Desert Roads
Remote desert drives across salt flats, dunes, badlands, red rock, and wide open high desert country. 67 curated drives with mapped stops, distance, duration, and route notes — including Route 66, Southern Utah Parks Traverse, Las Vegas to Stovepipe Wells via Death Valley.
These 67 routes range from 80 to 5200 km and from 1 to 30 days, across 33 countries. Top picks: Route 66, Southern Utah Parks Traverse, Las Vegas to Stovepipe Wells via Death Valley.
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LegendaryRoute 66The Mother Road. From Chicago to Santa Monica, Route 66 is America's original road trip, neon diners, desert motels, and wide-open sky that defined a nation on wheels.EV-friendly
LegendarySouthern Utah Parks TraverseA seven-day traverse through Utah's five national parks, from St. George and Zion to Monument Valley, with Goblin Valley and the Moab parks given their own realistic days.EV-friendlyPermit required
IconicLas Vegas to Stovepipe Wells via Death ValleyThe lowest, hottest, driest national park on Earth, and one of its most spectacular. Golden badlands, salt flats at 86m below sea level, rainbow-painted hills, and dunes that hum when the sand shifts in the wind.
LegendaryUluru & The Red CentreA five-day Red Centre progression from Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa to Watarrka/Kings Canyon and Alice Springs, finishing with a West MacDonnell day loop to Standley Chasm, Ellery Creek and Ormiston Gorge. The mapped points are visitor centres, trailhead car parks and signed day-use access—not the inaccessible centres of the rock formations.
LegendaryGibb River RoadThe Kimberley's legendary outback dirt road connects Derby to Kununurra through ancient boab tree forests, Aboriginal rock art sites, spectacular gorges, and remote cattle stations, Australia at its most raw and untouched.4WD onlyOff-road sections
LegendaryRuta 40: Full Seasonal ExpeditionArgentina's longest highway traces 5,000 km of the jagged Andes from the shores of the South Atlantic at Punta Loyola through Los Glaciares, Bariloche, Mendoza, Salta, and the Bolivian border at La Quiaca, traversing 20 national parks, crossing 18 major rivers, and climbing over 27 mountain passes. One of the most epic drives on the planet.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsPermit required
LegendarySalar de Uyuni CircuitAcross the world's largest salt flat, a 10,582 km² mirror of white that becomes a perfect sky reflection after rain, then through volcanoes, lagoons of pink flamingos, and geysers at 5,000m into the Altiplano.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsPermit requiredLoop / circuit
IconicPan-American Highway, PeruPeru's stretch of the Pan-American Highway takes in everything from pre-Inca history to world-renowned wineries, the road winds through coastal desert, tiny fishing villages, the Islas Ballestas wildlife islands, the mysterious Nazca Lines, colonial-era towns, and the Atacama at Tacna. Drive only during daylight hours; fuel up wherever you can.Permit required
LegendaryNamib Desert CircuitThe world's oldest desert, 55 million years, and its most photogenic. Sossusvlei's 300m apricot dunes, the bleached bones of Deadvlei, the sand-swallowed streets of Lüderitz's Kolmanskop ghost town, and Fish River Canyon's billion-year-old gorge.SUV onlyOff-road sectionsLoop / circuit
IconicAcross the High AtlasFrom the rose-red walls of Marrakech over the spine of the Atlas Mountains via the 2,260m Tizi n'Tichka pass, past kasbahs of red pisé, across the hammada plateau to Ouarzazate's film sets, through the Draa Valley's 40 km of palm groves, and into the Sahara at Merzouga's towering Erg Chebbi dunes. The great desert approach.
IconicSkeleton CoastThe C34 salt-and-gravel coastal road from Swakopmund north along Namibia's Atlantic fringe to Terrace Bay, through the Skeleton Coast National Park, past bleached whale bones, shipwrecks, and Cape Cross Seal Reserve's 100,000-strong fur seal colony. Ultra-desolate. Motorbikes not permitted on the coast road.SUV onlyOff-road sectionsPermit required
IconicTurkmenistan: Gates of HellThe focused classic route runs from Ashgabat north through the Karakum to a licensed camp at the Darvaza crater, then continues to Dashoguz.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsPermit required
LegendaryMongolia: Classic Gobi CircuitThe complete clockwise Gobi circuit from Ulaanbaatar through Baga Gazriin Chuluu, Tsagaan Suvarga, Yolyn Am, Khongoryn Els, Bayanzag, and Ongi, returning through Kharkhorin to the capital. Twelve days give the desert's headline landscapes enough time, keep camel riding at the dunes, and explicitly account for the long overland return and vehicle hand-back.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsLoop / circuit
IconicMuscat to Salalah Desert HighwayA realistic four-day version of Oman’s classic north-to-south drive: Muscat to Nizwa, Nizwa to Hayma, Hayma via Shisr and Thumrayt, then a full Salalah and Dhofar day.
