Dangerous Roads in India for That Memorable Road Trip

Road trips are considered the new fancy among the travellers, especially in India. Biking along up and down the roads with friends is the next goal. But there are certain roads that can make your journey adventurous and scary at the same time. Here’s a list of 7 such roads:

1. Leh-Manali Highway

As the name suggests, the said road connects Manali to Leh in Jammu and Kashmir. With a total length of close to 476 km, the road gets snow, water crossings, badly broken stretches and a lot more. The road has a mountain range running in parallel that offers a scenic view but at the same time, make it dangerous to travel too.

2. Zoji La, Jammu and Kashmir

What’s protecting you from a fatal 12,000-ft drop off a narrow, uneven road when a truck is barrelling straight towards you? If you’re on Zoji La then the answer is a resounding ‘absolutely nothing.’ This dangerous mountain pass is located on the Srinagar-Leh Highway (NH1A) and is often used by trucks to transport goods to the remote region. The road is a dreadful nightmare in summer, but when it rains, it becomes even worse and winter, well, it makes the road impassable and is extremely prone to landslides.

3. National Highway 22, Hindustan- Tibet Road  

The National Highway 22 is nothing sort of an architectural marvel, crafted till perfection by hundreds of construction workers who have toiled night and day to ensure people can ferry to and fro. You will find hairpin bends, single roads, rock cut mountains, steep gorges, many cliffs and tunnels while travelling on this road. Due to the risk involved while travelling on this road, the National Highway 22 was even featured in History Channel’s “IRT Deadliest Roads” TV series.

4. Sach Pass, Himachal Pradesh 

The Sach Pass is only open between June and October, this road is extremely narrow and completely unmetalled. And the cherry on top of this perilous cake? The sheer drop on one side leads straight into the freezing waters of the Chenab River! On the way, one will need to steer through several water crossings and absolutely nightmarish road conditions.

5. Killar-Kishtwar Road, NH 26 

The road is part of the National Highway 26, running along the Chenab river. It’s a mind numbing vertical drop of hundreds of meters so you might want to give it a miss on a windy day. The surface of the road is gravel, stones and sand and it’s carved into the side of a cliff. The one lane path had no guard rail and the overhanging cliff is so low that the cars barely fit, with over a 2,000ft drop, and rocks hanging down obstructing your view of oncoming traffic.

6. Three-Level Zigzag Road, Sikkim 

An exhilarating ride for adventure junkies, the Three-Level Zigzag road in Sikkim are a series of spiraling road providing for some eye-catching views of the Himalayas. With more than 100 hairpins in a stretch lasting 30 kilometers, this long and curvy journey is sure to send your head for a spin. Get past all that scares you and behold of the surreal beauty that lies out in front.

7. Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu 

Kolli Hills are called “The Mountain of Death.” As the name suggests, these hills in the eastern ghats have among the most dangerous roads. There are 70 continuous hairpin bends which attract many motorcycle enthusiasts, hikers and trekkers. Up to around the 25th hairpin bend, the road is great. After that the road is quite bad - pot holes and patches. Some of the hairpin bends are very narrow and do not have space for two vehicles to take the turn.