Scenic Coastal Drives
Ocean roads, island loops, cliff drives, and surf-backed highways from California to New Zealand. 267 curated drives with mapped stops, distance, duration, and route notes — including Pacific Coast Hwy, Overseas Highway, Sea to Sky Highway.
These 267 routes range from 10 to 7820 km and from 1 to 36 days, across 102 countries. Top picks: Pacific Coast Hwy, Overseas Highway, Sea to Sky Highway.
LegendaryPacific Coast HwyCalifornia Highway 1 hugs the coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles, cliffs, redwoods, Big Sur, and beaches that look designed for film shoots.
IconicOverseas HighwayUS-1 leaves the Florida mainland and drives 230km over 42 bridges across the Florida Keys, the highway that goes to sea. Turquoise flats on both sides, pelicans on every railing, and America's most southerly point at the end.
IconicSea to Sky HighwayBC-99 from Vancouver to Whistler is one of the world's great short drives, Howe Sound's fjord on one side, the Coast Mountains on the other, threading through old-growth forest past tumbling waterfalls and into a world-class mountain town.
LegendaryRoad to HānaThe Hāna Highway winds along Maui's dramatic northeastern coastline through 59 bridges and 620 curves, bamboo forests, hidden black-sand beaches, waterfalls tumbling into the sea, and one of the most lush drives on Earth.
LegendaryCabot TrailCape Breton's Cabot Trail is one of the most scenic drives in North America, the road climbs over the Cape Breton Highlands, drops to sea-level fishing villages, and traces cliff edges with 300m drops into the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
IconicDeath Valley CircuitThe 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.
LegendaryBaja California Highway 1The world's longest peninsula drive, Highway 1 traces 1,700 km of Pacific surf, Sea of Cortez lagoons, giant cardón cacti, and grey whale sanctuaries from Tijuana all the way to Cabo San Lucas.
IconicSeward HighwayThis classic Alaska drive runs from downtown Anchorage south to Seward, following Turnagain Arm past tidal mudflats, glacier-capped peaks, and roadside viewpoints. It’s a straightforward paved route, but the scenery demands frequent stops for hikes, wildlife viewing, and overlooks along Kenai Peninsula’s dramatic coast.
IconicOlympic Peninsula LoopThis classic loop circles Washington’s Olympic Peninsula from Seattle or Tacoma into a landscape of rain forest, wild Pacific beaches, glacier-capped peaks, and mountain passes. Follow forest highways to Hurricane Ridge, the Hoh Rain Forest, Ruby Beach, and the shores of Lake Quinault for a compact, varied Pacific Northwest road trip.
NotableGreat River RoadThe Great River Road follows the Mississippi River through ten states, linking river towns, levee roads, historic downtowns, and wide floodplain scenery. Drive from Itasca State Park in Minnesota to the Gulf coast at Venice, Louisiana for a classic American road trip rich in birdlife, steamboat history, and changing river landscapes.
LegendaryGreat Ocean RoadBuilt by WWI veterans as a living memorial, this road winds along the wild Southern Ocean past rainforests, surf beaches, and the Twelve Apostles.
LegendaryMilford Sound DriveFiordland is New Zealand's wildest corner, a frayed landscape of mountains sliced with fjords. The only road into Milford Sound from Te Anau follows Lake Te Anau's inland fjord shores, traverses the Eglinton Valley, passes the Mirror Lakes, climbs to the Divide through the 1.2 km Homer Tunnel, then descends steeply into mountain-rimmed Milford Sound.
IconicSouthern Alps HighwayNew Zealand's South Island SH6 and SH73 cross the Southern Alps through Franz Josef Glacier, the turquoise Hokitika Gorge, Arthur's Pass, and Lake Tekapo, a drive of glaciers, braided rivers, and an outrageously starry Mackenzie sky.
IconicGreat Alpine RoadVictoria's B500 climbs over the Australian Alps from Wangaratta to Bairnsdale, the highest sealed road in Australia, through snow gum forests, Mount Hotham ski resorts, and the gold-rush valley of Harrietville.
IconicPacific Coast Highway, New ZealandNew Zealand's Pacific coast from Whakatane to Napier, through Māori culture, East Cape's remote headlands, Gisborne's chardonnay vineyards, Hawke's Bay's Art Deco cities, and the easternmost point of the North Island. Off the beaten track until the final destination: Napier's extraordinary Art Deco streetscape.
IconicGreat Barrier Reef DriveThis classic tropical coast drive follows the Captain Cook Highway from Cairns to Port Douglas, skimming rainforest-clad headlands, palm beaches, and the Coral Sea. It is one of Australia’s most accessible scenic routes, with easy stops for lookouts, swimming beaches, and reef-day-trip departures.
LegendaryRing RoadIceland's Route 1 loops the entire island, glaciers, volcanoes, black sand beaches, and the Northern Lights. No other road delivers this much raw nature in one loop.
LegendaryAmalfi CoastThe SS163 may be the most beautiful road on Earth, hairpin bends cut into cliffs, pastel villages above an impossibly blue sea, lemon groves scenting the air.
LegendaryWild Atlantic WayThe world's longest defined coastal route hugs the entire western seaboard of Ireland, sea stacks, clifftop monasteries, stone-walled roads, Gaelic-speaking fishing villages, and pubs where the session never ends.
LegendaryNorth Coast 500Scotland's answer to Route 66, the NC500 loops 500 miles through the most spectacular and least-visited landscapes in Europe: the Torridon mountains' Precambrian sandstone, the white-sand beaches of Durness above the Cape Wrath headland, the flow country's peatland wilderness, the castle-dotted Black Isle, and the Bealach na Bà (the steepest road in Britain) above Applecross's seafood bar. The most dramatic drive in Britain.
LegendaryGrossglockner High Alpine RoadThere's a reason the Grossglockner Road is often cited as the finest drive in the Alps, a 48 km rollercoaster of sheer glacier-encrusted mountains, waterfalls, forested slopes, jewel-coloured lakes, and 4,000 m peaks on almost every distractingly lovely bend. The crown is Grossglockner itself at 3,798 m, Austria's highest peak, and the rapidly retreating Pasterze Glacier below the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe lookout.
IconicThree CornichesThree parallel cliff roads between Nice and Monaco, each at a different altitude, the Basse Corniche past Belle Époque villas, the Moyenne past Èze's eagle's nest, and the Grande Corniche where Grace Kelly drove her last road.
LegendaryAdriatic Coastal HighwayThe Jadranska Magistrala hugs Croatia's Dalmatian coast, Venetian-walled cities, island ferries, karst mountains plunging to the sea, the marble streets of Dubrovnik, and the most beautiful archipelago in the Mediterranean.
LegendaryRoute des Grandes AlpesA true Alpine spectacular, La Route des Grandes Alpes traverses the French Alps from the shores of Lake Geneva to the French Riviera, ascending and descending 16 mountain passes including some of the highest sealed roads in Europe. The route took almost 30 years to construct and passes through three national parks, Vanoise, Queyras, and Mercantour, with views of Mont Blanc from the opening passes.
IconicRing of KerryIreland’s classic loop on the Iveragh Peninsula combines Atlantic cliffs, sheep-flecked hills, and bright harbors in a single easy day drive. Expect constant scenery, narrow rural roads, and frequent stops for beaches, stone forts, and mountain passes, with Killarney as the natural gateway.
LegendaryAtlantic Ocean RoadNorway’s Atlantic Ocean Road traces a short but dramatic coastal crossing between Kristiansund and Molde, leaping across islets and skerries on a chain of bridges above the Norwegian Sea. It is famous for its sweeping curves, big-sky views, and storm-battered seascapes.
IconicAlbanian Riviera and Llogara PassThis classic south Albania drive follows the Ionian coast from Vlora over the switchbacks of Llogara Pass to the turquoise coves and stone villages of the Riviera. Expect mountain panoramas, beach stops at Dhërmi and Himarë, and a slower pace on one of the Balkans’ most scenic roads.
IconicSnowdonia CircuitThis loop threads through the heart of Snowdonia, combining slate-era heritage, mountain passes, and classic Welsh coast views. Start in Betws-y-Coed, climb toward Llanberis and the slopes of Yr Wyddfa, then swing through Beddgelert, Harlech, and the shores of Porthmadog before returning through inland valleys.
LegendaryRuta 40Argentina'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.
IconicCosta VerdeThe Rio–Santos coastal highway (BR-101) threads between the Serra do Mar mountains and the Atlantic, colonial fishing villages, the world's largest urban forest at Tijuca, islands, and Brazil's most spectacular beaches.
IconicTranspantaneiraThe only road into the Northern Pantanal, 147km of raised dirt track on 122 wooden bridges through the world's largest tropical wetland. In the dry season, caimans line every bridge, capybaras graze the shoulders, and the Cuiabá River banks are the best place on Earth to see a wild jaguar.
IconicSerra do Rio do RastroSC-438 climbs the Serra Geral escarpment in 18km of relentless hairpins, from the subtropical coastal plain to a cold gaucho plateau at 1400m. Above the clouds, apple orchards, frost-dusted dawns, and the sheer-walled canyons of Aparados da Serra await.
IconicEstrada RealThe Royal Road built in the 1700s to carry gold and diamonds from the Minas interior to the coast. This stretch, the Caminho dos Diamantes, connects UNESCO Ouro Preto through the colonial hill towns of Tiradentes and São João del-Rei to the diamond capital of Diamantina, birthplace of President JK.
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.
LegendaryCape Town & Garden RouteSouth Africa's most celebrated road trip, from Cape Town's two-ocean peninsula along the Garden Route's coastal forest to Storms River. Chapman's Peak Drive, the whale nursery of Hermanus, the lagoon town of Knysna, the Tsitsikamma forest's 800-year-old yellowwood trees, and the Bloukrans Bridge bungee jump (the world's highest) are strung along a coast of extraordinary biodiversity.