NotableAlentejo & Algarve BeachesPortugal's southern Atlantic coast, from the long, uncrowded beaches of the Alentejo costa vicentina through the wild Sagres peninsula to the Algarve. This isn't the Mediterranean; it's the Atlantic with surfable waves, maritime history, pine and rosemary dunes, and beaches so remote that access tracks are unmarked. The drive takes in the finest beaches in Portugal's least developed coastline.EV-friendly
IconicArxan & Hulunbuir Grassland LoopA true eastern Inner Mongolia circuit from Hailar to Arxan's volcanic forest, then through the Morigele grasslands, Ergun wetlands, Enhe and Shiwei, Moerdaoga forest, Heishantou, Manzhouli, and Hulun Lake. Focusing on the classic Arxan–Hulunbuir region removes the enormous transfer from the unrelated Hohhot–Ordos desert cluster and gives every long leg, remote meal, and overnight a usable place in the schedule.Permit requiredLoop / circuit
IconicBadlands & Black Hills LoopSouth Dakota's astonishing concentration of American myth, the razor-ridged Badlands spires and buttes rising from the Great Plains, the ancient Lakota sacred Black Hills, Crazy Horse's unfinished mountain monument, and Mount Rushmore's four presidential faces carved into granite. Bison herds, prairie dogs, and the ghosts of the frontier frame the most symbolically loaded landscape in the American West.Loop / circuit
Hidden GemCairo to Luxor Nile ValleyThis classic Nile Valley drive follows Egypt’s main southbound corridor from Cairo to Luxor, passing fertile river plains, roadside markets, and ancient temple towns. It’s the most practical overland link between two of Egypt’s greatest archaeological hubs, with desert scenery framing the route.SUV only
IconicCanning Stock RouteA 21-day expedition template from Wiluna through the complete permitted Wells 5-51 corridor to Billiluna and Halls Creek. Exact camps and GPS positions must come from the issued vehicle permit and official information pack.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsPermit required
IconicCape Cod Route 6A and Outer CapeRoute 6A, the Old King's Highway, traces the Bay side of Cape Cod through 300 years of sea-captain architecture, cranberry bogs, saltmarsh, and shingled villages. The Cape narrows to a sandy hook at Provincetown, where the Pilgrims first landed in 1620.EV-friendly
NotableCaprivi Strip and Zambezi RegionThis northern Namibia road trip follows the lush Zambezi Region from Rundu east to Katima Mulilo, with detours to river lodges, floodplain viewpoints and wildlife-rich parks. Expect easygoing distances, changing landscapes, frequent birdlife and a strong sense of remoteness along the Kavango and Zambezi rivers.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsPermit required
LegendaryClassic Rajasthan: Delhi to UdaipurTwelve days along Rajasthan’s classic fort-and-palace arc, balancing full Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur days with one purposeful Pushkar night and one transfer-only desert-to-Ranakpur stage.
Hidden GemDakar to Saint-Louis CoastThis easy Senegalese coast drive follows the Atlantic north from Dakar to the UNESCO-listed old city of Saint-Louis. Expect ocean views, fishing villages, salt pans, and broad sandy beaches, with the route becoming especially atmospheric near the Langue de Barbarie and the river mouth at Saint-Louis.
IconicDakar-inspired Saudi Desert ExpeditionA Dakar-inspired public-road and licensed-guided expedition from Jeddah through Ha’il and Jubbah to AlUla, a guided Harrat lava-field sector, Buraydah and Riyadh. It captures Saudi rally landscapes without claiming to reproduce the race.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsPermit required
IconicDubai, Abu Dhabi and Liwa OasisThree measured days link Dubai with Abu Dhabi’s principal landmarks and the paved oasis road to Liwa and Tal Moreeb. The extra day makes the mosque, Louvre and Qasr Al Watan realistic without short-changing the Empty Quarter landscape.
IconicErg Chebbi and the Moroccan SaharaThis Saharan road trip runs from the palm-lined oasis town of Errachidia through the Ziz Valley to Merzouga and the towering dunes of Erg Chebbi, with a short kasbah-village detour through Tinejdad on the way. It blends paved desert highways, kasbah villages, and sunrise dune viewpoints, with the option to finish at a camel camp or desert lodge.
