Checkpoint wow: Border crossings with a difference

Stepping up to the immigration counter, my heart is racing. I always seem to get nervous entering a country, as though I've got kilos of drugs strapped to my body (I don't), or I've lied on the official form about ever committing genocide (I haven't).

This time, it's not nerves bringing on the palpitations, but the scenery. Here, on the border of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, with the official immigration facilities just a smattering of small buildings, I'm enthralled by the expansive plains glistening in snow, the piercing blue sky, and the distant mountains rising up like a fortress of ice. For Australians, who are so used to flying to other countries, any border crossing by land can be a novelty. But around the world, there are some border crossings that are weirder and more wonderful than the rest.

After a fascinating tour in North Korea, I chose to leave Pyongyang by train (an option unavailable to US citizens, who must fly out). After hours watching the countryside from a four-berth sleeper cabin, the border with China brought the trip to a crashing halt. All passengers were locked in their cabins for more than an hour as North Korean guards came by one at a time to collect passports and immigration forms. While the documents were taken away to a building for processing, the guards searched our baggage, until finally the train rolled across the river to the Chinese city of Dandong.

TIP: Bring food and drink for the train. Although a meal is usually included, I was warned it was likely dog meat.

It may not be quite as high as the Khunjerab Pass, but my crossing from Argentina to Chile, 3200 metres up in the Andes, was still spectacular. The breathtaking journey takes you from vineyards, past glacial lakes, up to the three-kilometre tunnel cutting right through a mountain where you'll technically go from one country to another. The immigration checks at either end of the tunnel are watched by a huge elevated bronze statue of Christ ... which you may want to ask for protection before the long series of tight switchbacks descending on the Chilean side.

TIP: There are regular buses between Mendoza and Santiago but reserve a seat in advance because they can fill up.

Of all the stunning borders in Central Asia, the most dramatic is the Khunjerab Pass, known as the world's highest paved international crossing. It's 4693 metres above sea level, and the conditions are so extreme that the border is closed in winter because cars can't get through. Even in summer, the air is bitingly cold, with the surrounding mountains capped in snow. But it's been a popular route for centuries and you can also stop to visit some nearby historic caravanserai that remain from the days of the Silk Road.

TIP: If you need cash, the Pakistani side has the highest ATM in the world.

There's so much news about issues with the USA's southern border, it seems inconceivable an official crossing wouldn't have guards ... but there is one, where Big Bend National Park in Texas meets the Mexican town of Boquillas. The US side just has a kiosk where you scan your passport and speak by phone to a remote border agent, with the occasional languid glance from a park ranger. The crossing itself is just a 30-metre stretch across the Rio Grande - but with no road, you have to either use a rowboat or walk across (if the river level is low enough).

TIP: With no vehicle access, it's not a practical port of entry and is designed mainly for day trips to Boquillas.

There's only one place in the world where four countries meet, at Africa's "quadripoint" (or "double tripoint" to be exact) of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The borders converge around the crocodile-infested Zambezi River and, until 2021, the only way to cross it was by a precarious ferry that trucks sometimes had to wait days to use. Now, the modern 923-metre-long Kazungula Bridge traverses the waterway to connect Botswana and Zambia, designed with a curve so that it doesn't encroach on the other two countries.

TIP: With road, rail, bike and footpath options, you can use the bridge however you're travelling.

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Arriving into the tiny British territory of Gibraltar, I decided my hotel was close enough to walk to. Little did I realise that the footpath from the border goes right across the airport's runway, causing me to nervously look to the sky as I pulled my suitcase over rubber skid marks. It's a fun way to start a visit, but leaving often isn't quite as enjoyable, with Spanish immigration authorities notoriously slow. Officially, they say it's because they need to check people aren't abusing Gibraltar's tax-free shopping, but locals claim it's done out of spite because of the disagreement over who the territory should belong to.

TIP: Parking is limited in Gibraltar so, if you're driving, it's usually better to leave the car in Spain and walk over the border.

Finally, a border crossing where you don't even need to show your passport. The European Union has so many unrestricted borders that you're likely to cross many of them without realising (as 170 Swiss soldiers did into Liechtenstein one time, almost sparking a diplomatic crisis). To make it a bit of an experience, though, take the five-kilometre-long Panoramic Mont Blanc Cable Car that glides across the Alps, crossing between France and Italy while you're more than 3500 metres high, with incredible views of glaciers and the iconic Mont Blanc. Other cable cars link it to the towns of Chamonix (France) and Courmayeur (Italy), so you don't have to double-back at any point.

TIP: Going all the way between Chamonix and Courmayeur will cost 141 euros ($234) one way, but you'll save a bit by booking online.

Pictures: Shutterstock; Unsplash; Simo Rasanen