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 Skeleton Coast's shipwrecks, and Fish River Canyon's billion-year-old gorge.
IconicChapman's Peak DriveLess than 10 km long but with 114 curves and breathtaking views of Hout Bay and the Sentinel, affectionately known as "Chappies," this toll road was originally built during World War I, blasted from the sheer face of the 593 m Chapman's Peak above the Atlantic Ocean. A steep cliffside drive with natural canopy overhangs, the views are unbeatable on a sunny day.
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.
IconicKyrgyzstan LoopThe great Kyrgyz circuit from Bishkek through the nomad heartland, over the Tian Shan to Song-Kul's high-altitude lake (3,016m), through the Naryn canyon to Karakol, along the blue shore of Issyk-Kul, and back. A route of yurt camps, eagle hunters, and passes above 3,500m with almost no tarmac for 300 km at a stretch.
IconicHokkaido Flower RouteThrough the patchwork hills of Biei and the lavender ocean of Furano, Hokkaido's interior turns into an impressionist painting each summer as flower farms, canola fields, and potato blossoms roll across the volcanic upland in waves of purple, yellow, and white.
LegendaryShimanami KaidōSix islands linked by six bridges across the Seto Inland Sea, Japan's most celebrated drive arcs from Onomichi in Hiroshima to Imabari in Ehime, past lemon groves, castle ruins, and views so perfect they feel composed rather than found.
IconicTaiwan Island LoopTaiwan's extraordinary island circuit from Taipei, through Taroko Gorge's 19-km marble canyon, the East Rift Valley's terraced rice paddies, Kenting's tropical beaches, Sun Moon Lake's indigenous Thao culture, and the high-mountain Alishan Forest Railway country. Asia's most compact great drive through an island that punches far above its size.
IconicHai Van PassThis coastal day drive links Da Nang and Hue over the legendary Hai Van Pass, where the road climbs forested mountains before opening to sweeping views of the South China Sea and Lang Co Lagoon. It combines dramatic switchbacks, old military relics, and classic central Vietnam scenery.
IconicBali Island LoopCircle Bali on paved coastal and highland roads from Denpasar through Ubud, Kintamani, Lovina, Pemuteran, Gilimanuk, and back via the southern beaches. Expect dense traffic near the south coast, cooler mountain views, temple stops, and easy daily access to food, fuel, and guesthouses.
IconicCosta Rica: Parks & WildlifeThe world's greatest concentration of biodiversity per square kilometre in a country the size of West Virginia, from San José through the cloud forests of Monteverde, the active Arenal Volcano's lava fields and hot springs, down to Manuel Antonio's rainforest beaches where sloths hang in the canopy above white sand. 5% of the world's species in one small, peaceful country.
NotableHummingbird HighwayBelize’s Hummingbird Highway is a lush, low-stress drive from Belmopan to Dangriga, threading through citrus groves, Maya hills, and rainforest-covered valleys. The route is known for roadside fruit stands, mountain views, and easy detours to waterfalls, caves, and small Garifuna communities near the coast.
IconicMuscat to SalalahThe classic Oman desert drive on Highway 31, from Muscat south via Nizwa's gateway mountains, then across 360-degree desert skyscapes through eight coastal waypoints to the extraordinary Dhofar Mountains and Salalah's beaches. The monsoonal Khareef (June–September) transforms Dhofar into remarkable greenness.
NotableA Venetian SojournPink palaces, teal canals, golden domes, the Veneto is unlike anywhere else. From Venice's lagoon by vaporetto to Murano's glass furnaces, then on to the Brenta Riviera's Palladian villas, Vicenza's architectural masterpieces, and Asolo's hundred hilltop vistas.
NotableAbruzzo HighlandsItaly's most underrated region, the SS17 and mountain roads through the Apennine backbone past medieval hill towns, the wolf-and-bear wilderness of Gran Sasso, and a coastline that the Adriatic sun turns an extraordinary turquoise.
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.
IconicAlgarve Coastal DrivePortugal's golden south, the Algarve runs from the white-cube towns of the eastern barrier islands to the wind-battered sea stacks of Sagres, with the most dramatic sandstone cliff scenery in Western Europe between.
IconicAlice Springs to DarwinThe Stuart Highway runs dead-straight through the Red Centre, Uluru and Kata Tjuta at the start, Kings Canyon, Devil's Marbles, Tennant Creek, Katherine Gorge, and finally Darwin where the Outback meets the Timor Sea.
IconicAlUla to Tabuk and the Red SeaThis desert-crossing drive links AlUla’s sandstone wonders with the mountains and port city of Tabuk, then continues west toward the Red Sea coast for a striking contrast of oasis, canyon, and shoreline scenery. It’s a classic Saudi road trip for big landscapes, heritage stops, and open-road driving.
IconicAparados da SerraThe Serra Geral escarpment splits the Rio Grande do Sul plateau with two of the deepest canyons in South America, Itaimbezinho (720m deep, 5.8km long) and Fortaleza (900m deep). The araucária pine forests above and the Atlantic Forest below create two entirely different worlds within 20km.
NotableAral Sea RouteThis stark Central Asian road trip follows the shrinking Aral Sea basin from Nukus through Muynaq, then north into Kazakhstan toward the restored shores and fishing towns around Aralsk. Expect salt flats, desert highways, Soviet relics, and powerful reminders of one of the world’s great environmental disasters.
IconicArica to Lauca and Putre AltiplanoClimb from the Pacific heat of Arica into Chile’s high Altiplano on one of the country’s most dramatic mountain drives. The route follows the Lluta Valley to Putre, then continues into Lauca National Park for volcano views, bofedales, turquoise lagoons, and herds of vicuñas under thin, brilliant air.
IconicArthur's PassThis classic South Island drive runs from Christchurch across the Canterbury Plains to the alpine village of Arthur’s Pass and on to the West Coast. It pairs braided rivers, beech forest, steep mountain walls, and dramatic viaduct engineering with easy roadside access to short walks and viewpoints.
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.
Hidden GemAzuero Peninsula LoopThis relaxed loop traces Panama’s sun-baked Azuero Peninsula from inland Chitré to the Pacific coast and back through traditional towns, beaches, and artisanal villages. Expect smooth paved highways, small-town detours, wildlife-rich estuaries, and a strong sense of rural Panamanian culture far from the canal corridor.
Hidden GemB9 Road, MauritiusSkirting the Indian Ocean-facing Mauritius shoreline from Le Morne Brabant, a UNESCO World Heritage monolith with a poignant memorial to escaped slaves, east past Macondé Rock's viewpoint, Saint Martin, Bel Ombre, and the island's finest beaches at St Félix, Riambel, and Gris Gris to Souillac.
Hidden GemBahrain Heritage LoopA compact island loop through Bahrain’s key heritage sites, from the UNESCO-listed Qal'at al-Bahrain to old-town Muharraq, traditional dhow yards, and restored merchant houses. It finishes with desert-side forts and a sunset drive back toward Manama, blending history, coast, and easy highway links.
IconicBay of Kotor to DurmitorThis Montenegro road trip links the Adriatic beauty of the Bay of Kotor with the high alpine landscapes of Durmitor National Park. Expect tight mountain roads, dramatic viewpoints, monastery stops, and a steady climb from sea level to glacial lakes, pine forests, and the iconic Tara River canyon.
NotableBelize Coast and Maya Ruins LoopThis loop begins in Belize City and follows the coast and inland highways through the country’s most rewarding mix of Caribbean shoreline, ancient Maya sites, and laid-back towns. Expect easy driving, jungle views, and stops at Altun Ha, Dangriga, Hopkins, and the impressive stone temples of Xunantunich before returning north.
IconicBlue Mountains and North Coast JamaicaThis Jamaican loop links the cool, misty slopes of the Blue Mountains with the lush east and north coasts. Start in Kingston, climb past coffee estates and forest viewpoints, then descend through Port Antonio to Ocho Rios and the island’s resort-lined northern shoreline.
NotableBohemian Paradise and South BohemiaThis Czech road trip links sandstone towers, castle ruins, and lakeside South Bohemian towns on a relaxed loop from Turnov to Český Krumlov. It blends the forested trails and viewpoints of Bohemian Paradise with historic squares, ponds, and river scenery around Třeboň and the Vltava valley.
IconicBorneo Sabah LoopThis Sabah circuit links Kota Kinabalu with Kinabalu Park, Sandakan, the Kinabatangan wetlands, and the east-coast beaches before looping back through interior highways. Expect lush rainforest, limestone hills, mountain views, and some of Borneo’s best chances to see orangutans, pygmy elephants, and proboscis monkeys.
NotableBoston to New YorkThe east coast's most storied corridor, from Boston's Freedom Trail and Samuel Adams breweries, zig-zagging through Newport's Gilded Age ocean mansions and Hartford's Mark Twain House to the architectural immensity of New York City. Tesla Superchargers every 100 km make this the original electric road trip route in America.
Hidden GemBusan to GwangjuThe route across the bottom of South Korea, from Busan, the buzzing port and Korea's film city, west through Masan, Jinju, and Suncheon to Gwangju, Korea's art capital, with multiple options for short detours south to the beaches and off-shore islands of Korea's southern coast. A beautifully surfaced road through the least internationally known corner of a remarkable country.
IconicCanary Islands DriveThe volcanic islands off Africa's Atlantic coast where summer never ends, Teide National Park's 3,715m lunar volcano (the highest peak in Spanish territory), the UNESCO laurisilva cloud forest of La Gomera, Masca village in a near-vertical volcanic gorge, the black-sand beaches of Tenerife's southern coast, and the endemic Canarian dragon trees.
NotableCannonball RunThe legendary coast-to-coast dash from the Red Ball Garage on Manhattan to the Portofino Inn on Redondo Beach, dreamed up by Brock Yates in 1971 after the 55mph national speed limit threatened to kill American road culture. Dan Gurney ran it in 35 hours 54 minutes at an average of 80mph. The record stands at just under 26 hours.
