13 Most Dangerous Destinations Even the Florida Man Won’t Dare to Go
Scared to travel? You should be. At least, you should be if you visit anywhere on the coming list. You see, some parts of the world are the exact opposite of “tourist friendly.” Unlike most travel destinations, they’re dangerous, hostile, and inhospitable.
From deadly animals and hazardous terrain to poisonous environments and people who mean you harm, any attempt to explore involves a serious risk. In fact, for many of the places we’re about to talk about, there’s no guarantee you’d make it out alive. Without further ado, here are 13 of the most dangerous destinations on the planet.
1. Valley of Death, Russia
In the far east of Russia lies a curious volcanic landscape called the Kamchatka Peninsula. It’s otherworldly, beautiful, and biodiverse. But it holds a deadly secret: taking a stroll through one of its valleys can have fatal consequences. They call it the Valley of Death.
If you visit, you’ll likely spot the remains of unfortunate rabbits, foxes, birds, and even bears that have set foot there and perished. The culprit? Carbon dioxide. The gas is thought to seep up from the ground, pool in the valley’s dips, and prove fatal to anything passing through.
2. Snake Island, Brazil
Off the coast of Sao Paulo is a small island home to thousands of deadly snakes. Its official name is Ilha da Queimada Grande, but most people know it as Snake Island. These aren’t your typical serpents, either. They’re golden lancehead vipers – one of the world’s deadliest species.
Trapped on the island by rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age, they evolved into bird-catching specialists with highly toxic venom. The island is officially closed to the public, partly because it’s too dangerous.
3. Fairy Meadows Road, Pakistan
Fairy Meadows is the name German climbers gave to an idyllic spot in North Pakistan, where verdant plateaus lie beneath the towering peak of Nanga Parbat – the world’s ninth biggest mountain.
In stark contrast to this heavenly scene is the road to get there. The road to Fairy Meadows is notoriously one of the most dangerous on earth. Hewn from the cliffs, it’s a narrow gravel track with insane exposure and nothing separating you from a heart-stopping drop.
4. Oymyakon, Russia
Oymyakon is a remote village in eastern Siberia and one of the world’s coldest inhabited places. According to The Weather Channel, the average temperature hovers at a teeth-chattering -58°F (-50°C). The coldest temperature recorded there was -96.2°F (-71.2°C).
The name is ironic, though. Oymyakon means “unfrozen water.” However, this is a reference to thermal springs found in the area. Apparently, this spot was once a go-to location for reindeer herders.
5. North Sentinel Island, Andaman Islands
This small, forested island in the Andaman Islands is home to an uncontacted tribe. While nobody really knows what they call themselves, they’re known on the outside as the Sentinelese.
If you value your life, don’t go. They’ve killed many people who have attempted to visit. And for good reason. Their lack of contact with the outside world means they have no immunity to our diseases – even common ones, like the flu. If they let us in, there’s a high risk they’d be decimated by any outbreaks of disease that followed.
6. Ramree Island, Myanmar
If you Google the “most dangerous islands in the world,” Ramree Island features close to the top. Why? Mainly because of a gruesome incident at the end of World War Two, when hundreds of retreating Japanese troops were forced into the marshes around the island.
Unfortunately for them, these murky waters were full of hungry saltwater crocodiles. For decades, the story went that 980 men were eaten alive.
Yet new evidence suggests the crocodile-related death toll was much lower. Some claim just 10 to 15 men lost their lives this way. Factors like gunfire, dehydration, and disease are now thought to have caused most of the deaths. Today, very few saltwater crocodiles remain here.
7. Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands
Bikini Atoll is (or was) a paradisiacal location in the Marshall Islands. Sadly, following World War Two, it became a place of heartache and destruction when the US government turned it into a nuclear weapon testing site.
The 167 locals who lived on Bikini Atoll were forced to leave in 1946, and 23 nuclear tests were conducted in the following 12 years. Attempts were made to relocate residents back to their homeland in the 1970s, but they soon had to leave again due to the intense radioactivity.
Although you’re allowed to visit these days (it’s become a popular dive site), eating or drinking anything produced there remains too dangerous.
8. North Yungas Road, Bolivia
North Yungas Road is Bolivia’s answer to Pakistan’s Fairy Meadows Road. Nicknamed Death Road, it’s a precarious gravel track carved high up a cliffside between La Paz and a town called Coroico.
Pictures don’t do it justice. It’s the driving equivalent of walking a tightrope. The road is narrow, rough, full of blind corners, and has nothing separating drivers from a sheer 600-meter-drop. It’s also two-way traffic, meaning cars and bikes come in both directions, squeezing past each other with inches between them and the cliff-edge.
9. Réunion Island, France
It might be a French territory, but Réunion Island is actually located east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It’s reminiscent of Hawaii, with a volcanic, forest-covered interior, pristine beaches, striking mountains, and incredible biodiversity.
You’d call it a paradise on earth if it wasn’t for the sharks. The water around the island is notorious for them – and they’re hungry, too. With over 50 recorded attacks between 1988 and 2016, swimming, diving, and water sports have all been banned.
10. Madidi National Park, Bolivia
Madidi National Park is another Bolivian destination with a deadly reputation. However, the danger comes from its rich biodiversity. This jungle-covered landscape in the southwest Amazon is world-renowned for the diverse fauna and flora that reside there.
Thick, disorientating jungle and an abundance of dangerous wildlife mean it isn’t somewhere you want to go alone. Poisonous plants and insects, venomous snakes, black alligators, and jaguars are just a few of the potential hazards you’d face.
11. Hanakapiai Beach, Hawaii
The Hawaiian Archipelago is famous for its breathtaking landscapes and pristine stretches of sand. However, it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows there. Tucked away on Kauai’s Na Pali Coast is one of the world’s most dangerous beaches.
Accessible exclusively via the Kalalau Trail, Hanakapiai Beach is a ribbon of sand backed by rugged cliffs and dense forest. It’s a beautiful spot – but looks can be deceiving. This place is renowned for intense rip currents and waves that regularly pull people out to sea.
12. La Rinconada, Peru
Part town, part slum, La Rinconada is a remote and lawless settlement in the Peruvian Andes. Nestled 5,100 meters above sea level in the shadow of an incredible glacier, it’s officially the highest permanent settlement on the planet.
Tens of thousands of people have moved to this isolated location for one reason: gold. With limited job prospects elsewhere, they come to work in the mines here. However, while there’s gold to be found, there’s no infrastructure to maintain everyone.
La Rinconada has no plumbing or sanitation systems, levels of pollution are obscene, the risk of hypoxia is ever-present because of the altitude, and the environment has been contaminated by toxic mercury due to the mining. Throw in a wealth of social problems, and this is one location you wouldn’t want to move to any time soon.
13. Lake Karachay, Russia
Welcome to the most radioactive lake on Earth. Located in the southern Ural Mountains in western Russia, Lake Karachay was used for years by the Soviets as a dumping ground for radioactive waste.
It’s relatively small – about 900 meters long and a maximum of 500 meters wide. However, its waters are so indescribably irradiated that standing next to it for an hour is said to be enough to kill you.
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