Five Scary, Dangerous Places to Visit

Planet earth, it is fair to say, has its share of amazing and wondrous places to visit. But have you ever taken a moment and thought which of these wonders might in fact represent your worst nightmare? We have tried to highlight the five most adrenaline-inducing, fear-evoking places on the planet – to some they may be a once in a lifetime experience, whilst to others the mere mention sends shivers down their spine.

The Crows’ Cave (Georgia)

Caving is one of those recreational activities which evokes extreme feelings. The mere thought of squeezing through holes just larger than your body in the pitch black is enough to make the hair on your neck stand up. The Crow’s Cave, also known as Krubera Cave, is located near the coast of the Black Sea holds the title of the ‘world’s deepest cave’. In 2004, a team descended over 2,000 meters into its depths, and were only limited by supplies. The Crows’ Cave is still the only cave on earth with a recorded depth of over 2000 meters; time will tell how much more of this cave is left to explore.

Ciudad Juárez. Mexico

Those of you who have sipped tequila in one of Mexico’s many tourist friendly holiday spots are probably thinking “I didn’t have any trouble” – You weren’t in Ciudad Juárez. On the border with the U.S. Ciudad has unfortunately become a war zone for rival drug cartels looking to monopolise the Mexico/U.S. cocaine trade. Of the 8330 drug related murders recorded in Mexico during 2007, Ciudad Juárez accounted for 50%. Definitely worth taking of your Central American road trip.Vehicles wind their way down the narrow, dangerous "Death Road" in Bolivia.

“The Death Road”

Driving holidays are meant to be a relaxing way of getting to see parts of a county or city which you wouldn’t ordinarily be able to visit if you took stuck to the normal tourist routes. Unfortunately for those trying to get out of La Paz to Coroico (Bolivia’s capital) by road, this means traversing the North Yungas road, which is also known as “the death road”. Christened the ‘world’s most dangerous road’, it is estimated that between 200 and 300 fatalities occur between this 69 kilometre stretch of road. Extreme altitude, blind corners, treacherous surface conditions and fearless locals all combine, creating a road definitely not for the faint hearted. It may be worth catching the train.

Great White Shark cage diving

Safety figures surrounding cage diving with great white sharks will give you a definite air of confidence. Most cage diving operators state the number of years their company has gone without incidents of injuries. Closer inspection of the industry reveals a dramatic rise in the number of individuals wanting to come face to face with this apex predator (100,000 in 2005 – thought to have increased by at least 20% since then). On the North Cape of South Africa where chumming (dumping fish blood and waste into the water to attack sharks) is still rife, it can only be a matter of time before something goes wrong. Clambering into a metal cage and waiting in low visibility waters for the world most developed predator to arrive can’t be considered sensible?

The Catacombs, Paris

During the 10th century, Paris needed to expand to accommodate the huge number of would be residents. The city planners decided to create catacombs and move the bodies of the dead underground, freeing up space to build houses. During the 18th century, this labyrinth opened up to the public, who quickly began to record and voice worry at the paranormal experiences they encountered. This quickly led the catacombs becoming rated as one of the most haunted sites in the world. Not somewhere you want your torch to fail…