8 Risky Roads to Drive in India: Key Preparations

Being a tourist in India is not without its challenges. Driving the roads of this country’s landscape is no exception, with some of the riskiest roads in the world belonging to this third world nation.

Preparation is key if you’re planning to take on one of the 8 riskiest roads to drive in India. Not only will we delve into what makes each of these roads so dangerous, but we’ll also focus on how you can stay safe while travelling them.

Chang La: The Most Perilous Road in India

Let’s start with the most dangerous. Chang La is well known as the most dangerous road in the country of India, and for good reason. The road is situated at a high altitude, giving some altitude sickness and making it difficult to breathe. In fact, many adventurers who have taken on this entire road have added oxygen cylinders to their arsenal.

India’s National Highway 22: The Highway to Hell

Highway 22 is dubbed “The Highway to Hell” due to its bad condition, dark tunnels, and uneven terrain. Some of these tunnels go one for long distances, and can therefore become quite dark. If you happen to break down in the middle of one of these tunnels, you’ll be happy if you brought along a strong torch to light your way.

The Zoji La Pass: The All-Year-Round Danger Tunnel

Stretching over 119 miles long, the Zoji La pass is a scenically fantastic road to drive, albeit an extremely dangerous one! It’s best to take this drive slowly if you see any other cars. The path is narrow and difficult to manoeuver, especially if you're passing someone on this road.

Munnar Road: The Risky Zig-Zag Road from Kochi to Munnar

To say that Munnar road is a zig-zag drive might be a little misleading, since it’s full of hairpin turns that will test your driving skills to the max. This is also one of those roads that you’ll have to take slowly, since it’s full of gravel, rocks, and narrow passes with sharp turns.

Sangla Road: A Road on an Edge from Disaster

Want to drive a road that will test your positional accuracy? Better take it slow, because there’s very little margin for error on this edge-of-the cliff road that stretches all the way from Sangla to Chitkul. Narrow and on the edge of a dangerous cliff, few have decided to brave this treacherous road while visiting the country of India.

Leh Manali Highway: The Road of Many Boobytraps

It’s only recently that the Leh Manali highway has been reopened after being shut down by Indian authorities. The weather on this road is challenging to navigate, and has already caused countless drivers to be stranded alongside it. Now stretching for over 290 miles, this drive requires a 14 hour time budget; so be prepared for it

Spiti Valley: Beautiful But Deadly

Although it’s one of the most scenic routes in the whole of India, Spiti Valley is also one that only the bravest of drivers will attempt. Tourists flock to drive this road because of its mountainous village scenery, but be sure to check our checklist below for essential items and safety measures before taking it on.

Khardung La Pass: Is It Really a Road at All?

Some roads seem to lack the characteristics of a road in both sight and driveability. Khardung La is one such road, as it is mostly covered with gravel, dirt, and rocks for its entire 56 mile length. While this route will take you through cold and snowy areas, it is worth braving if you’re properly prepared for the trip.

Which One Will You Attempt?

Preparing to drive any one of these roads is key to navigating them safely and getting to the other side without damage, injury, or loss of time. Here’s a quick checklist you can use to ensure your safety on these dangerous roads in India.

A Reliable Charger: Keeping your devices (phone, torches, etc) fully charged is a must when navigating these roads. A phone will help you in times of emergency, not to mention assist you in GPS navigation. Make sure your batteries are always fully charged.

A Good GPS: If you’re accustomed to using a GPS when travelling unknown roads, then this is as good a time as any to ensure you’re always travelling in the right direction. Be sure to keep your GPS on at all times so that you are constantly aware of distance, direction, and potential obstacles.

VPN for Your Mobile Device: When travelling to this particular destination, be sure to equip your mobile device with the best VPN in India so that your browsing and app usage flow without hindrance.

Food and Water: Some of these trips are long and delayed. Having a sufficient supply of water and food will serve you will on your long drives.

A Reliable Light Source: Not only may you be travelling at night, but as you’ve noticed, many of these roads are filled with long, dark tunnels. Having a strong light source like a torch will come in handy should you stop off somewhere where it’s dark.

A Fully Functional Automobile: Weather and terrain will prove to be rough on your car on all of these roads. Make sure your tires, windshield wipers, lights, and car functions are all in perfect working order before embarking on any of these drives.

Oxygen Cylinders: More than one of these roads are found at very high altitudes. You may want to bring along an oxygen cylinder to assist with breathing at high altitudes, and it also wouldn’t hurt to bring a preventative medical kit for possible altitude sickness.

Wrapping Up

You’re all set to go on an epic driving adventure that will live in your memory for a lifetime! Embrace the adventurer in you and try out one of the most dangerous roads in India, fully prepared with everything you need to tell the story when you’re done. Happy driving!

Pic: sreeram dhayalen