Hidden GemCape Ann, MassachusettsThe North Shore route from Newburyport south along Cape Ann, clam shacks on Route 1A, the Parker River Wildlife Refuge's 800 species of birds and plants, Crane Beach (one of the longest and sandiest in New England), maritime Essex, and the working fishing port of Gloucester. A short drive dense with seafood and Atlantic atmosphere.
IconicCape Cod, Old King's HighwayRoute 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.
IconicCaptain Cook HighwayQueensland's most scenic coastal road runs from Cairns north to Mossman between the Wet Tropics rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, the only place on Earth where two UNESCO World Heritage sites touch simultaneously.
NotableCaspian Coast to Persian Gulf TransectThis north-to-south transect links Iran’s humid Caspian lowlands with the Zagros range and the warm Persian Gulf, showing the country’s dramatic ecological and cultural range in one drive. Expect rice fields, forested passes, historic cities, desert plateaus, and finally palm-lined coastal roads.
IconicCastaway on Flores, AzoresThe most remote and beautiful island in the Azores, Flores (the Island of Flowers) is a crater-lake wonderland at the western edge of Europe, 2,300 km from Lisbon. Seven calderas filled with hydrangea-ringed lakes, the vertical sea cliffs of Fajã Grande (the most dramatic coastline in the Atlantic), and the cascading waterfalls of Poço da Alagoinha in a valley of lush green fern. The end of Europe, dripping with rain and colour.
IconicCauseway Coastal RouteFrom Belfast through the Glens of Antrim to the Giant's Causeway, the most scenic coastal road in the UK traces ancient volcanic basalt, a Scottish rope bridge, a whiskey distillery in a clifftop cave, and a Game of Thrones landscape.
IconicCebu and Bohol Road TripLoop through southern Cebu’s coast and Bohol’s inland hills for a compact island road trip of white-sand stops, waterfalls, and heritage towns. Start in Cebu City, follow the shoreline to Oslob and Moalboal, then ferry to Bohol for the Chocolate Hills, Loboc River, and a finish in Tagbilaran or Panglao.
IconicCentral Cross-Island HighwayTaiwan’s Central Cross-Island Highway links the west and east sides of the island through the steep spine of the Central Mountain Range. The drive climbs past Taroko Gorge viewpoints, high bridges, and forested passes before descending to lush valleys and small mountain settlements.
IconicChain of Craters RoadThe most geological road on Earth, descending 1200m from Kīlauea's active summit caldera to the Pacific coast, past pit craters and still-smoking lava fields, ending where a previous flow swallowed the road whole and entered the sea.
IconicChâteaux of the LoireThe Loire Valley is the garden of France, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of Renaissance royal châteaux, troglodyte wine cellars cut into chalk cliffs, and river islands of white-sand beaches linking Chinon's medieval fortress to Chambord's Renaissance fantasy.
IconicChiloe Island LoopThis loop traces Chile’s misty Chiloé Island from Castro through stilt-house villages, tidal wetlands, and fishing coves to the windswept south coast. Expect slow scenic driving, colorful wooden churches, artisan markets, and wild Pacific views, with the route naturally closing back through Ancud.
IconicCircuit of MallorcaA full loop around the Mediterranean's most beautiful island, southwest from Palma through Palmanova to Sóller's mountain village in the Serra de Tramuntana, east through Sa Pobla and the flat grape-growing Manacor plains to the east coast beaches, then back to Palma. Six Endesa EV charging stations make it Spain's smoothest electric island loop.
IconicClarence DriveThe R44 between Gordon's Bay and Hermanus hugs the Kogelberg coastline, mountain cliffs plunging to turquoise sea, fynbos slopes, penguin colonies, and the world's finest shore-based whale watching.
IconicColombia Caribbean CoastThis coast-to-coast drive follows Colombia’s Caribbean shoreline from Cartagena through Barranquilla and Santa Marta to the gateway of Tayrona and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Expect colonial cities, mangrove lagoons, beach towns, and long stretches of warm coastal highway with lively regional food and music.
Hidden GemCopan to the Caribbean CoastThis cross-country drive links the Maya ruins of Copán with Honduras’s Caribbean shore, tracing a varied inland-to-coast corridor through green highlands, lakeside scenery, and lowland plantations. It’s a practical road trip for travelers who want archaeology, mountain vistas, and a final stretch to the beach or port towns.
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.
IconicCorsica Island DriveNapoleon's birthplace and the most dramatic island in the Mediterranean, the Col de Bavella's granite needles, the Gorges de Spelunca's ancient Genoese bridges, Calanche de Piana's UNESCO orange granite formations, Ajaccio's Napoleonic legacy, and the limestone cliffs of Bonifacio above the straits. The island that rewards the driver who goes beyond the beaches.
NotableCosta do Descobrimento Porto Seguro to CaraivaThis short Bahia coast drive links Porto Seguro with the rustic river village of Caraíva through the historic beaches of the Costa do Descobrimento. Expect coconut-lined shoreline, village stops, and a final stretch where the paved road gives way to sand, mud, and a simple boat crossing.
IconicCross-Island Dominica via Morne Trois PitonsThis cross-island drive links Roseau to the island’s east side through the lush volcanic interior of Morne Trois Pitons National Park. Expect rainforest climbs, crater ridges, river valleys, and quick detours to Trafalgar Falls, Emerald Pool, and the Boiling Lake access area before descending toward the Atlantic coast.
NotableD-Day BeachesThe beaches and bluffs are quiet today, on 6 June 1944 the Normandy shoreline was the destination for more than 6,000 ships and the largest armada ever assembled. This part of the French coast is strewn with memorials, museums, and cemeteries; starting with Caen's Museum for Peace, the route passes Pegasus Bridge, Omaha Beach, the Pointe du Hoc cliff-top battery, and Utah Beach.
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.
NotableDelta Works and Zeeland CoastFollow the Zeeland coast from the engineering marvel of the Delta Works through island-dotted dikes, beaches, and tidal inlets. This relaxed loop links storm-surge barriers, quiet harbor towns, and wide North Sea horizons, with frequent stops for seawalls, cycling paths, and fresh seafood.
LegendaryDempster HighwayCanada's loneliest highway branches off the Klondike near Dawson City and swings north through pristine wilderness to Inuvik, past the Arctic Circle, over two river ferries, through permafrost tundra, and finally to the shores of the Mackenzie Delta. Bring two spare tyres and emergency supplies; there is no phone reception.
NotableDMZ and Gangwon Mountain RouteThis northbound loop links Seoul with the sobering landscapes of the DMZ fringe and the alpine roads of Gangwon-do. Trace quiet observatories, river valleys and border-adjacent towns before climbing into Seoraksan country, where granite peaks, forested passes and East Sea detours deliver Korea’s most dramatic mountain scenery.
NotableDominican Republic North Coast and Samana LoopA Dominican Republic loop built around the strongest traffic signals from Santo Domingo, Santiago, and Punta Cana-area interest, but aimed at a more road-trip-friendly north coast. It starts in the capital, crosses to Samana and Las Terrenas, follows beaches and surf towns west to Puerto Plata, then returns through Santiago and the central hills.
IconicDurban to the DrakensbergFrom Durban's Indian Ocean beachfront west into the Drakensberg, the Barrier of Spears, through the Zulu heartlands, the Midlands Meander of cheese farms and craft studios, the Cathedral Peak wilderness, and up the legendary Sani Pass to Lesotho, the mountain kingdom in the clouds at 2,874 metres.
NotableEast CapeThis looping North Island drive traces the rugged East Cape from Gisborne to Ōpōtiki via Te Araroa and East Cape Lighthouse. It mixes sweepingly empty coastline, Māori heritage sites, surf beaches, and hill country roads, with long stretches where the Pacific feels close and the settlements feel far apart.
IconicEast Coast TasmaniaThe long way from Hobart to Launceston, up Tasmania's sun-drenched east coast past convict sandstone, Wineglass Bay's perfect crescent, penguin colonies, and the fire-orange boulders of the Bay of Fires.
IconicEmerald Island, Sri LankaSri Lanka's extraordinary island circuit, Colombo's colonial fort, Kandy's sacred tooth relic and tea highlands, Sigiriya's lion-rock fortress above the jungle, the Cultural Triangle's ancient kingdoms at Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, and the pristine east coast beaches of Trincomalee. More history and nature per kilometre than almost anywhere on earth.
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.
IconicFlores, IndonesiaAcross the extraordinary island of Flores, from the Komodo dragon territory of Labuan Bajo through Portuguese colonial Ruteng and the spider-web rice paddies of Cancar, up to Bajawa's megalithic Ngada villages, the ikat-weaving towns of Maumere, and Kelimutu's three crater lakes that change colour between turquoise, red, and black.
IconicGaspésie LoopQuebec's Gaspésie Peninsula juts into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Route 132 loops around it past fishing villages, the moose-filled Parc de la Gaspésie, Percé Rock rising from the sea, and Forillon's sea-cliff views.
Hidden GemGhana Cape Coast Heritage RouteThis coastal heritage drive links Ghana’s most important slave-trade memorials with lively fishing towns and Atlantic scenery. Start in Accra, follow the shoreline through Elmina and Cape Coast, and finish at Kakum National Park for rainforest canopy views and a powerful historical contrast.
NotableGippsland & Wilsons PromontoryFrom Melbourne's fringe to the southernmost tip of mainland Australia, Victoria's south-east corner delivers ancient rainforest, Tidal River wallabies, the mirror stillness of the Gippsland Lakes, and Squeaky Beach's white silica sand.
IconicGran SabanaDrive from Ciudad Guayana southeast along the Troncal 10 into the open savannas of Gran Sabana, ending at Santa Elena de Uairén near the Brazilian frontier. The route rolls past tepui mesas, waterfalls, and vast grasslands, with the best views in the dry season.
