Forty routes, honestly graded
Route Book
Not a bucket list. A working index. Forty routes we would drive or ride, with the grade, the season, the paperwork and the number of days each one honestly takes, so you can tell the weekend from the expedition before you commit a year to it.
40 routes
| Route | Where | km | Days | Grade | Surface | Season | Permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprengisandur F26The classic crossing of the interior between the glaciers, with unbridged fords that change daily. Nothing lives here, which is exactly the appeal. | IcelandEurope | 250 | 2 | 3 of 5 | piste | Jul to Sep | none, F roads closed out of season4x4, moto |
| Askja and F910Deep sand, black desert and serious rivers to a caldera lake. The shortest season of any route in Europe. | IcelandEurope | 190 | 2 | 4 of 5 | piste | Jul to Aug | none, high clearance required by law4x4 |
| Alta Via del SaleA military road along the Ligurian ridge at 2,000 metres with the sea on one side and the Alps on the other. Exposed, and busy in August. | Italy and FranceEurope | 60 | 1 | 3 of 5 | gravel | Jun to Oct | toll, timed access4x4, moto |
| Trans Pyrenees traverseForest roads, cols and old smuggling tracks from Atlantic to Mediterranean. Legality of individual tracks varies by department, so check locally. | Spain, France, AndorraEurope | 800 | 7 | 3 of 5 | mixed | Jun to Oct | varies by region4x4, moto |
| Carpathian forest tracksEnormous forest road networks, shepherd tracks and bears. The Transfagarasan gets the photographs and the tracks either side get the trip. | RomaniaEurope | 600 | 5 | 3 of 5 | gravel | May to Oct | forestry permission in places4x4, moto |
| Albanian Alps and ValbonaSteep, unguarded mountain roads to villages that had none twenty years ago. Hospitality that will delay you by a day at a time. | AlbaniaEurope | 450 | 5 | 3 of 5 | gravel | May to Oct | none4x4, moto |
| Via Dinarica by vehicleLimestone plateaux, high pasture and empty villages. Stay on marked tracks: mine risk from the 1990s persists in specific mapped areas. | Bosnia and MontenegroEurope | 700 | 7 | 3 of 5 | gravel | Jun to Oct | none4x4, moto |
| Sardinia east coast tracksCoastal forestry tracks above the Golfo di Orosei with swimming at the end of most of them. Fire restrictions dominate the summer. | ItalyEurope | 300 | 4 | 2 of 5 | gravel | Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct | none, wild camping restricted4x4, moto |
| Sutherland and the far northSingle track roads, empty glens and the best legal wild camping in western Europe. Midges from June, and they are not a joke. | ScotlandEurope | 500 | 5 | 1 of 5 | tarmac | Apr to Oct | none, right to camp responsiblyany |
| Trans AnatoliaAcross the Anatolian plateau on farm and forestry tracks, past caravanserais and volcanoes. Long stretches without fuel in the east. | TürkiyeEurope | 1,400 | 12 | 3 of 5 | mixed | May to Oct | none4x4, moto |
| Abano Pass to TushetiSeventy kilometres of unguarded shelf road to a valley that is cut off for eight months a year. One of the most exposed drives in Europe. | GeorgiaEurope | 70 | 2 | 4 of 5 | piste | Jun to Sep | none, road closed in winter4x4 |
| Draa Valley to Erg ChigagaThe accessible introduction to Saharan travel: palmeries, hamada and a genuine erg at the end. Guides available in Mhamid and worth taking once. | MoroccoAfrica | 300 | 3 | 3 of 5 | sand | Oct to Apr | none4x4, moto |
| High Atlas pistesPasses above 2,600 metres, gorges and Berber villages. Snow closes the high tracks in winter and the gorges flood in spring. | MoroccoAfrica | 500 | 5 | 3 of 5 | piste | Apr to Jun, Sep to Nov | none4x4, moto |
| Nouadhibou to AtarDesert, the iron ore train and the oases of the Adrar. Fuel and water planning are the entire trip; check the security situation before committing. | MauritaniaAfrica | 550 | 4 | 4 of 5 | sand | Nov to Mar | visa on arrival, convoy advisable4x4 |
| Van Zyl's Pass and MarienflussA one-way descent that is genuinely technical, into a valley of wind-blown grass and Himba settlements. Two vehicles, no exceptions. | NamibiaAfrica | 400 | 5 | 5 of 5 | rock | May to Oct | conservancy fees4x4 |
| Kaokoland and the Skeleton CoastDry riverbeds, desert elephants and a coast of fog and wrecks. Self-sufficient in fuel and water for a week at a time. | NamibiaAfrica | 900 | 8 | 4 of 5 | sand | May to Oct | park permits4x4 |
| Central Kalahari transitDeep sand tracks, black-maned lions and campsites booked months ahead. Carry all water and fuel; there is nothing inside the reserve. | BotswanaAfrica | 500 | 4 | 3 of 5 | sand | Apr to Oct | park entry and camp booking essential4x4 |
| Lake Turkana loopLava fields, the jade sea and some of the roughest road surface in east Africa. Two vehicles and a serious tyre budget. | KenyaAfrica | 1,200 | 10 | 4 of 5 | piste | Jun to Oct | none, security check advised4x4 |
| White Desert circuitChalk formations, black basalt and the oases of the western desert. Permits and an accredited guide are required for much of it. | EgyptAfrica | 700 | 5 | 3 of 5 | sand | Oct to Mar | guide compulsory in places4x4 |
