10 Countries Perfect For Stunning Road Trips

Road tripping is fun, and it’s certainly one of the most enjoyable and best ways to explore a country in your favorite road tripping vehicle. Guided tours, bus tours, and public transport just don’t unlock a country in the same way as a self-driving road trip. And some countries out there are just make for a road trip. If you just want to see the historic sites of England, then a guided tour is fine. If you want to see the sites of Australia, you really need a self-driven car.

With a road trip, you can drive wherever you want, discover undiscovered gems and be spontaneous. You can go far off the beaten track and discover homely rustic pubs and bars and camp in the middle of the wilderness. In some countries, you will see sights and have delights that you can only explore from your own car.

Here are 10 countries perfect for a stunning road trip.

10
South Africa

Aerial_View_of_Sea_Point,_Cape_Town_South_Africa — Via Wikimedia Commons

South Africa is diverse and utterly stunning, with a dizzying diversity of landscapes. This rainbow country is a destination that most travelers name as one of their highlights in this world.

View_from_the_Rocks_Cape_Town_1 — Via Wikimedia Commons

South-Africa is deceptively large. It is actually the size of California and Texas combined. In South Africa not only can you drive and see wild animals like Elephants and Lions, but also wildlife one may not associate with Africa… like penguins.

9
New Zealand

Milford_sound_(8237971913) — Via Wikimedia Commons

New Zealand is a small but utterly stunning country with crazy diversity and a lot packed into a small area. In New Zealand, the scenery typically changes massively in just one hour of driving.

Queenstown_1_(8168013172) — Via Wikimedia Commons

Also with its islands and irregular shape, it’s larger than one might think, it takes around 29 hours of continuous travel to travel tip to tip. Also, it is totally different from Australia and resembles more England, Norway, and Middle Earth than Australia.

8
Brazil

Brazil is the fifth-largest country in the world and is much, much more than just the famed Amazon Rainforest. One can discover so many unique and memorable sights in this Latin American country.

Night_view_of_Rio_de_Janeiro_just_before_sunrise — Via Wikimedia Commons

What’s more, time it right, and you can join in the famous carnivals for which it is famous. Brazil has a massive range of tropical beaches, towering mountains, and lush tropical rainforests. But warning, the distances are deceptively huge in this country.

Related: 10 Best Caravans for Road Trips, Ranked

7
Turkey

Turkey may not be a country one would think of when thinking of a road trip. But in truth, Turkey boasts something more than most countries on this list — deep history. Parts of Turkey were even part of the Cradle of Civilization and have seen countless empires.

20110419_Saint_Gregory_(Tigran_Honents)_Ani_Turkey — Via Wikimedia Commons

Turkey is a driving-friendly country with a very friendly population. There is so much to see and explore in this country, and some attractions are best reached by personal transport.

6
Argentina

Flamingos,_Lago_Argentino,_Patagonia,_Argentina — Via Wikimedia Commons

Argentina is a surprisingly large country in South America — it’s the continent’s second-largest. Indeed, this country is the size of the three largest states (Alaska, Texas, and California) combined.

Perito_Moreno_Glacier_Patagonia_Argentina_Luca_Galuzzi_2005 — Via Wikimedia Commons

Argentina offers a stunning range and diversity of scenery, including the eye-watering region of Patagonia in the south. Argentina is one of the natural gems of this world. Argentina is an outdoors paradise that no one would ever forget, and you could just lose yourself in.

Related: 10 Iconic Campers For The Ultimate Road Trip

5
Russia

Driving is basically the way to see this largest of all countries. Unless one is happy to just see Moscow, St Petersburg and ride on the Trans-Siberian railway, one needs a car. There is so much more to this great nation than just those points of interest.

Dargavs_village.City_of_Dead.North_Ossetia.137.Alikov’s_Guard_Tower — Via Wikimedia Commons

Russia is the definition of huge and has an amazing amount of diversity. One caution though is that if driving in an east-west direction, one can literally drive for days without the scenery changing.

4
Norway

Norway is one of Europe’s stunning jewels. Everyone should see these many breathtaking fjords if one gets the chance. Norway stands apart from many other European countries.

Whereas most people go to Europe to see the old cities, most go to Norway to see their stunning outdoors. One caution though, the price of gasoline there is one of the highest in the world. Here you can have a road trip in the land of the Vikings.

3
Australia

Going to the land down under, the diversity and size of this small continent of a country will surprise many. Like America, Australia is also built for the automobile, and it offers many breathtaking landscapes.

Grampians_Halls_Gap_from_Pinnacle_-_Nov_2008 — Via Wikimedia Commons

When tripping across this red continent, you will have the whole place to yourself. Australia is only marginally smaller than the lower 48 and yet has a total population less than that of Texas — so there’s plenty of space for you!

Related: 25 Things To Check Before Going On A Road Trip

2
Canada

Centre_Block_-_Parliament_Hill — Via Wikimedia Commons

America’s polite northern neighbor is also a stunning place for a road trip. The country is massive and diverse and while the gas is normally more expensive than America, it is cheaper than most of the Western World.

Garibaldi_Lake2,_Beautiful_British_Columbia — Via Wikimedia Commons

If you are coming from the USA, then you can even bring your own car. It can be annoying selecting from the poor selection of rental cars available in many countries. Especially explore the Western part of Canada!

1
The United States

Dawn_on_the_S_rim_of_the_Grand_Canyon_(8645178272) — Via Wikimedia Commons

Saving the best for last, the United States is unquestionably one of the best, if not the very best for road tripping. The whole country is just set up for driving. The US has some of the best highway systems in the world, and every town and city is designed to accommodate cars.

Yosemite_National_Park_Mountains_Waterfall — Via Wikimedia Commons

Additionally, America boasts some of the cheapest gasoline prices in the West. America is also massive and truly diverse, it really is the nomad’s dream.

In summary, some countries are just made for road tripping, and they will make you fall in love with them.