17 quirky modes of transport travel enthusiasts will LOVE

Weird but wonderful ways to get around

Planes, trains, cars and bikes... we're all used to these forms of public transport. But around the world there are all sorts of unconventional ways of getting from A to B.

Click through the gallery to discover quirky modes of transport that prove the old adage: it's not the destination but the journey that matters...

Bamboo train, Cambodia

This simple wooden platform is a norry, or 'bamboo train', which runs on railway tracks. The original Cambodian bamboo train was built during the UN's peacekeeping operation during the early 1990s and it ran on disused tracks from Battambang to the surrounding countryside. It quickly became popular with backpackers as a fun experience but was shut down in October 2017 to make for a new railway link.

Bamboo train, Cambodia

Today, it's back in a somewhat more contrived form – and is a good 12 miles (19km) out of the city – but it's still used by national and international tourists exploring the Banan temple area. Passengers sit on a bamboo platform and the vehicle is powered by a small motor at the back. If two norries meet on the tracks, passengers have to disembark while the driver removes the vehicle from the rails to let the other pass, and reassembles it all before going onward.

Chicken buses, Guatemala

Known locally as camionetas, Guatemala's 'chicken buses' are former American school buses turned spruced-up rides. This gaudy public transport, with their go-faster stripes and bright, brash colours, are an essential experience in Antigua or Guatemala City. Hop on board with locals and Indigenous families for the bumpy ride.

Chicken buses, Guatemala

Before you depart, street vendors will walk the aisles offering food, books and medicines. On the journey, expect to listen to whatever cheesy, blaring music your driver chooses.

Wicker toboggans, Madeira, Portugal

In the 19th century, these wicker baskets mounted on a wooden sled-like contraption used to be the transport of choice for locals wanting to travel down the hill from Monte to Funchal. The toboggans are guided down the slope by two men dressed in white, wearing straw hats and rubber boots which act as the brakes.

Wicker toboggans, Madeira, Portugal

Today, they're a key attraction in Madeira and carry thousands of tourists each year. It's an ideal way to see the back streets of Monte and Funchal, and enjoy views over the bay. 

Tuk-tuks, Thailand

Originally from Japan, tuk-tuks, or auto rickshaws, are now found all over Asia. Japan stopped using the three-wheeled vehicles by the 1960s and today you'll commonly find them in Thailand, zipping tourists and locals between their destinations for a few hundred baht. 

Tuk-tuks, Thailand

There are 30,000 tuk-tuks registered as taxis in Thailand, almost 50% of which can be found in Bangkok. They typically seat two to three passengers, but it's not uncommon to see five or more locals piled into one of these vehicles. There's no doubt that whizzing along the back roads and highways of Bangkok in one of these is a hair-raising but thrilling experience.

Coco Taxis, Cuba

Similar to the Asian auto rickshaws, these three-wheeled vehicles are a cheap means of getting around Havana, Trinidad and Varadero in Cuba. Introduced in the 1990s, the cute little taxis got their name because they resemble the shape of a coconut. The Cocotaxi website describes the ride as a "dangerous but adventurous" experience.

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Coco Taxis, Cuba

Questionable safety aside, it's a refreshing way to see a Cuban city on a hot and humid day. Just be sure to agree to the price before hopping in – travellers are regularly overcharged. 

Pousse-pousse, Madagascar

The name of Madagascar's cheapest form of transport, pousse-pousse, translates as 'push push', even though the runner actually pulls the cart from the front. Popular with the wealthy since the 19th century, they are prevalent throughout the country today and there are now 3,300 of the vehicles registered in the city of Antsirabe alone.

Pousse-pousse, Madagascar

The runners usually travel barefoot, allowing them to move faster and not worry about losing their shoes. The pousse-pousse are usually owned by a large umbrella company and rented to the individual operators for around 2,000 Malagasy ariary (approximately 35 pence/44 cents) per day. A ride can cost anywhere between 1,000 and 3,000 ariary. 

Bike escalators, Trondheim, Norway

Hailed as the 'solution to hills', the Norwegian city of Trondheim has come up with an ingenious way of tackling one particularly steep incline. The Cyclocable, an escalator for cyclists, makes scaling Brubakken Hill a breeze.

Bike escalators, Trondheim, Norway

Cyclists keep their left foot on the bike pedal and place their right foot on the starting plate, which will begin to move along the track, carrying the cyclist and bicycle along too. It's not a cheap addition to the city's public transport system – it cost around £2,300 ($3,000) per yard to install – but it's proved a hit with the hundreds of thousands of locals and tourists who have used it.

Dog sleds, Alaska, USA

An essential Alaskan experience, dog sledding is one of the most exhilarating ways of getting around this state in winter. Historically a form of transport after heavy snowfall, dog sledding fell out of fashion when snowmobiles were invented in the mid-20th century. Today, though, dog sledding is a big sport in this northern US state – and big tourist business. 

Dog sleds, Alaska, USA

Book onto a dog sledding tour and a pack of lively, powerful pups – usually malamutes or Siberian huskies – will haul you through the snow at break-neck speed, barking all the way. To see the sledding at its finest, head to Anchorage in March to watch thousands of dogs (and their drivers) take part in the roughly 1,100-mile (1,770km) Iditarod Race. 

The O-Bahn, Adelaide, Australia

Is it a bus? Is it a train? No, it's an O-Bahn. Invented as a way for buses and trams to share routes and tunnels in Essen, Germany, it's now Adelaide's fastest connection between the city centre and the northeast suburbs. Launched in 1986, the O-Bahn replaced plans for a tramway and now these guided buses are an efficient mode of transport for over 30,000 people daily. 

