Forbidden Places Around The World You Cannot Visit

To be fair, the islands themselves are not prohibited, it is just specific areas. The Marshall Islands, opposed to what people believe, it is actually a sovereign state, with a direct connection to the United States Of America. So, you’re wondering why exactly it is on the list. Well, particular areas between 1946 and 1962 happened to be where nuclear testing was carried out, and so a few places are still at risk of heavy radiation contamination.

Snake Island

Snake Island

Also known as Ilha da Queimada Grande, Snake Island is an island off the coast of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean. The name suggests that it is full of snakes and yes a serious amount of snakes. It is believed that there are between one and five snakes per square meter, with an estimation of 2,000 and 4,000 snakes overall. These snakes aren’t the most friendly type either, the island is home to the bothrops insularis, a very poisonous viper. Theoretically, with authorization from the Brazilian Navy, it is manageable to enter the island legally – but then again why would you want to do that?

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Let’s look at disaster prevention at its finest, almost a century later Norway has a more realistic method to prepare for the worst. Svalbard Global Seed Vault opened during 2008 and is home to 983,524 seed samples. And in 2018 which was also known as the Doomsday Vault, the objective of it was a stock of seeds and plant samples should a total disaster happen, civilization will not face full extinction. Located on an island above the Arctic Circle between Norway and the North Pole, it is not accessible by plane, you will only get you as far as Svalbard. Also, due to its nature, it is out of bounds to all visitors. Regardless if you actually did make it that far, you probably wouldn’t be able to get in.

Pravcicka Brana

Pravcicka Brana

The Pravčická brána, otherwise known as the Pravčice Sandstone Gate, is a naturally created sandstone gate in Czechia, also the most extensive in Europe. It opened to the public before, but because of the dangers of it caving in which may be caused by tourism and natural corrosion, since 1982 it has been banned to step foot on the arch. But do not fret, it is still  – it is still possible to idilozie it from a distance.

Niihau

Niihau

Ni‘ihau, or Niihau, is an island situated in Hawaii. The island has been exclusively owned by the same family since 1864 when Elizabeth Sinclair bought it from King Kamehameha V for $10,000. Nonetheless, this was not the motive as to why it was out of bounds. Actually, a polio epidemic closed the island off from the outside world. Theoretically, to be able to set foot on the island today, you have to be invited by either a member of the Robinson family or a permanent resident of Niihau.

Dugway

Dugway

Very much like the Marshall Islands, Dugway was also part of a weapon test site, which was known as the Dugway Proving Ground. But in place of nuclear weapons, the nature of this test site is more threatening, biological and chemical forces. In the meantime, they produce procedures to counter their effects. Located in Utah, Dugway is a place you certainly cannot visit.

Heard Island Volcano

Heard Island Volcano

An outermost territory of Australia that lies between Madagascar and Antarctica, Heard Island is about 1,700 km from the Antarctic continent. It includes Australia’s tallest mountain, with an active volcano. Now you understand why it is off-limits? However, aside from the possible risk of the volcanoes and the natural habitat, this is also why Heard Island is forbidden.

Lascaux Caves

Lascaux Caves

Older than most of the other places on our list. Lascaux is the fixture of a complex of caves located in Southwestern France, but believe it or not the caves aren’t what made it so unique. Inside the caves are over 600 parietal wall paintings, dating back to about 15,000-17,000 BCE, with the earliest art being developed no later than 17,000 BCE. At present,  the cave is shut to help protect the paintings.

Poveglia

Poveglia

Situated between Venice and Lido in Northern Italy, Poveglia was used as a quarantine base for a between 1793-1814. Following that in 1922, a mental hospital was opened in Poveglia, possibly you can see the continuous theme here. Reportedly it was haunted with countless people who spent their final days here. It has also been said that the patients in the mental hospital had to endure inhumane treatment. As we can guess it is forbidden to enter the island these days.

Fukushima Exclusion Zone

However advanced technology may be, accidents do still happen. A great example is the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Similar to the Chernobyl incident, Fukushima is also off-limits after the nuclear accident, caused by a 15-meter tsunami. Considering the accident was fairly recent, the bilk of these places are still prohibited, especially the area around the nuclear reactors. In case you are mind-boggled about what it may have looked like after the accident, Polish photographer Natalia Sobanska did a photography documentary about the situation.

