Road trips are one of our favourite ways of travelling, there’s nothing quite like renting a car and hitting the open road without a care in the world. Now all you’ve got to do is choose where to go. Not a fan of long boring road journeys? Try one of these crazy alternatives instead…
Death Valley, California
Death Valley is a place we were perhaps a little naively going to head to as part of our Californian road trip. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it holds the record for being home to the highest reported temperature in the world – a whopping 56.7 °C. Apparently it can get so hot you won’t even be able to use the air conditioning in your car and if your car breaks down, you will have some serious issues. If you are crazy enough to make the trip, take plenty of water (around 20 litres per person) and be aware your mobile phones might not work on the journey.
Stelvio Pass, Italy
There are a grand total of 60 hairpin turns packed into the 15 miles on the Stelvio Pass, so if you suffer from even the slightest bit of travel sickness you’re probably best avoiding this one like the plague. The highway – located in North Italy – is also the second-highest paved road in the Alps and climbs to 9,045 feet with gradients as steep as 14%. It’s so unique that is has elicited raptures from the likes of Jeremy Clarkson and Charles Dickens who have both declared it the world’s greatest road for driving.
Guoliang Tunnel Road, China
Definitely not one for the claustrophobics, this road is actually carved along the side of and through a mountain in China. After the government refused to build a highway to connect the village of Guoliang to the surrounding towns, the locals decided to build one themselves. Tragically several villagers died during construction. The drive isn’t for the faint hearted – the two-way road is just 13 feet in width with a steep drop off the cliffs to one side and some seriously jagged angles. When China opened its borders to international tourists the road was so infamous it became an attraction for curious visitors.
McMurdo South Pole Highway, Antarctica
The coldest and emptiest place on earth is always going to make the world’s craziest road trip, especially when 98% of it is covered by ice. The 900 mile extremely isolated South Pole Highway links the U.S. Antarctic McMurdo station to the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station and at some points has ice nearly three miles thick. Probably only tackled by the very brave…or the very foolish.
Lærdal Tunnel, Norway
What this journey lacks in scenery is more than made up for by its wow factor as you travel through the worlds’s longest tunnel. There is 15.2 miles of tunnel which cut through mountains nearly 6000 feet high. The tunnel cost a cool US$125 million and was built to solve the problem of heavy winter snowfalls that caused havoc for the Norwegian commuters.
North Yungas Road, Bolivia
This is a forty odd mile road from the Bolivian capital La Paz through mountains to Coroico otherwise known as the ‘Death Road.’ It’s scary name is down to the number of people that perish there every year – an estimated eye-watering 200 to 300 people. If you plan to make the treacherous journey, make sure you definitely avoid the rainy season which is around mid-December to early March.
The Grimsel Pass, Switzerland
The Grimsel Pass located in the Swiss Alps may not be as dangerous as the death road but it definitely has a few surprises up its sleeve. The road traverses a wild and barren mountain landscape with granite rock formations, reservoirs and power stations oh..and some of the sharpest corners of any road in the world. Probably best to pack the travel sickness tablets before you go!
Preparing for your trip
Before any road trip make sure you research the Highway code of the country you’re planning to travel to (you’d be surprised how much it can differ between each country). Be well rested before you make the journey and give your full attention to the road. Even if you’re not planning a crazy road trip, don’t follow another vehicle too closely and clean your headlights, taillights, signal lights and windows before your start out. Also as in with anytime you travel check your passport is well within date, if it’s not consider fast tracking through a passport renewal service.
36 Comments
Vishal
15 April, 2017 at 8:31 amWowww all the images saying more than content 😉 i wish to be on such amazing roads! But i think one more destination can be added in this list which is Manali to Leh (India) road trip. It is also known for bumpy ride in himalayan terrain.
Brentlee Ryan
19 November, 2014 at 2:30 amI want to do every single one of these… Starting with Guoliang Tunnel Road, China. That looks so epic!!
rebecca
3 November, 2014 at 7:37 pmshall put all of these on the bucketlist!
raghav
31 October, 2014 at 5:40 amAnother amazing road trip is of Leh- Ladakh, India!! It is one of the most difficult road trips of the world. It requires great skills to drive up to the highest motorable road in the world..!!! Its a must visit for everyone at least once in a life
Hannah
28 October, 2014 at 4:38 pmCan’t say I’ve ever thought of doing a road trip in Antarctica – that would certainly be interesting on the tyres I have on my car!
raghav
31 October, 2014 at 5:41 amyes, antarctica will be something very different. hope to make that trip soon!!!
the lazy travelers
22 October, 2014 at 10:08 pmomg, that road in china looks TERRIFYING. amazing! but terrifying.
Amanda
22 October, 2014 at 9:41 pmWell they look like fun! :-/ I’m drawing the line at Guoliang Tunnel Road though!
Becky Moore
28 October, 2014 at 10:29 amHa ha don’t blame you 😉
lola
22 October, 2014 at 8:51 pmafter doing the Mongol Rally all of these options look amazing. i really loved driving 1/3 of the earth’s surface. such an amazing way to see things.
