20 of the World’s Most Dangerous Roads

The roads that most of us drive on a typical day are paved and traverse relatively smooth ground. However, some parts of the world are known for having more hazardous road conditions with no asphalt or guardrails, rough terrain, sharp turns and very narrow lanes. We have assembled a list of the most dangerous roads from around the globe, so take a look and pick your favorite.

1. Trans-Siberian Highway, Russia

The Trans-Siberian Highway stretches from St. Petersburg in the northwest of Russia to Vladivostok in the southeast of Russia. The 6,800-mile road is one of the longest in the world and crosses some of the toughest terrain, including deserts, forests and mountains. Despite being paved, most of the highway is in terrible condition. Heavy rain and severe winter weather make the unpaved sections on the Siberian side impassable.

2. Canning Stock Route, Australia

The Canning Stock Route crosses three vast deserts and passes through four native title areas in Western Australia. From Halls Creek to Wiluna, the 1,150-mile road is not maintained. The terrain requires a four-wheel drive vehicle and takes up to three weeks to traverse. Additionally, a GPS is practically useless for navigating the network of poorly defined roads.

3. Stelvio Pass, Italy

At an elevation of 9,045 feet, Stelvio Pass is a paved road that connects the Lombardy region of Italy in the Eastern Alps with Austria. Stretching only 13.4 miles, the Passo dello Stelvio as it’s called in Italian, has at least 60, 180-degree turns. With low concrete barriers, one wrong move could send you over the edge. Winter weather makes the road slick and even more dangerous.

4. La Carretera de los Yungas, Bolivia

Covering 43 miles, La Carretera de los Yungas connects Coroico and La Paz in Bolivia’s Yungas region. Also called El Camino de la Muerte or Death Road, it’s unpaved and spans the sides of cliffs that overlook a canyon. With sharp turns and a width of less than 10 feet for two-way traffic along most of the road, more than 200 people fall to their demise here every year. Heavy fog and rain make driving conditions even more difficult.

5. Mexican Federal Highway 1, Mexico

Mexican Federal Highway 1, which is also called the Transpeninsular Highway or Carretera Transpeninsular, runs the length of the Baja California Peninsula from the southern tip at Cabo San Lucas in Mexico to the U.S. border. At 1,063 miles in length, the mostly narrow, two-lane asphalt passage winds around dangerous cliffs with no guardrails and a lack of road signs.

6. Taroko Gorge Road, Taiwan

Taroko Gorge Road in eastern Taiwan is a narrow road that is full of blind curves and sharp turns that run along the cliffs and through the mountains of Taroko Gorge, an 11.8-mile canyon in Taroko National Park. Also called Central Cross-Island Highway, the paved road was carved into the mountain and is only wide enough to allow a single bus to pass at a time. The region has three or four cyclones every year, which bring heavy rains that often cause landslides, making the road all the more dangerous.

7. James Dalton Highway, Alaska

An isolated highway that stretches 414 miles, James Dalton Highway was built in Alaska as a supply road for oil exploration in Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic Ocean. It passes through three towns and is filled with huge potholes from commercial vehicles, which kick up clouds of dust that reduce visibility to nothing. Additionally, high winds send small rocks flying, and truckers have to battle freezing Arctic weather.

8. Zoji La, India

Zoji La, also called Zoji Pass or Zojila, is a 5.6-mile mountain road in the Western Himalayas of India that lies between Leh and Srinagar at 11,575 feet above sea level. Most of the road is impassable during the winter because of heavy snow and strong winds. The narrow pass doesn’t have any barriers to keep you from falling into the steep abyss below.

9. Nanga Parbat Pass, Pakistan

Nanga Parbat Pass in Pakistan is a narrow, 6.2-mile road that is also referred to as Fairy Meadows Road or The Way to Fairy Meadows. However, it’s actually a dangerous pass that lies at 10,000 feet above sea level and leads to Nanga Parbat, which is nicknamed The Killer Mountain. It is an unstable gravel road and doesn’t have guardrails to protect against the 6-mile drop.

