North Yungas Road, Bolivia
The famous Bolivian North Yungas Road is also known as The Death Road. It’s a 40-mile road that connects the Bolivian capital of La Paz with Yungas, right into the Amazonian forest.
The road is extremely dangerous, with approximately 200 to 300 people dying every year. The Death Road of Bolivia was made in the 1930s, by many Paraguayan prisoners, and it is cut into the steep cliffside in some places.
On one side of the road is compact rock, while on the other one is a 600-meter deep abyss. It has only 3.5 meters in width, and some sections are unpaved and unprotected.
The fact that humid Amazon winds bring a lot of fog and heavy rains in this region doesn’t really help with the already unsafe terrain. Did I mention that there are also a lot of avalanches and tumbling rocks, and sometimes there are small waterfalls that rain down from the cliff sides?
James Dalton Highway, Alaska
The James Dalton Highway starts right from the Deadhorse, close to the Arctic Ocean, and it goes all the way down through the state to Fairbanks.
The road is extremely challenging, and it can be extremely dangerous, because of the extreme weather in the region, but also because of enormous potholes, gravel roads, and small flying rocks that are carried by aggressive winds.
It’s probably one of the most isolated roads in the world, as, within 240 miles, you won’t find any gas stations, restaurants, motels, or any service of any kind. Accidents happen here all the time, and the nearest hospital is dozen of miles away.
Karakoram Highway, Pakistan
This road is also known as the “friendship highway”, as it connects two countries, China and Pakistan. Also known as the highest paved route in the entire world, the road passes through Karakoram, Himalaya, and Pamir mountains.
As for disasters, there are frequent landslides, floods, avalanches, and even snowfalls, which make this highway so dangerous. Karakoram Highway is probably one of the scariest and most wonderful views in the world.
If you’re brave enough to go mountain climbing and explore other dangerous sports, this road will satisfy your curiosity. Even so, for those of you who aren’t big fans of potentially dying any minute, the road is worth avoiding.
Karakoram Highway construction started in 1959, and it was completed 27 years later. It will take your breath away instantly, whether because of the danger or the sight.
