World's Scariest Roads
Road tests
Roads are links to civilization. Every tributary, country, city and county have definitive road projects so that occupants or people in the localities and tourists as well, will have a distinct direction to follow when going to a certain location or heading for home.
There is always a huge budget for road development in every country. The only hindrance of finishing it can be political, like the rampant anomalous transactions happening in many public works agencies in many developing countries.
Travel and Leisure presented some of the dangerous roads from around the world that you will pass if you are adventurous enough to visit or travel to its locations or countries.
1)North Yungas Road, Bolivia is located between La Paz and the town of Coroico.
The Road of Death, as the popular name implies, is 1,000 feet high and you can see the greens of rain forest below. It encircles the mountainous area or Yungas and still underdeveloped due to the scarcity of fund in the government. Public works seemed to be neglected , but the people continue to trek this road because there is no alternative route to transport their goods.
For tourists, you can trek this road and admire the beauty of the land, slighlty untouched by change called progress.
2)Guoliang Tunnel Road, China is located in China’s Taihang Mountains
In 1972, villagers of Guoliang were still isolated from the outside world. So residents, chiseled this part of the stoney mountain and painstakingly made this tunnel so that they can have easy access to transport their goods and see the city.
Tourists are attracted by the way it was formed and finished. You can get a glimpse of this road in one Chinese movie: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, if I'm not mistaken.
3) Halsema Highway, Philippines is located at the Cordillera provinces, Island of Luzon
Like many under-maintained mountain roads, landslides are a hazard on the Halsema Highway, where big stones and debris tumble from peaks. And along with the cloud forests comes mist that can ruin visibility. Tracing a circuitous path, this road crosses the massive Cordillera Central mountain range on the Island of Luzon, and many sections remain unpaved. In addition to it, natural calamities, such as storms that often visit the country, hinder the development of the said highway.
4) Karakoram Highway, Pakistan to China in Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan
The highest road ever in the planet. If you want to feel the pressure ascending to this under-maintained road and see the K2 mountain, just beside the Mount Everest in the Himalayas, then you can contact the travel agent to get you there. The highway is the only connection going to China.
5) Kolyma Highway, Russia is in Russian Far East and Siberia
It is noteworthy to know that Actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman traversed this 1,200-mile route, nicknamed the Road of Bones, on a round-the-world motorcycle journey in 2004. During the Stalin regime, prisoners painstakingly made this road and most of them died due to the extreme cold winter prevailing in the area.
6) Canning Stock Route, Australia can be traveled through the vast deserts of Western Australia.
As the name implies it is really for the cattlemen in the area. Cattlemen 100 years ago pushed this 1,100-mile route through the endless deserts of Down Under, digging more than 50 wells along its length. Races are being made here nowadays and you can enjoy the ride through a four-wheel drive you can rent or buy.
7) Graciosa Trail, Brazil is located in the mountains above Morretes.
You can hum the famous anthem 'Brasil' while passing this route. You can still see mules carrying cargoes of local produce winding through a rainforest and crosses moss-covered bridges. The flora and fauna of the land are still the attraction in the area, even it's slippery to trek the cobble stones covered with mosses and other wild flowers.
8) Trans-Sahara Highway, Africa is passing through Algiers, Algeria to Lagos, Nigeria.
It's too difficult to travel 2, 800 miles of endless road and sands of the largest desert on Earth, the Sahara. The only consolation is that you will get a glimpse of the three countries, Algiers, Algeria and Nigeria, along this highway. Just beware of sandstorm. It will really delay you travel itinerary.
9) The Stilwell Road, India and Burma is a jungle route from Ledo, India into Burma
This road was built during World War II at the cost of thousands of lives, the Stilwell Road (aka The Ledo Road) climbs mountain passes, snakes through the jungle, and crosses more than 100 rivers and ends at the totalitarian curtain of Burma. I think it will get you too much precautionary advises if you travel to the place this time.
10) Wilderness Road to Selva Blue Lodge, Bolivia is between Santa Ana and the Selva Blue wilderness lodge.
It's 100-mile jungle labyrinth.Again, it's located in the impoverished nation of Bolivia. The Caravana motorcycle festival chose this often-flooded route through the Amazon Basin of northern Bolivia in 2002. Well. it's still an adventure!
You will notice that even the richest or poorest countries have their own shares of these treacherous roads. Travel enthusiasts should always be ready of the dangers awaiting them if they want to trek these roads. I'm sure, even you're an A-1 driver, you'll have difficulty passing through it. Dangers can be overcome if you just travel on it through walking or hiking.
