There are places in the world where
pirates, drug lords, armed robbers, or terrorists would kidnap you, gun you
down, or slice you up without a second thought. There are places where you could burn
or freeze to death before you even know what’s happening to you. There are even places
where, if you step foot in the wrong area, you could be blown into a pink mist by
an undetonated World War One munition. And as your personal anti-travel agents, we’re
here to tell you about all of those and more! Make sure you watch all the way through to
ensure that your next family vacation doesn’t become another horrifying data point in Worst
Places in the World to Travel Part Three! So, let’s put on our body armor,
radiation suits, and gas masks, and take flight on a crash course through
the world’s most dangerous places! Let’s start with something a little more
familiar: Mount Everest, Nepal. It’s one of the most recognized natural landmarks on
earth, as well as the world’s tallest mountain, at 8,848 meters or around 29,000 feet. Some
eager mountaineers have paid over $50,000 for guided climbs to the mountain’s highest
peak, and if you decide to pay that hefty sum, you’re likely to see some of the multi-colored
frozen corpses of the over 330 people who’ve died on the mountain in recorded history. Why are
all these corpses left up there, you may ask? The trip is dangerous as it is, so in most
cases, it simply isn’t worth risking another fatality to retrieve the bodies. And we’re sorry
to tell you that this is actually getting worse: In 2023 alone, it’s believed that 17 people
have died on the mountain due to increasingly severe weather conditions thanks to our old pal
climate change. We personally wouldn’t advise you to try your own climb on the iconic mountain
- Because you just might become a part of it. But if you’re an American, fear not - You
don’t need to travel all the way to Nepal to die on a famous mountain. You can just
make a trip to Mount Washington, USA. At just over 6,000 feet or 1829 meters tall, this
New Hampshire behemoth has taken 160 lives since record-keeping began in 1849. What makes this
scenic mountain such a deadly place to travel to? It’s been the site where the highest wind
speed in the last 60 years was recorded, 231 miles per hour (372 km/h) back in 1934,
as well as having been recorded hitting temperatures of -50 degrees Fahrenheit
(-46 degrees Celcius). Fuse the two, and you’ve got a recipe for some of the deadliest
windchill effects in the world—couple that with its difficult terrain, and you’ve got
an even deadlier recipe for disaster. So let’s maybe get away from the mountains, for
the sake of your safety. How about a relaxing stay beside a lake? You might even be tempted to
take a dip - Well, unless the lake you’re visiting is Lake Natron in Tanzania. The name Natron is
short for “Natrocarbonatite”, the scientific label for the chemical runoff from the nearby Ol
Doinyo Lengai volcano, made from a mix of highly concentrated sodium and potassium carbonate. If
you’re thinking, “Immersing myself in water filled with those chemicals seems like a bad idea”, that
may be your survival instincts talking to you. During the heat of summer, the lake’s temperature
can rise to 60 degrees Celsius (140 Fahrenheit), which can cause third-degree burns in
a matter of seconds. In other words, if you fell into this lake, you’d likely be burned
to death before having your corpse calcified into a horrific statue by the chemical compounds
lurking within. Remember to bring your snorkel! Okay, okay, that lake was a bad idea.
Sue us - No, wait, don’t actually sue us! Instead, how about we offer you a beautiful
island getaway in warm, sunny Brazil? We’re talking about Ilha da Queimada Grande - Which
is also known as Snake Island. Located 90 miles off the São Paulo coast, this island
might seem like a paradise from a distance, and you’re not entirely wrong. It is
a paradise for between 2,000 to 4,000 golden lancehead vipers, the deadliest snake in
the world. If you’re a real reptile whisperer, then you might be able to have
your herpetological dream vacation. If, like the rest of us, you’re
a mere mortal terrified of the idea of being cornered and bitten by
thousands of highly venomous snakes, you might want to give this one a miss.
