Holidays are supposed to be relaxing, right? But there are always the adventurous types looking for new thrills. So why not try these destinations, so dangerous, they could kill you?
Danakil Desert, Ethiopia/Eritrea/Djibouti
Stretching across north-east Ethiopia, southern Eritrea and north-west Djibouti, the Danakil desert is known for its active volcanoes and extreme heat, as well as the salt mined from the Salt Plain flatlands. It’s one on the hottest and lowest places on earth and yet, for the Afar people, it is a place to die for. The Afar will spend a day mining salt tiles then take two days to get back to the nearest town, with guards protecting them from bandits hoping to snatch their salty treasures. It may be dangerous, but as you can see, it’s also quite beautiful.
Running of the bulls, Spain
The most famous running of the bulls is held annually in Pamplona, Spain. During the festival of Sanfermin, six bulls are released to run through the streets among hundreds of daring (nay, idiotic) people who try to outrun them. The bulls are then corralled into a bullring and killed during bullfights that afternoon. Now, for me, this one is a case of Karma. During the run, between 50 and 100 people are injured each year, however, since 1910, only 15 people have died.
Death Road, Bolivia
Among quite a few other names, the North Yungas Road runs through the Yungas region of Bolivia. Since 1995, it has been known as the “world’s most dangerous road”. It is estimated that 200 to 300 travellers are killed on it each year. Most of the road is a single lane, with cliffs descending around 600m and a surface that is questionable at best. The road is a trade route for locals as well as a popular attraction for some 25,000 annual thrill seekers who wish to drive it or take a mountain bike ride down a 64-km continuous downhill section.
The Troll’s Tongue, Norway
Trolltunga, or the Troll’s Tongue, is a famous rock outcrop in Odda, Norway, that sits around 1100m above sea level. It takes 10 hours to climb and once you’re there, it’s a popular spot for photographs. The cliff juts out horizontally from the mountain into the void, with nothing between it and the ground 700m below. Up until 2010, only 800 hikers would ascend to Trolltunga each year. In 2016, 80,000 people did the climb, making it one of Norway’s most popular hikes. As you can see, there are no rails preventing people from freefalling to a squishy fate, but surprisingly, a 24-year-old Australian woman who fell to her death in 2015 is believed to be the first recorded death from the Troll’s Tongue.
Snake Island, Brazil
Ilha da Queimada Grande, or Snake Island, may not hold the distinction of being the only snake island in the world, but it is the deadliest. Off the coast of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean, Snake Island is home to the critically endangered and venomous golden lancehead pit viper. This scary specimen has venom so toxic it melts flesh. The island was thought to have a population of 430,000 snakes, which was one per square metre. Nowadays, there is believed to be between 2000 and 4000 vipers on the island. It’s so deadly that no one is allowed to go there any more – ‘to protect the snake population’.
Have you ever been to any of these places? Which is the most dangerous place you’ve visited?
