The most unusual roads in the world. Amazing roads of the world

In the world there are a huge number of roads of different types of complexity, different layouts and importance. Some of them pass between cities, others lead through mountains and valleys. In this collection, I will tell you about the most beautiful and famous roads in the world. They are very popular with hikers and hikers because of the picturesque landscapes and many twists and turns. Driving along such a road, you will not leave a feeling of delight, and sometimes even fear.

1. These roads are not only the most beautiful, but also the most winding. We have already written about the most dangerous roads in the world, this topic will be a continuation of the selection. We start at the Stelvio Pass in the eastern Italian Alps, this zigzag road stretches up to 2.7 kilometers above sea level with around 60 hairpin bends. Looking at it from the side is very beautiful, but driving on it is very dangerous.

5. Trollstigen in Norway

This is one of the most unusual roads on our list, passing along the bed of a frozen river. It connects the remote corners of Canada with civilization, but only during the cold season, when the river is in a frozen state.

14. Atlantic Road in Norway

This is one of the most popular tourist routes in Norway, and its real decoration is Storsesandet bridge, which is often called the bridge to nowhere

The most dangerous roads in the world are an amazing sight. When you drive a car along the edge of an abyss, it takes your breath away with such force that in terms of emotions it can be compared to a parachute jump!

If you like interesting facts about everything, then welcome. in front of you most dangerous roads in the world.

1. Atlantic Road in Norway

A unique road that was built specifically for tourists. The Atlantic Road connects small islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

The amazing landscapes that open to the eyes of tourists should not distract from the main thing: maintaining their own safety. The fact is that there are often cases when a powerful wave simply washes the car into the ocean.

1. Dalton Highway in Alaska

The Dalton Highway is one of the most isolated roads in the world. An interesting fact is that the length of this road is 666 kilometers. Along it you can meet only three settlements, each of which has no more than 30 people.

Asphalt is available only on 175 kilometers of this road, everything else is covered with gravel. By the way, this highway is often shown on American television as the most dangerous road in the world. People who choose to travel this route are strongly advised by the authorities to stock up on essentials and medical supplies.

This road is considered the most snowy in the world, so the driver can lose control of the car at any moment, and help will not arrive soon.

1. Eshima Ohashi Bridge in Japan

Many people know the Eshima Ohashi Bridge from the video advertising the Tanto minivan. This concrete bridge, 1.7 km long and 11.3 meters wide, is the largest in Japan and the third largest in the world. It connects two Japanese cities.

It is these characteristics that make it possible to confidently attribute this road to one of the most dangerous in the world. By the way, some sites show an artificially exaggerated slope of the bridge, claiming that riding on it is comparable to riding a roller coaster.

In fact, the maximum angle of inclination of the Eshima Ohashi bridge is 6.1%, which is quite acceptable for any car. An interesting fact is that the steep slope of the bridge and in general its unique height is due to the need for ships to pass under it.

1. Himalayan road in Nepal

The Himalayan road is located high in the mountains. It is no coincidence that it belongs to the most dangerous roads in the world. Indeed, at the state level, the highway is no longer serviced, since another, safer route has been built. Extreme lovers, on the contrary, tend to get here.

After all, narrow paths, treacherous potholes, 180-degree turns and regular rain landslides are a mortal danger for anyone who dares to try their luck on this mountainous off-road.

1. Troll trail in Norway

Connecting two Norwegian cities, one of the world's most dangerous roads, the Troll Trail, is closed in winter and spring. After all, at this time there are heavy snowfalls, entailing deadly avalanches and landslides. In the summer, hundreds and thousands of tourists who love thrills travel along a special route with 11 sharp turns.

1. Captains Road in New Zealand

The Captains' Road was built in the 19th century to transport mining equipment on horse teams. That is, for modern cars with an average weight of 1500 kg, this path may be the last. Extremely loose and wetted by heavy rains, the soil creates ideal conditions for landslides.

The road is gradually being destroyed, which is quite logical, since after 1900 no one repaired anything here. An interesting fact is that not a single insurance company insures tourists who are poisoned on one of the most dangerous roads in the world. It's almost suicidal!

1. Stelvio pass in Italy

Known to many motorists, the Stelvio Pass connects Lombardy and Austria. This is the highest road in the Eastern Alps. Along the way, you will come across 48 extremely sharp turns. From above, this road resembles a child's scribbles, because of its bizarre, zigzag loops.

With relatively high-quality coverage, accidents are not uncommon, as the stunning landscapes that open up to the eyes of travelers often distract from sudden sharp turns. And a low concrete fence cannot prevent a car from falling into a cliff.

1. Sichuan-Tibet Highway in China

Residents of Asian countries know that the Sichuan-Tibet Highway is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous roads in the world. Frequent landslides, rockfalls and landslides happen here quite often. Snow avalanches and lack of oxygen, which affects the attentiveness of drivers, create extremely emergency conditions.

Despite the stunning beauty of mountain landscapes, this place is very dangerous. An interesting fact is that this road crosses more than 10 mountains.

1. Juoling Tunnel in China

Locals call the Juoling Tunnel a road that does not tolerate mistakes. This is not surprising, because its width is only 4 meters, and in some areas even less.

There are simply no limits and barriers here. Considering that there are through holes in the tunnel leading straight to the abyss, you understand why this place is called the most dangerous road in the world.

There are many sharp turns here, but the biggest problem is the fact that for more than a kilometer two cars cannot pass each other. For this reason, drivers have established a complex system of conventional signs among themselves in order to avoid collisions as much as possible.

