The 13 Most Interesting Trips in the World

Table of Contents

1. Great Ocean Road, Australia
2. The Andean Lakes
3. Ruta 40
4. Chapman’s Peak Drive
5. Big Sur
6. Jebel Hafeet, UAE
7. Ring road
8. Hana Highway, Hawaii
9. Atlantic Road
10. Irohazaka Winding Road
11. Blue Ridge Parkway
12. The Amalfi Coast
13. Applecross

Road trips are a common travel experience, especially during the summer months. Different countries are full of stunning roads with incredible landscapes to blow your mind away. An example of this is the Ocean Road in Australia which many describe as the most beautiful road with the best road trip experience. The Jebel Hafeet in the UAE and the Big Sur in California, United States of America. While these roads are some of the best in the world, they also constitute an insignificant percentage of the world’s beautiful roads. So, no matter where you are or where you travel, you can always enjoy the thrill of a road trip.

Driving along and exploring new roads remains one of the most refreshing, fun experiences you can have as a traveler. While you’re exploring the world and seeing beautiful landscapes in different parts of the world, you’re also having fun and enjoying yourself. While the world is full of such beautiful roads worldwide, a few of them stand out in beauty and pure navigation experience. In this article, we’ll discuss a few of these roads.

1. Great Ocean Road, Australia

This is one of the most beautiful roads globally and offers an exciting road trip experience. However, it doesn’t offer a stunning drive alone; it is also the site for the most significant war memorial globally and spans over 150 miles. The road was built by soldiers who returned from WWI to honor and remember their colleagues who lost their lives. Therefore, it is listed as an Australian National Heritage, and it encompasses everything between Allansford and Torquay. To properly enjoy this route, its surroundings, and landscape, you should spare a few days to explore it.

From the Great Ocean Road, you can explore some of the most famous sights in southern Australia, including the Great Otway National Park, the lush tropical forest, thundering waterfalls, and the mighty Twelve Apostles rising from the sea. You’ll also get to see the oldest lighthouse in the country and other iconic wildlife like dolphins, kangaroos, and southern right whales, which are common in this area.

2. The Andean Lakes

This route in Argentina covers more than 184 kilometers from the Bariloche city through Dina Huapi village, Villa la Angostura, and San Martin de Los Andes city. The seven great lakes along this route give the road its name. While you can complete this trip in one day, you can give yourself more time to explore better and enjoy it by spending the nights at specific points in the different towns along the route. As you pass through each town, ensure you buy supplies and refuel before continuing your trip.

3. Ruta 40

This road in Argentina stretches down the length of the country, starting, or ending, depending on the direction chosen, in La Quiaca, very close to the Bolivian border, and ending in Cabo Virgenes, in the southern province of Santa Cruz.

It’s a 3000 miles drive that winds through the Andes, passing 18 rivers and connecting 20 national parks. It encompasses different scenic drives, diverse landscapes, and highly varied driving conditions, providing stunning views and making an eclectic journey. So, if you’re looking for varieties through your drive, then you should be looking to get on this road.

The lakes of Bariloche, the forests surrounding the charming villages of San Martin de Los Andes and Villa La Angostura, the vineyards of beautiful Mendoza, the prehistoric fossils of the province of San Juan, the colorful hills of Salta and Jujuy, the imposing glaciers of Calafate, the energetic towns of El Bolson and Esquel, and the tremendous sense of vastness and solitude that takes hold of the traveler in Patagonia.

4. Chapman’s Peak Drive

This is a beautiful road in South Africa hugging the Atlantic Coast and overlooking the sea, making you feel like you’re traveling along the edge of a mountain. It’s just a little more than 5 miles, but it has 114 curves, so you’ll need to pay a lot of attention while driving, but you can be sure that it’s worth the experience. Driving on this road means you’re bordered by the mountains and the ocean on both sides. So you’re enveloped by the beauty of nature.

5. Big Sur

This road in the US is already famous for road trips, and for a good reason. It is one of the most beautiful roads stretches in the world. It runs along the Pacific Ocean and is guided on the other side by mountains. So like the Chapman’s Peak Drive in South Africa, it is also enveloped in nature. This road epitomizes the beauty of the West Coast with its green valley-like landscapes and crisp-clear ocean view. Cruising down the Big Sur on a summer afternoon, windows down, and music-blaring is one of the best road trip experiences you can have.

