世界七大最惊险公路

BBC林德塞·盖洛威 (Lindsey Galloway)(2023年10月4日)

在艾尔公路上，可要当心袋熊（图片来源： Peter Walton Photography/Getty)

在谈起旅行经历时，人迹罕至的公路常常会是更加吸引人的选择。 为了另辟蹊径，找寻一些值得炫耀的旅行路线，我们在 Quora 问答网站上做了问卷调查：“世界上最有意思的公路都有哪些？”

有读者向我们介绍了穿越世界上最冷地区的路线，或者只有 4 米宽的隧道，还有人走了极端，向我们推荐了一些引人入胜但却很危险的公路路线。 很多时候，这些公路上人迹罕至，只因为： 沿途扣人心弦的悬崖峭壁、不可预知的泥石流灾害和泥泞不堪的土路。

马达加斯加第 5 号国道

第 5 号国道是一条南北走向的公路，它贯穿着非洲国家东海岸的两座小镇：马鲁安采特拉 (Maroantsetra) 和苏阿涅拉纳-伊翁古 (Soanierana-Ivongo)。WAU （一家提供常规旅行服务的当地旅行社）的首席技术官安德斯·艾尔玛说：“你需要雇一名司机，还有一名机械修理工。” 他补充道，如果你已经“厌倦了混凝土公路”，这条公路（他称之为“世界上最糟糕的公路”）将完全颠覆你的旅行经历。

经过十字路口时，司机必须下车检查是否有砂土、固体岩石，甚至是破旧断裂的桥梁，所以 200 公里的公路差不多要开 24 个小时。 雨季（十二月份至次年三月份）期间，道路会变得异常危险，因为缺乏沥青或混凝土的路基，许多路段根本无法通过。

就没有什么好处了吗？ 第 5 号国道的大部分路段沿着白色的沙滩海岸线绕行，您可以观赏到沿途棕榈树森林和印度洋的绮丽景色。

马达加斯加第 5号国道（Olivier Cirendini/Getty）

印度罗唐关口

罗唐的字面意思是“死人堆”，这源于喜马拉雅山东部致命的泥石流，灾害经常造成长达 4000 米的公路被掩埋。 更不用说这一地区变幻莫测的天气状况了，包括暴风雪和突然的雪崩。

曾于 2011 年驾驶摩托车通过这个关口的华盛顿特区的工程师维特德·克拉博 (Witold Chrab) 说：“每一个季节，道路工作队都要使用 GPS 定位找出这条路，然后重新挖出来。”道路一旦清理出来，即便大雪随时都会封锁道路，但每年的五月份至十一月份，关口还是会对外开放。2010 年，就曾有 300 名旅客被困于此。 为了能有一条安全点的通道，人们在关口下面开建了一条 8 公里长的隧道。但原本连接印度北部古卢 (Kulu)、拉胡尔 (Lahual) 和斯碧提 (Spiti) 三座山谷的老路线，凭借其崎岖的山脉、绵延的山谷甚至是一两只挡道的山羊，则更令游客们心驰神往。

印度罗唐关口。 (Praphat Rattanayanon/Getty)

罗马尼亚川斯发格拉山 (Transfagarasan) 公路

这里有为世界汽车爱好者所熟知的公路，它那 90 公里的 S 形弯道和长距离下坡道被 BBC “疯狂汽车秀”栏目评为“世界最佳道路”，虽然久负盛名，但却很少有司机知道它还是罗马尼亚第二高的公路。 为抵御外敌侵犯，1970 年，罗马尼亚修建了这条军事线路，该公路连接南喀尔巴阡 (Carpathians)、摩尔多瓦奴 (Moldoveanu) 和内戈尤 (Negoiu) 三座山脉，海拔高度达 2034 米。

罗马尼亚当地人拉兹凡·巴巴 (Razvan Baba) 说：“如果你喜欢两三秒就换一次档的话，这里也会是很有趣的去处。” 可能还不止是有趣？ 巴巴表示，虽然 S 形弯道让人们很难快速前进，但却没有人会想着遵循 40 公里/小时的限速规定。

罗马尼亚 Transfagarasan 公路 (Hutch Axilrod/Getty)

澳大利亚艾尔公路

来自珀斯地区的警官卡尔·洛根 (Carl Logan) 警官警告说，乍一看，这条澳大利亚南部长达 684 英里的公路可能“平淡无奇”，但实际上，这里却充满冒险和刺激—特别是那些不期而至的动物。 “你会看到袋鼠、鸸鹋，有时甚至还会有骆驼。”他说。 这些野生动物也让这条路线更为危险，居无定所、到处乱跑的动物们，很可能会重重地撞上一辆迎面驶来的汽车。

行驶在诺斯曼 (Norseman) 和塞杜纳 (Ceduna) 两镇之间的公路上，黎明或黄昏是最危险的时段。动物们早出晚归，都想着要从这条路上从穿过。 但那些真正愿意在夜幕降临时驱车经过的“勇士”，也一定会得到回报。 洛根说：“荒无人烟的狂野之中，满天繁星就是你看到的最好景色了。”

