Ten road trips across Asia, from high-altitude expeditions in Pakistan, Tajikistan and Ladakh to easy self-drives in Japan and Thailand. The table shows which side of the road each country drives on (several drive on the left, like the UK), the best months, and whether self-driving is realistic or most visitors hire a driver. Rules and conditions change quickly in some of these places, so check current FCDO travel advice for each country before you book.
| Route | Country | Length | Drives on | Best months | Usual way to do it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karakoram Highway | Pakistan, China | About 1,300 km | Left (Pakistan), right (China) | May to October | Hired vehicle with driver |
| Pamir Highway | Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan | About 1,250 km | Right | June to September | 4x4, usually with driver |
| Manali to Leh | India | About 430 km | Left | June to September | Car with driver, or motorbike |
| Ha Giang Loop and Hai Van Pass | Vietnam | About 350 km; 21 km | Right | September to November (Ha Giang); February to August (Hai Van) | Motorbike, often with a local rider |
| Mae Hong Son Loop | Thailand | About 600 km | Left | November to February | Self-drive, car or motorbike |
| Shimanami Kaido | Japan | About 60 km | Left | March to May, October to November | Self-drive |
| Japan Romantic Road | Japan | About 270 km | Left | October to November | Self-drive |
| Central mountains | Taiwan | Varies | Right | October to April | Self-drive |
| Cultural Triangle to the east coast | Sri Lanka | About 500 km | Left | May to September | Car with driver |
| Bali's north coast | Indonesia | Short day drives | Left | April to October | Car with driver, or scooter |
1. Karakoram Highway, Pakistan to China
The KKH runs about 1,300 km from near Islamabad to Kashgar in western China, following the Indus and Hunza valleys through the Karakoram and crossing into China at the Khunjerab Pass (4,693 m), usually described as the highest paved international border crossing in the world. You switch sides of the road at the border: Pakistan drives on the left, China on the right.
- Chilas: rock carvings beside the road along the Indus, some thousands of years old.
- Karimabad (Hunza): the Baltit Fort above the valley, with Rakaposhi (7,788 m) and Ultar Sar (7,388 m) in view.
- Attabad Lake: formed when a landslide blocked the river in 2010. Traffic crossed by boat for several years; the road now runs through tunnels along the shore.
- Passu: the jagged Passu Cones and the suspension bridges over the Hunza river.
- Khunjerab Pass: the border gate. The crossing is normally open from spring to late autumn and closed in winter.
Many travellers skip the long Indus gorge section by taking the Babusar Pass road from Naran in summer, or by flying to Gilgit. Hunza is best for apricot blossom in April and for autumn colour in late October. Landslides are common, especially in the July to September monsoon, and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the road passes through have carried FCDO warnings, so check before you go. Taking any vehicle into China requires a pre-arranged guide and permits; most people continue by bus or a separate tour.
2. Pamir Highway, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan
The M41 runs about 1,250 km from Dushanbe to Osh in Kyrgyzstan and is often called the second-highest international highway in the world. Between Kalai-Khumb and Khorog it follows the Panj river, with Afghanistan on the far bank. From Khorog many people take the Wakhan valley alternative through Ishkashim and Langar, with views of the Hindu Kush, before rejoining the main road on the high plateau. East of there it crosses the treeless eastern Pamir, passes Murghab, tops out at the Ak-Baital Pass (4,655 m) and drops past Karakul lake to the Kyrgyz border.
You need a GBAO permit for the Pamir region, which you can add to the Tajik e-visa. Fuel and food are sparse in the east, the surface ranges from asphalt to rough gravel, and the season is short: June to September. Most visitors hire a 4x4 with a driver in Dushanbe, Khorog or Osh.
3. Manali to Leh, India
The road from Manali in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Ladakh is about 430 km now that the Atal Tunnel (opened in 2020, about 9 km long) bypasses the Rohtang Pass. North of the tunnel it climbs over four high passes: Baralacha La (about 4,890 m), Nakee La, Lachulung La and Tanglang La, at about 5,300 m the highest. Between them come the 21 hairpins of the Gata Loops and the Morey Plains, a flat high-altitude plain at about 4,700 m.
- Driving Manali to Leh lets you gain height gradually; the reverse means acclimatising in Leh (about 3,500 m) for at least two days first.
- Most people overnight at Jispa or Sarchu. Sleeping high is where altitude sickness tends to hit, so talk to your GP about acetazolamide (Diamox) before you travel.
- There's no fuel for about 350 km between Tandi, near Keylong, and Karu, near Leh. Fill up and carry spare.
- The road opens when the Border Roads Organisation has cleared the snow, usually in June, and closes again in October or November, depending on snowfall.
4. Vietnam: the Ha Giang Loop and the Hai Van Pass
The Ha Giang Loop in the far north is about 350 km over three or four days, from Ha Giang city through Quan Ba, Yen Minh and Dong Van to Meo Vac and back. The Dong Van Karst Plateau is a UNESCO Global Geopark, and the road over the Ma Pi Leng Pass, cut into a cliff above the Nho Que river, is the highlight. September brings the rice harvest and October to November the buckwheat flowers.
The Hai Van Pass, between Da Nang and Hue in central Vietnam, is short: about 21 km, climbing to 496 m with Lang Co lagoon on one side and Da Nang Bay on the other. Most traffic now uses the tunnel underneath, which leaves the old road over the top to motorbikes and sightseers. The pass marks a weather boundary, and central Vietnam's heaviest rain falls from about September to December.
Most visitors do both by motorbike, many with a local rider (an "easy rider") who knows the roads. Vietnam recognises only the 1968 version of the International Driving Permit, and you need a motorbike licence to ride legally, which affects your travel insurance.