Claire @ ZigZag On Earth
19 October, 2014 at 9:23 amI am scared just looking at the Bolivia one!
Becky Moore
21 October, 2014 at 5:56 pmHa ha just imagine driving it! 😉
Ryan Biddulph
17 October, 2014 at 4:57 amHi Becky,
Death Valley has always fascinated me. One of the hottest places on earth and oh so dry too. I heard similar things about the AC and car breaking down. I’d bring gallons on end as I sweat enough in places like here in Fiji, where it’s been dry and windy, and somewhat cool, the past few days. So neat, so extreme, and Death Valley must be about the most ultimate, extreme road trip I can think of.
I’m intrigued by that spot the most, but all look pretty darn crazy to me in their own right. We’ve been a flight, train, bus or taxi/tuk tuk kind of couple but may need to do the road trip thing soon. So much fun, so much exploring, so much neat stuff happening on road trips. Just be sure to bring the H2O for the Death Valley trip!
Thanks Becky fun roundup. Tweeting soon.
Ryan
Becky Moore
21 October, 2014 at 5:57 pmThanks Ryan, yes the Death Valley definitely needs a lot of preparation that’s why we decided to give it a miss in the end – not worth putting our lives at risk! 🙂
Katie Featherstone
16 October, 2014 at 4:17 pmSome beautiful road-trips! Guoliang Tunnel Road sounds terrifying though! I think the original North Yungas is thankfully closed to everyone except cyclists now. Even riding a bike down it doesn’t sound like my kind of thing!
Franca
16 October, 2014 at 12:40 pmSome of these roads are way to high and steep, I don’t think I could possibly drive there considering my fear of heights 🙁
Lauren Hughes
15 October, 2014 at 10:07 pmI have always wanted to drive from north to south america, but that isn’t the safest of road trips to take either… I would love to try one of them some day though 🙂
http://www.hikinginheels.co.uk
Becky Moore
16 October, 2014 at 9:40 amLet us know how you get on if you do 🙂
@mrsoaroundworld
15 October, 2014 at 8:46 pmI vote for Europe!!
Becky Moore
16 October, 2014 at 9:39 amHe he thanks Ana 🙂
Miriam of Adventurous Miriam
15 October, 2014 at 8:10 pmI’d love to try the Guoliang Tunnel Road in China! Looks crazy!
Becky Moore
16 October, 2014 at 9:41 amDefinitely very different 😉
Tiana in Florence
15 October, 2014 at 3:25 pmOh my, I think that road in China would freak me out, so amazing and narrow! I love road trips, some of my favorite experiences have been on a road trip.
Becky Moore
16 October, 2014 at 9:42 amYes us too, definitely our favourite way of travelling 🙂
Mary Anne
15 October, 2014 at 2:54 pmI love a good road trip.
Becky Moore
16 October, 2014 at 9:42 amDitto 🙂
Agness
15 October, 2014 at 9:18 amBased on my experience, Guoliang Tunnel Road in China is the winner. I was so SCARED!!
Becky Moore
16 October, 2014 at 9:43 amOh wow yes I bet!
Natasha Amar
15 October, 2014 at 9:18 amI’d love to do that road trip in Antarctica!
Becky Moore
16 October, 2014 at 9:43 amGood choice 🙂
Lauren Meshkin @BonVoyageLauren
15 October, 2014 at 7:07 amI’d absolutely love to go on a European road trip one day. Italy and Switzerland sound like great options! Thanks for sharing.
Happy travels 🙂
Becky Moore
16 October, 2014 at 9:43 amThanks Lauren, you too!
Jane
14 October, 2014 at 11:53 pmFantastic collection of ‘must do’ drives! I’d add the great little drive into Zion too!
Becky Moore
16 October, 2014 at 9:44 amThanks for the tip Jane! Will look into that one 🙂
Shikha (whywasteannualleave)
14 October, 2014 at 1:56 pmWow! These certainly aren’t for the faint hearted are they?! I’ve not done a road trip at all really – it’s on my list of travel experiences still to do – the Death Valley one in particular sounds quite frightening given those soaring temperatures!
Becky Moore
16 October, 2014 at 9:50 amI think we were wise not to tackle it on our first Californian trip – definitely needs a lot of preparation 😉