming down this road must be – like an epic intense log ride through some of nature’s most beautiful views.
The Canning Stock Route, Australia
This amazing road was built in the early 1900s by tradesmen as a route to walk their livestock from one location to another.
At a whopping 1,150 miles, it is the longest historic stock route in the world.
However, it’s not for the faint-hearted – the road is not levelled, meaning it’s a pretty bumpy ride – and there are no fuel or pit stops along the way.
We wouldn’t attempt this one unless you drive a 4×4 or are a Victorian cattle merchant.
The Caucasus Road, Georgia
What a breathtaking view! The Caucasus Road, otherwise known as the Georgian Military Road, is one of the most spectacular roads in existence. Its history stretches as far back as Roman times, and it was originally used by invaders trying to take control of the lands within Georgia and Russia, as well as tradesman across the ages.
The road stretches from Tbilisi in Georgia all the way to Vladikavkaz in Russia, and takes you some of the most beautiful rural areas in both countries.
The Zoji La Pass, India
This road is built into the highest peaks of the Himalayas, so driving along here feels basically like flying through the clouds.
The word “la” in India actually means “mountain pass”, so the literal translation of this road is the “Snowy Mountain Pass Pass”.
Anyway, it’s one of the most incredible roads in the world, taking you over 11,000 ft. above sea level, and providing some of the most breathtaking views a person can hope to see in their lifetime.
The Pass is closed for much of the winter months as it becomes buried in snow and at risk of avalanches.
Guoliang Tunnel Road, China
This one looks more like a rollercoaster than a road! Carved deep into – and through – the side of the formidable Taihang Mountains in China’s Henan Province, driving through this one is a pretty intense experience.
The passage was carved in the early seventies by a total of thirteen workers, who had no power tools or drills, but tunneled through the solid rock using hammers and chisels.
One of the world’s steepest roads, it connects the remote village of Guoliang to the rest of China, and its treacherous paths have earned it the terrifying nickname “the road that tolerates no mistakes.”
The James Dalton Highway, Alaska
The James W. Dalton Highway, sometimes as the North Slope Haul Road, was built in 1974 to support the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, one of the largest pipeline systems in the world.
This incredible road runs directly parallel to the pipeline, stretching a whopping 414 miles from beginning to end. It starts in Deadhorse, one of the northernmost points in in Alaska, and goes all the way down to Fairbanks in the center of the country.
One of the most remote roads in the United States, the surface is mostly gravel.
Drivers on the Dalton Highway are advised to only use trucks – and to bring survival gear. Yikes!
The Hana Highway, Hawa’ii
The Hana Highway runs almost all the way around the eastern part of the Hawaiian coast. One of the most meandering coastal roads in the world, it’s incredibly twisty and turny, and not the road to take if you want to get somewhere in a hurry.
Instead, it’s one to use if you want to take in some of the planet’s most breathtaking natural views, such as mountain streams and soaring sea cliffs, each turn bringing you a new spectacular scene of wonder. If you want to explore this scenic route, you may consider booking a road to hana private tour.
The Karakoram Highway, China
The Karakoram Highway, also called the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway, runs a massive 800 miles from the province of Hasan Abdalof in northern Pakistan to the Kashgar province in the westernmost point of China.
It is one of the highest paved roads in the world, reaching an elevation of 15,466 feet above sea level as it runs through the Karakoram mountain range.
This road is nicknamed “the eighth wonder of the world”, and looking at these jaw-dropping views, it’s not hard to see why.
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, Japan
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is one of the roads that truly need to be seen to be believed. At a total length of 23 miles, it’s not the longest road on this list, but it features a whole host of amazing, eye-popping sights, each one worth a journey of its own.
On this road you can see the awe-inspiring Snow Walls, where sparkling walls of solid snow encase the road, towering some fifty meters above.
It also goes over the Kurobe Dam, one of the world’s most spectacular and popular walking trails.
The Kabul-Jalalabad Highway, Afghanistan
This road comprises forty miles of some of the most beautiful scenery on planet earth. Mountains, gorges and vertical rock cliffs adorn this twisty-turny highway that stretches between the towns of Kabul and Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan.
This is not a road to take for an inexperienced driver – in fact even the most expert driver will have their work cut out for them navigating this trail.
It’s often thought to be one of the most difficult and challenging roads to drive in the entire world.
The Killar-Pangi Road, India
This beautiful and deeply perilous road connects the Indian towns of Killar and Pangi, passing through Kishtwar and the remote districts Jammu and Kashmir. It eventually reaches the haunting and ethereal Pangi valley, hidden between the Pir Panial and Zanskar ranges of the Western Himalayas.
This road is often the only option for the journey to Pangi when the regular roads are blocked due to snowfall.
You definitely wouldn’t want to take this road unless you absolutely had to – it’s known for its narrow lanes, uneven ground and sharp turns.