Norilsk

Norilsk

Russia is home to countless closed cities, that are off-limits to visitors from all over the world. Being the biggest country in the world, we are not stunned that there are hidden places that we may have never heard of before. One of the more popular cities is Norilsk, a city located above the Arctic Circle in Siberia. Known to be the world’s greatest producer of palladium, nickel, platinum, and copper, as well as for its poor pollution. Due to the sufficient resources, it is restricted to non-residents. But, if you can make it there that is as Norilsk is cut off from the rest of the country. Perhaps you may be interested in what life there looks like, then go take a look at stunning photographs from Russian photographer Elena Chernyshova.

Sarov

Sarov

We’re sure its something we can all agree on – so many places that are off-limits within Russia have something to do with nuclear energy. Sarov is a city located within Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, about 230 miles east of Moscow. Sarov is the place where the Russians conduct nuclear research. Similar to other calculated cities, it is massively guarded and out of bounds under normal circumstances. nevertheless, during the ’90s things were somewhat different. In 1993, with the dissolving relationships between Russia and the United States after the collapse of the USSR, Sarov became a sister city to Los Alamos, New Mexico. This is where the Americans directed their nuclear research. Researchers were permitted to visit Sarov.

Space Shuttle Hangar, Baikonur Cosmodrome

Space Shuttle Hangar

Now this one is certainly interesting! Baikonur, formerly known as Leninsk, is situated in Kazakhstan. Even though it is under the sovereignty of Kazakhstan, the Baikonur Cosmodrome is leased to Russia until 2050, and it is the spaceport for Russia’s space operations. If you have the money, it is likely that you are able to join a tour around the spaceport. But, within the spaceport, there is also the hangar that houses the doomed space shuttle projects, which is barred to all visitors. The space shuttle, Buran, was created under the Soviet Union. After its completion in the 80s, it did eventually fly into space in 1988. However, due to diverse intentions (e.g. the collapse of the USSR), the project was discarded.

Mercury

Mercury

Your judgment was correct! This next entry on our list also has to do with a  nuclear site. Located in Nevada, the same as Area 51. Mercury is a closed village in Nye County, Nevada, United States. Why is a village forbidden to people you might ask? Well, the village was part of the shocking Nevada Test Site, so you wouldn’t want to get too close to it anyway. However, in principle it is possible to visit the Nevada Test Site, public tours do take place but only four times a year. But the village of Mercury itself is generally barred from people.

Ozersk

Ozersk

Also known as ‘The graveyard of the Earth’, Ozersk, is a secluded city in Russia and is located inside Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. Under the Soviet regime, it was only known as City-40 and the birthplace of the Soviet nuclear weapons program. For quite some time, residents were prohibited to leave the city, nor were they allowed to make contact with the outside world, so much so that their identities were even erased from the Soviet census. Very surprisingly, they were provided luxurious commodities that outshone any other cities in the country. Even today, it is out of bounds to visitors. With the radioactivity from the Mayak incident in the area, it is probably not the best idea to visit either.

Peace Village

Peace Village

Occasionally, international politics play an essential important role in the establishment of these forbidden places – Kijŏng-dong (Peace Village) is an excellent example of that. Situated inside the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. Kijŏng-dong is often called the propaganda village as it consists of; furnished houses, clean streets, and organized planning. These are tactics to try to persuade the other side that they are doing well. But, on closer investigation, the village seems to be deserted with windows painted on, and the main objective is to also reassure the outside world that all is going well in North Korea.

Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Heard the expression, not great, not terrible? The HBO Series, Chernobyl definitely brought much attention to the Chernobyl disaster again, a nuclear disaster that happened in 1986, in Pripyat, Ukraine. Even though 34 years have passed since the nuclear mishap, the radiation level in the proximity remains relatively high, even destructive in several areas. Still,  it is possible to tour particular areas in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, but many areas still remain forbidden. There are groups known as ‘stalkers’ who wonder about secretly in the exclusion zone, but that’s not something we recommend at all.

North Brother Island

North Brother Island

Very much like, Poveglia Island that was previously on our list, North Brother Island is also, well, an island. But seriously, it is also an abandoned island, that once housed quarantine facilities. Typhoid Mary, the first known Typhoid case in the US, was admitted to the facility on North Brother Island. The medical nature of it clarifies why it was off-limits, even though it is deserted already, it remains barred to visitors.