1. Northern Yungas Road in Bolivia

Finally, we will talk about the most dangerous road in the world. This is the North Yungas Road. Its second name is "Road of Death". I must say that this name quite speaks for itself. More than 300 people die here every year, and dozens of cars and buses fall from a great height down to certain death.

One of the most famous tragic accidents occurred in 1983, when a bus fell into an abyss. More than 100 passengers died then. An interesting fact is that the road was built in 1930 by prisoners. It connects the cities of La Paz and Coroico, and there is simply no other way between them.

With a length of 70 kilometers, its average width is 3.5 meters. The depth of the abyss, almost the entire length of the Yungas road, is about 600 meters. Of particular danger are places where even one car hardly passes, hanging its wheels over the abyss. Fogs and showers, which are an indispensable attribute of the Amazonian weather, entail a lot of deadly situations.

Local residents, realizing the extreme threat to life, are afraid to cross this road, because in case of an accident, the Ministry of Emergency Situations will not come to you, and it is also almost impossible to get to the nearest hospital. It is noted that the wreckage of cars and the mass of other traces of terrible accidents along the entire path have a particularly depressing effect on drivers.

Now you know what they are most dangerous roads in the world.

1. Highway 1, Big Sur, California

Highway 1 (State Route 1) is one of the main ones on the west coast of the United States, passing from south to north, penetrating the state of California. In the Rocky Mountain region of Big Sur, the road goes inland and passes through colorful redwood forests, then again emerges on the coast, crossing several historical sites, one of which is the Bixby Creek bridge.

2. Road of the abyss, Switzerland

The road passing through the high (2429) pass (Furka Pass) in the Swiss Alps

3. Atlantic road, Norway

The Atlantic Road, opened on July 7, 1986, is part of the National Tourist Route Country Road 64 and is 8.3 kilometers long. It connects the towns of Kristiansund and Mold in the district of Mere og Romsdal.

The road is built on several small islands and skerries connected by dams and eight bridges.

4. White Desert Road, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

The 170-kilometer road through the National Park provides a selective extreme for thrill seekers.

5. Tainmen High Road, Hunan, China

It is located in the Taimen National Park in the northwest of Hunan Province. The top can be reached by cable car, which is 7455 meters long and takes you to a height of 1279 meters. Or you can take the 11 km road with 99 bends. A pleasant journey awaits you into the depths of the caves that are located on the top of the mountain.

6. Seven Mile Bridge, Florida Keys

Seven miles or 11 kilometers of the world's longest bridge built from single blocks. Connects the islands of the Florida Keys.

7. Peak Chapman Drive, Cape Town, South Africa

On the southwest coast of South Africa, there is a road that goes around the rocky mountains of Chapman Peak, providing the traveler with stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean.

8. Stelvio Pass, Eastern Alps, Italy

The sharp turns - about 60 - and 48 hairpins on the Stelvio Pass road will not leave you indifferent. The road, built in 1829, is located at an altitude of 2757 m above sea level, and is considered the second largest pass in the Alps after Col De L'Iseran (2770 m).

9 Col De Turini, France

The highest pass in the French Alps (1607), it is famous for the fact that Monte Carlo Rally of WRC competitions are held on the 32-kilometer part of the road.

10. Gualin Tunnel Road, China

Tunnel in the Teiheng Mountains, Henan Province. It was opened in 1977, its length is 1200 meters, height is 5 meters, width is 4 meters. The Chinese name Guoliang means "the road that does not tolerate mistakes." Traveling through the tunnel will reveal the beauties of the surrounding mountains.

11. Denali Highway, Alaska

The Denali Highway, opened in 1957, is 217 km long. It passes through the amazing, wild places of Alaska and leads to Denali National Park (formerly McKinley Park).

12. Karakoram Highway, China / Pakistan

The eighth wonder of the world is one of the names of the 1300-kilometer high-altitude highway Karakoram, which runs at an altitude of 4693 through the Khundzherab pass. Construction was carried out for twenty years - from 1966 to 1986 - and cost three billion dollars.

13. Great Ocean Road, Australia

Along with the Great Barrier Reef, the Great Ocean Road is rightfully considered a national treasure of Australia. The 243-kilometer road runs along the southeast coast of the mainland and was built between 1919 and 1932 by soldiers returning from the First World War.

In addition to beautiful landscapes and mountain ranges, there are other sights along the way - the legendary limestone towers of the Twelve Apostles.

14. Sani Pass, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The Sani Pass mountain pass in Lesotho is a place for extreme sports. A nine-kilometer long road requires the driver to have special driving skills. In addition, the vehicle must have 4*4 drive. The pass is often closed due to weather conditions.

Continuation….

An article about the most unusual and dangerous roads in the world - their important features, the specifics of movement. At the end of the article - an interesting video about the dangerous roads of the planet.

The content of the article:

Over the past hundred years, the network of highways, figuratively speaking, tightly enveloped the globe. It must be emphasized that the routes of movement of material values ​​from East to West and in the opposite direction have been “trodden down” for centuries and millennia. Today, where trails for camels, horses and other pack animals stretched, modern highways have been laid. And many of them are not quite common.

Landscape and economy

Today, the car is considered the main means of transporting goods, more in demand than ships, trains, planes and horse-drawn vehicles. In order for a car to bring maximum benefit to an individual and the economy as a whole, roads are needed. According to the current regulations, the quality of roads is determined by the following parameters:

• local;
• regional;
• state;
• international.

