Top 10 Most Dangerous Roads in China
Bolivia allegedly has the most dangerous road in the world with 200-300 travelers being killed yearly along the road. but I think some dangerous roads in China can easily beat it and below is a list of the most dangerous roads in China and some explanations why they are dangerous.
1. 318 National Highway – The Sichuan to Tibet Section (318国道川藏线)
The Sichuan-Tibet Highway is considered the most dangerous road in China. It begins in Chengdu on the east and ends at Lhasa on the west. The Sichuan-Tibet Highway has two routes: The north route is 2,412 km long with the highest point at Queers Mountain 4,916m above sea level; the south road is 2,149 km long with the highest spot at Litang County 4,700m above the sea level. The highway crosses 14 high mountains such as Erlang Mountain, Sejila Mountain, and passes big rivers like Jinshan River, Dadu River, Lancang River, and also travel through primeval forests and valleys. Some sections are very dangerous and of course the views are also breath-taking.
2. 320 National Highway – Huanghuaqiao Section in Jiangxi (320国道黄华桥路段)
This section is located in Pingxiang City,Jiangxi province, which is a section of the 320 National Highway. This section seems to be the most dangerous part of the 320 National Highway, and hence the name “Devil Section”! The whole section from top to bottom is just less than 1,ooom, but the sharp turns might make you feel dizzying. Many traffic accidents happen here each year , so local people call it “the terrible Bermuda”.
3. The Guoliang Tunnel (郭亮隧道)
The Guoliang Tunnel listed as one of the most dangerous roads in the world. The tunnel is located situated in the Taihang Mountain in central China’s Henan Province. The magnificent tunnel road on the cliff was designed and built by 13 local villagers for five years. The 1,200m long tunnel is about 5 meters high and 4 meters wide with 30 “windows”. The Guoliang tunnel is known as “the road that does not allow any mistakes”, many accidents in the tunnel are caused by the neglect of the driver.
4. Taike Road (太克公路)
Taike road is a beautiful mountain road and the road conditions are also very good. But at the same time it is also in the list of top 10 dangerous roads in China. The most dangerous section is between Taiyuan and Jiaogu called “Devil U Shape”. The road has many ups and downs and a lot of turns and there has been at least one traffic accident almost every week since 1997.
5. 24-Zig along the Burma Road (滇缅公路24拐)
The “24-Zig” road is in southwest China’s Qinglong County, Guizhou Province. The 3.7km long road has 24 sharp bends on a high mountain with a drop of 300 meters, which has a high demand on car’s power and driver’s control. The road is a part of the China Burma Road built by Chinese during World War II to bring China’s supplies to Burma to help Chinese resist the Japanese invasion.
6. Tian Men Shan Big Gate Road (天门山通天大道)
Tianmen Mountain Big Gate Road is located in Hunan province. The road is about 10km from top to bottom with a fall of 1,100 meters. The highest point is 1300m above sea level and the lowest point 200m. It is said that the road has 99 twists & turns. When you take your eyes off the road, you will be definitely scared by the deep valley and steep cliff.
7. Medog County Road (墨脱公路)
This section is located in Medog County in Tibet. The dangerous road runs throughout the valley, glacier, cliffs, steep slopes and river where there has been no human footprints. The frequent landslides and heavy rains make the road very dangerous.
8. Old Kunyi Road 旧昆宜公路
Old Kunyi Road is the most crooked road in China. This section is just 2km away from the Yiliang County but many locals even do not know it. There are 68 bends in just 7 km road from the foot to the top.
9. 213 National Highway (213国道)
The 213 National Highway runs from Kunming in Yunan province to Lanzhou city in Gansu province. The road winds through lots of deep valley and rugged mountainous areas, linking Dujiangyan City, Maoxian County and Songpan County and Wenchuan County. The road is exceptionally narrow with many twisty turns. Traffic speeds here are restricted to 40 mph and drivers are prohibited to overload their vehicles.
10. Panshan Road (盘山)
Panshan Road, located in Tianjin, is one of the most dangerous roads in China. The Mt. Panshan has been described as “the most beautiful mountain east of Beijing”. Its main peak, Moon Hanging Peak, is 864-meters above sea level.