Sorry, they can’t all be winners, okay? Maybe for you, the ideal vacation isn’t
about relaxation - It’s about excitement. Maybe you’re a gearhead, who loves to tear up
the road in luxury cars, or perhaps you’re an adrenaline junkie with a proclivity for mountain
biking or BMX riding. Maybe the perfect trip for you would be the infamous North Yungas Road in
Bolivia, also known by a nickname as frightening as it is obvious: Death Road. At 43 miles or 69
kilometers long, it’s a winding nightmare that, prior to some modernization efforts in
1994, often killed up to 300 drivers a year. It’s still been responsible for
dozens of deaths in the years since. So, why is North Yungas Road such a horrific
death trap? The mountainside switchback is a road that isn’t more than ten feet, or
three meters, wide, which is incredibly narrow compared to the 2000-foot, or over 600
meter, drop of its many cliffs. And if a sharp corner turn off a cliff doesn’t kill you, you’ll
have to contend with the fog, the landslides, and deadly cascades. This one is only for
the most serious drivers and cyclists, folks! But maybe you survive Death Road and decide
you still want to spend a little more time in beautiful, scenic Bolivia. If you fancy
yourself a bit of a jungle explorer, maybe you’d like to visit Madidi National
Park - Where your bones will likely become part of the soil forever. That’s because, in
addition to its stunning biodiversity, Madidi National Park is a treacherous and indifferent
mistress. From fire ants to bloodthirsty jaguars, there are plenty of animals who’ll give you a
hard time - But the rugged terrain and harsh exposure to the elements are equally likely
to put you into an incredibly humid grave. Still, it's worth it for some of
those breathtaking views, right? Maybe you’re sick of mountains and lakes. Maybe
you’d rather relax on the beach - Far away from civilization. Somewhere memorable and remote.
This is where the infamous Skeleton Coast in Namibia comes in. On the bright side, we can
definitely say that you have never relaxed on a beach like this. On the other hand, there
are some pretty horrible reasons why that’s the case. The beach itself is littered
with animal bones and wrecked ships, there are 11 different types of sharks in the
surrounding waters, and the coast is often visited by lions, hyenas, cheetahs, and more,
all looking for a fishy - or touristy - snack. They don’t call it the Skeleton
Coast for nothing, folks! Perhaps, if you’re an American vacationer
with a complete disregard for your own safety, you want to travel somewhere a little more local.
Somewhere you could even get to by car! If you happen to live in El Paso, Texas, you’re not
far from the next ominous locale on our list: Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Now, we want to
make it clear that Mexico is a beautiful country with gorgeous beaches and a rich and
interesting history - But like all countries, it’s got problems, and no place better
represents that than Ciudad Juarez. For the last several decades, Juarez has been the
site of a bloody cartel war between the brutal Juarez Cartel and the equally infamous
Sinaloa Cartel, where the officials are allegedly corrupted by the billions in narco
dollars flowing through the area. Back in 2010, it experienced 3100 murders, the highest of
anywhere in the world. Unless all that sounds like jolly good fun to you - and if it does, we’d just
like to say thank you, El Chapo, for supporting the channel! - you’d be better off staying home
than taking this particular trip down South. Maybe you’re after something a little more
chic, a little more continental. How about France? Specifically, Zone Rouge. While this
may sound like a really hip Paris nightclub, it’s actually the area surrounding the
Meuse River in northeastern France, which, just over a century ago, played host to the brutal
and bloody Battle of Verdun during World War One. It happened so long ago that literally
everyone involved in that war is now dead, but the French authorities still strongly
recommend you stay out of the area - Because this 42,000-acre territory is packed with
potentially millions of dangerous unexploded ordinances from that battle, many of them still
capable of turning you into tourist confetti. Though this is still probably
considered less of a faux pas than eating with the wrong fork
at a fancy Parisian restaurant. Maybe you want a vacation that’s really
off the beaten track. Somewhere with a great story and architecture you’ll never
forget. If that’s getting you excited, maybe you’ll enjoy a stay on Runit Island,
one of the many Pacific paradises among the Marshall Islands. On some vacations, you’ll
leave with memories, some with souvenirs, but you might leave Runit Island with acute
radiation poisoning and several malignant tumors! That’s because it’s home to the Runit Dome - a
site built between 1977 and 1980 to contain all the radioactive waste from America’s Cold War
nuclear tests. It contains 35 Olympic swimming pools’ worth of contaminated soil and debris, and
given that the dome appears to be cracking, we’d personally advise that you keep a safe distance
to keep the integrity of your DNA preserved. But perhaps you’re not all that bothered
by radiation. Maybe the thing that really bothers you is that Runit Island would be far
too hot for you. If you like your vacays cool, then you’re going to love the settlement of
Oymyakon in Russia. This quaint little village nestled in the frosty bosom of eastern Siberia
is actually the coldest inhabited settlement on earth - In 1924, it broke the terrifying lowest
inhabited temperature record by clocking in at minus 96 degrees Fahrenheit or -71 degrees
celsius, which could turn you into a popsicle in minutes. It’s so cold that even Vodka freezes
if left outside, every Russian’s worst nightmare. And this close to the Arctic Circle, it’s
not just well below freezing. It’s almost impossibly dark - with the shortest nights
of the year lasting 21 hours. If you don’t care about the idea of getting a tan on vacation,
then maybe Oymyakon is the holiday spot for you. If that made you shiver just thinking about it,
how about a warm lakeside trip? That’s right - If you love waterside vacations and could go
either way on the concept of being alive, we recommend a cabin on the side of Lake Nyos,
Cameroon. This isn’t just a scenic body of water in the delightful African nation, it’s
a lake with a real story behind it - Namely, in 1986, it released a giant bubble of toxic
gas that spread over the surrounding area and killed 1,746 people and around 8,300 livestock.