It is easy to guess that the government of the country or the managers of transnational companies are not very concerned about the state of country roads - communications of this type are managed by local authorities.

High-speed routes are being built in order to provide unhindered communication between major industrial and cultural centers. Such highways are designed for heavy traffic of trucks and cars. Performance characteristics are strictly maintained regardless of the terrain over which the freeway is laid. Mountains, forests, swamps and deserts stimulate engineers to create original designs. Under certain conditions dictated by nature, the following road infrastructure facilities are being built:

• bridges;
• interchanges;
• tunnels.

But often purely utilitarian structures are given an aesthetic appearance that is pleasing to the human eye. What are the most unusual ones?

Until 1977, few people in China, and even more so in the world, knew about a village called Guolian, which was lost in an inaccessible mountainous area. To date, there are several versions of the story about how people settled in a deep gorge, gloomy and inaccessible from the outside. It was possible to get here by a rickety staircase and a narrow path carved into the steep slope of a granite cliff. It was very difficult for an enemy or ill-wisher to penetrate the village, but almost impossible.

Long-term isolation from the outside world led to the fact that the settlement began to die out. And then in 1972, the peasants decided to break through the "road to the light" with their own hands. At the disposal of the sinkers there was only a trenching tool - a pickaxe, a crowbar, a spade. The Golian Tunnel, 5 meters high, 4 meters wide and 1200 meters long, opened five years later. For natural illumination of the road, 30 openings were punched in the rock to the sunny side. Now buses with tourists come here every day at any time of the year.

The northern territories of Russia have been developed for a long time and successfully. The main goal of this process is to take “out of the ground” the resources necessary for the economy. Fans of fun facts compare the huge area of ​​the Republic of Sokha-Yakutia with the size of European states, and the results are impressive.

Over the past 20 years, the situation has changed significantly. The federal highway "Lena" has been transformed from an unsteady winter road into a modern highway. A significant part of this route, 1200 km long, is laid on permafrost. It should be noted that surveyors, designers and builders continue to work on improving the quality and reliability of the road surface.

For foreign tourists here, in this harsh region, there is still little attractive. And local residents call the highway "the road of life", through which the necessary goods are delivered to their destination at any time of the year.

Driving a car in mountainous terrain requires the driver to have the appropriate qualifications. The technical condition of the vehicle must be perfect. But the realities of life do not always fit into the framework of instructions and regulations, and as a result, minor accidents and major accidents occur. The 70 km section of the motorway in Bolivia between the capital of La Paz and the center of the northern province of Coroico has become widely known as the "death road".

This is the only route connecting the densely populated northern region of the country with the center. Under the official name "Road of the Northern Yungas", the highway was laid in the foothills of the Andes.

It is possible to speak about the quality of the road surface with a high degree of conventionality. There are simply no standards for the width of the carriageway. Landslides and landslides during the rainy season are considered common. Every year, up to 30 accidents occur here and from 100 to 300 people die.

To ensure stable and safe communication between settlements is the main function of any highway. Simultaneously with the solution of this problem, conditions are being formed for the development of additional activities. The highway connecting the islands of the Eide archipelago in Norway is a clear example of a pragmatic and integrated approach.

Trucks and tourist buses pass without interference along the 6-meter-wide highway. Lovers of vivid impressions come here to admire the beauties of nature, the stormy ocean and man-made objects.

There are 8 bridges on the road, and each of them has a unique look. Especially for connoisseurs of beauty, there are four observation decks, which offer a panoramic view of the surroundings. The expert community has recognized the Atlantic Road as the best route to travel in Northern Europe.

The country of kookaburra and kangaroo, despite its remoteness from the main continents, lives at a common pace with the civilized world. The favorable climate and hard-working population became the basis for a high standard of living. The Great Road along the Pacific coast of the mainland was initially regarded as a business project. Soldiers who returned from the First World War were involved in the construction.

The 243 km long track was under construction for nearly 15 years. Since 1936, travel on the road has become free. The motorway passes through the territory of the National Park and along the Shipwreck Coast. In these places, more than six hundred large and small ships went to the bottom. The most beautiful natural formations - rocks and grottoes - attract tourists with their amazing shapes. The Great Ocean Road is on the Australian National Heritage Register.

For Europeans, Africa has always been an attractive and mysterious country. Scientific and technological progress and the possibilities of information technology have little effect on the white man's worldview - once having learned about an interesting point on the map, thrill-seekers strive to get there with all their might. The 9 km long Dragon Mountain road at the Sani Pass is considered the most dangerous on the continent. The route connects two states - South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho.

The dirt road is laid almost vertically. The elevation difference is about 1500 meters. To overcome the serpentine with sharp and sharp turns, the driver must have experience and appropriate driving technique.

Priming in the rain creates additional difficulties, if not danger, for the car. There are no exact data on the number of deaths in open sources. It is this fact that attracts extreme lovers who seek to demonstrate their "coolness" here.

According to various rating agencies, The Karakoram Highway is one of the ten most dangerous and unusual roads on the planet. The route connects two major Asian states - China and Pakistan. There is no special need to prove the expediency of laying this highway. Of interest is the fact that the road is broken in the Himalayas - the highest and most extensive mountain formation on Earth. This took 20 years. However, there is no reason to call the construction process completed yet.

Danger lies in wait for cars in many areas. Landslides, landslides, glaciers cannot be predicted in advance, just as it is impossible to predict an earthquake.