IconicGrand Pacific DriveAustralia’s Grand Pacific Drive traces a classic coastal day trip from Sydney’s southern beaches to the Illawarra and Shoalhaven. The route crosses the Sea Cliff Bridge, passes rainforest-fringed headlands and surf towns, and finishes among Kiama’s famous blowholes, lookouts and rolling green coastline.
IconicGrande Terre East Coast and HienghèneThis east-coast Grand Terre drive follows New Caledonia’s lush, less-traveled side from Nouméa toward Hienghène, with jungle-cloaked valleys, coastal lagoons, and traditional Kanak villages. The road winds through tropical foothills, river crossings, and dramatic limestone formations, making it one of the island’s most rewarding overland journeys.
IconicGuatemala HighlandsThis highland circuit links Guatemala City with Antigua, Lake Atitlán, and the colonial-and-indigenous heartland around Quetzaltenango. Expect volcanic scenery, market towns, cool mountain air, and long stretches of winding pavement that reward slow travel with lake views, textile villages, and dramatic Pacific-facing ridges.
NotableHaida Gwaii AdventureFar-flung and isolated, the lush Haida Gwaii archipelago is steeped in superlatives, most stunning scenery, tastiest seafood, most accessible First Nations culture. Highway 16 runs the length of Graham Island from the Haida Heritage Centre to the white-sand wilderness at Rose Spit.
NotableHainan Island LoopChina's tropical island, the complete coastal loop delivers crystalline bays, rainforest national parks, Li and Miao minority villages in the interior highlands, and the resort city of Sanya. The only drive in China where the sea is warm enough to swim year-round.
IconicHighlights of SloveniaEurope's best-kept secret, Slovenia's tiny, perfectly scaled landscape contains Lake Bled's fairy-tale island church, the Julian Alps' dramatic Triglav National Park, the emerald Soča River valley (the Isonzo of World War I, Hemingway's Farewell to Arms), the UNESCO Škocjan Caves (the largest accessible underground canyon in the world), and the Venetian port of Piran on the Adriatic. An impossible concentration of perfection.
NotableHighway 1, FloridaUS-1 traces Florida's Atlantic spine from the Georgia border to Miami Beach, through the Golden Isles, historic St Augustine, Kennedy Space Center, the Space Coast, and Miami's art deco shore. Not to be confused with the Keys Overseas Highway; this is Florida's forgotten Atlantic coast road through lighthouse towns, rocket launch pads, and Art Deco glamour.
IconicHo Chi Minh RoadThe legendary wartime trail reborn as a mountain highway, from Hanoi south through the Annamite highlands, past ethnic minority villages, crumbling imperial citadels, and coastal passes to Ho Chi Minh City.
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.
LegendaryIsle of Skye CircuitOver the Skye Bridge and around Scotland's most dramatic island, the jagged Black Cuillin ridge, the Old Man of Storr, the Fairy Pools, Eilean Donan Castle, and a landscape that looks like the background for every fantasy novel ever written.
IconicIzu Peninsula LoopA volcanic peninsula south of Tokyo where the Pacific crashes against black-sand beaches, hot springs rise from the ground mid-forest, and the road clings to sea cliffs past fishing villages that time left behind. One of Japan's great onsen drives.
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.
IconicJava Volcano RouteA classic eastbound Java loop from Yogyakarta to Banyuwangi threads together the island’s most dramatic volcano country. Trace the cultural heartland of Java, then climb toward Mount Bromo, Ijen, and the misty highlands of East Java, with crater vistas, rice terraces, and volcanic villages all along the way.
IconicJeju Island CircuitSouth Korea's largest island, a UNESCO triple crown of volcanic crags, lava tube caves, and tuff-cone coastlines, compared favourably with both Bali and Hawaii. The best way to experience Jeju is the coastal ring road, hugging the island clockwise through Jungmun Resort, the Seongsan Ilchulbong sunrise peak, and the famous Haenyeo (sea women) who free-dive for shellfish without oxygen tanks.
IconicJerusalem Dead Sea Negev Galilee CircuitThis loop threads through Jerusalem’s stone streets, the stark cliffs above the Dead Sea, the red desert expanses of the Negev, and the green highlands of the Galilee. It blends major holy sites, desert panoramas, and lake country into one classic Middle East road trip.
IconicJimmy Buffett's Florida KeysThe Florida Keys Scenic Highway, a prestigious All-American Road, is Jimmy Buffett's country. Hemingway lived here, Tennessee Williams wrote here, and Thomas McGuane caroused here. The drive hops one bridge at a time through a magnificent seascape to Key West's Margaritaville.
LegendaryKamchatka Volcano RoadRussia's most spectacular peninsula, a chain of 29 active volcanoes above the Pacific where the roads end and wilderness begins. The circuit from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky delivers steaming calderas, geysers, and brown bears fishing salmon streams in plain sight from the roadside.
IconicKarelian White NightsThe Finnish-Russian lakeland where 60,000 lakes, ancient pine forests, and wooden Orthodox chapels create Europe's most pristine wilderness drive, from St. Petersburg along the shore of Lake Ladoga to Sortavala's granite skerries and the island monastery of Valaam.
IconicKerala Coast and Western GhatsThis Kerala road trip links the Arabian Sea with the tea-covered Western Ghats, starting in Kochi and winding south through Alleppey, Varkala, and Kollam before climbing to Munnar and descending to Thekkady. Expect backwater views, spice-scented hills, and lush plantations.
IconicKola Peninsula LoopThis Arctic loop starts and ends in Murmansk, tracing the Kola Peninsula through tundra, fjords, fishing villages, and Soviet-era outposts. The drive reaches the Barents Sea coast, the Teriberka area, and inland lake country, with midnight sun in summer and stark, windblown scenery throughout.
IconicKonkan CoastDrive India’s Konkan Coast from Mumbai to Goa, tracing the Arabian Sea past fishing harbors, palm-fringed beaches, and laterite cliffs. The route mixes lively highway stretches with relaxed village roads, plus standout stops for seafood, forts, backwaters, and sunset views over the water.
NotableKorean Coastal HighwaySouth Korea's southern coastal road (Route 2 / 77) sweeps past terraced rice paddies, cliffside Buddhist temples, haenyeo diving villages on Jeju, and the fortress walls of Suwon, where ancient Korea meets hypermodern.
LegendaryLake Baikal CircuitThe world's deepest and oldest lake holds one-fifth of Earth's unfrozen fresh water, the circuit around its shores passes through taiga wilderness, shamanic sacred sites on Olkhon Island, the Buryat Buddhist capital of Ulan-Ude, and in winter, a road on the ice itself.
IconicLake Khövsgöl Northern MongoliaThis northern Mongolia drive traces the approach to Lake Khövsgöl from Mörön into forested taiga, open steppe, and high-clearance dirt roads. The reward is one of Asia’s purest alpine lakes, with blue water, mountains, and nomadic camps around Khatgal and the western shore.
IconicLake Malawi Lakeshore DriveThis classic lakeside road trip follows Malawi’s eastern shore from Mangochi through Monkey Bay, Cape Maclear, Senga Bay, Nkhotakota, Nkhata Bay, and Rumphi to Karonga. Expect a changing ribbon of blue water, fishing villages, palm-lined beaches, limestone headlands, and easy detours to island viewpoints and national park turnoffs.
NotableLake Ohrid RouteThis relaxed loop traces Lake Ohrid from North Macedonia into Albania, linking Ohrid’s UNESCO-listed old town with cliffside monasteries, clear swimming coves, and the quieter south shore near Pogradec. Expect mountain-and-water views, historic villages, and an easy pace with frequent photo stops.
LegendaryLake Tahoe to Death Valley via YosemiteCalifornia's greatest single road trip, from the alpine clarity of Lake Tahoe through Yosemite's granite cathedral valley, over the 3,031m Tioga Pass into the Eastern Sierra's high desert, past the tufa towers of Mono Lake, and down through the Alabama Hills below Whitney to Death Valley's salt pan 86 metres below sea level. The full geological range of the American West in one drive.
NotableLavaux VineyardsA short but sublime drive along Route 9 above the northern shore of Lake Geneva, through the UNESCO World Heritage Lavaux wine terraces that stagger up from the water in sheer stone-walled tiers that beggar belief. The road links the higgledy-piggledy French-speaking city of Lausanne to Château de Chillon, an extraordinary 13th-century fortress immortalised in Lord Byron's poem.
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.
NotableLisbon to PortoPortugal's essential north-south drive, from Lisbon's sea-facing hilltop capital through the medieval walled town of Óbidos, the cliff-top surf town of Nazaré (where the underwater canyon channels the world's biggest rideable waves), the university city of Coimbra (where students still wear black capes), Aveiro's lagoon canals plied by painted moliceiro boats, and into Porto's azulejo-tiled city of port wine lodges and the world's most beautiful bookshop. A Portugal of extraordinary depth.
IconicLombok and Sumbawa Overland RouteThis island-hopping road trip starts in Mataram on Lombok, crosses by ferry to Sumbawa, and continues east to Bima for a sweep through volcano-backed coasts, fishing towns, and quiet bays. Expect a mix of smooth highways, scenic mountain bends, and long, lightly trafficked stretches.
Hidden GemLong Island LoopBeginning and ending in New York City, this Long Island circuit heads east on the Expressway to Montauk, then returns down the Southern State past 30 vineyards, Hamptons mega-mansions, unspoilt North Fork farmland, Shelter Island, and Fire Island (car-free, visit on foot). Allow four days for the Gilded Age beach resorts, Cedar Point lighthouse, and the Sagamore Hill home of Theodore Roosevelt.
IconicLycian CoastA focused Turkish Riviera drive from Antalya to Fethiye, following the old Lycian shore through Roman harbors, cliff tombs, pine-backed coves, and turquoise water. It turns the broad Turkey loop into a slower coastal route built for travelers who want ruins, beaches, and dramatic Mediterranean roads in one compact trip.