10. Trans-Sahara Highway, Algeria

The Trans-Sahara Highway is a 2,800-mile stretch that links Lagos in Nigeria with Algiers in Algeria, passing through Niger along the way. It crosses a barren, desert landscape with harsh environments, and although 85 percent of the road is paved, most of it is poorly maintained. There are very few places to stop for fuel and water, and sandstorms can block the pass.

11. Transfăgărăşan, Romania

The Transfăgărăşan is a 56-mile road that twists around the tallest Carpathian Mountains in Romania. Although the pass is paved, it features dark tunnels, hairpin turns, steep plunges, and long stretches with no barriers. It was built as a strategic military route and reaches its highest point at 6,699 feet above sea level at Pasul Bâlea.

12. Skippers Canyon Road, New Zealand

Built as an access road for miners, Skippers Canyon Road is 16.5 miles long and was carved into the face of a cliff by hand. It’s located in the southwest portion of South Island, New Zealand. With drops of several hundred feet, the narrow, winding gravel road requires a permit to drive, and many insurers do not cover accidents that happen on it.

13. Sichuan-Tibet Highway, China

Linking Lhasa and Chengdu, the Sichuan-Tibet Highway in China passes through more than a dozen mountains and forests and over dozens of rivers during its 1,498-mile stretch. The plateau sections of the road pass castle-like Tibetan homes. However, avalanches, rockslides, and poor weather are factors in the more than 7,500 deaths reported among every 100,000 people who drive it.

14. BR-116, Brazil

Locals call the asphalted BR-116 in Brazil the Rodovia da Morte, which means “The Highway of Death.” Linking Fortaleza and Jaguarão, thousands of people die on the 2,700-mile road every year because of bandits, gangs, and poor maintenance. Unstable weather conditions and steep cliffs are also responsible for major accidents on this curvy road.

15. Kabul-Jalalabad Highway, Afghanistan

The 95-mile Kabul-Jalalabad Highway connects Kabul and Jalalabad in Afghanistan, crossing Taliban territory. With two lanes, the asphalt-turned-gravel road runs along the cliffs of Kabul Gorge at 1,968 feet high. The pass features sharp turns and vertical drops, and many people meet their demise every year because of reckless driving.

16. P1 Road, Eritrea

P1 Road in Eritrea, which borders Sudan and Ethiopia, is a narrow, winding road that connects Asmara near the center of the country and Massawa on the eastern coast. It passes through the towns of Gīnda, Nefasit and Dogali along the way. The nearly 70-mile road is asphalted and features a steep incline that reaches 7,628 feet above sea level and hairpin turns.

17. All Roads in Niue

Image courtesy of mosttraveledpeople.com.

The unnamed road that runs along the entire coast of the island of Niue in the South Pacific is nearly 40 miles long and the main road of travel for locals. Several unpaved roads cross the central plateau and connect the villages. Utility roads are mainly used as access routes to coconut areas, taro plantations and the sea. All of the roads are narrow with blind curves in some areas.

18. Arniko Highway, Nepal

The Arniko Highway is an about 90-mile road that links Kathmandu in Central Nepal and Kodari at the country’s border with China. Also called the Arniko Rajmarg, the asphalt and gravel road is part of the AH42 and is vulnerable to landslides. Steep slopes on both sides of the narrow, curvy highway also make it dangerous.

19. Trollstigen Mountain Road, Norway

Traversing the mountains of Norway’s western coast, Trollstigen Mountain Road is part of Norwegian National Road 63 and is about 34 miles long. It links the town of Åndalsnes with the valley of Valldal to the south. The one-lane mountain pass has narrow driving space, 11 hairpin turns, and a steep incline of 9 percent. Rain creates traction problems, and fog reduces visibility.

20. Guoliang Tunnel Road, China

Excavated in the side of the Taihang Mountains in the Henan Province of China, Guoliang Tunnel Road is nearly 1-mile long and is known as the “road that tolerates no mistakes.” The steep incline is only 13 feet wide and 16 feet high, only allowing vehicles to pass each other at very slow speeds. It features unpredictable dips, twists and turns. Recklessness is the primary cause of accidents.

Whether it’s narrow, gravel, at high altitude with no barriers or a hotspot for violence, there are several reasons why many roads around the world are very dangerous.

Would you have the courage to drive any of these roads?