IconicEtosha Pan CircuitA vast white salt pan, 120km across, visible from space, ringed by waterholes where lions, elephants, and black rhinos gather in the dry season. The Etosha circuit is Africa's most accessible concentrated wildlife driving, all on good gravel roads.Loop / circuit
IconicGunbarrel Highway and Great Central Road to UluruAn expedition from Wiluna over the Gunbarrel corridor to Warburton, then along the Great Central Road through Warakurna and Docker River to Yulara, followed by a separate Uluru day.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsPermit required
IconicHexi CorridorFollow the classic Hexi Corridor west from the Yellow River at Lanzhou to Zhangye's Giant Buddha, rainbow hills, and Mati Temple, then Jiayuguan's frontier fortress and the oasis of Dunhuang. The final two days pair the Singing Sand Dunes with one correctly sequenced, advance-reserved Mogao visit; distant Yumenguan belongs to a separate extra day west of Dunhuang and is not included in this efficient eight-day line.Permit required
Hidden GemHurghada to Marsa Alam Red Sea CoastThis Red Sea Coast drive runs south from Hurghada to Marsa Alam on Egypt’s desert highway, pairing blue-water views with long, quiet stretches of tawny mountains and open shore. It is a straightforward road trip with resort stops, dive towns, and a strong sense of remoteness.
IconicJalapão CircuitThe Jalapão Circuit is a classic cerrado road trip through eastern Tocantins, linking Palmas with sand tracks, orange dunes, blue springs, and river beaches around Mateiros, São Félix do Tocantins, and Ponte Alta do Tocantins. It is remote, scenic, and best tackled at a slow pace.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsPermit requiredLoop / circuit
NotableKalahari Desert DriveCross the world's largest sand system from Gaborone west to the Central Kalahari, red dunes, black-maned lions, meerkats at sunrise, and skies so dark the Milky Way casts shadows on the sand.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsPermit required
IconicKerman, Mahan and Kaluts EdgeA safer-content three-day Kerman loop: Kerman heritage, Mahan and Rayen, then the paved Shahdad road and signed western edge of the Kaluts before returning to Kerman.Permit requiredLoop / circuit
NotableLake Assal and Goda MountainsThis compact Djibouti road trip leaves the capital for the Gulf of Tadjoura, then climbs into the cool highlands of the Goda Mountains before dropping to the dazzling salt basin of Lake Assal, one of Africa’s lowest points. Expect volcanic scenery, acacia hills, and stark desert contrast.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsPermit requiredLoop / circuit
LegendaryLençóis MaranhensesThe "Maranhão Bedsheets", 1500km² of white sand dunes rising from a flat coastal plain, filled between July and September with hundreds of turquoise and emerald rainwater lagoons. One of the most surreal landscapes on Earth, reached from São Luís via the Preguiças River delta.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsPermit required
NotableMakgadikgadi PansThe remnant of an ancient mega-lake larger than Switzerland, two vast salt pans at the Kalahari's heart. In the dry season: meerkats and brown hyena. In January: roughly 20,000-30,000 zebra on the world's second-largest migration.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsPermit required
IconicNamaqualand Flower RouteFor two weeks each August, the Namaqualand desert transforms into the greatest wildflower spectacle on Earth, millions of orange, yellow, and white daisies covering the Bokkeveld and Knersvlakte as far as the eye can see.
IconicNorthern Tarim Silk Road: Ürümqi to KashgarThe classic northern-Tarim oasis drive links Ürümqi and the Turpan Basin with Korla, the Buddhist and Kucha heritage around Kuqa, an essential Aksu overnight, and two worthwhile days in Kashgar. UNESCO-listed Silk Roads components at Jiaohe, Kizilgaha, Kizil, and Subashi give the route a stronger historical spine than generic desert pull-offs.Permit required
IconicNullarbor Plain and Eyre HighwayCross Australia’s great southern expanse on the Eyre Highway, linking Ceduna to Norseman across the treeless Nullarbor Plain. Expect vast straightaways, salt-lake country, roadhouses, and dramatic coastal detours to the Bunda Cliffs and Head of Bight, where the continent seems to drop into the Southern Ocean.
NotableOld West, ArizonaFrom desert cattle ranches to mile-high mountain towns, this Sonoran Desert drive climbs from the cowboy capital of Wickenburg through a former copper boomtown hanging on a cliff to the red-rock vortexes of Sedona and Flagstaff's ponderosa pines.
