Cotopaxi Volcano Road is exactly what it sounds like; a road in Ecuador that leads up to an active volcano, Cotopaxi, in the Andes Mountains. The Cotopaxi volcano has erupted more than 50 times since 1738 and numerous valleys have formed surrounding the volcano.
Ecuador is known for having bad roads, but the Cotopaxi Volcano Road is on another level. While that itself is enough to send chills down your spine, that’s not all. The road is unpaved and covered in potholes which are hidden among the dirt road. On top of that, part of the road is a stream which tends to flash flood with even small amounts of rain. Needless to say, the road claims the lives of several tourists annually and you should exercise full precaution should you visit.
Ruta Nacional 5
South America is racking up quite the number of dangerous roads on our list! The Ruta nacional 5 runs through Chile for more than 2,000 miles. The road has many hills and valleys. Part of what makes the road so scary are its steep and very sudden drops. But, what’s even more frightening is that the road is mostly surrounded by desert. While you may think to yourself “that sounds beautiful,” it is also what makes this road so dangerous.
Thanks to the road being so unvarying, it often causes drivers to nod off and lose their concentration, which increases the chances of an accident occurring. The road is also known for thick fogs, which doesn’t help the whole danger thing.
Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway is one of the most impressive road networks in the world. It runs for around 19,000 miles through a staggering fifteen countries across North, Central, and South America. It passes through many diverse climates like dense jungles, arid deserts and barren tundra.
There is a 100-mile gap in Panama due to dense rainforest. So what makes this beautiful road so hazardous? Parts of the highway go through uninhabited land with nothing at all for hundreds of miles. It is not recommended to drive through alone, and definitely only recommended for the most well practiced travelers.
Trans-Siberian
Another famous network of highways in the world is the Trans-Siberian highway. The Trans-Siberian runs for almost 7,000 miles from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok. Many parts of the road weren’t finished until years after its initial construction.
Although most of the road is now finished and nicely paved, it’s almost impossible to keep the road maintained thanks to its sheer size. Despite millions travelling on this road every year, the road is very dangerous. Because it’s in Siberia, you could run into trouble in the winter if you run out of gas. Parts of the road are in complete desolation.
Sichuan-Tibet Highway
If you can’t handle roller coasters and you’re thinking to drive on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, you might want to rethink your plans. The highway crosses over 14 mountains that have an average elevation of 13,000 feet. The oxygen levels along the highway are only half of what we have at sea level. As you can see in the picture, the road also has 99 switchbacks to get down the Yela Mountain.
If you can handle that, that’s great, but you’ll still need to worry about the landslides which happen on the regular. Oh, and not to mention, there are also some parts of the highway which aren’t paved. So, yea, good luck!