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Hatta has managed to edge out some others like South Africa’s Garden Route and Scotland’s North Coast. Image Credit: Gulf News archive

When UAE residents think of a weekend road trip, one of the first names that pops up is Hatta. Whether it is for a peaceful picnic with family or for some kayaking fun, the expansive Hatta Dam is unrivalled in its popularity. Winding along the majestic Hajar Mountains, the road that leads to Hatta is as spectacular as the destination is. In fact, that strip of tarmac is one of the top choices for us here at wheels whenever we have to go mountain-carving in a high performance car.

While this is no secret to local populace, the beauty and serenity of Hatta isn’t known much outside of the country. All that could change soon as this enclave south-east of Dubai has earned one of the top spots in the list of the world’s most Instagrammed road trip destinations.

According to an analysis of more than 12 million Instagram posts, Hatta is placed at number 7 among the top 20 most Instagrammed trips over the last 5 years. While iconic stretches like Australia’s Great Ocean Road and America’s Route 66 are ahead of it, Hatta has managed to edge out some others like South Africa’s Garden Route and Scotland’s North Coast.

However, while it’s great that our very own Hatta has made it big in such a list, we don’t believe the number of Instagram posts on a particular destination or road makes it any superior to the others below it on the list. Otherwise, Italy’s fabled Stelvio Pass wouldn’t be the last at number 20!

This list was drawn up by Dubai-based wecashanycar on the basis of their research.

Below is the full list of Top 20 Most Instagrammed Road Trips in the World

  1. Great Ocean Road, Australia - 87,190 posts
  2. Route 66, USA - 62,680 posts
  3. The Outback, Australia - 42,918 posts
  4. The Big Sur, USA - 33,416 posts
  5. Monument Valley, USA - 31,332 posts
  6. Pacific Coast Highway, USA - 28,107 posts
  7. Hatta, UAE - 25,929 posts
  8. Tuscany, Italy - 21,277 posts
  9. Sicily, Italy - 14,628 posts
  10. North Coast 500, Scotland - 12,674 posts
  11. Amalfi Coast, Italy – 8,337 posts
  12. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia – 8,075 posts
  13. Blue Ridge Parkway, USA – 7,613 posts
  14. Garden Route, South Africa – 6,892 posts
  15. The Road to Hana, Hawaii – 6,704 posts
  16. Iceland’s Parkway, Canada – 6,400 posts
  17. Route 1, Iceland – 6,086 posts
  18. Transfargarasan Road, Romania – 3,420 posts
  19. The Cabot Trail, Canada – 2,984 posts
  20. Stelvio Pass, Italy – 2,537 posts