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: a quarter-million zebra on the world's second-largest migration.
NotableMakran Coastal Highway Karachi to GwadarPakistan’s Makran Coastal Highway links Karachi with the Arabian Sea edge of Balochistan in a long, cinematic drive past empty beaches, limestone cliffs, fishing towns, and salt-flats. The road is paved throughout, but it feels remote and exposed, with the sea on one side and stark desert hills on the other.
IconicMassawa to Asmara EscarpmentThis classic Eritrean ascent leaves the Red Sea heat of Massawa and climbs more than 2,000 meters to the cool plateau of Asmara. The road threads dramatic escarpments, switchbacks, and rock-cut viewpoints, turning a short drive into one of East Africa’s most striking elevation changes.
NotableMediterranean MeanderFrom the Costa Daurada to the Costa del Sol, from Catalan pride in Sitges to Andalucian passion in Almería, from the Roman ruins of Tarragona to the Modernisme buildings of Barcelona, proving that not all of southern Spain's Mediterranean coast is tourist clichés. Follow the A7 northeast from Málaga through four regions, two languages, the buzzing urban centres of Barcelona, Valencia, and Málaga.
NotableMelbourne to SydneyNot the straight Hume Highway but the longer, scenic route, east through Gippsland's green hills, past remote Croajingolong National Park's wild beaches, across the New South Wales border to the Sapphire Coast's calm bays and surf towns, and north to Sydney. The coastal alternative that takes a few days and arrives relaxed.
NotableMindanao Highlands Davao to BukidnonThis highland drive links Davao’s coastal gateway with the cool uplands of Bukidnon, climbing through pineapple country, forested ridges, and mountain towns. It is a practical Mindanao road trip with broad views, farm stops, and a steady change from humid lowlands to crisp highland air.
IconicMinoan CreteCrete's island circuit, the Minoan palace at Knossos (3,500 years old, Europe's first advanced civilization), the 16-km Samaria Gorge (Europe's longest), the Venetian harbour and old town of Chania, the pink-sand beach of Elafonisi, and the Lasithi Plateau's windmills. An island of three mountain ranges, Europe's oldest civilization, and 300 sunny days a year.
NotableModern Art MeanderThe French Riviera and its hinterland produced more Modern Art masterworks per square kilometre than anywhere on earth, from Matisse's cut-outs in Nice and Chagall's biblical message to Renoir's olive grove studio, Picasso's antibes castle, and Cézanne's Mont Sainte-Victoire, ending with Van Gogh in St-Rémy.
NotableMombasa to Lamu Coast RoadThis coastal drive follows Kenya’s Indian Ocean shoreline from Mombasa through Malindi and the quieter northern beaches toward Lamu County. Expect palm-lined roads, Swahili heritage towns, dhow-filled inlets, and long sunny stretches, with the final approach feeling increasingly remote and atmospheric.
NotableMozambique EN1 Coastal RouteMozambique’s EN1 is the country’s spine, linking the southern capital to the far north through palm-fringed coast, busy market towns, and long Indian Ocean stretches. This overland drive mixes beach access, ferry crossings, and everyday Mozambican life, with highlights around Inhambane, Beira, and Nampula before reaching the far north.
IconicMumbai to Goa Coastal RoadThis west-coast drive links Mumbai with Goa through the Konkan belt, pairing sea views, coconut groves, fishing villages, and quiet temple towns. The most rewarding version follows NH66 and coastal detours through Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, with long, atmospheric stretches between market towns and beaches.
IconicNelson & Marlborough ExplorerThe top of the South Island from Nelson's arts scene and Abel Tasman coast to Marlborough's Wairau River vineyards, World of Wearable Art, the Moutere Valley's pinot noir, the turquoise waters of Abel Tasman National Park, and Blenheim's sauvignon blanc (and Framingham's riesling, which you must also taste).
NotableNicaragua Volcano RouteThis volcanic loop links Nicaragua’s most dramatic landscapes, from the colonial streets of León to the smoking crater of Masaya and the lava fields around Cerro Negro. It finishes on Ometepe’s twin volcano island, pairing black-sand shores, crater viewpoints, and classic Pacific coast driving.
NotableNicoya Peninsula Surf CoastThis laid-back road trip traces the Nicoya Peninsula’s Pacific surf beaches from the Puntarenas ferry landing to Santa Teresa, linking mellow bay towns, tidepools, and sunset headlands. Expect a mix of paved highway and bumpy coastal spurs, with reliable waves, beach cafes, and long ocean views.
NotableNormandy & BrittanyFrance's northwest corner carries the biggest scars of WWII alongside the most intact medieval coastline in the country, spartan watchtowers and solemn cemeteries haunt the idyllic pine-backed shores of Normandy, while Brittany's rocky coastline of dramatic tides and purple-pink twilight feels like it predates the nation's union. Mont St-Michel rises from the bay at the hinge between the two.
IconicNorth Caucasus Mountain RoadAlong the northern face of Europe's highest mountain range, from the Cossack mineral spa towns of Stavropol through the medieval tower villages of Ingushetia, Dagestan's Atlantic-deep Sulak Canyon, and the ancient Persian citadel of Derbent where the mountains meet the Caspian Sea.
IconicNorthern Madagascar and Tsingy de BemarahaThis loop links Madagascar’s north coast with the limestone spires of Tsingy de Bemaraha via Diego Suarez, Nosy Be access roads, and the ferry-and-track approach to the park. Expect beaches, baobabs, ferries, unsealed stretches, and long transfer days balanced by some of the island’s most dramatic scenery.
IconicNorthland Pacific Coast HighwayFrom Auckland up the Coromandel Peninsula to the Bay of Islands and Cape Reinga, where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean and a Maori legend says the spirits of the dead depart for Hawaiki.
LegendaryNorwegian West CoastNorway's National Tourist Routes string together the most dramatic fjord scenery on Earth, hairpin switchbacks over Trollstigen, the Geiranger serpentine road above a UNESCO fjord, Atlantic Ocean Road's storm-bathed bridges, and Flåm.
IconicNoto PeninsulaJapan's most remote peninsula juts into the Sea of Japan, its outer Okunoto coast is all cliff-face fishing villages, pounding surf, lacquerwork ateliers, and ancient salt fields that have been harvested by the same families for 1,400 years.
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.
IconicOahu's Windward CoastThe Ko'olau pali throws a wall of fluted green peaks above Oahu's windward shore. H3 and the Kamehameha Highway trace the coast through taro fields, ancient heiau, sacred valleys, and turquoise bays where Hawaiians surfed a thousand years before tourists arrived.
IconicOaxaca to the PacificFrom 2,500-year-old Zapotec temples on cloud-wrapped peaks to mezcal villages in high pine valleys and world-class surf breaks, Oaxaca's mountain-to-coast road is Mexico's most culinarily and culturally intense drive.
IconicOld Telegraph TrackThe mettle-testing trip from Cairns to the northernmost point of Australia, the Old Telegraph Track is only passable in the dry season, requires a 4WD, and demands fording saltwater-crocodile-infested rivers. The Bloomfield Track through Daintree rainforest provides basic training before the empty country begins at Cooktown, where the crude one-koala hamlets end and the real wilderness starts.
IconicOrkhon Valley Heartland LoopThis classic central Mongolia loop links the open steppe around Kharkhorin with the Orkhon Valley’s basalt canyons, waterfalls, and nomadic camps. It’s a rewarding drive for wide horizons and cultural stops, with rough roads that become most manageable in the short summer season.
Hidden GemPedernales and Barahona Scenic SouthThis south-coast road trip follows the Dominican Republic’s most varied shoreline, from the lively bayfront of Barahona to the wild, dry landscapes of Pedernales. The route mixes turquoise coves, salt flats, limestone hills, and quiet fishing towns, with clear-water stops at Bahia de las Aguilas and Lago Enriquillo.
IconicPeninsula Valdes and Atlantic PatagoniaThis Atlantic Patagonia drive links Puerto Madryn with Península Valdés, Punta Tombo, and the long empty coast toward Rawson and Comodoro Rivadavia. Expect whale cliffs, sea lion colonies, penguin rookeries, and big-sky steppe scenery on paved roads with long, rewarding detours.
IconicPicos de EuropaThe Picos de Europa are where the Atlantic meets the Alps, limestone massifs rising 2,600m from a green Asturian coast. The Cares Gorge, Covadonga, and mountain passes through silent medieval villages make this Spain's finest mountain drive.
Hidden GemPilgrim TrailFrom the tip of Cape Cod where the Mayflower first anchored to the witch trial city of Salem, 178 km of colonial New England history through dune-backed shores, Plymouth Rock, Boston's Freedom Trail, and the most witchcraft-obsessed city in America.
IconicPortland to Bar HarborMaine's rocky Downeaster coast from the peninsula city of Portland north to Bar Harbor, through Bath's shipyards, Rockland's lobster wharves, Camden's perfect harbour, and the spruce-forested headlands of Acadia National Park. The US Northeast's finest short coastal drive.
IconicPuerto Princesa to El Nido via the Underground RiverThis Palawan road trip links Puerto Princesa with the limestone coast of El Nido, detouring to the UNESCO-listed Puerto Princesa Subterranean River. The drive is scenic and practical, with coastal villages, jungle hills, and frequent photo stops before ending among El Nido’s bays, karst cliffs, and island-hopping departure points.
Hidden GemQatar Desert and Northwest Coast LoopThis looping drive leaves Doha for Qatar’s wild southeast deserts, then traces the island-dotted northwest coast back toward the capital. Expect shimmering sabkha flats, sculpted dunes, fishing villages, and quiet shoreline viewpoints, with plenty of stops for dhow harbors, mangroves, and sunset desert scenery.