The O-Bahn, Adelaide, Australia

The vehicles follow tracks like a train or tram would, but also drive on the roads meaning they can serve even the most suburban of areas. While in most cities, buses have a reputation for being the slowest form of transport, the Adelaide O-Bahn can reach up to 60 miles per hour (97km/h) thanks to its traffic-free tracks. 

Personal Rapid Transit, West Virginia, USA

This might not look particularly special, but it's America's only personal rapid transit (PRT) system. Opened in 1975 to avoid buses creating gridlock in the city centre, it serves downtown Morgantown and the West Virginia University Campus. The small transit pods, which can carry up to 16 passengers, travel along tracks raised above the city roads at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour (48km/h). 

Personal Rapid Transit, West Virginia, USA

Every year in October, the students and staff at WVU take part in the 'PRT Cram' event, in which they attempt to get as many people as possible into the cars. In 2000, a record 97 people were crammed into a single pod. 

Funiculars, Valparaíso, Chile

This UNESCO-listed city is famous for its undulating hills that tumble down towards the South Pacific coast. In the early 1900s, as a means to connect the businesses of the Lower Town to the neighbourhoods in the hills above, a series of funiculars (or ascensores) were built for residents and workers in the city.

Funiculars, Valparaíso, Chile

Today, these funiculars are not just a brilliant way to get around and admire the view over the city, but they're also works of art. Many have been painted by local artists in bright colours or with beautiful murals to brighten up the landscape. 

Horse trams, Isle of Man

The Isle of Man has many unique qualities, from the three-legged emblem on its flag to using the Manx pound as currency. The island's idiosyncrasies also extend to its public transport, such as these horse-drawn trams. Found in the capital, Douglas, they once carried up to one million passengers a year in their heyday.

Horse trams, Isle of Man

Today, the trams are more of a tourist attraction than a practical means of getting around, but it's a wonderfully nostalgic way to travel along the promenade. The horses, known as trammers, tend to work for up to 15 years before retiring to the nearby Home of Rest for Old Horses, which you can visit after a ride on the tram.   

Jeepneys, Philippines

Around 200,000 of these colourful vehicles whizz around the streets of the Philippines. Originally, jeepneys were fashioned from old US military Jeeps left behind after the Second World War. Enterprising locals would modify and decorate them to make the cars suitable for public transport. Today, they're manufactured specifically for public transit and ferry millions of Filipinos and daring tourists – the fairly ad hoc system isn't exactly easy to navigate for foreigners – from A to B.

Jeepneys, Philippines

Today, the Philippines government has launched a jeepney modernisation programme, and hopes to replace traditional jeepneys – which have been criticised for their safety record and carbon emissions – with more eco-friendly and efficient models. There is some concern that this will drive many jeepney companies into debt and change this quirky transport system forever. 

Reed boats, Lake Titicaca, Peru

Reeds are quite literally the bedrock of the Uros community on Lake Titicaca in Peru. The Indigenous people, whose ancestors predate the Incas, use totora reeds, which grow around the lake, to build their homes and reed boats. 

Reed boats, Lake Titicaca, Peru

The boats have been used for thousands of years in this part of the world and today tourists can also use them to get around on Lake Titicaca. The best way to visit this community is on a homestay tour: you'll be picked up from your hotel in nearby Puno, head straight to the lake to visit some islands via reed boat, then stay overnight with a local family. 

Felucca, Egypt

An iconic sight on the Nile, feluccas are a typical Egyptian boat still in use today in riverside cities such as Aswan and Luxor. Traditionally made from wood – though plastic is more common these days – they have a single sail and a flat, open deck scattered with cushions and blankets for passengers. Feluccas have been used throughout history, since the time of the Pharaohs, to ferry people and goods along this famous waterway.

Felucca, Egypt

A felucca cruise along the Nile is an idyllic and peaceful way to see some of the country's most interesting sites, such as Nekheb (also known today as El Kab), the former capital of Upper Egypt, and the Temple of Kom Ombo. Take a two-day tour and you'll get to camp out under the stars on the deck.

Wuppertal Monorail, Germany

It might look like this monorail is upside down, but this is no optical illusion. The Wuppertal Monorail is a suspended monorail, meaning it travels along a track above it, rather than below. Opened in 1901, it carries more than 80,000 passengers daily along its 20 stops peppered throughout the city and along the river. 

Wuppertal Monorail, Germany

Described by local poet Else Lasker-Schüler as a "steely dragon", the monorail was made world-famous by an elephant in 1950. As part of a PR stunt by a local circus, Tuffi the elephant rode the monorail for a short while before smashing through the window of the carriage and into the Wupper river below. Fortunately she escaped with minor injuries, despite the almost 40-foot (12m) fall.

Cargo trucks, Northern Kenya

Until 2017, the asphalt highway that led from Nairobi to the northern border with Ethiopia stopped 220 miles (354km) short. Beyond the small roadside settlement of Merille was just a rocky track carved out of the desert floor by cargo trucks – the only vehicles that could withstand the terrible road conditions. 

Cargo trucks, Northern Kenya

Today, even though the road is now paved, locals – and a few intrepid tourists – still use cargo trucks to travel around the north of Kenya and between the extremely remote villages. The cheapest option is to ride up top, but for around double or triple that, you might be able to negotiate a seat in the cabin next to the driver. It's an entirely informal transport system so locals rely on word of mouth to find out when the next truck to their destination will arrive. 

Read on to discover where cruise ships, planes, trains and cars go to die

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