The Most Beautiful Roads of the world
In Bolivia!
Two roads…which one to take? Both.
The most beautiful roads (so far)
250 000 kilometers of road.
Surely, I know where the best roads are? Sure do.
Let’s start with the contribution of my little sister. She is adamant that northern Vietnam offers some of the finest sceneries, and after seeing her photos… It would be hard to disagree! Taken with a Nikon D300s (I recommended it to her) and a 17-55mm f/2.8 Tamron (good ol’ Tamron lens are underrated).
Driving through the mountains of the North of Vietnam - Ha Giang -
The kind of scenery that takes your breath away.
No limits when it concerns their scooter capacity.
Little sister driving a scooter for the first time and in Flip-flops.
Ha Giang Loop - A popular circuit to drive by scooter. 10$/day for motorbike rental.
Mexico
Okay, my turn now.
Mexico! Best country on Earth! Mexico is the best, before you hit Colombia again. Everything feels like a let down after Mexico, if you keep driving South… not because the other countries have little to offer, but rather because Mexico is SO MIND BLOWING. Volanoes? Check. Tacos? Check. Cheap, beautiful, wonderful. The most fun I ever had in my life was in Mexico. I remember camping on the beach in my hammock… I mean, life doesn’t get better than that.
If you are going to Mexico, be aware that it is much safer than the medias portrait it. People are wonderfully generous and kind and helpful, even if you don’t speak spanish. I drove thousands of kilometers in Mexico without a single hurtle. I cannot overstate it: if you’re life is boring, or void of meaning, just start driving to Mexico. Never a boring day over there.
Drive to Mazatlan, to Nuevo Vallarta, to San Cristobal de las casas, and call it a life.
The Jeep and I on the ferry to Mazatlan.
Cooking dinner at 4000 meters on a volcano in Mexico.
Driving south to Nuevo vallarta.
Volcano near Mexico City.
South America
Colombia: Around Salento. Heck. What am I saying. The whole freakin’ country is amazing to visit in a 4x4!
There’s actually a 4x4 road that leads to the Parque Nacional Natural Trinigua and some secret hotsprings around 2500m high. The best secret of Colombia ;)
F/1.2, 56mm + X-Pro1.
X-Pro1 with 56mm f/1.2
Taken with my X-Pro1 and the 56mm f/1.2
Brazil
Coast! The road from Florionapolis to RIo de Janeiro is 10/10.
Brazil is so much fun. I am returning for the 3rd time in less than 18 months. You can remove yourself from Brazil, but you can’t remove Brazil from yourself. Whatever that means.
Now, go do that if you’re bored with your life.
Paraty!
Life.
Rio de Janeiro
Drop the mic.
Truckers seeing my Canadian Flag on my Jeep and wanting a selfie. Look at the happiness here.
The pantanal in western Brazil
Paraty Trindad!
Driving off the beaten path in Brazil
Now this… this is the pantanal.
Now if you drive from Santa Cruz de la Sierra to Corumba, Brazil, you’ll drive on a very good road. It feels so remote… such a special part of South America, that Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil triangle. Above is a drone shot of 100kms before going to Brazil. In there, there are some undiscovered ruins from older civilizations and rumours of jaguars.
Shot in the pantanal, with the 300mm f/2.8 on my Nikon D800E.
Haines Junction, YT, Canada to Haines, Alaska
This is a special one. It has to be the most beautiful. Bring your german car (I did it with my W140 reviewed here). Shot with the Nikon F5 (click on the link for review).
It’s the best kept secret of the Americas.
Haines to Haines :)
An alternative trip is Whitehorse to Skagway, Alaska. Also one of the most beautiful road on the planet.
Argentina/Chile
Southern Argentina.
Arriving in Ushuaia
End of the road in the Americas! Very bottom of Tierra Del Fuego accessible overland in a car.
And there’s just so many more places and destinations… I’ve been over every road in there…
Because this is BEST OF, here’s the conclusion. If you had a limited timeframe to travel and just wanted to see the most beautiful, make it this:
1) Dawson City to Tuktoyaktuk (Dempster Highway)
2) Anything on southern/central Brazil coast. You’ll be blown away… The road that leads from Sao Paulo to Paraty Mirim is wild in a convertible.
3) Tierra del Fuego island. All of it.
4) Whitehorse to Atlin, BC.
5) Haines Jt to Haines, Alaska
6) Haines Junction to Anchorage, Alaska
7) Northern Vietnam.
Voila :)! Happy travel!