Jebel Hafeet named one of the world's most picturesque road trip routes

The drive to Abu Dhabi's highest peak sits alongside Australia's Great Ocean Road and Big Sur in the US in a new survey

Jebel Hafeet offers the third most beautiful road trip in the world, according to a Pentagon Motor Group survey. Courtesy Pentagon Motor Group

Jebel Hafeet is the site of one of the most beautiful road trip routes in the world, according to new research.

Pentagon Motor Group analysed more than seven million Instagram hashtags to determine the world's most beautiful road trip routes, based on photos per mile. The Great Ocean Road in Australia emerged as the most Instagrammed road trip route, followed by Big Sur in California and, in third place, Jebel Hafeet.

Travelling in the comfort of your car

With many people still wary of international travel and staycations continuing to rise in popularity, Pentagon Motor Group set out to discover the most visually arresting journeys that travellers could take from the comfort of their cars.

There are an impressive 1,321,570 hashtagged images of the 253-kilometre Great Ocean Road on Instagram, meaning about 8,418 pictures are taken for every 1.6 kilometre stretch of road. Constructed in 1932, the route runs along the south-eastern coast of Australia, between the cities of Torquay and Allansford, and continues to be one of the most popular tourist attractions in Australia.

The US is home to the highest number of scenic routes. Big Sur is the most popular, with 5,226 pictures per 1.6 kilometres, but Blue Ridge Parkway, Going-To-The-Sun Road, Route 66, California's Tioga Pass and Hana Highway also appear in the top 20.

Route 66 is the longest route on the list, covering 4,000 kilometres, cutting through eight American states – California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois – and spanning three time zones.

Driving to Abu Dhabi's highest peak

Meanwhile, 4,840 pictures per 1.6 kilometres were posted of Jebel Hafeet. Standing at the border between Al Ain and Oman, and rising to a height of 1,249 metres, Jebel Hafeet is Abu Dhabi’s highest peak, and the second tallest mountain in the UAE. The craggy limestone peak offers expansive views of Al Ain and has also been the site of significant fossil discoveries.

“Despite the looming question over international travel, road trips are still on the cards, thanks to the luxury and convenience of our wheels,” says Jonathan Lingham, marketing director at Pentagon Motor Group.

“As there are so many driving holiday destinations around the globe, we were curious to find out which route is officially the most beautiful.

"It’s great to see so many bucket-list-worthy road trips cropping up from all around the world – from the UK to Australia, and Norway to the US. It proves that everyone can jump in their car and embark on an epic adventure.”

The most beautiful road trip routes in the world

If you are planning a road trip in the near future, here are the 20 most beautiful routes in the world, as per Pentagon Motor Group’s findings:

1. Great Ocean Road, Australia
2. Big Sur, US
3. Jebel Hafeet, UAE
4. Hai Van Pass, Vietnam
5. Chapman's Peak Drive, South Africa
6. Blue Ridge Parkway, US
7. Going-To-The-Sun Road, US
8. Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland
9. Olympic Peninsula Loop, US
10. Icefields Parkway, Canada
11. Route 66, US
12. Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, Austria
13. Pacific Highway, Australia
14. Tioga Pass, US
15. Military Road, UK
16. Cabot Trail, Canada
17. Hana Highway, US
18. The Atlantic Road, Norway
19. Causeway Coastal Route, Northern Ireland
20. North Coast 500, Scotland