5. Mae Hong Son Loop, Thailand
About 600 km from Chiang Mai and back, through the hills along the Myanmar border. Souvenir T-shirts count 1,864 curves on the full loop and 762 of them between Chiang Mai and Pai. Thailand drives on the left, so it's an easy adjustment for UK drivers.
Most people go to Pai first: Chiang Mai to Pai, then Soppong for the Tham Lot cave, where a river runs through large chambers, on to Mae Hong Son town, and back south via Khun Yuam and Mae Sariang. Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest mountain, makes a good last-day detour. Allow four to six days. November to February is cool and clear; from about February to April, crop burning can fill the northern hills with smoke.
Thailand requires an International Driving Permit alongside your UK licence. Many people ride the loop on a hired scooter, but you need a motorbike licence (and the matching IDP category) for your insurance to be valid.
6. Shimanami Kaido, Japan
The Nishiseto Expressway runs about 60 km from Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture to Imabari on Shikoku, crossing six islands of the Seto Inland Sea on a chain of bridges, ending with the long Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge. It's best known as a cycle route, and the cycle lanes run alongside the bridges, but the drive is quick and scenic, and you can come off at each island.
- Ikuchijima: Kosanji Temple and its white marble garden, the Hill of Hope.
- Omishima: the Oyamazumi Shrine among citrus groves.
- Oshima: the Murakami Kaizoku Museum, about the sea clans who controlled these waters.
A good plan is to drive one way and cycle back; bikes can be hired at either end and dropped off at the other. Expressway tolls are high, so ask for an ETC card with your hire car.
7. Japan Romantic Road, Nagano to Nikko
Named after Germany's Romantic Road, this route runs through the mountains north-west of Tokyo, from Nagano Prefecture through Karuizawa, the hot-spring town of Kusatsu Onsen and Numata, to Nikko. Our Japan Romantic Road page maps it at about 270 km (168 miles).
The finish is the best part. Nikko's shrines, including the Toshogu, are UNESCO-listed, and above the town the Irohazaka roads (one up, one down, 48 hairpins between them) climb to Lake Chuzenji and the Kegon Falls. Autumn colour arrives from early October at altitude and works its way down through the month, so roads near Nikko are slow on October weekends.
Japan drives on the left, and UK drivers need a 1949-convention IDP, issued by the Post Office. See our guide to driving in Japan.
8. Taiwan's central mountains
Taiwan's mountain roads climb higher than you'd expect. Provincial Highway 14A over Hehuanshan reaches 3,275 m at Wuling, the highest point on Taiwan's road network, and continues down to join Highway 8, the Central Cross-Island Highway, which runs east through the marble walls of Taroko Gorge to Hualien.
Check before you plan around Taroko. The April 2024 Hualien earthquake caused major landslides in the gorge, and parts of the national park and Highway 8 have been closed or restricted since. Taiwan drives on the right. Winter can bring snow and ice to Hehuanshan.
9. Sri Lanka: the Cultural Triangle to the east coast
About 500 km from Colombo inland to Dambulla's cave temples and the ruins of Polonnaruwa, north-east to Trincomalee, then south along the coast via Batticaloa to Arugam Bay. The east coast has its dry season from roughly May to September, the opposite of the south and west.
- Minneriya National Park: elephants gather around the reservoir in the dry months, peaking around August and September.
- Trincomalee and Nilaveli: beaches, Pigeon Island for snorkelling, and whale-watching trips, best from about March to August.
- Arugam Bay: Sri Lanka's best-known surf spot, with its season from about April to October.
Sri Lanka drives on the left. To self-drive you need a local permit on top of your IDP, and roads are crowded with buses and tuk-tuks, so most visitors hire a car with a driver.
10. Bali's north coast, Indonesia
Most visitors stay in the south. The north and north-east coast, from Lovina past Singaraja to Tulamben and Amed, is quieter, with black-sand beaches, fishing villages and Mount Agung (about 3,030 m) inland. Tulamben is known for the wreck of the USAT Liberty, a US cargo ship torpedoed in 1942, which lies just off the beach in water shallow enough for snorkellers to see parts of it. Amed has good snorkelling and views across to Lombok.
Indonesia drives on the left. Hiring a car with a driver is cheap and common; if you ride a scooter, you need the right licence and IDP, and police checks on foreign riders are common.
Before you go
- Get the right IDP. Many Asian countries require an International Driving Permit, and there are different versions (1926, 1949 and 1968). Check which one each country needs on GOV.UK; the Post Office issues them.
- Check FCDO advice. Some regions on these routes, particularly in Pakistan and on the Afghan border, have travel warnings that can also affect your insurance.
- Sort permits and visas early. The Pamir needs a GBAO permit, and taking a vehicle into China needs a guide arranged in advance.
- Take altitude seriously. The Karakoram, Pamir and Ladakh routes all go above 4,500 m. Acclimatise, and know the symptoms.
- Download offline maps. Mobile signal is patchy or absent in the mountains.
Frequently asked questions
Which Asian countries drive on the left?
Of the countries in this guide, Japan, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Indonesia drive on the left. China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan drive on the right.
What is the easiest Asian road trip for UK drivers?
Japan. It drives on the left, the roads and signage are excellent, and hire cars are easy to get with a 1949 IDP. The Shimanami Kaido and the Japan Romantic Road both work as self-drives. Thailand's Mae Hong Son Loop is next, though it's twistier and busier.
Is it safe to drive the Karakoram Highway?
Thousands of tourists travel the Hunza section every year, and the valley is used to visitors. The main hazards are landslides, especially in the monsoon, and the altitude at Khunjerab. Security advice varies by district, so check FCDO guidance and your insurance, and hire a local driver who knows the road and the checkpoints.