IconicQatar Inland Sea and North Coast LoopA two-day Qatar classic: a prebooked licensed 4WD expedition to the Inland Sea, followed by Al Zubarah, the northwest coast and a tide-confirmed mangrove activity.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsLoop / circuit
IconicQinghai Lake Circuit from XiningA genuine clockwise circuit from Xining reaches Qinghai Lake through Riyue Mountain, uses the officially managed Erlangjian and Heimahe viewing areas, follows the west and north shores through Gangcha and Haiyan, and returns to Xining. Chaka Salt Lake is deliberately excluded: it is a separate southwest extension, not part of the 360-km lake loop.Permit requiredLoop / circuit
IconicQuebrada de HumahuacaThis classic northwestern Argentina drive follows Ruta 9 through the Quebrada de Humahuaca, a narrow Andean valley of multicolored cliffs, adobe villages, and high-desert light. Start in San Salvador de Jujuy and end in Humahuaca, stopping at Purmamarca, Tilcara, and dramatic viewpoints along the UNESCO-listed corridor.SUV onlyOff-road sectionsPermit required
IconicSantiago to San Pedro de AtacamaFrom the Pacific Coast to the world's highest and driest desert, north from Santiago via Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, La Serena, and Copiapó to the Atacama. Parts haven't felt rain in 400 years (possibly ever), yet snowflakes occasionally fall. The Salar de Atacama, Valle de la Luna, and El Tatio geyser field are the rewards.Permit required
IconicSavannah WayThe Savannah Way links tropical northern Australia from Cairns to Broome through some of the country’s most remote country. Expect long sealed stretches mixed with isolated highways, red-dirt detours, stock country, gulf wetlands, gorge country, and classic outback towns along one of Australia’s great cross-continent drives.4WD onlyOff-road sections
IconicSouthern Calchaquí Valleys: Salta to TucumánThrough the high-altitude Andes of northwestern Argentina, the world's highest vineyards at Cafayate, the sculpted red rock canyons of Quebrada de Cafayate, pre-Inca ruins at Quilmes, and the colonial splendour of Salta.SUV onlyOff-road sections
Hidden GemSt Catherine to DahabThis short Sinai drive links the granite monasteries and mountain basins of St Catherine with the Red Sea town of Dahab. The road drops from stark high desert into wide wadis and open coastal plains, with rugged peaks behind and clear water ahead.
IconicStuart HighwayAustralia’s legendary north-south spine, the Stuart Highway runs from Adelaide’s fringe to Darwin through red desert, relentless highway horizons, and iconic outback stops. It links Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, and Katherine, delivering a practical road trip through the country’s most expansive inland landscapes.
NotableTanami TrackOne of Australia's great remote desert crossings, a corrugated dirt road through Warlpiri and Kukatja country from Alice Springs to Halls Creek. Red spinifex plains, a 900m meteorite crater, and near-complete solitude.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsPermit required
IconicTasmania West CoastThe wild side of Australia's island state, from Hobart west through Queenstown's moonscape to Strahan, the fishing town once described as "the best little town in the world", then north past the Henty Dunes, Cradle Mountain, and Mt Roland to Launceston. Tasmania's west coast keeps giving long after you think it's done.
NotableTatacoa Desert and San AgustínThis south Huila loop links the rust-red badlands of the Tatacoa Desert with the misty archaeology of San Agustín. Start in Neiva, cross the Magdalena River valley, explore the labyrinth of eroded canyons and starry night skies, then continue south to colonial villages and the monumental stone statues and tombs near San Agustín.SUV onlyOff-road sectionsPermit required
IconicTrans-Andean HighwayThis classic Andean crossing links Santiago with Mendoza through one of South America’s most dramatic mountain corridors. Expect sweeping switchbacks, high desert valleys, vineyard foothills, and the iconic Cristo Redentor pass area, with changing conditions from coastal Chile to the dry Argentine side.Permit required
NotableTunis to Douz: Medinas to SaharaTunisia's extraordinary cultural drive, Sidi Bou Said's Andalusian whitewash, the medinas of Tunis and Kairouan (the fourth holiest city in Islam), the Roman amphitheatre at El Djem, the troglodyte houses of Matmata (Hotel Sidi Driss, the Star Wars Lars homestead interior), and the Saharan dunes of Douz. North Africa's most accessible and diverse drive.
