The World's Highest Navigable Roads

For those of you who want a road with the ultimate view here is a list of the world's ten highest navigable roads. 

  

Colca Canyon, Peru

 

The ten kilometer long Semo La is an unsurfaced, yet wide, mountain pass located along part of central Tibet's Provincial Highway 206, a roadway which links the village of Raka in Shigatse Prefecture with the village of Coqen in Ngari Prefecture.

The pass, which is classified as the world’s highest, navigable road, lies at an elevation of 5,565 metres (18,258 feet) above sea level and is often used as an alternative access route to the many pilgrimage sites located on Mount Kailash.  

The 5,454 meter high Mana Pass is a newly constructed gravel surfaced, Himilayan mountain pass which runs parallel with the India / Tibet border. 

The pass, which was only completed in 2011, links the Indian pilgrimage town of Badrinath with the Tibetan border village of Mana as it makes it’s way along the southern peak of the Nanda Devi Mountain, passing through the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve and National Park.

The pass can be accessed by way of the southern section of India’s National Highway 58, the country’s main highway between the cities of Badrinath and New Delhi.

The Suge La is a well travelled mountain pass located along Tibet’s Friendship Highway, located between the country's second largest city Shigatse and the country's capital city of Lhasa.

The road, which is located along the Nyenchen Dangla Mountains, attains an ultimate elevation of 5,430 metres (17,815 feet) above sea level at about it’s half way point, 110 kilometers northwest of Lhasa or 140 kilometers south east of Shigatse. 

The Khardung La is a thirty nine kilometer long mountain pass located between the villages of Leh and Kashgar in the Ladakh Mountain Range of Jammu and Kashmir in northern India. 

The pass, which attains an ultimate elevation of 5,359 metres (17,582 feet) above sea level, was built by the Indian Army and is still regularly maintained by the military, which is why, despite the many avalanches which occur along the pass, manages to stay open all year round.

It is this year round accessibility which has led to the road being officially classified as the ‘World's Highest, Navigable Road’, despite there being at least three other much higher navigable roads located around the world.

The Abra Huayracasa  - This mountain pass, located between the Andean village of Huanchocopla and the mining town of Caudalosa Chica in Peru is South America's highest road where it attains an ultimate elevation of 5,059 meters (16,597 feet) above sea level.  

The road, which is mainly dirt surface, has also been classified as one of the world’s most dangerous roads and must therefore not be attempted by any but the most experienced of drivers, as it is full of deep potholes, dizzying hairpin bends and surrounded by continuous sheer drops.

On the plus side, the views of the surrounding mountainous terrain are amazing and the mountain pass’ 4,880 meter high access road, the Abra Chonta, located between the Andean towns of Huancavelica and Santa Ines, is an absolute dream of a road which is particularly popular with cyclists.

The Chivay to Arequipa Road - This 160 kilometer long Peruvian road is home to a nameless mountain pass which lies at an altitude of 4,910 metres (16,110 feet) above sea level. This popular and well travelled dirt pass makes it’s way through the impressive Colca Canyon and part of the Pampa Canahuas Nature Reserve as it makes it’s way between the traditional mountain village of Chivay and the area’s provincial capital city of Arequipa.

 

The Khunjerab Pass – This Himilayan mountain pass is located along the highest point of the 1,300 kilometer long Karakoram Highway, situated in the Karakoram Mountains between Xinjiang in China and Gilgit Baltistan in Pakistan.

With an ultimate elevation of 4,693 meters high, this relatively flat and well signposted mountain highway is the highest international road in the world and includes the world’s highest international border crossing, the Youyi Friendship Bridge and access to the stunning Karakul Mountain Lake.

The road is generally closed during the Winter months owing to snow making it impassable.

Don’t forget your passport.

The Veletta Highway - Situated near the historic city of Granada in Spain this well maintained mountain highway is Europe's highest navigable road. 

The road makes it’s way along the Veletta Mountain of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in Southern Spain where it reaches an ultimate elevation of 3,380 metres (11,089 feet) above sea level.

The road was originally constructed as the main access road to Europe’s most southerly located ski resort, the Sierra Nevada Ski Station located at Pradollano.

The road also passes through part of Spain’s largest UNESCO biosphere reserve, the eighty five thousand square hectare, Sierra Nevada National Park and the small ski resort of Loma de Dilar where the Sierra Nevada Observatory is also located.

 

The Sani Pass – This nine kilometer long mountain pass links the small town of Underberg located in the Mzimkulu River valley of Kwazulu - Natal in South Africa with the small township of Mokhotlong in the north east of the tiny Kingdom of Lesotho.

The road makes it’s way through the stunning mountain terrain of the Drakensberg Mountains (Dragon Mountains) where it reaches an ultimate elevation of 2,837 meters above sea level, making it Africa’s highest navigable road. 

Due to the many accidents which have occurred along the pass the South African border control will not allow vehicles along the pass which are deemed unsuitable for the trip, although there are no such restrictions when leaving Lesotho to travel into South Africa. 
This highly dangerous international road is generally closed during the southern hemisphere’s winter months of May through to July.
Don't forget your passport.   

 

The Mount Evans Scenic Byway - This twenty four kilometer long mountain pass, which goes by the official title of State Highway 5, is located near Idaho Springs in Colorado, U.S.A, just a half hour's drive from the city of Denver. 

The highway, which has been classified as North America's highest navigable road, begins at Echo Lake Park and passes through the Mount Evans Wilderness, an area of outstanding natural beauty which is home to the Arapho National Forest, the Pike National Forest and Summit Lake Park, before terminating just below the peak of the 839 meter high Mount Evans.   

The Sani Pass, Lesotho

                             

                         FIND HOTELS NEAR THE WORLD'S HIGHEST ROADS
             

A journey along any of these highest of highways should not be undertaken lightly. 

Before considering a journey along any of the above roads please make sure that it is in fact passable, as many of these roads are liable to heavy snows during the Winter months or flooding during the Spring months.

Some of the roads mentioned above are also considered very dangerous, therefore do not attempt any journey unless the vehicle you plan to travel in is in tip top condition and the driver is experienced in this type of terrain.  

Don't forget to take a good supply of water, food and blankets with you, just in case of a breakdown or problems on the carriageway such as an accident or a landslide. 
Because of the isolation of these roads the emergency services will eventually get to the scene of the problem, but it may not be for many hours or even days.