IconicQinghai Lake CircuitChina's largest lake sits at 3,200 m on the Tibetan Plateau, a turquoise inland sea rimmed by snow peaks, yellow rapeseed fields, and Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. The complete circuit is one of the most purely beautiful drives in East Asia.
IconicReunion Island LoopCircle Réunion on its coastal roads for a compact but dramatic island drive, linking volcanic cliffs, black-sand beaches, sugarcane fields, and Creole seaside towns. The loop pairs the palm-lined east coast with the wilder south and the dramatic western lava coast, with mountain access spurs inland.
NotableRiviera Nayarit and Sierra Madre CoastThis Riviera Nayarit road trip links Puerto Vallarta with the Pacific beaches and jungle-backed fishing towns of Nayarit, then climbs into the Sierra Madre for a cooler inland finish. Expect whale-watching bays, surf breaks, cobbled village streets, and dramatic ocean-to-mountain scenery throughout.
LegendaryRN7 Antananarivo to ToliaraMadagascar’s RN7 is the country’s classic overland journey, linking the highland capital to the southwest coast through rice terraces, red-earth villages, and dramatic sandstone massifs. The route passes Antsirabe, Ambositra, Ranomafana, Fianarantsoa, and Isalo before descending to the dry thorny plains around Toliara.
LegendaryRoad Trip the RivierasThe most glamorous coastal drive in Europe, from Nice along the Three Corniches of the French Riviera through Monaco's baroque excess to Menton's lemon festival, across the Italian border into the Ligurian Riviera's fishing villages, the millionaires' harbour of Portofino, and the five pastel villages of the Cinque Terre above their vertical vineyards. The Mediterranean at its most magnificent.
IconicRwanda Congo Nile TrailThe Congo Nile Trail follows Rwanda’s lush western shore of Lake Kivu from Rubavu to Rusizi, winding through tea hills, lakeside villages, and ridge-top viewpoints. It is one of East Africa’s most scenic overland drives, with frequent stops for hiking, kayaking, and local guesthouses.
NotableSakhalin Island North-South DriveThis island-spanning drive follows Sakhalin’s length from the southern capital of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to remote northern settlements near Nogliki, tracing forested ridges, river valleys, and the Sea of Okhotsk coast. It is a wild, sparsely serviced route that rewards summer travel with long daylight and dramatic empty landscapes.
NotableSanriku Coastal HighwayThe reconstructed Sanriku coast traces Japan's most dramatic Pacific shoreline, a succession of deep rias, tsunami-warning stone gates, regenerated fishing towns, and wave-lashed headlands. A journey through nature's raw power and remarkable human resilience.
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.
IconicSanto Antão Island CrossingThis island crossing follows Santo Antão’s dramatic north-to-south mountain roads from the ferry port at Porto Novo up through the cratered highlands to the lush valley country around Ribeira Grande. Expect plunging views, terraced slopes, and some of Cape Verde’s most memorable switchbacks.
NotableSarawak Pan-Borneo HighwayThis Sarawak section of the Pan-Borneo Highway runs from the Brunei border near Miri to the Indonesian frontier at Tebedu, linking coastal cities, rainforest interiors, and river towns. It is a practical overland showcase of Borneo’s changing landscapes, with frequent stops for caves, national parks, and local food.
IconicSardinia Island LoopThe most rugged and authentic Mediterranean island, Cagliari's Phoenician quarter, the Barbagia highlands where banditry and ancient dialects survive, the nuraghe tower civilization's 7,000 bronze-age fortresses, Costa Smeralda's turquoise water, and Alghero's Catalan-speaking old town. Sardinia rewards the driver who leaves the coast for the interior.
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.
IconicScandi ExplorerThe great Scandinavian road trip through three kingdoms, from Copenhagen's design-forward capital across the Øresund Bridge into Sweden, north through Gothenburg's West Coast seafood, ferry to Oslo's fjord-city glamour, west to Bergen's painted Bryggen wharf and the UNESCO Nærøyfjord, and the dramatic Flåm Railway descent into the world's most spectacular fjord landscape. Northern Europe at its most spectacular.
NotableSerra da Mantiqueira Loop Campos do Jordao to ItatiaiaThis mountain loop follows the Serra da Mantiqueira between Campos do Jordão and Itatiaia, linking cool pine-covered highlands, small historic towns, and sweeping escarpment views. The drive is best in the dry season, when clear days reveal the peaks, valleys, and parkland landscapes that define this part of southeastern Brazil.
Hidden GemShek O Road, Hong KongHong Kong's sublime subtropical drive, from Central across to the undulating island beneath the Peak and Mt Cameron, past Repulse Bay and across the Dragon's Back to Shek O, a fishing village at the island's eastern tip. Serpentine switchbacks to Tai Mo Shan, Big Wave Bay, and Wong Nai Chung Gap frame an extraordinary urban escape.
NotableShikoku Pilgrimage Road TripThis circular road trip follows Shikoku’s famed 88-temple pilgrimage from Tokushima through Kochi, Ehime, and Kagawa, linking sacred sites, coastal scenery, and mountain passes. Expect quiet country roads, historic temple towns, rugged capes, and a deeply cultural drive shaped by centuries of devotion.
IconicSierra Nevada de Santa Marta and TayronaThis Caribbean-road trip links Santa Marta’s laid-back waterfront with the jungle-cloaked foothills of the Sierra Nevada and the palm-fringed coast of Tayrona National Natural Park. Drive through banana country, stop at Minca’s cool mountain cafés, then finish with turquoise bays, white sand, and dramatic granite headlands.
IconicSintra to Arrábida LoopA compact loop around the Lisbon peninsula, from the fairy-tale UNESCO palaces of Sintra on the Atlantic clifftops to the westernmost point of continental Europe at Cabo da Roca, then south through Cascais to the impossibly turquoise bays of the Arrábida Natural Park.
IconicSouth West ExplorerThe classic English road trip, from London through the Wiltshire plain to Stonehenge's mystery, Bath's Georgian perfection, Glastonbury's myths, Exmoor's wild ponies, Dartmoor's granite tors, and finally Cornwall's surfer beaches and the granite edge of Land's End. The full cross-section of England's most beautiful and historically dense corner, from the capital to the Atlantic.
IconicSouth-East Arabia, OmanMuscat's eastern loop through the dramatic landscapes of south-east Oman, the golden dunes of the Wahiba Sands, the dhow-building port of Sur, the world's most important nesting beach for green turtles at Ras al Jinz, and the luminous blue pools of Wadi Bani Khalid hidden in the Hajar Mountains. Oman's quietest and most rewarding road trip.
IconicSouthern Scenic RouteThe long U-shaped journey around New Zealand's deep south, from Dunedin's Scottish history through the Catlins' wild surf beaches, coastal cliffs, and waterfalls, past Invercargill to the remote Fiordland and the sea-kayaking wilderness of Doubtful Sound. The South Island's least-driven great road.
IconicStephen King's MaineStephen King has two homes in Maine, and many of his gritty stories are set here. US Route 1 runs "downeast" past the LL Bean flagship, the Bath Iron Works, the 1827 Pemaquid lighthouse, and the spectacular Penobscot Narrows Bridge, with Acadia's pink granite coast as the centrepiece.
IconicSulawesi Highlands Tana Toraja to BunakenThis cross-island Sulawesi drive links the cultural heart of Tana Toraja with the coral-rich waters of Bunaken via mountain roads, lakes, and busy provincial highways. Expect dramatic limestone valleys, traditional Torajan villages, and a finish near Manado’s coastal gateways to some of Indonesia’s best diving.
NotableTamil Nadu Temple RouteThis temple circuit links some of Tamil Nadu’s most celebrated Dravidian shrines, from Chennai’s coastal gateway to Madurai’s living pilgrimage heart. Expect steady highway driving, ornate gopurams, bustling temple towns, and time to linger in Kanchipuram, Chidambaram, Thanjavur, and Rameswaram before finishing in Madurai.
NotableTaranaki's Surf HighwaySH45 around the western flank of Mount Taranaki, a short coastal drive past dairy farms, surf breaks made famous by boardriders seeking the perfect wave, shipwrecks, and lighthouses. New Plymouth's Len Lye Centre kinetic sculpture and the Tawhiti Museum of settler history frame the journey's beginning and end.
NotableTarga Florio CircuitThe circuit of the Madonie mountains in Sicily was the world's oldest motor race, hairpins over sea views, Norman castles on hilltops, towns carved from golden limestone, and the most atmospheric mountain roads in Italy.
IconicTasmania East CoastThe Tasman Highway from Hobart up Tasmania's beach-lined east coast, through dry hills, Freycinet Peninsula's geometrically perfect Wineglass Bay, the Bay of Fires' white sands and orange lichen-stained rocks, and the Pyengana Dairy Company to Launceston. The gentle counterpoint to the wild west coast.
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.
IconicThe Atlantic HighwayEngland's wildest coast, the A39 Atlantic Highway from Barnstaple through the cliffs of Cornwall to the A30's end at Fraddon. King Arthur's Tintagel above the churning Celtic Sea, the fishing village of Boscastle, Newquay's surf beaches, St Ives' Tate gallery above the harbour, and Land's End's granite edge where England runs out. The Atlantic shore of Britain at its most dramatic and most mythological.
IconicThe Graceful Italian LakesFormed at the end of the ice age and a holiday destination since Roman times. Lake Maggiore's Borromean Island palaces, the cross-lake ferry to Laveno, then Lake Como, the siren call of Hollywood stars, traced from the silk capital of Como to Bellagio's perfect promontory and beyond to Bergamo.
NotableThe Great Outdoors, SpainStarting high in the Sierra Nevada, this Andalucian itinerary swings west and south through Las Alpujarras' whitewashed villages, the bizarre El Torcal rock formations, the wildlife wilderness of Doñana, Costa de la Luz beaches, and finally Tarifa, southernmost Europe, Moroccan coast in view.
