18. Killar to Pangi Road, India
Constructed: 1500s
Risk Factor: No shoulder preventing cars from slipping, one-lane dirt road in some places, volatile weather, chance for rockfall from the mountainside
BBC Travel called the Killar to Pangi Road in India a “perilous ride to a remote valley.” The Pangi via Kishtwar travels through two of India’s most remote districts, Kashmir and Jammu. It connects the Pangi valley, a region full of myths and legends, with the outside world. The road is only in use when the regular Saach Pass is blocked by snowfall.
Killar to Pangi Road, India @Himalayan Roads / Youtube.com
The Killar to Pangi is not immune to bad weather, either. Starting in November, the weather becomes volatile, which would be treacherous enough on a six-lane, paved, high-tech highway. The Killar to Pangi is merely a dirt road in some places, with no shoulder protecting cars from the thousand-foot-drop into a ravine below.