The surrounding landscape can change significantly quite unexpectedly and destroy the roadway. The length of the route is 1300 km. Warning signs are installed on especially dangerous sections and special equipment is constantly on duty. Such measures are required by the high seismic activity of the region.

Video about dangerous roads:

Grand Canyon, but not in the USA? Rocky gorge, but not in the desert? No matter how the Verdon Gorge is called, the fact remains that today it is the largest canyon in all of Europe: its length is 25 kilometers, and the depth reaches 700 meters! Although the scale of the Verdon Gorge is inferior to the Arizona canyon, it clearly surpasses it in beauty: in spring and summer, trees and shrubs cover the slopes with a thick layer, passing only in front of the most sheer cliffs. It will take a whole day to go around the gorge in a circle, although there are only a hundred kilometers. But they all consist entirely of bends, descents and ascents, man-made tunnels and driveways under rocks hanging overhead and hiding the sky. The most beautiful views of the gorge open from the old Cretan road, or the Cretan loop (Route des Cretes, D23), built in ancient times and passing along the northern edge of the canyon. This narrow winding path in places comes to the very cliff. There are observation decks along its edges, each of which offers breathtaking views of the Verdon. The Cretan loop is considered one-way: you need to drive a car along it clockwise, starting from the town of Castellane towards the artificial lake Sainte-Croix, which was formed after the construction of a dam in 1975. You can swim in the lake and spend a few contemplative hours in the shade of trees with wine and a crispy French baguette. The Luberon Nature Reserve is located 100 kilometers from Verdon Park. It is worth stopping by to admire the leisurely village life and visit the ruins of one of the castles of the famous Marquis de Sade.

Travelers are always attracted by places marked "the most-most": the northernmost point of Europe, the westernmost point of Russia, the highest mountain, the deepest depression. The Pamir Highway is one of those places. After all, the highest mountain road in the territory of the former USSR. This almost completely dirt road climbs the spurs of the Pamir Mountains and passes through the three main mountain passes of the Pamirs: Taldyk (3615 m), Kyzyl-Art (4280 m) and the point closest to the "Roof of the World" - the Akbaital Pass (4655 m). The eastern part of the route - from the Kyrgyz city of Osh to the Tajik Khorog - was built in 1931-1934, when the USSR was actively developing the territory of the mountainous Pamirs. It passes through the green foothills, where horses graze and lonely yurts and dung-smeared huts stand, as well as past the Pamir National Park, over which Lenin Peak (7134 m) rises.

One of the most exciting stops along the way is Karakul Lake, the largest in Tajikistan, located at an altitude of 3914 meters above sea level. From here begins a steep ascent to the spurs of the great Pamir. Rocks, gorges, tunnels, primer, dust, lack of vegetation, rare auls and flocks of sheep - such an almost Martian landscape stretches to the very descent into the valley already on the Tajik side. Your fellow travelers all this time will be trucks, donkeys and jeeps, crammed inside and hung with luggage outside. Turning off the highway, you can visit several more interesting places: the villages of local residents, the Farewell to Youth pass, the Yamchun fortress of fire worshipers, Bibi-Fatima hot springs and much more.

The Dalton Highway is 666 kilometers of dirt road that crosses Alaska almost in the middle from north to south. The route was built in 1974 to deliver cargo to the oil fields of Pradhoe Bay and service the Trans-Alaskan oil pipeline. And the name was given in honor of the engineer James Dalton, a specialist in Arctic construction. On a motorcycle or some overly gluttonous car, one must be careful to meddle here: on the entire highway between Fairbanks, 100 kilometers from which it begins, and Deadhorse, where it ends, there are only two gas stations: at the Yukon River crossing and in Coldfoot (400 km from Fairbanks), so it is better to take the necessary supply of gasoline, as well as tires, tools, food and other essentials with you right away. Medical assistance is also available only in Coldfoot or Deadhorse. This is Alaska, gentlemen! A harsh and at first glance unfriendly land, which will give unforgettable impressions and discover its riches only to a prepared and responsible traveler. Alaska really has something to share: the largest US state is still almost not spoiled by civilization; 23 (!) National parks and reserves are located on its territory. Through some of them: the White Mountains, the Arctic Wildlife National Refuge, the reserves on the banks of the Yukon River, the Gates of the Arctic Wildlife Sanctuary - the Dalton Highway passes right through, either getting lost in a flat snow-covered or grassy plain, or winding between the surrounding wooded mountains on all sides. Another obligatory ritual of all travelers passing along the highway is to take a picture against the background of the sign indicating the Arctic Circle.

In 1970, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu thought of building a high-altitude highway across the Fagaras massif to create an attractive tourist route. Worried about the events in Czechoslovakia, he feared a military invasion of the country and therefore decided to connect the regions of Wallachia and Transylvania with a hard-to-reach mountain road for the speedy transfer of military equipment. Now Transfagaras is one of the rare examples of how an object created for military purposes becomes famous all over the world and attracts many tourists to the country. The 261-kilometer highway passes through picturesque valleys and fields with eared wheat, which Romanians sometimes still harvest by hand, past lakes and reservoirs, through cute Romanian villages with identical dark stone houses. Not far from the beginning of the highway is the pretty town of Sibiu with classical Romanian architecture, where, as in the Romanian language, Latin, Romance and Slavic heritage are mixed. In almost every village on the way there is an Orthodox church, a church, and a mosque. And in the town of Curtea de Arges, you can admire the cathedral with stunning carvings and stucco on the walls. On the Transylvanian side of the Carpathians, Count Dracula awaits travelers. It is found everywhere: in the names of streets, restaurants and hotels, in souvenir shops, in ancient castles. One of them is Poienari Castle, towering over the canyon of the Argesh River, in the 15th century it belonged to Prince Vlad II Tepes, who became the prototype of the famous Dracula. The other is Bran Castle a little off the Transfagaras Highway, where Count Dracula has never been, but where he was “settled” by the writer Bram Stoker, thanks to whom the world learned about Dracula.