IconicThe Great Siberian RoadThe road that nobody drives but everybody dreams about, the eastern segment of Russia's Federal Highway from Chita to the Pacific at Vladivostok traverses the Amur taiga, the Chinese border, and Russia's extraordinary Far East, ending at the city where Russia finally meets the sea.
IconicThe Long Way Round, IrelandIreland's jagged, spectacular edges, this two-week circuit explores the island's coastline from Dublin through Belfast and the Causeway Coast, west to the dramatic cliffs and mountains of Connacht, south through the Aran Islands and Connemara, the Cliffs of Moher, Kerry's Ring, and Cork to the final destination of Ardmore, one of the southeast coast's loveliest seaside villages.
IconicThe Two PassesA four-day loop from Christchurch through the Southern Alps via Lewis Pass and Arthur's Pass, two of New Zealand's great mountain crossings through forests, lakes, rivers, and the West Coast Wilderness Trail. Hanmer Springs thermal pools at the overnight waypoint; Kumara's gold-rush history on the return via State Highway 73.
IconicThermal Hot SpotsThrough the North Island's geothermal heart, spectacular geysers, steaming hot pools, Māori culture, and Tolkien's Middle-earth at Hobbiton. From Hamilton through Matamata's Shire to Rotorua's boiling mud and Hell's Gate, and south to Lake Taupo, a caldera formed after one of history's greatest ever volcanic eruptions.
NotableTohoku Coast and MountainsThis loop links the rugged Sanriku coast with the forested mountains of inland Tohoku, pairing sea cliffs, fishing ports, hot-spring valleys, and deep cedar groves. It’s a classic self-drive through one of Japan’s most rewarding regions, with calm highways, excellent food stops, and striking natural contrast.
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.
IconicTrans-Canada HighwayCanada’s classic coast-to-coast drive follows the Trans-Canada Highway from St. John’s, Newfoundland, across rugged Atlantic coastlines, Quebec’s river valleys, the vast Canadian Shield, the prairie heartland, and the dramatic mountains of British Columbia before ending at Victoria. It’s a true national road trip with huge scenery shifts and long, open stretches.
NotableTrincomalee to Arugam Bay East CoastThis east-coast drive links Trincomalee’s sheltered harbors and long beaches with the surf town of Arugam Bay, following Sri Lanka’s quieter shoreline past lagoons, fishing villages, and wildlife-rich wetlands. It’s an easy, low-stress road trip with frequent ocean views and relaxed stopovers.
NotableTrinidad North Coast RoadThis coastal drive threads Trinidad’s lush northern shoreline from Port of Spain to Toco, with steep green hills on one side and the Caribbean surf on the other. Highlights include Maracas Bay, Las Cuevas, Blanchisseuse, and quiet fishing villages reached by a beautifully twisting road.
IconicTroodos Mountains and Akamas PeninsulaThis Cyprus road trip links the pine-clad ridges of the Troodos Mountains with the wild limestone coast of the Akamas Peninsula. Start in Limassol, climb through wine villages and Byzantine monasteries to Omodos and Troodos, then descend west to Paphos and finish with sunset cliffs, bays, and hiking stops near Latchi and Cape Arnaoutis.
IconicTurkish Black Sea HighlandsA lush northern Turkey route from Samsun to the tea slopes of Rize and the valleys beyond Trabzon. It trades the familiar Mediterranean coast for misty mountains, wooden highland villages, monasteries on cliffs, and winding roads above the Black Sea.
IconicUltimate Turkish DelightThe great Anatolian loop from Istanbul, Cappadocia's fairy chimneys and hot air balloons at dawn, Ephesus's Roman ruins (the best-preserved in the world outside of Rome), the Aegean coast's gulet harbours, Pamukkale's calcium-white terraces above ancient Hierapolis, and the return via Ankara's Atatürk mausoleum. A drive through five millennia of history.
NotableUruguay CoastTrace Uruguay’s Atlantic shoreline from Colonia del Sacramento to Punta del Este, following a relaxed mix of riverfront towns, dune-backed beaches, fishing ports, and polished resort strips. The drive is mostly flat and well paved, with easy detours for sunset viewpoints, seafood lunches, and long seaside walks.
IconicVancouver IslandThe island that out-British-Columbias BC, Victoria's Empress Hotel and Butchart Gardens, the Pacific Rim National Park's Long Beach surfing, Tofino's temperate rainforest and whale-watching, Campbell River's wild salmon, and Telegraph Cove's orca colony in Johnstone Strait. The most accessible wild coastline in Canada.
IconicViking TrailTracing one of the most remote corners of Canada, the Viking Trail links 5000-year-old burial grounds, UNESCO fjords, and icebergs drifting past monumental sea stacks, ending at L'Anse aux Meadows, a Norse settlement established five centuries before Columbus.
NotableWaiheke Island CircuitJust an hour's ferry from Auckland, Waiheke has its own warm, dry microclimate and a reputation as a Tuscan facsimile in the Pacific, vineyards, olive groves, and art galleries on a hilly island of excellent beaches. The island drive takes in Man O' War Bay, Onetangi Beach, the Connells Bay sculpture park, and several vineyards with restaurants overlooking the Hauraki Gulf.
NotableWaterfall WayWaterfall Way is one of northern New South Wales’ most rewarding short road trips, climbing from the coastal plains at Coffs Harbour into the cool New England tablelands near Armidale. The drive strings together rainforest, escarpment lookouts, and a run of dramatic waterfalls in national parks along a well-sealed, easy route.
IconicWestfjords Ring RoadThis loop through Iceland’s remote Westfjords follows cliff-hugging roads past deep fjords, fishing villages, bird cliffs, and hot springs, with constant sea views and minimal traffic. Highlights include Ísafjörður, Dynjandi waterfall, Látrabjarg puffin cliffs, and the golden sand at Rauðisandur.
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.
IconicWhite Rim RoadThe otherworldly terrain of Canyonlands National Park is intimidating enough from the hard-top, once you leave the tarmac for the White Rim Road, it feels like driving on Mars. A 4WD-only loop around the Island in the Sky mesa, sneaking along sheer cliff walls above two deep river canyons. Built by Cold War uranium miners; no potable water anywhere on the route.
NotableWillamette ValleyPinot Noir is the grape that put Oregon on the wine map when Eyrie Vineyards beat the French at the 1979 Wine Olympics. The 180km Willamette basin runs between the coast and the Cascades, I-5 and 99W threading past vineyards, hop yards, winding rivers, and bubbling hot springs from Portland to Eugene.
NotableWine & Whales Electric HighwayAustralia's first dedicated electric highway follows the beautiful southwest coast from Perth to Augusta, 12 RAC fast-charging stations spaced along a route that passes Margaret River's world-class wineries and Busselton's heritage jetty, timed June to August for humpback whale season in Geographe Bay.
IconicWonders of Ancient SicilyThe most complete collection of Greek temples outside Greece, a UNESCO Roman villa of unrivalled mosaic floors, Baroque cities rebuilt after a 1693 earthquake, a Greek theatre overlooking an active volcano, and Mount Etna, all on the island that was the most fought-over piece of land in the ancient Mediterranean.
IconicYucatan Peninsula LoopA circular odyssey through the greatest concentration of living Maya culture, cenotes, Caribbean sea cliffs, fortified colonial ports, and jungle pyramids in a single loop from Mérida.
IconicZagorohoria, GreeceInto the slate-and-stone villages of the Zagori in the Pindos Mountains of Epirus, one of Greece's most untouched regions where roads are steep and narrow, stone bridges arch over rushing rivers, and village squares are shaded by centuries-old plane trees. The antidote to the Greek islands.
Hidden GemZanzibar Island LoopThis relaxed island loop traces Zanzibar’s best road-accessible highlights, from Stone Town’s coral-stone lanes to spice farms, northern beaches, and the quieter east coast. It blends Swahili history, dhow harbors, and palm-fringed villages into an easy coastal circuit with frequent photo stops.
Hidden GemBulgarian Black Sea Coast Burgas to SinemoretsThis relaxed coastal drive follows Bulgaria’s southern Black Sea shore from Burgas to the quieter edge of Strandzha near Sinemorets. Expect salt lagoons, long sandy beaches, seaside resorts, fishing villages, and a final stretch of wild coastline around Veleka River and Silistar.
NotableCosta do Sol: Búzios and Cabo FrioA relaxed coastal loop through Rio de Janeiro’s Costa do Sol, this drive links the relaxed beaches of Cabo Frio with the granite coves and viewpoints of Búzios. It’s best as a short two-day road trip with time for beach stops, seafood lunches, and sunset along the shore.
NotableCosta Esmeralda Florianopolis to BombinhasThis short Atlantic-coast drive links Florianópolis to Bombinhas through Santa Catarina’s Costa Esmeralda, with beach towns, offshore islands, and turquoise bays along the way. The route is paved and straightforward, best enjoyed as a leisurely summer escape with stops for swimming, seafood, and viewpoints.
NotableDead Sea and Jordan ValleyFollow the Jordan Valley from Amman to the Dead Sea, then continue south along the shoreline to the Mujib area and the lush farms of Ghor al-Safi. This easy drive mixes dramatic escarpments, salt flats, and wide views across one of the lowest places on Earth.
Hidden GemEssaouira to Agadir Atlantic CoastThis relaxed Atlantic drive follows Morocco’s coast south from Essaouira to Agadir, with sea views, windswept beaches, and easy stops in fishing towns and surf breaks. It is a straightforward paved route with good road access, best enjoyed in mild weather when the ocean light is clear.
NotableGobustan and Absheron PeninsulaA compact road trip from Baku into Azerbaijan’s surreal semi-desert landscapes, this loop links prehistoric petroglyphs, mud volcano fields, and the fire-worship heritage of the Absheron Peninsula. Expect paved roads, short museum stops, windswept coast, and dramatic sunset views over the Caspian.
