World’s longest highway starts in the USA and spans 30,000km across 14 countries — with one impassable gap

The Pan-American Highway is the world’s longest highway, stretching over 20,000 miles across 14 countries.

As the name suggests, the road crosses through several countries across the Americas, spanning from Alaska at the very top of the continent right down to Tierra del Fuego in South America.

The next stop after that is Antarctica.

But there are two major issues, including an impassable gap.

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What to expect on the world’s longest highway

Possibly one of the world’s most famous roads, alongside Route 66, the Pan-American Highway was built in stages during the early 20th century.

Even though everyone calls it a ‘highway’, it is actually a network of highways and not just a single stretch of road.

Even so, it is widely considered to be the world’s longest highway, and also one of the most dangerous.

Among other things, you’ll to have to negotiate extreme temperatures – from arctic winds to scorching deserts – and significant altitude changes.

You’ll also encounter long sections that are either poorly maintained or unpaved.

Lastly, the highway includes territories that most countries’ travel advisories ‘warn against all but essential travel’.

What’s more, there’s a gap in the highway that accounts for about 106 kilometers – 66 miles – of the total road.

Between Panama and Colombia lies the Darién Gap, which is impassable by car because of the dense jungle, swampland, rivers, and marshes.

You could get over it on foot, but it’s considered quite dangerous.

On top of the hazardous terrain, there have been problems with gangs and paramilitaries.

This road inspired an iconic race

The Pan-American Highway also inspired the Panamericana, known as Carrera Panamericana.

The Panamericana was initially conceived as America’s answer to Italy’s Mille Miglia, but it was short-lived, with only five editions between 1950 and 1954.

Despite the name, it wasn’t really ‘Pan-American’.

The first edition, for example, mostly only included Mexico and Guatemala.

The name still commands respect, though.

Both automakers and watchmakers regularly come up with new models named after the race, and they regularly sell out almost immediately.