- Tom Cockrem/ Lonely Planet
VIVA – India is one of the countries known to have many terrible roads in the world, some routes are so bad that they can give chills to even the most seasoned drivers. The narrow roads, sharp turns, low hanging cliffs, and harsh climatic conditions can lead them to death bed, instead of the planned destination.
Besides bad maintenance, sometimes the very location of a road makesthe drivers feel scary. So, here are some roads that can be deadly for people:
1. Kishtwar Kailash Highway: Sharp Turns, Overhanging Cliffs, and No Guard Rails
The road is windy, narrow, and without guard rail for about 150 m. The overhanging cliff is so low that a Tata Sumo or similar car would barely fit. The sharp turns with cliffs obstruct the view, making it all the more difficult to make those turns. One mistake and the drop is about 600 m.
2. Killar – Kishtwar Route: A Replica of the Kishtwar Kailash Highway
The location of this narrow road with low jutting cliffs is in the Pangi Valley, Himachal Pradesh. This road runs without a safety fence, has overhanging hills & sharp turns, and is narrow. This road is not easy to walk even in broad daylight, let alone at night.
3. Khardungla Pass: World’s Highest Motorable Road
A narrow road in the middle of snow capped mountains near the Khardungla Pass which is the highest motorable road in the world. The location is in Ladakh, to be precise the Caravan Route which was once the Silk Road between India & China.
The road is scary, because it has a height of 5,602 m above sea level which is unbeatable. In addition, the road is unpaved and slippery due to a mixture of ice and frozen soil. Then, there are sharp turns that are a nightmare for even the most experienced drivers of the region.
4. Zoji La Pass: Prone to Landslides
The road, at an altitude of 3,538 m above sea level, is frightfully narrow and extremely slippery due to the year-round snow and dirt mix. It gets muddy during the rains and gets blocked during the storms. Besides, frequent landslides have made it one of the scariest roads in India.
5. Chang La Pass: Third Highest Motorable Route in the World
Slippery road in the middle of snow capped mountains near Chang La Pass. Located Between Pangong and Leh Lakes in the Ladakh region. At 5.360 m above sea level, the road remains covered in snow all year round. This makes the road slippery.
Surprisingly, people could sense the scarcity of oxygen while on this road. The region's low temperatures add to the travel woes of those traveling on the world's third-highest motorized road.
6. NH 22 Kinnaur Road: Cut into Hard Rocks to Make Kinnaur Accessible
Taranda Dhank is infamous for claiming several lives. The low overhanging rocks, narrow dark holes, and blind turns make this road highly deadly. One mistake, and the vehicle will fall down into the Baspa River. If not the fall, the collision of vehicles around the blind turns are truly fatal.
7. Rohtang Pass: The Ground of Corpses
One of the narrow streets with sharp bends near Rohtang Pass on Jalan Leh-Manali. The location is on Leh – Manali roads 53 km from Manali. This road has a height of 3,979 m above sea level, Rohtang Pass is the gateway that connects Manali to Leh and Lahaul – Spiti.
However, the entire 479km route is dangerous. Snow-covered roads are prone to landslides, especially in areas surrounded by mountains on both sides.