澳大利亚艾尔公路 (Ian Waldie/Getty)

尼泊尔普里特维公路

驱车 174 公里，从加德满都赶赴博卡拉时，沿途会经过安纳普尔纳峰（世界第十大高峰）及其保护区（下图）。想要观赏这条路上的奇妙景观，很可能要花点“血本”。 正在路面上行驶的驾驶员珍妮特·M·弗利 (Janet M Foley)来自拉斯维加斯，她表示：“除了喜马拉雅山的秀丽风光，你还能看到有些车辆正滞困在河谷。” 沿着普里特维公路一路驶去，还可以看到包括神圣玛纳卡玛纳神庙在内的这个国家最重要的一些宗教场所。

弗利说单程的“兜风”还是挺棒的——但她还是决定回程搭飞机回到加德满都，她可不希望再次试验自己的运气。

安纳普尔纳峰保护区。 (Jochen Schlenker/Getty)

西伯利亚科力马公路

当地人将“科力马公路”或 M56 公路称作“图萨” (Trassa)——意思就是“那条路” (“The Route”)，因为在西伯利亚东部这片冰冷荒芜的地方，这是唯一的一条主路。

这条公路还有一个绰号叫作“尸骨路”，这就要说起它的悲惨历史了： 上世纪 30 年代至上世纪 50 年代，斯大林当政期间，一些囚犯被流放了到这里，而这条公路就是成千上万名政治囚犯建成的。。 因为工作不够卖力，数千名囚犯被枪决，还有一些人则死于集中营残酷恶劣的环境。 严寒的气候也是导致人们死亡的元凶之一。 科力马是全球最冷的居住区，气温可低达零下 70 摄氏度。 许多尸体被直接掩埋在公路的路基下。

后来公路年久失修，2004 年，为了拍摄“长路漫漫” (Long Way Round) 的电视节目，演员伊万·麦克格雷戈 (Ewan McGregor) 和电视节目主持人查利·保曼 (Charlie Boorman) 在此开始了他们的摩托车冒险旅程。 2008 年，科力马公路被指定为联邦公路，吸引了一群疯狂冒险者、严寒挑战者和摩托车爱好者前往。 环球旅行者菲利普·普利萨帝罗 (Filipp Peresadilo) 说，如今，长达 2031 公里的这条公路依然是“世界上最严寒的公路”，甚至在七八月份也会大雪纷纷。 这里也依然是最荒芜的区域，很少有旅行者听说过这条世界上最冰封的道路，或它背后的悲惨历史。

西伯利亚科力马公路。 (Amos Chapple/Getty)

中国郭亮隧道

郭亮村是一座建于崖顶的小村庄，位于中国东部的太行山脉，数十年来，要想到达这个村庄，都只能靠徒步攀登。 因为政府不肯修路，郭亮村出行很是不便，于是，村民们便决定自己动手。 1972 年至 1977 年，村民们用炸药和铁锹凿出了一条长达 1.2 公里的隧道，有些人还因此丧生。

当年开挖这条隧道很危险，但如今，想要驱车通过也并非易事。 悬崖端上最窄的地方只有 4 米宽，雨后的道路异常湿滑，驱车通过郭亮隧道相当危险。 隧道的石壁上还留有 30 个“窗户”一样的洞口，瞟一眼万丈悬崖下的山谷，不禁倒吸一口凉气。 “如果想要挑战公路极限，那就去中国吧！”来自 Quora 网站的投稿者路易斯·肖说。 “千万不要往下看!”

中国郭亮隧道（图片来源： Zhen Miao/Getty)

（责编：郱书）

Seven of the world’s riskiest roads

By Lindsey Galloway,4 October 2024

As Robert Frost knew well, the road less travelled is often the more interesting choice – at least when it comes to talking about one’s travels. In order to find some routes both less-trodden and worth bragging about, we asked the users at question-and-answer site Quora “What are the world’s most interesting roads?”

While some readers described routes that traverse one of the world’s coldest regions, or tunnels that only measure 4m wide, other respondents took our question to its limit, recommending roads that were not only interesting, but dangerous as well. In those cases, the roads are less frequented for a reason: read on for terrifying drop-offs, unpredictable mudslides and a complete lack of concrete paving.

National Road 5, Madagascar

For National Road 5, which runs north-south between the towns of Maroantsetra (pictured here) and Soanierana-Ivongo on the African country’s east coast, “you need to hire both a driver and a mechanic,” said Anders Alm, chief technology officer for WAU, a travel agency that provides regular trips to the area. If you’re “bored of concrete”, he added, this drive – which he called “the worst road in the world” – would be one way to change it up.