The Kolyma Highway, Russia
This road is sometimes referred to as the coldest road in the world, and also as the slightly more terrifying “Road of Bones”.
The latter nickname actually refers to how it was built, rather than the peril it poses to today’s drivers.
One of the nearest towns to the highway, Oymyakon, is said to be the coldest inhabited place on earth, with temperatures reaching as low as −58 °F.
The coldness of the area actually helps with the road’s safety, as the ice smooths over and solidifies the otherwise rocky surface.
The Apache Trail Scenic Drive, Arizona
The Apache Trail Scenic Drive, also known by its official name the Arizona State Route 88, is a 40-mile drive starting in Apache Junction and ending at the Theodore Roosevelt Dam.
The trail gets its name from the Apache Native Americans who used to travel the trail through the haunting Superstition Mountains. Now it is mostly used by trucks and coaches.
This road is pretty well-maintained, but not all of the surface is paved, and it has a lot of incredibly sharp twists and turns.
This is another one not best suited to the inexperienced driver.
The Cotopaxi Volcano Road, Ecuador
Drivers attempting to traverse the Cotopaxi Volcano Road are certainly in for a wild ride. The road twists and turns across rivers and streams, at times simply providing a gravelly surface partially still in the water. The route has a great many potholes and the entire 25-mile stretch is an unlevelled dirt road.
As well as all this, it runs underneath the active Cotopaxi Volcano, which regularly erupts and covers the road in molten lava.
The views from this track are certainly once-in-a-lifetime, but you’ve got to be pretty death-defying to make it.
The Sichuan-Tibet Highway, China
Rumor has it that most of the car accidents on this highway take place because drivers have taken their eyes of the road to admire the stunning beauty of the surrounding views.
Looking at these surroundings, we can definitely believe that.
This stunning highway runs a whopping 3,403 miles, starting in the city of Shanghai in eastern China, and reaching the province of Zhangmu in the autonomous region of Tibet, where it meets the border with Nepal.
It’s undeniably one of the most beautiful roads in the world, travelling from the heights of the mountains through vast, open landscapes.
Skippers Canyon, New Zealand
This rather frivolously named road does certainly not live up to its moniker. This 16-mile dirt track was hand-carved by miners in the late nineteenth century, and is only just about wide enough to fit a car – and with one side being a steep cliff drop, that’s not something you want to play around with.
The views along this drive are absolutely incredible, with the high vantage point meaning you can see for miles around into the beautiful surrounding landscapes.
Stelvio Pass, Italy
This astonishingly beautiful mountain pass looks like someone just ran their pen wildly over a map. The dizzying zig-zag turns and incredible mountain views make a drive along this road truly a trip to remember, but it’s definitely not for the fainthearted.
If you can stomach the hundreds of sharp turns, you will see some of the most beautiful scenery in the world as you pass between the towns of Stelvio and Bormio in northern Italy.
Standing at a whopping nine thousand feet above sea level, it is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps, and the second highest in the Alps overall.
The Taroko Gorge Road, Taiwan
This stunning mountain road has been carved out of the rocks in the cliffside. It’s incredibly winding and narrow, and can only fit a single line of vehicles. However, the views along this iconic trail are absolutely priceless.
As you cut through the mountains you can see natural rock formations ranging from marble, gneiss, and schist. The constant seismic shifts within the rock mean that the landscape itself is always changing.
This also presents a real risk for the drivers, though, as well as the periodic rain and flooding that can make the already treacherous surface slippery and wet.
The Tianmen Mountain 99-Bend Road, China
Wowee! Just look at the incredible twists and turns of this mind-boggling mountain road in the Tianmen Mountain range in central China.
It’s so bendy, it even ends up looping underneath itself. It looks like a fictional place, possibly somewhere out of Alice in Wonderland or Lord of the Rings.
But this road is as real as you and me, and is so called because it contains 99 sharp bends – said by the Chinese to symbolize the nine palaces of heaven.
North Yungas Road, Bolivia
Also known as “The Death Road”, this is supposed to be one of the most difficult and scary roads to traverse in the whole world.
Many TV shows and documentaries have shown how incredibly tricky it can be navigating the road’s narrow paths and sharp bends – and all along a sharp cliff edge.
The views from this rural trail are nothing short of stunning – but you probably won’t be able to enjoy them, as travelling this road safely takes a lot of concentration.
The Highway of Death, Brazil
This cheerily named road is so called because of its often extremely adverse weather conditions.
Brazil can receive huge amounts of rainfall in its winter months, and earth-pounding dry heat in the summer. This combined with poor road maintenance means the surface of this highway is in pretty bad shape.
There are also rumored to be gangs and bandits lying in wait along the route to steal your car and do other bad things.