This old road is the first thread that connected Russia and China many centuries ago. Driving along the Chuisky tract is like crossing the whole of Russia. The path begins in Biysk, from birch groves and villages, in one of which the writer Vasily Shukshin was born. And after a hundred kilometers, it is worth passing Gorno-Altaisk, it seems as if you find yourself in the time of the development of Siberia: the stormy waters of the Katun, rocky gorges and green valleys. The mountain taiga begins. If you turn left, you will get to Lake Teletskoye, and to the right, you will reach the foot of Belukha, where Roerich was looking for Shambhala on the way to the Himalayas. And if you drive straight all the time, you will see the Kurai steppe at the foot of the North-Chuysky ridge. If you wish, you can drive a few kilometers and climb on foot to the eternal snows. In the Kurai steppe, there are the last islands of the taiga, and already beyond the pass, the real steppe begins, where nomads' yurts stand and camel caravans roam. Such a trip should not be planned for a week, because each turn is an occasion for a separate small trip. Mentions of the current Chuisky tract, formerly called Mungalsky, can be found in Chinese sources of a thousand years ago. From then until the beginning of the 20th century, it was just a mountain path used by merchants and pilgrims going to the sacred tree in the upper reaches of the Katun River. The wheel road from Ongudai to Kosh-Agach (255 km) was equipped only by 1903. Today, the Chuisky tract is one of the few roads in the world that has been awarded its own museum. It is located in the building of the Biysk Museum of Local Lore - here you can see archival documents and photographs, a three-dimensional layout of the road, paintings and dioramas.

The Atlantic road (No 64) goes almost along the ocean itself, jumping from island to island with the help of bridges and tunnels. This is a unique technological facility: the route is only 8.5 kilometers long - as many as six bridges! The main one is the Storseisundet Bridge, which is also called the “Bridge to Heaven”. If you approach it from the side of the mainland, it seems as if the canvas of the route breaks off at the highest point and the traveler can only jump straight into the sky. The impression is enhanced if you drive along the Atlantic Road in autumn, when the storm season begins: huge waves roll on small islands, crash with a roar on the bridge supports, and sometimes cover the entire road, trying to lick the cars driving along it. However, the Atlantic Road is only part of the route through the fjords. Moving along it further towards Oslo, you will come to one of the most famous serpentines in Europe - the Troll Stairs (Trollstigen) climbing the slope of the mountain. Harmful trolls often hang their stairs with thick fog, but this makes the serpentine even more beautiful: gray stones and bizarre rocks, densely overgrown with juicy bright green grass and moss, appear through the "milk". At the top of the mountain, visibility sometimes drops to 3-5 meters: the more curious it is to look at sheep suddenly appearing from the fog, black lakes and numerous stone pyramids built by tourists, or maybe by the trolls themselves ... If you drive even further along highway 63 ( and there is almost nowhere to get away from it), you will get to one of the most beautiful fjords in Norway - Geiranger. Here you can admire the numerous waterfalls, fish or just wander around.

The Chinese are famous not only for their diligence and perseverance (which is worth the Great Wall of China alone!), but also for their love of symbols, signs and numbers. Therefore, even a person who is far from Asian culture will not be able to just drive along the Big Gate Road. The fact is that this road is one of the steepest serpentines in the world in every sense. She climbs Mount Tianmen, which is located 8 kilometers from the city of Zhangjiajie in southeast China. This 11 km long asphalt belt climbs up to 1300 meters, making 99 turns along the way! For the Chinese, the number 9 is sacred: it is the number of the emperor, as well as the number of palaces that, according to legend, are waiting for a person in heaven. That is why the road to Tianmen is also called the “Road to Heaven”.

The main attraction of the route is the cave "Heaven's Gate". It was formed in the III century, when a huge block broke off from the rock. The 131.5 meter high "gate" is often completely shrouded in fog. Locals believe that passing through them, you can really go to heaven. But to earn this right, you have to work hard. There are several ways to get to the cave. The easiest is to drive a car or a tour bus, the more extreme one is to make an “express climb” in a sports car with a professional racing driver behind the wheel, and the most difficult one is to climb an impressive staircase with 999 steps. If you want a truly breathtaking experience, you should climb to the top on the longest funicular in the world (7455 meters!) - from its windows you can see the entire winding line of the road.

Route No 40 (Ruta 40) crosses almost all of Argentina from north to south and goes along the high Andean ridges. This is one of the longest roads in the world: 5,000 kilometers is no joke! Especially if they pass through several climatic zones. The landscape around is constantly changing: forests, rocks, lakes, fields, meadows, deserts, almost uninhabited pampas, asphalt and gravel, dust and red sand, sun and knocking wind, 27 mountain passes, 18 major rivers, finally, 20 national parks, in each of which you can spend several days. For example, in the Los Glaciares Park, listed by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site, you can visit the Perito Moreno Glacier, where the third largest fresh water reserve in the world is located. Its area is quite comparable to the area of ​​the whole of Buenos Aires, while the glacier is in constant motion, changing its location by an average of 2 meters every day. You can admire it both from viewing platforms and by going for a walk right on the crumbled ice, accompanied by a climber. The same road leads to the famous "Cave of the Hands" (Cueva de las Manos), where all the walls are covered with prints of human palms and images of hunting scenes, the oldest of which date back to the ninth millennium BC. The second largest national park in Argentina, the Calchaqi Walley, deserves special attention, where you can get from mountain deserts to a subtropical forest in one day - the climate changes dramatically on one relatively small piece of land. And, of course, it is worth driving along Ruta 40 to be impressed by the "Martian" landscapes of the deserts and look at the flamingos living on the lakes of Patagonia.

