It’s almost the definition of freedom: shades on, a steering wheel in your hands and the open road stretching out in front of you. You can travel at your own pace, stop wherever you want and stay as long as you please, whether you’re driving coast to coast across a continent, exploring a single country’s every fascinating byway or following a celebrated route. Here are some of the best destinations for a life-enhancing road trip:
USA
The road trip has been a part of American culture for almost as long as there have been cars, and its most iconic routes remain a magnet for freewheeling travellers. You could emulate Jackson and Crocker, who completed the first transcontinental crossing in 1903; get your kicks on the historic Route 66, which Steinbeck dubbed ‘the mother road’; or follow the Blue Ridge Parkway through the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains. When it comes to awe-inspiring settings, though, there are few rivals to California’s Pacific Coast Highway, which twists and turns its way for more than 600 miles between San Francisco and San Diego. On one side of Highway 1, to give it its official name, there are soaring mountains carpeted with redwood trees; on the other, endless beaches framed by soaring cliffs. You will find plenty of diversions along the way from joining the surfers in Malibu, whale-watching in Monterey Bay or spotting the stars in Santa Barbara.
NAMIBIA
Roads don’t come much more open than those of Namibia, whose sparsely populated vastness is a tonic for the soul. Venture into its extraordinary landscapes on a self-drive safari by 4x4 – not something you can do as effortlessly elsewhere in Africa. Lose yourself in the stark beauty of the desert at Sossusvlei where glistening salt pans border towering rust-red dunes. Look out over the flat expanses of Etosha from a privileged vantage point in a private game reserve teeming with wildlife, including rare rhinos. Delve into the ancient past among the ochre cliffs and giant boulders of Twyfelfontein, whose several thousand rock paintings and carvings – dating back many millennia – have earned the site World Heritage status. Relax between adventures at serene camps and lodges that seem to melt into their surroundings, immersing you in the natural world without compromising on any creature comforts.
NEW ZEALAND
With uncrowded roads, awe-inspiring scenery and a rich cultural mix, New Zealand is a rightful favourite of self-driving connoisseurs. The classic route takes you from top to toe over several weeks, with pauses to discover anything from beguiling coastal cities to glacier-draped mountain ranges. From the top of the North Island in Auckland (where most international flights arrive), you’ll head southwards, where gloriously rugged coastlines, volcanic hotspots and rolling vineyards are only a minuscule sample of what you can expect to see. Wallow in Rotorua’s thermal mud pools between visits to Maori villages, go coffee tasting in the diminutive capital Wellington – the birthplace of the flat white – and go whale-watching and fur seal-spotting by boat from Kaikoura. For a change from driving, the five-hour, 140-mile ride on the TranzAlpine Express across the Southern Alps between Christchurch and Greymouth is one of the world’s most spectacular railway journeys.
AUSTRALIA
The Land Down Under brims with epic drives, from a challenging 4x4-only route across the remote expanses of the Kimberley to equally memorable but less arduous highways along dramatic shorelines. Of the latter, the Great Ocean Road along the coast of Victoria is regularly voted the country’s best, living up to its billing with an irresistible blend of charming seaside towns, untamed landscapes and wildlife-spotting opportunities. There are myriad excuses to pause along its 150-mile length, from protected eucalyptus woods that shelter koalas to viewpoints overlooking photogenic sea stacks. When you’re not kayaking with platypuses or diving into limestone sinkholes, you can explore the local culinary scene, from laidback waterside cafes known for their seafood to award-winning restaurants showcasing modern Australian cuisine. A further fascinating fact: the road was built after the First World War and dedicated to the conflict’s fallen, making it the largest war memorial in the world.
PATAGONIA
Unfurling for around 770 miles across Chile’s wild southern regions, the Carretera Austral is arguably South America’s most remarkable road. Begun in the 1970s and opened in 1988, it traces a lonely path through Patagonia’s rugged landscape of soaring mountains cloaked in glaciers, deep fjords and dense temperate rainforests. With national parks and reserves dotted along the route – and plenty of time at your disposal – the possibilities for exploring are almost limitless. Kayak or raft along pristine rivers, follow off-grid trails in search of wild vicuña, ride across endless rolling grasslands and trek over creaking ice sheets. At night, you can settle into a striking contemporary cabin or welcoming lodge where you can stargaze from the hot tub and soak up the silence and the tang of pine and juniper on the breeze.
Across the border in Argentina, Ruta 40 offers similar scope for breathtaking Patagonian adventures. As the longest road in Argentina, you could actually begin the route further north, passing through the stunning lunar landscapes of Salta and Cafayate, as well as wine rich central heartlands. If you choose to focus purely on Patagonia, however, you will be rewarded with lush Lake District scenery around Bariloche, world-class hiking in El Chaltén and the dazzling Perito Moreno glacier.
SOUTH AFRICA
Sometimes, the ideal road trip is one where the main challenge is tearing yourself away at the end of it. On South Africa’s eternally popular Garden Route, there are no difficult conditions to deal with, just 124 miles of well-maintained highway hugging the scenic coastline of the Western Cape between Mossel Bay and Storms River. You could go from one end to another in a few hours, were it not for the multitude of tempting things to see and do liberally scattered along the way. Be introduced to the unique flowers of the fynbos at George’s Botanical Garden. Explore Knysna, where you can feast on local oysters, track down hidden beaches and follow trails through giant yellowwood forests. Curl your toes into the sand at Plettenberg Bay, a relaxed and child-pleasing beach resort, and cap it all off with a safari in one of the Eastern Cape’s private game reserves.