The sights are undoubtedly breathtaking, but it doesn’t sound like you’d get much chance to enjoy them!
Fairy Meadows Way, Pakistan
This sounds like a lovely sparkly treat of a street, and it is indeed truly magical in a way that makes it live up to its enchanted name.
Over 10,000 feet above sea level, the stunning mountain views from this winding road make it truly a sight to behold.
However, this is only one for the sturdiest of vehicles – and drivers.
The high altitude, unstable surfaces and narrow paths make it a pretty treacherous drive for even the most seasoned of motorists.
Luxor-al-Hurghada Road, Egypt
We just feel hot looking at this road. Look at that bright, dry desert, making up the 188-mile long stretch that connects the main cities of Egypt with the ancient city of Luxor.
Luxor is now as famous for its scuba diving resorts as it is for its history.
This road is undoubtedly one of the most picturesque, but watch out for the many dangers that are said to be lying in wait.
As well as the uneven surfaces, the road is renowned for its dangerous drivers, and is even rumored to have bandits and militiamen hiding along its course.
The Passage Du Gois
This incredible road may look like it leads directly into the ocean, but it actually runs to the island of Noirmoutier off the west coast of France.
A naturally occurring passage, the road was originally made from sand banks before being paved over in the 19th and 20th centuries.
There is pretty much nothing like this breathtaking sight anywhere else in the world.
Anyone can walk over this path, but you have to come at the right time of day – the whole thing is completely submerged in water during high tide.
The Commonwealth Avenue, Philippines
This huge road isn’t exactly what you’d call a vision of beauty, but it is pretty impressive. The widest road in all of the Philippines, it spans a whopping eighteen lanes.
This road is truly a sight to behold, and navigating it successfully is really quite a feat.
However, the multi-lane mania comes with its fair share of danger, and it’s pretty difficult to drive alongside the myriad other cars on the road without it posing some serious risks to your safety.
Moki Dugway, Utah
When you say the words “road trip”, this is pretty much the scene we have in mind. A vast, dusty road, stretching out before miles of crags, valleys and mountain vistas ahead.
There’s no denying that the sights here are once-in-a-lifetime, and looking at this makes us desperate to jump in the car and head off on an adventure.
However, don’t jump too quickly – the route is undoubtedly beautiful, but the sharp turns and steep drops will leave your passengers clinging to the edge of their seats – or a cliff.
Shafer Canyon Road, Utah
Rather than a road, this looks more like an ultra-extreme motocross track forged in Hell, and the weather conditions probably aren’t far off.
It’s quite a feat to maneuver your vehicle around these steep, sharp bends – and anything large enough to withstand the rocky surfaces, will likely be too big to fit safely within the narrow lanes.
The surrounding canyon views will take even the most well-travelled adventurer’s breath away, but at a pretty big risk.
This is possibly one to admire from a far, rather than from a car.
Engineer Pass, Colorado
One of the highest mountain roads in the state, the Engineer Pass in Colorado is as famous for its beauty as it is for its challenging driving conditions.
A whopping 12,800 feet above sea level, the views from this incredible road will stay with you for as long as you live.
However, this might not be very long if you fail to navigate the uneven dirt paths and the often-treacherous weather conditions.
This road is well-known for being privy to snow, ice, avalanches, and landslides.
Sa Calobra Road, Majorca
The direct translation of this road’s name is “the snake”, and it more than lives up to this in both its serpentine structure and also its slippery, wily nature.
It offers some of the most spectacular views on planet earth – the high vantage point means you can see for miles into the stunning island vistas and landscapes surrounding it.
It’s a favorite with cyclists from around the world, but only the most daredevil – starting at an altitude of over two thousand feet and descending at a gradient of 7%, it’s a pretty pulse-racing ride down to sea level.
Trollstigen Mountain Road, Norway
This road in Norway’s mountains attracts thousands of visitors every year thanks to its beauty, but also puts many off because of how difficult and dangerous it can be to traverse.
This stunning trail stretches for 3.7 miles, going through some of the most picturesque views in the world, featuring mountainsides, waterfalls, deep fjords and valleys.
Despite its beauty, this road is nicknamed “Troll’s Road”, due to its super-steep incline of 9 percent and a dizzying 11 hairpin bends!
The road is so tricky to navigate that vehicles over 41 feet long are prohibited from driving on it.
Los Caracoles Pass, Chile
This stunning strip of road is situated between the south American countries of Chile and Argentina.
It is so difficult to drive along that it is nicknamed the “Snail’s Pass” by locals, probably because the only way to navigate it slowly is to inch along it like a snail!
The road reaches an elevation of nearly 10,500 feet, featuring plenty of “switchbacks”—dizzyingly steep slopes—along its course.
Not just that, but the road spends most of the year covered in thick snow.
