Interestingly, there are some places in the world that are completely off limits to tourists for one reason or the other, except you’re a researcher or a daredevil willing to part with your good health, and sometimes, your life.
Here are some places in the world where visitors are not allowed;
1. North Sentinel Island, India
The North Sentinel Island is home to the Sentinelese tribe of India, an indigenous people in voluntary isolation. They have rejected any form of contact with the outside world, often violently. Almost nothing is known about this tribe which has inhabited the Island for more than 60 thousand years. In fact, if you set foot on the Island, the Sentinelese would try to kill you.
Two fishermen fishing illegally were killed in 2006 when their boat drifted too close to the Island. After several failed attempts to make a connection with this tribe, the Indian government prohibited travel within three miles of the Island. North Sentinel Island is one of the most dangerous and forbidden places in the world.
2. Snake Island, Brazil
Just as the name suggests, Snake Island officially known as Ilha de Queimada Granda is infested with thousands of the world’s deadliest snakes. According to some estimates, there is one snake in each square meter of the Island. It is also estimated that there are approximately 4000 golden lanceheads on the Island. Snake Island is closed to the public for obvious reasons.
3. Lascaux cave, France
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a cave complex, home to some of history’s most famous examples of Paleolithic cave paintings ever discovered. The paintings are about 17000 years old and depict mostly images of large animals that have been proven through fossil excavation to have been living in the area at that time.
The caves were completely closed off to the public in 1963 because the presence of visitors and influx of light created several problems like the growth of lichen, microbes, and fungi.
4. Poveglia, Italy
This small island off the coast of Venice is described by the locals as the most haunted place in the world. In the 1700s, Poveglia was used as a quarantine site for those afflicted with Bubonic plague. The Island buildings were later converted into an asylum for the mentally ill in 1922.
It has been vacant since 1968 when the mental hospital was closed down. Rumour has it that the ghost of plague victims, war victims and the ghost of a murderous asylum doctor roam the decaying grounds.
5. Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Norway
Also known as the Doomsday vault, this global seed vault stores about 100 million seeds from all over the world to restore the plant kingdom in case something bad happens to the planet’s vegetation.
It was opened in 2008 and built to last about 200 years. It can withstand explosions and earthquakes. It was placed on the side of a mountain so even if all the ice on earth melts, it will still be above sea level.