With sections of sand, solid rock and even worn-down bridges that drivers must inspect before crossing, the 200km road takes nearly 24 hours to drive. It turns especially treacherous during the rainy season (December to March), when the lack of asphalt or concrete paving leads the road to become impassable in many spots.

The upside? Most of National Road 5 runs along the white sand coastline, providing spectacular views of palm tree forests and the Indian Ocean.

Rohtang Pass, India

Rohtang means literally, “pile of corpses” – a name that stems from the deadly mudslides that often cover the 4,000m-high road in the eastern Himalayas. Not to mention the area’s generally unpredictable weather, including snowstorms and sudden avalanches.

“Each season, road crews use GPS to find the road and dig it out again,” said Witold Chrab, a Washington DC-based engineer who drove a motorcycle across the pass in 2011. Once cleared, the pass generally remains open from May to November – though snow can make it impassable at any time; in 2010 it left 300 tourists stranded. An 8km tunnel is being constructed beneath the pass to provide a safer option, but the original route, which connects the Kulu, Lahual and Spiti valleys in northernmost India, lures visitors with views of rugged mountain ranges, sprawling valleys and even a mountain goat or two.

Transfagarasan Road, Romania

While well-known in the world of auto enthusiasts – its 90km of hairpin turns and dramatic descents earned it the title of “best road in the world” by the BBC Top Gear crew – fewer casual drivers know of Romania’s second-highest road. Built as a military route in case of an invasion in the 1970s, the road connects the two tallest mountains in the Southern Carpathians, Moldoveanu and Negoiu, and ascends a total of 2,034m in altitude.

“If you like changing gears every three or four seconds, you know it's fun,” said Romanian native Razvan Baba. Even more fun? Nobody tends to be around to enforce the 40km/h speed limit, Baba said – though the hairpins make it tough to go much faster.

Eyre Highway, Australia

Carl Logan, a police officer from Perth, warned readers that this 684-mile stretch in southern Australia might seem “plain and boring” at first glance, but actually holds plenty of adventure – particularly with its animals. “You might see kangaroos, emus and sometimes even camels,” he said. The wildlife also makes the route riskier, as a wandering animal can seriously damage an oncoming car.

The most dangerous time to take on the highway – which runs between the towns of Norseman and Ceduna – is dawn or dusk, when most wildlife attempts to cross the road. But those who do drive at nightfall will be rewarded. “Because there is no civilisation, the night stars will be the brightest you've ever seen,” Logan said.

Prithvi Highway, Nepal

Running 174km from Kathmandu to Pokhara past sights such as Annapurna, the 10th-tallest peak in the world, and its conservation area (pictured here), this road’s dramatic views come at a potentially high cost. “In addition to beautiful views of the Himalayas, you will see vehicles that have ended up in the river chasms,” said Janet M Foley, a Las Vegas resident who drove the route. Prithvi Highway also passes some of the country’s most important religious sites, including the sacred Manakamana Temple.

Foley said the “joy ride” was well worth it one way – but decided to catch a plane back to Kathmandu rather than pressing her luck twice.

Kolyma Highway, Siberia

Locals know the Kolyma Highway, or M56, as “Trassa” – simply “The Route” – because in this desolate, frozen region of eastern Siberia, it is the only main road.

Another nickname for the highway, “the road of bones”, speaks to its tragic history: it was built by the hundreds of thousands of political prisoners who were exiled to the region’s gulags under the Stalin regime from the 1930s to the 1950s. Thousands were shot for not working hard enough, while others died from the gulags’ brutal conditions. The cold was another killer: with temperatures recorded as low as some -70C, the Kolyma is located in the world’s coldest inhabited area. Many of the dead simply were buried beneath the road’s foundations.

After the road fell into disrepair for decades, actor Ewan McGregor and TV presenter Charlie Boorman took a motorcycle journey on it in 2004 for the TV show Long Way Round. Kolyma Highway was designated a federal road in 2008 and began to attract a band of particularly adventurous – and cold-loving – motorcycle enthusiasts. Today, the 2,031km route is still known as the “world’s coldest road”, said world traveller Filipp Peresadilo, with snow falling even in July and August. It also remains one of the most desolate, with few travellers knowing of the world’s most frozen road – or its tragic history.

Guoliang Tunnel, China

For decades, the tiny cliff top village of Guoliang, located in the Taihang Mountains of eastern China, was reachable only by climbing the mountain on foot. After the government refused to build a road, effectively leaving the village to become a ghost town, the locals decided to take matters into their own hands. From 1972 to 1977, they used explosives and shovels to dig their own 1.2km tunnel; some lost their lives in the process.

Dangerous to build, the route is also dangerous to drive. Perched on the top of a cliff and measuring a narrow 4m wide, the Guoliang Tunnel is particularly treacherous after rains, when it can become very slippery. Thirty “windows” in the stone face, meanwhile, give spine-tingling glimpses of the valley far below. “China is the place to visit if you’re looking for extreme roads,” said Quora contributor Lewis Shaw. “Just don’t look down!”