The American Wild West is the territory west of the Rocky Mountains. When the pioneers first began to develop Indian territories, they stumbled upon unique natural attractions that they could not appreciate. Today this area is called the "Great Circle" (Grand Circle). The name came from the bus tour, which was called the Grand Circle Tour. The most convenient way to go from Denver is to first climb to the Rocky Mountains National Park, where the Colorado River originates, and follow further through Aspen to the Colorado Plateau. On the way, it is worth seeing the Arches Park (arches.national-park.com) and the famous Monument Valley in the territory of the Navajo Indians. Near the town of Page, you can not miss the inconspicuous Antelope Canyon - on the side of the road there will be a simple wooden billboard with the appropriate inscription. Here it is worth going for a boat trip on Lake Powell, since you can rent a boat. Just south of Page begins the famous Grand Canyon (grandcanyon.comillinoisroute66.orggrandcanyonranch.com). And only then go to the Hoover Dam - a giant monument of the era of the 30s of the last century, from where the direct path to Las Vegas begins. So you will cross the Great Circle from east to west, visiting four states - Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. You can’t see all the beauty of Grand Circle in one trip - after all, the Colorado Plateau has the largest concentration of parks in the United States - so be prepared to return here again.

The Great Ocean Road, 243 kilometers long, runs along the Pacific coast of Australia. The road has no practical significance - it was built by soldiers who returned from the First World War as a monument to the victims of the battles. After opening in 1932, the road became the largest military memorial in the world, and thirty years later it was recognized as one of the most picturesque on the planet. And for good reason: the track runs almost along the coast itself, from where you can see the endless expanses of water and quiet secluded lagoons. Among the main attractions along the way is the mysterious Shipwreck Coast, which has wrecked 638 ships. And the "Twelve Apostles" - a group of limestone rocks standing separately in the ocean up to 45 meters high. In fact, there are only eight rocks here, and until recently they were called only “Pig and Pigs”. The poetic name "The Twelve Apostles" appeared simply to attract tourists. A similar story has another rock about 20 million years old - "London Arch". For a long time it was called "London Bridge" for its amazing resemblance to the Tower Bridge, and in 1990, when the span closest to the mainland collapsed under the pressure of ocean waves, it turned into an "arch". This is the uniqueness of the Great Ocean Road: the coastline is changing so quickly that tomorrow you can no longer see what was today. It is worth driving here not only to admire the scenery, lie on the beach or conquer the wave. It is also an Australian "safari" route: in Warrnambool you can watch the migration of southern whales, and in the Tower Hill Game Reserve, walk with kangaroos and emus and look at koalas and seabirds.

2. High in the mountains. Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan: Pamir Highway

Travelers are always attracted by places marked "the most-most": the northernmost point of Europe, the westernmost point of Russia, the highest mountain, the deepest depression. The Pamir Highway is one of those places. After all, the highest mountain road in the territory of the former USSR. This almost completely dirt road climbs the spurs of the Pamir Mountains and passes through the three main mountain passes of the Pamirs: Taldyk (3615 m), Kyzyl-Art (4280 m) and the point closest to the "Roof of the World" - the Akbaital Pass (4655 m). The eastern part of the tract - from the Kyrgyz city of Osh to the Tajik Khorog - was built in 1931-1934, when the USSR was actively developing the territory of the mountainous Pamirs. It passes through the green foothills, where horses graze and lonely yurts and dung-smeared huts stand, as well as past the Pamir National Park, over which Lenin Peak (7134 m) rises.

One of the most exciting stops along the way is Karakul Lake, the largest in Tajikistan, located at an altitude of 3914 meters above sea level. From here begins a steep ascent to the spurs of the great Pamir. Rocks, gorges, tunnels, primer, dust, lack of vegetation, rare auls and flocks of sheep - such an almost Martian landscape stretches to the very descent into the valley already on the Tajik side. Your fellow travelers all this time will be trucks, donkeys and jeeps, crammed inside and hung with luggage outside. Turning off the highway, you can visit several more interesting places: the villages of local residents, the Farewell to Youth pass, the Yamchun fortress of fire worshipers, Bibi-Fatima hot springs and much more.

3. From north to south. USA: Dalton Highway

The Dalton Highway is 666 kilometers of dirt road that crosses Alaska almost in the middle from north to south. The route was built in 1974 to deliver cargo to the oil fields of Pradhoe Bay and service the Trans-Alaskan oil pipeline. And the name was given in honor of the engineer James Dalton, a specialist in Arctic construction. On a motorcycle or some overly gluttonous car, one must be careful to meddle here: on the entire highway between Fairbanks, 100 kilometers from which it begins, and Deadhorse, where it ends, there are only two gas stations: at the Yukon River crossing and in Coldfoot (400 km from Fairbanks), so it is better to take the necessary supply of gasoline, as well as tires, tools, food and other essentials with you right away. Medical assistance is also available only in Coldfoot or Deadhorse. This is Alaska, gentlemen! A harsh and at first glance unfriendly land, which will give unforgettable impressions and discover its riches only to a prepared and responsible traveler.

