The Pan-American Highway is longest road in the world covering 20,359 miles

The Pan-American Highway is the world’s longest road and stretches over 20,000 miles across some of the most dangerous terrain on the planet.

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.

We told you, it’s a very long road.

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Along the way, there are many dangers presented along this famous road, widely considered to be the longest road on the entire planet.

From bears and wolves to dangerous weather and hostile temperatures, through to some very human threats, this isn’t a road you should travel lightly.

Still, people do – and it’s a destination for thrill-seekers and endurance drivers.

The road less traveled

Along the Pan-American Highway, you’ll encounter everything that the world has to throw at you.

That’s because it passes from one icy wasteland to the north, right down through the tropical middle, across the equator, and then further on down again into more cold territory.

Deserts, tundra, jungle, this road really has it all.

Well, you’re unlikely to be held up by a huge herd of camels, but you get the picture.

If you fancy taking on this journey, as well as being very – we mean very – well prepared, you’d also have to pick the time of year you chose to travel very carefully, too.

You obviously don’t want to be traveling through the impassable winter, and some other parts of the road are only traversable during the dry season.

Remember, those seasons will change depending on which hemisphere you are in, too.

We did say, this isn’t going to be an easy mission.

The gap in the Pan-American Highway

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

But, it’s the most famous part.

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

You could get over it on foot, but it could be really dangerous for a bunch of reasons.

On top of the non-traversable terrain, there have been problems with gangs, paramilitaries, and drug traffickers in the region, making it a difficult place to travel through at all.

Still, that hasn’t deterred people from trying over the years.

Despite this gap, the stretch is still recognized as the world’s longest road by Guinness World Records.

The long and winding road

The idea was dreamt up by the USA back in 1923 in a bid to unite the countries of the continent.

In 1937, the Convention on the Pan-American Highway was signed by the countries of – in alphabetical order – Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador – deep breath – Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and the USA.

Obviously, not every piece of the road is a potentially life-threatening drive.

There even used to be a classic race that took place across various stretches of the highway.

There are bits of it that are really nice, and allow you to cruise through some of the best scenery that the Americas has to offer.

So, maybe just choose a slice for yourself and take a more leisurely route.

After all, there’s enough of it to choose from.