15 Places You Should Never Go

• Holidays are a chance to relax and forget about your daily stresses.
But do some places replace stress with actual threats?
What kind of problems are hidden behind the hotels and beach loungers?
Here are fifteen most dangerous places for tourists on earth.
15 - , The Philippines • The 7000 islands that make up the Philippines
offer gorgeous beaches and tropical forests, as well as historically cosmopolitan cities
like Manila.
But thanks to the martial regime of President Duterte, tourists can also get a glimpse of
a drug war on a scale unseen elsewhere.
From 2016 to 2017, government-supported vigilante groups have killed at least 8000 drug users
and sellers.
So, any backpackers hoping to light up a joint on the beach may want to think twice.
14 - , Madidi National Park • In Northwest Bolivia, the jungles of Madidi
National Park are home to one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world.
Intrepid visitors might meet over 200 species of mammal, and an incredible 11% of the world's
bird species in Madidi.
However, trekkers are also likely to encounter poisonous spiders, frogs and plants, as well
as vicious wild pigs, large caimans, piranhas and last but not least, swarms of malarial
mosquitoes.
13 - , El Salvador • Despite being the most dangerous country
in central America, and having one of the highest homicide rates on the planet, many
tourists still head to the small republic for its volcanoes and picturesque colonial
towns.
Powerful gangs operate in the cities, running drugs and arms trafficking cartels.
The majority of murders are gang-related, so tourists who stick to the largely untouched
natural areas are unlikely to be affected.
12 - , Spanish bull runs • The tradition of bull running in Spain
is said to have come from cattle herders trying to hurry their livestock to market, over 600
years ago.
The most famous bull run takes place in Pamplona, which has seen 15 deaths in the last century.
But the popularity of the sport in other towns means that several people die each year.
There were 12 fatalities across the country in 2015, as well as hundreds of injuries.
11 - , Turkey • Turkey has experienced a lot of instability
in recent years, even before the chaotic Istanbul riots of 2013.
A hard-line religious government, combined with extremist attacks have led a lot of governments
to discourage travel to many parts of the country.
Despite this, Istanbul continues to attract millions of tourists to its mosques and markets,
and many travellers are still seeking out the stunning landscapes of Cappadocia.
10 - , New Smyrna Beach • Florida receives a healthy number of tourists,
mostly to the world-famous Disneyland, but many come to enjoy the Miami beaches and the
swamps of the Everglades.
But as well as the alligators, many of the beaches suffer from a high number of shark
attacks.
New Smyrna Beach in particular has been dubbed 'shark attack capital of the world', with
as many as 24 attacks per year, some of which are fatal.
9 - , Tunisia • Boasting golden sands and clear Mediterranean
waters, tourism to the coastal African state of Tunisia has been popular since 1960, but
numbers are declining as foreign offices warn against travel.
In 2015, 38 people, mostly British, were killed at a beach resort shooting, giving Tunisia
a reputation of danger.
Reports have even suggested that Tataouine, the filming location for Luke Skywalker's
home, has been taken over by militants.
8 - , Egypt • The land of the Pharaohs is another African
nation plagued by extremism, with shootings and bomb attacks hitting locals and tourists
alike.
Many governments advise against travel to all but the main tourist sites such as Cairo,
Luxor and Alexandria, so no need to cancel that trip to the Pyramids just yet.
Nevertheless, cities like Cairo are famous for the ingenious scams that target the unwary
tourist.
7 - , Acapulco • From Spring Break to Honeymoon, many Americans
and other tourists head down into Mexico to enjoy the sunshine and exciting food.
Among the destinations is the city of Acapulco, with its lovely white beaches and an average
homicide rate of 800 people a year.
Gang activity has made this perilous paradise one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
Cartel assassins have even used jet skis to carry out beach attacks, no doubt terrifying
the sunbathers.
6 - , Yemen • The Land of Milk and Honey, home to the
Queen of Sheba, Yemen is a culturally and biologically fascinating region in the Middle
East.
But tourism has dried up since the beginning of a civil war in 2011, with rebels often
targeting Westerners in attacks.
Sadly, this means that travellers are missing out on incredible places such as Socatra,
a highly biodiverse island largely unchanged in 20 million years.
5 - , Mount Everest • Few destinations have as high a risk as
the ascent of Mount Everest.
A sobering one in twenty of all attempts end in death, due to a variety of factors including
pneumonia, hurricanes, exhaustion, falling into a crevasse and earthquake-triggered avalanches,
the last of which killed 19 people at base camp in 2015.
The inexperience of first-time climbers and the dizzying altitude leads people to make
rash and often fatal decisions.
4 - , Venezuela • Home of the towering Angel Falls, and
the hiker's paradise of Mérida, Venezuela is one of numerous countries in South America
that draw in visitors thanks to its landscape and low prices.
But political and economic instability have ravaged the country in recent years, and it
has since stolen Colombia's reputation as the continent's danger zone.
The country has also been hit by food and medicine shortages, so it is best avoided
if you need either of those things.
3 - , Mount Hua Shan • Hikers seeking the most dangerous path
of all should head to Shaanxi ('shaensi') in China where for thousands of years, locals
have been carving various routes up Hua Shan, a 2 kilometre high mountain.
The treacherous pathway includes planks of wood bolted to the side of the mountain face,
steep staircases and vertical ascents.
China's official statistics put the death toll at zero, but other sources go as high
as 100 per year.
2 - , Death Road • Claiming the title of most dangerous road
in the world, The North Yungus road connects the Bolivian capital of La Paz to the town
of Cocoico, 40 miles' drive away.
This winding road varies by 3000 metres in altitude, squeezes to a few metres in width
and offers little protection from the steep drops or falling rocks.
The route claims roughly 300 lives every year, so it's nickname is definitely well-earned.
1 - North Korea • Travel to the oppressive military dictatorship
of North Korea is available to anyone willing to register with the state-approved tourism
groups, pay nearly $2000 for the privilege, surrender their communication devices and
put up with 24-hour surveillance for the duration of their stay.
Any unauthorised interaction with locals will result in swift punishment.
The death of a 21-year old US tourist confirms the high-risk: he ended up in a coma in a
North Korean labour camp for the alleged crime of stealing
a poster.

15 Places You Should Never Go

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