Alaska really has something to share: the largest US state is still almost not spoiled by civilization; 23 (!) National parks and reserves are located on its territory. Through some of them: the White Mountains, the Arctic Wildlife National Refuge, the reserves on the banks of the Yukon River, the Gates of the Arctic Wildlife Sanctuary - the Dalton Highway passes right through, now getting lost in a flat snow-covered or grassy plain, now winding between the surrounding wooded mountains on all sides. Another obligatory ritual of all travelers passing along the highway is to take a picture against the background of the sign indicating the Arctic Circle.

4. To the homeland of Dracula. Romania: Transfagaras Highway

In 1970, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu thought of building a high-altitude highway across the Fagaras massif to create an attractive tourist route. Worried about the events in Czechoslovakia, he feared a military invasion of the country and therefore decided to connect the regions of Wallachia and Transylvania with a hard-to-reach mountain road for the speedy transfer of military equipment. Now Transfagaras is one of the rare examples of how a facility created for military purposes becomes famous all over the world and attracts many tourists to the country. The 261-kilometer highway passes through picturesque valleys and fields with eared wheat, which Romanians sometimes still harvest by hand, past lakes and reservoirs, through cute Romanian villages with identical dark stone houses. Not far from the beginning of the highway is the pretty town of Sibiu with classical Romanian architecture, where, as in the Romanian language, Latin, Romance and Slavic heritage are mixed. In almost every village on the way there is an Orthodox church, a church, and a mosque. And in the town of Curtea de Arges, you can admire the cathedral with stunning carvings and stucco on the walls.

On the Transylvanian side of the Carpathians, Count Dracula awaits travelers. It is found everywhere: in the names of streets, restaurants and hotels, in souvenir shops, in ancient castles. One of them, Poienari Castle, towering over the canyon of the Argesh River, belonged to Prince Vlad II Tepes in the 15th century, who became the prototype of the famous Dracula. The other is Bran Castle a little off the Transfagarash Highway, where Count Dracula has never been, but where he was “settled” by the writer Bram Stoker, thanks to whom the world learned about Dracula.

5. Expanses of Altai. Russia: Chuisky tract

This old road is the first thread that connected Russia and China many centuries ago. Driving along the Chuisky tract is like crossing the whole of Russia. The path begins in Biysk, from birch groves and villages, in one of which the writer Vasily Shukshin was born. And after a hundred kilometers, it is worth passing Gorno-Altaisk, it seems as if you find yourself in the time of the development of Siberia: the stormy waters of the Katun, rocky gorges and green valleys. The mountain taiga begins. If you turn left, you will get to Lake Teletskoye, to the right, you will reach the foot of Belukha, where Roerich was looking for Shambhala on the way to the Himalayas. And if you drive straight all the time, you will see the Kurai steppe at the foot of the North Chuya Range. If you wish, you can drive a few kilometers and climb on foot to the eternal snows. In the Kurai steppe, there are the last islands of the taiga, and already beyond the pass, the real steppe begins, where nomads' yurts stand and camel caravans roam.

Such a trip should not be planned for a week, because each turn is an occasion for a separate small trip. Mentions of the current Chuisky tract, formerly called Mungalsky, can be found in Chinese sources of a thousand years ago. From then until the beginning of the 20th century, it was just a mountain path used by merchants and pilgrims going to the sacred tree in the upper reaches of the Katun River. The wheel road from Ongudai to Kosh-Agach (255 km) was equipped only by 1903. Today, the Chuisky tract is one of the few roads in the world that has been awarded its own museum. It is located in the building of the Biysk Museum of Local Lore - here you can see archival documents and photographs, a three-dimensional layout of the road, paintings and dioramas.

6. Visit the trolls. Norway: Atlantic Road

The Atlantic road (No 64) goes almost along the ocean itself, jumping from island to island with the help of bridges and tunnels. This is a unique technological facility: the route is only 8.5 kilometers long - as many as six bridges! The main one is the Storseisundet Bridge, which is also called the “Bridge to Heaven”. If you approach it from the side of the mainland, it seems as if the canvas of the route breaks off at the highest point and the traveler can only jump straight into the sky. The impression is enhanced if you drive along the Atlantic Road in autumn, when the storm season begins: huge waves roll on small islands, crash with a roar on the bridge supports, and sometimes cover the entire road, trying to lick the cars driving along it.

However, the Atlantic Road is only part of the route through the fjords. Moving along it further towards Oslo, you will come to one of the most famous serpentines in Europe - the Troll Stairs (Trollstigen) climbing the slope of the mountain. Harmful trolls often hang their stairs with thick fog, but this makes the serpentine even more beautiful: gray stones and bizarre rocks, densely overgrown with juicy bright green grass and moss, appear through the "milk". At the top of the mountain, visibility sometimes drops to 3-5 meters: the more curious it is to look at sheep that suddenly appear from the fog, black lakes and numerous stone pyramids built by tourists, or maybe by the trolls themselves ... If you drive even further along highway 63 (and get away there is almost nowhere to go from it), you will get to one of the most beautiful fjords in Norway - Geiranger. Here you can admire the numerous waterfalls, fish or just wander around.

