This world is full of places that are home to incredible wonders; some created by man, some by nature, and some by both. However, there are some of those, in different corners of the world, that you may NEVER be allowed to see. Maybe, because these places are too dangerous , too protected, or too special to visit! So, here's the detailed list of some of the most fascinating places in the world where tourism is banned.
Located 83 miles north of Las Vegas in Nevada, Area 51 is classified as a US military installation. While the primary purpose of Area 51 is publicly unknown, some speculate, on the basis of historical evidence, that Area 51 supports the development and testing of experimental aircraft and weapon systems.
The folklore about the secret base has already been going on for decades and the US government's denial about the existence has fuelled the imaginations of conspiracy theorists, some of them relating to extraterrestrial life.
Also referred to as Homey Airport, Groom Lake, Dreamland, Paradise Ranch, Home Base and Watertown, the perimeter of the base is covered with ground sensors and listening devices to detect even the smallest intrusion.
Remember that Di Caprio-starrer Shutter Island? Well, there's one for real, too. Located quite close to the poetic city of Venice, Poveglia Island, nicknamed Shutter Island in northern Italy, is a dumping ground for victims of infectious diseases and extremely psychopathic conditions.
It is also rumoured that there was a doctor who used to perform medical experiments on patients in the hospital on the island before he committed suicide. Handful of sane visitors have been to this island since 1960s. If you have any doubts about how creepy this place is, I suggest you watch the movie to get a virtual sneak peek.
Not sure about you, but my first thought after watching 2012 was – WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO HUMANITY IF THERE'S REALLY AN APOCALYPSE?
Well! Looks like the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway is the solution. The vault, which can withstand any natural calamity or any type of explosion, apparently contains multiple thousand seeds of every single type of plant all over the world. If there's ever an apocalypse, these seeds can be used to regrow the plants and provide almost the entire human population (or what’s left of it after the disaster) with food.
Approximately as big as Manhattan, North Sentinel Island is one of the most isolated places on earth and home to the most dangerous tribe in the world, Sentinelese tribe.
The isolated tribe has rejected contact from the outside for centuries and remained hostile toward outsiders. In 2006, the tribe murdered two fishermen who had illegally approached the island. The Sentinelese people are very hostile to external contact and because of this, the island has been dubbed as one of the hardest places to visit in the world.
A relatively new island, Surtsey, was formed by a volcanic eruption in 1963, and since then, only a handful of scientists have been permitted to set foot on the island.
Free from human interference, the site is considered as a living laboratory to study ecological succession. In layman language, it is a site where scientists and researchers analyse how plants and animals establish a presence on new land masses without any human intervention.
Off the coast of Brazil sits Ilha de Queimada Grande, or as it’s popularly known, Snake Island.
Scientists have estimated that up to 4,000 snakes live on the 110-acre island, which means you can find one snake for every six square yards. And mind you, these aren't just ordinary snakes. Snake Island is the only known home of the golden lancehead, one of the most venomous vipers in the world.
Because of snake presence all over the island, travelling to this island is forbidden by the Brazilian navy.
If you are a traveller with millions in your bank and don't think any club can keep you waiting for long, I'd say try Club 33 at New Orleans Square section in Disneyland, California. Opened in the year 1967, this invitation-only private club in Disneyland is known to host celebrities and dignitaries but the fee is as astounding as the entrance to this club.
The wait can be as long as 14 years, and you have to pay around $100,000 as an initiation fee, followed by a yearly fee of $12,000. So, how's that for a drink at the only place in Disneyland in California where alcohol is served?
One-eighth the size of New York’s Central Park, the Vatican City, with its heavenly structures and extravagantly brightened corridors, is not as accessible as you may think.
Vatican Secret Archives is one such place in the Vatican where only a few can enter. Some believe it houses evidence of extraterrestrial life. Others say it has ancient texts that disproves the existence of Jesus. Whatever the secret library houses is perhaps dark, very dark.
This museum, dedicated to the history of Chinese espionage, is so guarded that foreigners are banned.
A sign outside the Jiangsu National Security Education Museum in a park in the eastern city of Nanjing explicitly states that only Chinese citizens are allowed inside the museum, which houses highly sensitive spy information.
"We don't want such sensitive spy information to be exposed to foreigners, so they are not allowed to enter," a spokeswoman for the museum stated.
It is believed that Stalin's extreme paranoia led to the construction of Moscow's infamous "Metro-2", an extensive underground tunnel network. Some believe it was constructed to evacuate high-ranking officers in the event of a nuclear war. Others say that it is meant to connect the Kremlin to the FSB (Federal Security Service) headquarters.
Due to Napoleon and Hitler’s near success in taking Moscow, along with the threat of nuclear arsenal from the US during the Cold War, you can hardly blame Stalin for wanting some means of survival in the event of war.
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