NotableVanishing Point-Inspired Legal Road TripThe Vanishing Point drive, west from Denver across Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California. The 1971 cult film sent Kowalski west on I-70 in a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Magnum. The real route skips the interstate and traces the movie's huge horizons: the Utah desert, ghost towns, the Sierra Nevada, and San Francisco Bay.
IconicYukon Golden CircleA compact Yukon circuit crossing into Alaska via the White Pass, Whitehorse through Carcross (and the world's smallest desert), over the White Pass summit to gold-rush Skagway, back via Haines with a ferry crossing of the Lynn Canal. A loop of glacier-fed rivers, Klondike history, and the most dramatic mountain scenery in the northern Rockies.Loop / circuit
IconicZhangye Danxia to DunhuangA properly paced five-day Hexi Corridor journey from Zhangye's Danxia landforms and Giant Buddha Temple through Jiayuguan Fortress to Dunhuang's Mingsha oasis, reserved Mogao Caves, and a full west-desert day at Yumenguan, Hecang, and the Han Great Wall.
NotableAtlantic Sahara Coast and Banc d'ArguinThis Atlantic coast drive follows Mauritania’s desert edge from Nouadhibou to the Banc d’Arguin region, where dunes, tidal flats, and empty beaches meet the sea. Expect a stark, wind-shaped landscape, fishing villages, and exceptional birdlife in one of West Africa’s most distinctive coastal parks.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsPermit requiredLoop / circuit
IconicTamanrasset to Assekrem in the HoggarThis short Saharan climb leaves Tamanrasset and heads into the volcanic granite peaks of the Hoggar, ending at the road-access point on the Assekrem plateau. The final visit to Charles de Foucauld’s hermitage is on foot; the drive itself is all about stark hamadas and vast sunrise and sunset views over the central Sahara.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsPermit required
NotableWhite Desert and Bahariya OasisThis desert road trip begins in Cairo and runs west to Bahariya Oasis, then into Egypt’s surreal White Desert, where chalk towers, mushroom rocks, and wind-carved plains glow gold at sunset. It combines a sealed highway approach with short, guided desert sections and overnight camping under clear Sahara skies.4WD onlyOff-road sectionsPermit required
NotableBonneville Salt FlatsThe remnant of ancient Lake Bonneville, 200km² of blinding white salt crust where land speed records are broken and the curvature of the Earth is visible to the naked eye. I-80 is one of the straightest, most surreal roads in America.
NotableDirect Sucre to Potosí and TupizaThis classic Bolivian road trip links the whitewashed colonial capital of Sucre with the silver-city grandeur of Potosí and the red-rock desert landscapes around Tupiza. Expect steep Andean scenery, mining history, and long stretches of high-altitude highway with dramatic light and changing weather.SUV onlyOff-road sectionsPermit required
IconicMadaba, Dead Sea and KarakTwo logical days run Madaba–Mount Nebo–Dead Sea, then either a confirmed Wadi Mujib canyon slot or the all-season signed shore alternative via Lot’s Cave/Museum before Karak. The unverified salt-flat walk is removed.
NotableSydney to Nelson BayNorth from Australia's largest city into the Port Stephens region, through dramatic dunes, palm-flanked waters, and the quiet coastal communities of Shoal Bay and Anna Bay before Nelson Bay's whale watching and waterfront promenade. The escape that Sydney doesn't talk about.EV-friendly
NotableCoral Coast Road, FijiAlong Viti Levu's southern flank on Queens Road, from Korotogo east to Pacific Harbour, tracing a coral reef that protects beautiful beaches facing an iridescent Coral Sea. Past Sigatoka's sand dunes, Sovi Bay's swimming beaches, and the traditional-style Vatukarasa village. Traffic drives on the left, in theory.
IconicCuronian SpitFrom the Hill of Crosses through the Baltic coast to the Curonian Spit, a 98 km slip of dunes and pine forest shared between Lithuania and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The route ends in Nida, a village of painted fishing cottages and Thomas Mann's summer house above the world's tallest moving sand dunes.EV-friendly
NotableJahra and Western Kuwait Signed-Road DriveThe former border-directed Al Salmi route is retired. Its safer replacement is a limited-sightseeing, full-day signed-pavement drive from Kuwait City through Jahra onto western Route 70, reversing well before the frontier.Loop / circuit
NotableJahra Reserve and Mutlaa Signed-Road LoopA deliberately conservative Kuwait day loop to a prebooked Jahra Reserve visit and signed public roads south of Mutlaa. Undefined frontier viewpoints, off-road ridge driving and the Boubyan detour have been removed.EV-friendlyPermit requiredLoop / circuit