| BaviaanskloofA mountain wilderness road with river crossings and steep passes, two hours from a supermarket. The best short introduction to African tracks. | South AfricaAfrica | 200 | 2 | 3 of 5 | gravel | all year, avoid after heavy rain | reserve fee4x4 |
| Pamir Highway M41The second highest international road in the world, over 4,600 metre passes beside the Afghan border. Altitude, fuel and permits are the planning. | TajikistanAsia | 1,250 | 10 | 3 of 5 | mixed | Jun to Sep | GBAO permit, visa4x4, moto, van |
| Song Kul and the Kyrgyz jailooSummer pasture at 3,000 metres reached by three different passes, with yurts, horses and weather that changes in an hour. | KyrgyzstanAsia | 600 | 6 | 3 of 5 | piste | Jun to Sep | none4x4, moto |
| Aral Sea and the Ustyurt PlateauShip graveyards, salt flats and an escarpment above a sea that is no longer there. Enormous distances between fuel and water. | Kazakhstan and UzbekistanAsia | 900 | 7 | 4 of 5 | piste | Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct | border zone permit in places4x4 |
| Gobi loopBraided tracks with no signs, gers, dunes and canyons. Navigation is by GPS and by asking, and both are needed. | MongoliaAsia | 1,600 | 12 | 4 of 5 | piste | Jun to Sep | none4x4, moto |
| Western AltaiGlaciated peaks, eagle hunters and river crossings that rise through the day with snowmelt. Start early, cross early. | MongoliaAsia | 1,100 | 10 | 4 of 5 | piste | Jul to Sep | border zone permit4x4 |
| Manali to Leh and Umling LaFive passes above 5,000 metres, including the highest motorable road there is. Acclimatise on the way up or pay for it at the top. | IndiaAsia | 700 | 7 | 3 of 5 | mixed | Jun to Sep | inner line permit4x4, moto |
| Upper Mustang jeep roadA Tibetan kingdom behind the Annapurnas, reached on a shelf road above the Kali Gandaki. Permits are expensive and non-negotiable. | NepalAsia | 200 | 5 | 4 of 5 | piste | Apr to Oct | restricted area permit, guide required4x4, moto |
| Wahiba Sands and the Empty Quarter edgeSerious dune driving within reach of a modern city, and the best sand education available. Convoy discipline matters on the crests. | OmanAsia | 600 | 5 | 4 of 5 | sand | Nov to Mar | none4x4 |
| Dempster Highway to TuktoyaktukGravel across the Arctic Circle to the Beaufort Sea. Sharp shale eats tyres, and services are 400 kilometres apart. | CanadaNorth America | 900 | 6 | 2 of 5 | gravel | Jun to Sep, or Feb for ice | noneany with two spares |
| Trans-Labrador HighwayBoreal forest, hydro country and long empty stretches. The province lends satellite phones for a reason. | CanadaNorth America | 1,150 | 6 | 2 of 5 | gravel | Jun to Oct | none, satellite phone loan schemeany |
| Mojave RoadA historic wagon route across the Mojave with sand, lava and a mailbox in the middle of nowhere. Hot and unforgiving in summer. | United StatesNorth America | 220 | 2 | 3 of 5 | sand | Oct to Apr | none4x4 |
| Utah Backcountry Discovery RouteCanyon country, alpine forest and desert on a route designed for motorcycles and driven by everybody. Water planning in the south. | United StatesNorth America | 1,300 | 8 | 3 of 5 | gravel | May to Oct | none4x4, moto |
| Baja California peninsulaCactus desert between two seas, with tracks to beaches you will have alone. Fuel is thin on the Pacific side. | MexicoNorth America | 1,700 | 12 | 3 of 5 | mixed | Nov to Apr | vehicle permit not required in Baja4x4, moto, van |
| Lagunas Route and the AltiplanoColoured lakes, flamingos and volcanoes above 4,500 metres. Cold, thin air and washboard tracks that shake vehicles apart. | BoliviaSouth America | 400 | 4 | 4 of 5 | piste | Apr to Nov | park fee4x4 |
| Salar de Uyuni crossingThe largest salt flat on earth, drivable in the dry season and a mirror in the wet. Wash the underside immediately afterwards or lose the vehicle to corrosion. | BoliviaSouth America | 200 | 2 | 3 of 5 | salt | May to Nov | none4x4 |
| Carretera AustralTemperate rainforest, glaciers and fjords with three ferry sections. Rain is the constant and the reason it looks like that. | ChileSouth America | 1,240 | 10 | 2 of 5 | mixed | Nov to Mar | none, ferries book aheadany |
| Canning Stock RouteThe hardest established route in this book: a thousand dunes, no fuel for 1,500 kilometres and a fuel drop to arrange. Minimum two well-prepared vehicles. | AustraliaOceania | 1,850 | 18 | 5 of 5 | sand | May to Sep | multiple Aboriginal land permits4x4 |
| Gibb River RoadCorrugations, gorges and swimming holes across the Kimberley. Tyres and a second spare matter more than anything else on the vehicle. | AustraliaOceania | 660 | 7 | 3 of 5 | gravel | May to Oct | station fees4x4 |
| Simpson Desert, French LineEleven hundred parallel dunes east to west, with a sand flag and low pressures. Closed by the parks service in the hot months, and rightly. | AustraliaOceania | 500 | 5 | 5 of 5 | sand | May to Aug | desert parks pass, closed in summer4x4 |
| South Island high countryRiver flats, tussock passes and station tracks between the Alps and the sea. Rivers rise fast after rain in the mountains. | New ZealandOceania | 700 | 6 | 3 of 5 | gravel | Nov to Apr | access on some stations4x4 |
Field notes
One letter a month from the track
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