Incredibly, despite all this, large trucks and vehicles can be spotted on it all year round!
Grossglockner High Alpine Road, Austria
This road didn’t even exist before 1935, and the entire area was closed off to everyone except expert mountain climbers. It’s so incredibly steep that driving down this road gives you absolutely incredible views, as well as a considerable thrill of terror.
It’s the highest mountain pass road in the whole of Austria, and connects the town of Bruck, Salzburg, with Heiligenblut, Carinthia, the southernmost state in the country.
The Celts and the Romans even used to attempt to traverse this trail, more than 3,500 years ago.
The Widow-Maker in the United Kingdom
The A537 in England offers an incredible driving experience in more ways than one.
Sitting in the stunningly beautiful surroundings of the Peak District, the views along this stretch are absolutely breathtaking.
However, the road itself is made up of sharp bends that will challenge even the most expert drivers. So much so that in 2010 it received the accolade of “Britain’s most dangerous road”.
This is definitely a view you will never forget, but it’s not for the faint-hearted!
Highway 1 in Florida
Florida’s Highway 1 is undoubtedly one of the most stunning roads in the whole world, but it was also actually recently ranked the most dangerous road in the US.
It’s so long and straight, that it’s easy to lose concentration while driving or veer off course into the sharp sides.
Another reason people probably lose their focus while driving is that the surrounding view is just so breathtaking, they just can’t keep their eyes on the wheel!
Truly a dangerous level of beauty if ever we saw one.
The Million Dollar Highway in Colorado
Just look at the exceptional beauty of this road. The sights you see here will stay in your memory forever.
That is, if you survive the drive along the treacherous path!
Winding over steep cliffs and over three 10,000-foot mountain passes, this teetering trail towers over sheer drops without a single guardrail to keep drivers safe.
Add to that the sharp hairpin curves throughout, and it’s no wonder that this road is known as Colorado’s most dangerous.
Rumor has it that its name came from one driver declaring that she wouldn’t drive down it again even for a million dollars.
Adriatic Coastal Roads, Croatia
At first glance, you might think this is a road you would love to drive down, enjoying the stunning views and breathtaking vistas.
You may be right, but you better take into account the white-knuckle ride that a drive down these coastal roads can be—twisting and turning sharply as they teeter over the looming cliffs, there’s not a hard shoulder or safety barrier in sight.
These roads would be tricky enough, but they are also super narrow and—incredibly—has traffic going in both directions. Argh!
Eshima Ohashi Bridge, Japan
This is honestly the stuff of nightmares. Genuinely, looking at this rollercoaster of a bridge reminds us of deeply troubling nightmares we had kind of forgotten about.
Just imagine getting into engine trouble or being stuck in traffic at the top of this bridge. No thanks.
Apparently, the experience of driving over this bridge isn’t actually as scary as it looks, as the rise and drop feels more gradual when up close.
We are not convinced, though—not sure we want to risk it!
A44, United Kingdom
This road at first glance seems like a pretty standard country road running through rural Britain. Seems mostly normal, right? You can just go for a chilled countryside drive, enjoying spotting cows and sheep.
Wrong! This bonkers road is the A44, which has the extra-special delight of randomly switching the directions of its lanes, leading to a lot of confusion and therefore dangerous situations.
It also is full of the UK’s infamous tight bends, meaning it’s pretty hard to overtake a vehicle, so it’s easy to get stuck.
US Route 431, United States
Many roads in America probably could claim to being the most dangerous in the country, but Route 431 probably has more reason than both.
Known to locals by the nickname “Highway to Hell”, this mesmerizing motorway is full of narrow lanes, sharp turns and super fast lane changes, for a whopping 556 meandering miles.
Running all the way from Kentucky to Alabama, the views along this renowned route may be stunning, but do. Not. Take. Your. Eyes. Off. The. Road!!!!
Ruta 5, Arica to Iquique Road, Chile
This is an interesting one on our list, because it’s actually dangerous in a very different way to you might expect.
The Arica to Iquique Road doesn’t have any steep drops, winding ways or sharp bends, or tricky intersections to manage. Long, straight, and uneventful, it’s actually considered to be one of the most boring roads in the world.
But DON’T relax! It’s this boringness that actually makes it so dangerous—drivers get so dozy on this route that they end up drifting off to sleep at the wheel.
You know what they say—it’s always the quiet ones.
Transfăgărășan, DN7C, Romania
This road isn’t just utterly bonkers and impossible to spell, but it’s incredibly difficult to drive along, too.
The views are utterly spectacular, but to view them safely, you’ve got to be a pretty expert driver, to navigate the steep drops and sharp turns without plummeting to your death.
It’s like a siren of roads—because it’s so beautiful, the route tends to encourage drivers to explore it—but however drawn to its beauty you may be, it’s best to proceed with caution.