7. Stand above the clouds. China: Big Gate Road

The Chinese are famous not only for their diligence and perseverance (which is worth the Great Wall of China alone!), but also for their love of symbols, signs and numbers. Therefore, even a person who is far from Asian culture will not be able to just drive along the Big Gate Road. The fact is that this road is one of the steepest serpentines in the world in every sense. She climbs Mount Tianmen, which is located 8 kilometers from the city of Zhangjiajie in southeast China. This 11 km long asphalt belt climbs up to 1300 meters, making 99 turns along the way! For the Chinese, the number 9 is sacred: it is the number of the emperor, as well as the number of palaces that, according to legend, are waiting for a person in heaven. That is why the road to Tianmen is also called the “Road to Heaven”.

The main attraction of the route is the Heaven's Gate Cave. It was formed in the III century, when a huge block broke off from the rock. The 131.5 meter high "gate" is often completely shrouded in fog. Locals believe that passing through them, you can really go to heaven. But to earn this right, you have to work hard. There are several ways to get to the cave. The easiest is to drive a car or a tour bus, the more extreme one is to make an “express climb” in a sports car with a professional racing driver behind the wheel, and the most difficult one is to climb an impressive staircase with 999 steps. If you want a truly breathtaking experience, it is worth climbing to the top on the longest funicular in the world (7455 meters!) - its windows offer views of the entire winding line of the road.

8. Through the pampas. Argentina: Route 40

Route No 40 (Ruta 40) crosses almost all of Argentina from north to south and goes along the high Andean ridges. This is one of the longest roads in the world: 5,000 kilometers is no joke! Especially if they pass through several climatic zones. The landscape around is constantly changing: forests, rocks, lakes, fields, meadows, deserts, almost uninhabited pampas, asphalt and gravel, dust and red sand, sun and knocking wind, 27 mountain passes, 18 major rivers, finally, 20 national parks, in each of which you can spend several days. For example, in the Los Glaciares Park, listed by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site, you can visit the Perito Moreno Glacier, where the third largest fresh water reserve in the world is located. Its area is quite comparable to the area of ​​the whole of Buenos Aires, while the glacier is in constant motion, changing its location by an average of 2 meters every day. You can admire it both from viewing platforms and by going for a walk right on the crumbled ice, accompanied by a climber. The same road leads to the famous "Cave of the Hands" (Cueva de las Manos), where all the walls are covered with prints of human palms and images of hunting scenes, the oldest of which date back to the ninth millennium BC.

The second largest national park in Argentina, the Calchaqi Walley, deserves special attention, where you can get from the mountain deserts to the subtropical forest in one day - the climate changes dramatically on one relatively small piece of land. And, of course, it is worth driving along Ruta 40 to be impressed by the "Martian" landscapes of the deserts and look at the flamingos living on the lakes of Patagonia.

9. Colorado Plateau. USA: Great Circle

The American Wild West is the territory west of the Rocky Mountains. When the pioneers first began to develop Indian territories, they stumbled upon unique natural attractions that they could not appreciate. Today this area is called the "Great Circle" (Grand Circle). The name comes from the bus tour, which was called the Grand Circle Tour. The most convenient way to go from Denver is to first climb to the Rocky Mountains National Park, where the Colorado River originates, and continue further through Aspen to the Colorado Plateau.

On the way, it is worth seeing the Arches Park (arches.national-park.com) and the famous Monument Valley in the territory of the Navajo Indians. Near the town of Page, you can not miss the inconspicuous Antelope Canyon - on the side of the road there will be a simple wooden billboard with the appropriate inscription. Here it is worth going for a boat trip on Lake Powell, since you can rent a boat. Just south of Page begins the famous Grand Canyon (grandcanyon.com). If you drive along its southern part, then in addition to views of the canyon, you will be able to catch a preserved piece of the first trans-American Route 66 (illinoisroute66.org) from Chicago to Los Angeles. Here it is worth turning again towards the Grand Canyon, living on a real ranch (grandcanyonranch.com). And only then go to the Hoover Dam - a giant monument of the era of the 30s of the last century, from where the direct path to Las Vegas begins. So you will cross the Great Circle from east to west, visiting four states - Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. You can’t see all the beauty of Grand Circle in one trip - after all, the Colorado Plateau has the largest concentration of parks in the United States - so be prepared to come back here again.

10. Along the edge of the continent. Australia: Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road, 243 kilometers long, runs along the Pacific coast of Australia. The road has no practical significance - it was built by soldiers who returned from the First World War as a monument to the victims of the battles. After opening in 1932, the road became the largest military memorial in the world, and thirty years later it was recognized as one of the most picturesque on the planet. And for good reason: the track runs almost along the coast itself, from where you can see the endless expanses of water and quiet secluded lagoons. Among the main attractions along the way is the mysterious Shipwreck Coast, which has wrecked 638 ships. And the "Twelve Apostles" - a group of limestone rocks standing separately in the ocean up to 45 meters high. In fact, there are only eight rocks here, and until recently they were called only “Pig and Pigs”.

The poetic name "The Twelve Apostles" appeared simply to attract tourists. A similar story is with another rock about 20 million years old - "London Arch". For a long time it was called "London Bridge" for its amazing resemblance to the Tower Bridge, and in 1990, when the span closest to the mainland collapsed under the pressure of ocean waves, it turned into an "arch". This is the uniqueness of the Great Ocean Road: the coastline is changing so quickly that tomorrow you can no longer see what was today. It is worth driving here not only to admire the scenery, lie on the beach or conquer the wave. It is also an Australian "safari" route: in Warrnambool you can watch the migration of southern whales, and in the Tower Hill Game Reserve, walk with kangaroos and emus and look at koalas and seabirds.