IconicIstria and Plitvice LakesThis Croatia road trip links Istria’s hill towns and Adriatic coastline with the turquoise pools and waterfalls of Plitvice Lakes. Start in Pula, loop through Rovinj, Motovun, and Poreč, then head inland via Opatija and Karlovac to Plitvice for a classic mix of sea views, stone villages, and forested canyon scenery.
Hidden GemJarabacoa and Constanza Mountain LoopThis highland loop links the Dominican Republic’s two classic mountain towns, climbing from Jarabacoa into the cool Valle Nuevo plateau and down to Constanza’s vegetable fields. Expect steep switchbacks, pine forests, waterfalls, and broad views of the Cordillera Central, with the best driving in the dry season.
NotableKenting and the Hengchun PeninsulaA relaxed loop around Taiwan’s southern tip, this drive links Hengchun’s old walls, Kenting’s beach parks, and the wind-battered cliffs of the Pacific coast. Expect lush tropical scenery, coral limestone, seaside viewpoints, and short detours to snorkeling coves and sunset lookouts.
IconicKrabi and Phang Nga Andaman CoastA relaxed Andaman Coast loop from Krabi Town through limestone karst country, turquoise bays, mangrove inlets, and beach viewpoints. Follow the shoreline to Ao Nang, Railay access points, Than Bok Khorani, and Phang Nga Bay viewpoints for island-studded scenery, with easy paved roads and short scenic detours throughout.
Hidden GemKuwait Bay Heritage CircuitThis easy coastal loop traces Kuwait Bay from Kuwait City’s restored heritage core to the waterfront landmarks that frame the capital. Expect smooth highways, sea views, and a mix of old souqs, modern skyline stops, and museum-style landmarks that tell Kuwait’s story in one compact day trip.
Heritage RouteMutlaa Ridge and Northern KuwaitA compact day drive from Kuwait City into the open northern desert, this route climbs Mutlaa Ridge for broad views before looping past old pearl-diving coastlines, salt flats, and windswept plains near the Iraqi frontier. It pairs empty horizons with straightforward roads and easy fuel stops.
IconicPeloponnese Coastal LoopThis loop traces the Peloponnese’s best coastal roads, from the Corinth Canal and Nafplio down through the Mani and around Cape Maleas before returning via Monemvasia and the Argolic Gulf. Expect cliffside views, fishing harbors, beaches, and easy access to classic Greek ruins and seaside towns.
NotableRiga to Cape Kolka Coastal RouteThis Baltic shoreline drive leaves Riga for the wide beaches, pine forests, and quiet fishing towns of Latvia’s west coast before reaching remote Cape Kolka, where the Gulf of Riga meets the open Baltic Sea. It’s an easy, atmospheric route with frequent stops for dunes, birdlife, and sea views.
NotableRuta del Spondylus Ecuador CoastEcuador’s Ruta del Spondylus follows the Pacific coast from Esmeraldas to Salinas, linking surf beaches, fishing towns, mangroves, and lively resort stops. It’s a relaxed highway drive with warm water, fresh seafood, and frequent viewpoints, best enjoyed in the dry season when coastal roads are most predictable.
IconicRuta Panorámica Puerto RicoPuerto Rico’s Ruta Panorámica is a mountain-to-coast drive across the island’s interior, linking forested ridges, coffee towns, and panoramic overlooks. The classic road-trip stretch runs from the western highlands near Mayagüez to the eastern side around Maunabo, with switchbacks, cool cloud-forest air, and views that change with every climb.
Hidden GemSamana to Punta Cana Coastal DriveThis eastern Dominican road trip links the lush Samaná Peninsula with Punta Cana’s resort coast, tracing a mix of seaside highways, fishing towns, and palm-lined inland stretches. Expect bay views near Samaná, rolling countryside around El Seibo, and a smooth finish on the white-sand beaches of Bávaro and Punta Cana.
IconicSoufrière and the Pitons DriveA compact south-west coast loop from Castries to Soufrière, this drive follows winding shoreline roads past fishing villages, rainforest hills, and black-sand coves, with constant views of the UNESCO-listed Pitons. It is best enjoyed slowly, with stops for viewpoints, waterfalls, and the sulphur springs around town.
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.
Hidden GemSuriname Coastal Highway Paramaribo to Nieuw NickerieThis straight, low-key coastal drive follows Suriname’s main westbound highway from Paramaribo to Nieuw Nickerie, crossing wide rivers, rice-country plains, and sleepy villages. It is a practical one-day road trip with river ferries and long stretches of flat, tropical scenery rather than dramatic mountain views.
IconicTahiti Island Circle RoadThis relaxed loop follows Tahiti’s coastal roads around both Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti, linking black-sand beaches, surf breaks, waterfalls, and volcanic headlands. Expect lush mountain backdrops, lagoon viewpoints, and easy stops in Papeete, Taravao, and Teahupo’o on a classic island-drive day.
NotableAlnwick to LindisfarneNorthumberland's panoramic coast road from Alnwick north along the A1 to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, through one of Britain's finest stretches of undeveloped shoreline past Bamburgh Castle, Seahouses harbour, and the causeway that connects Holy Island only at low tide. Lindisfarne Priory closes November through January.
IconicBaeksu Coastal RoadOne of the most famous short drives in Korea, National Highway 77 explores the lush rural province of Jeollanam-do through dramatically changing landscapes from rolling green hills to precipitous coastal cliffs. Hundreds of off-shore islands are visible from the road, with Dombaeseom Island (fishing) and Chilsando Island (extraordinary hiking) the most rewarding short detours.
IconicBaltic Road TripThe three Baltic capitals and everything between, Tallinn's perfectly preserved Hanseatic old town (a UNESCO World Heritage site), the Art Nouveau boulevards of Riga (more Art Nouveau than any other city on earth), the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania, and Vilnius's extraordinary Baroque old town. A drive from the medieval to the Baroque through three of Europe's most underrated capitals.
IconicCrossing the Khardung LaLadakh has more tricks up its sleeve than the drive in from Srinagar or Manali, a highway seemingly built from rock and ice struggles north across the 5,359 m Khardung La, said to be the world's highest motorable pass (at a similar elevation to Everest Base Camp). On the far side the Nubra Valley is a piece of suspended animation: a sandy basin dotted with Buddhist monasteries, sea buckthorn thickets, and occasional dromedary camels.
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.
IconicDublin to the Wicklow MountainsFrom Dublin's Georgian streets into the granite mountains of the Wicklow interior, through Sally Gap's bare moorland, the oak forest of Glenealo Valley, mirror lakes, and stone ruins. The Emerald Isle's most accessible wilderness drive, returning via the coast at Bray.
IconicEstrada da GraciosaThe historic colonial road carved through the Serra do Mar Atlantic Forest in 1872, PR-410 descends 900m from the Paraná plateau to the coast through dense rainforest, roadside waterfalls, and the colonial riverside town of Morretes, the home of barreado.
NotableGlasgow to Fort WilliamThe perfect introduction to the Scottish Highlands, from Glasgow's urban grit north through Loch Lomond's pastoral shoreline, the Trossachs National Park villages of Tarbet and Crianlarich, and along the great loch itself before the landscape shifts into the imposing drama of Glen Coe and Ben Nevis.
LegendaryKaikoura CoastSH1 north of Christchurch is one of the world's great coastal drives, the Seaward Kaikoura Range falls sheer into the Pacific, sperm whales feed in the canyon just offshore, and New Zealand fur seals laze on every rock shelf.
NotableLinha Verde, Coconut CoastBA-099 traces Brazil's most beautiful coastal highway from Salvador north through the "Estrada do Coco" and "Linha Verde", past sea turtle reserves, endless coconut-palm beaches, coral reefs at Praia do Forte, and the dune world of Mangue Seco immortalised in Jorge Amado's novel Tieta.
NotableMansfield to MarysvilleVictoria's High Country gravel road from Mansfield through Woods Point to Marysville, through remote forest and mountain ranges on unsealed roads that venture into country where 4WD clearance is an advantage. The section between Mansfield and Woods Point feels further from civilisation than its distance from Melbourne suggests.
NotableRoute de TuriniThe most celebrated stage of the Monte Carlo Rally, a sinuous mountain road climbing from the Ligurian coast through chestnut forest to the Col de Turini at 1607m. Every hairpin is banked, every view cinematic.
NotableSalento Coast, PugliaAlong the wild coastline of the Salento, the tip of Italy's heel in Puglia, from Otranto to Gallipoli along a jagged shore of sea stacks, hidden coves, and shimmering water in a hundred shades of blue. Prickly pears line the road; the finibus terrae (end of the world) is at Santa Maria di Leuca.
IconicShadow of VesuviusIn the shadow of the volcano that buried two cities in 79 CE, 90 km through Herculaneum's intact Roman houses, Pompeii's extraordinary preserved streets, the crater rim of Vesuvius itself, and Sorrento's clifftop lemon groves with the Amalfi Coast visible across the bay.
NotableSnaefell Mountain CourseThe world's oldest motorcycle race circuit, since 1911 the TT course has looped from Douglas up through mountain villages to the 422-metre Snaefell summit road and back. Outside TT week you can drive the full circuit at your own pace through stone walls, coastal hedgerows, and moorland; during TT the roads close and 250 riders race at an average of 216 km/h.
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.
LegendaryThe Faroe IslandsEighteen volcanic islands in the North Atlantic where sheep outnumber people 2-to-1, connected by sub-sea tunnels and mountain roads above sheer Atlantic cliffs. The sea-stacks of Drangarnir, the turf-roofed villages of Gjógv and Saksun, Gásadalur's waterfall plunging into the ocean, and Tórshavn's coloured wooden capital. A drive that feels like the edge of the world.
IconicWaimea Canyon DriveThe "Grand Canyon of the Pacific", HI-550 climbs from Kauaʻi's red-dirt lowlands to a 1200m lookout above a canyon 16km long and 900m deep, its walls stripped in ochre, violet, and jungle green by five million years of erosion.