This incident, dubbed the Lake Nyos Disaster, happened as a result of huge quantities
of Carbon Dioxide from the Earth’s Mantle getting trapped at the bottom of the
lake over the course of centuries. When a landslide in the area disturbed the lake,
1.24 million tons of carbon dioxide poured out, blanketing the area and suffocating everyone
in its invisible cloud of death. Experts believe there’s a non-zero chance of another
calamity like this unfolding under the right circumstances - So maybe pencil a paddle
in Lake Nyos in at a far, far later date. For many, one of the locations on their
vacation bucket list is Australia. Sure, you may hear a lot about spiders and serial
killers like Ivan Milat, who targeted backpackers and became one of the primary inspirations
for the Wolf Creek horror film franchise, but it’s a country with a lot to offer:
breathtaking views, world-class beaches, and unique wildlife. But you won’t find any of
these at the Wittenoom Ghost Town. This town was literally taken off the official maps in 2007
to avoid people visiting it, and these days, you can be criminally prosecuted if you try to
enter - For your own safety. Why did this little Western Australian town get abandoned? Because
it was originally an asbestos mining town. You can probably put the rest together
yourself. At least the Australian government is seemingly getting around to
demolishing the blighted town at long last. Our next two dangerous travel locations have
so much in common that you might have trouble choosing which one not to visit first. Take
Monrovia, the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Fans of Vice documentaries
probably felt a familiar twinge upon hearing that - Because the Liberian civil war was one of
the most horrifying in living memory, featuring mass death, child soldiers, and a particularly
violent warlord who went by the nickname “General Butt Naked” - who killed and cannibalized with
reckless abandon. These days, the country is still sadly subject to unrest and crime, which makes it
an extremely inhospitable location for tourists. The same can be said of Burkina
Faso in West Africa, because man, West Africa just cannot catch a break. The tourist
boards there must really have their work cut out for them. Much like Liberia, Burkina Faso is
a hotbed for crime, kidnapping, and terrorism, with all English-speaking governments advising
travelers to stay as far away as possible. But if you do decide to throw caution to the wind and
visit Burkina Faso, just make sure your family is wealthy so they can pay for your ransom -
Or at least give you a really nice funeral. Of course, no list of dangerous tourist traps
would be complete without a little trip to the Sunshine State - Florida, y’all! Specifically,
New Smyrna Beach, which has been ranked as the deadliest beach in the USA by the travel
organization Travel Lens. That’s an achievement to be proud of. The beach has played host to
32 recorded shark attacks, twice as many as the second most shark-attack-prone beach. And, because
this is Florida, if the sharks don’t get you, the weather will, because Florida easily
takes the prize for the most hurricanes of anywhere in the United States, too. Surf’s up,
bros! This will be a spring break to remember! Maybe you want to take a romantic
vacation - Somewhere that just has love in the air! Sadly, we
don’t have anywhere like that, but we do have a place that has extremely high
quantities of certain other things in the air. This brings us to La Oroya, Peru,
a town considered by some to be the most polluted place on earth.
Because of its involvement in mining, as well as smelting and refining of
copper, zinc, silver, and lead ores, it has left the local air quality in a pretty
horrific state. Studies have found that 99% of children in the area have unacceptable levels
of lead in their blood, so if you’re looking for a nice place to stay in Peru, we’d advise
that you leave La Oroya off your itinerary. We hope that we haven’t given you any ideas
of where to spend your next vacation. But if you do find yourself frozen to death deep
in Russia, run off the road in Bolivia, or kidnapped by Liberian warlords
- You can’t say we didn’t warn you! Now check out “Worst Places in the World to
Travel”. Or check out this video instead!