6. Jebel Hafeet, UAE

The Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road is located at one of the highest elevations in the United Arab Emirates, just outside the wealthy city of Abu Dhabi, and while it’s a short road (11 km – 7 miles), it is stunning and offers a one-of-a-kind experience. In addition, it provides a complete mountainous route experience and ends at one of the most beautiful spots in the country to add an ultimate photo-op experience to your road trip.

The road climbs to the top of the mountain, 1,219 meters above sea level, giving drivers spectacular views of the desert below and the capital of the oil-rich country. The road ends at a palace and hotel owned by the country’s governors.

This road is rated as one of the best in the world for sport driving, although during the day it can reach over 40ºC / 104 °F. temperature. It is advisable to have air conditioning in the vehicle and, in the case of motorcycles, to drive in the afternoon, when the sun has gone down.

In addition to its spectacular road, this mountain is popular with locals and visitors for its breathtaking views over Al Ain and the surrounding desert, as well as Omani territory. Also for its sunsets or for its milder temperature than in the plain. Do you dare with it?

7. Ring road

The Ring Road is a famous route in Iceland because it’s the main road surrounding the island’s edge. So it makes it possible to go round the country, and you can do this in 7 days, sparing some time to explore different sites along the road.

This route is 1322 kilometers long and connects the various national parks and towns in the country and other interesting natural phenomena such as waterfalls, glaciers, and volcanoes. You should look out for the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon and the Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoos waterfalls. The full length of the road is open through the spring, summer, and autumn months. However, the best time and weather to enjoy this trip in summer.

8. Hana Highway, Hawaii

There’s no doubt that Hawaii has many beautiful roads that makes it difficult to single one out, mainly because most locations in the island has a lush landscape. However, the Hana Highway stands out because it offers drivers and explorers a diverse range of sights, such as sweeping waterfalls, oceans, and rainforests.

9. Atlantic Road

The Atlantic Road in Norway allows you to capture the beauty of nature and Norway on the road. The Atlantic Ocean waters bordering the road will enable you to encounter whales and seals in the waters. You also have the rocky horizon and the green mountains to look ahead to in the distance. The eight kilometers road also has ancient churches that you can check out and caves where artifacts from centuries ago are unearthed.

10. Irohazaka Winding Road

This renowned road is located in Japan, in the North of Tokyo. It extends over 1500 meters from the historic Nikko city at 50 meters to the Okunikko highlands. One of the reasons this road stands out is the 48 hairpin turns, with each one labeled as one of the 48 characters of the Japanese alphabet. There are also two waterfalls on this road, an observation deck overlooking the winding road, and several views of Chuzenji Lake. If you want your drive to be more scenic, plan your trip in the autumn months when the full autumnal color of the forest is out. Then, the beauty becomes even more spectacular. The Irohazaka Winding road also has a cultural significance because road pilgrims follow this route when journeying to Lake Chuzenji.

11. Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a popular route within North Carolina and beyond. It is one of the highest and longest continuous routes within the Appalachian region. So drivers have an exciting view of what’s below them. It’s particularly stunning during the fall after the leaves have changed colors, and it now becomes a sea of browns, reds, and oranges. So, if your goal is to see the view from the Appalachian Highlands and the much-talked-about colorful beauty it possesses, then the Blue Ridge Parkway road is your best bet. You’re sure to see images that you won’t forget in a long time.

12. The Amalfi Coast

This is located in the south of Naples Bay in Italy, and it has some of the most beautiful coastal scenery in Europe. This route stretches over 60 kilometers between Salerno and Sorrento, and the road connecting both is precariously positioned over sheer cliff faces. This road allows you to explore two famous cities, Vietri Sul Mare and Positano, where you get treated to delicious cuisines and colorful old building, which absorbs the charm and glamour in this region.

13. Applecross

This is located within the Scottish Highlands. This famous route has incredible scenery that can’t go unnoticed. There’s the remote peninsula in Wester Ross, while the hairpin bends on the road allows you to savor fantastic views of the highlands. For all the adventures of navigating through the hairpin bends, you may want to reward yourself further at one of the traditional pubs in the local villages nearby. You may also stop off for some paparazzi.

Conclusion

As a parent, you can use these trips as one of the many ways to motivate students during distance learning. In addition, these roads are some of the most beautiful to explore, and you’re surely going to have a fun time.

Author Bio

Julia B. is a blogger and academic writer who works with Rush My Essay. She likes trying new subjects and is always focused on proving her worth in new and challenging writing areas. Her hobbies are reading books and traveling.