Sha Tau Kok

Sha Tau Kok

Here we have another place whose existence is related to international politics. Yet further down South, a similar incident happened in Hong Kong. Hong Kong, whilst under the British Colonial rule sustained a border with mainland China, even after the change of supremacy which took in 1997. A border is still in place today. Sha Tau Kok is a village on the frontier, inside the secured Frontier Closed Area, although technically it is likely to enter the area, however, a permit is needed.

Hashima Island

Hashima Island

Also known as the Battleship Island, Hashima Island is an island situated approximately 15km off the coast of Nagasaki. Once a thriving industrial town, when mining activities ceased on the island it was closed in 1974, and since been abandoned. A bit like Pripyat in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. We can see that nothing much changed after all these years, with abandoned buildings standing still, like a ghost town. But the good news is, people can supposedly visit Hashima Island under certain conditions. Heres a fun fact, this is also the filming location for the movie Skyfall (James Bond).

Vatican Secret Archives

Vatican Secret Archives

Honestly this sort of makes sense. Vatican City, the smallest country in the world and also includes one of the most secretive archives in the world – the Vatican Apostolic Archives. It is barred because of the extremely valuable documents that are kept inside. It contains priceless archives, including letters about King Henry VIII’s appeal to divorce Catherine of Aragon. as well as the original acts of the 1633 trial of astronomer Galileo. It is logical as to why it is barred. But the good news is that although you may not be able to enter the archives, you might be able to see the content, but only in the near future.

Mausoleum Of The First Qin Emperor

Mausoleum Of The First Qin Emperor

According to history, Emperor Qin was the first Emperor in Chinese history to merge the entire country, geographically at least. Regardless, of this venture, there have been conflicts regarding his ruling. Numerous and questionable policies were also in place under his reign. Just as many authoritative figures in history, he too seeks immortality. So, a massive mausoleum was built as his final resting place, with the terracotta warriors defending him for centuries to come. Despite the fact parts of the mausoleum were open since its discovery, huge areas of it continued to be unexplored due to the immense size, and destructive traps that were left. Who knows, maybe one day we will get to pinpoint Qin Emperor’s grave’s actual location.

Ise Grand Shrine

Ise Grand Shrine

An additional religious destination that is forbidden for a different reason is the Ise Grand Shrine. It is a Shinto shrine devoted to the sun goddess Amaterasu and is treated as the holiest Shinto site in the country. To symbolize life and death, the shrine is also liable to be torn down and rebuilt every 20  years.  It is such a cherished location, that the emperor makes an annual visit. The Japanese emperor also paid a visit to the Grand Shrines of Ise to mark the end of the inauguration rites.

Mezhgorye

Let’s go back to Russia, how many places are there in the country that are off-limits to visitors you may be wondering. Well, even after the fall of the USSR, one of them is Mezhgorye which is located in the Republic of Bashkortostan, in the Southern Ural Mountains. The official statement from Russia declared that it is sealed due to it being a mining town and the materials associated with it. Nevertheless, rumor has it that a secret underground military base was once situated there.

Area 51

Area 51

No questions asked we need to include Area 51. The notorious military base and the source of inspiration for generations of science fiction work. It’s also the hub of the (in)famous meme where internet users decided to ‘storm’ Area 51 while doing Naruto run. Generally known as Area 51, its official classification is actually Homey Airport (KXTA). It is a United States Air Force facility, yet the scope of the projects was never disclosed, and so there had been opinions for decades as to what occurred behind the fences. Warning: trespassing on a military facility is not the best idea.

Imber

Imber

Imber is an abandoned village in Wiltshire, England, except with a catch. It was cleared out by the British Military in 1943, during WWII, to be modified for a training ground for the US military in preparation for D-Day. Following the war, it prevailed as a training ground for the British military. But during the 1970s, houses were demolished and new houses were built for urban warfare training. The only architecture that’s still standing is a medieval church. The area is out of bounds, but if you are lucky enough you possibly will be able to enter as there are occasional openings.

Zarechny

Zarechny, located in the Penza Oblast (not to be confused with another town with the same name in Sverdlovsk Oblast), is another closed town in Russia. Otherwise known as Penza-19, which is named in a similar fashion to other closed towns.  Zarechny is a seculed town under the jurisdiction of Rosatom which is responsible for Russia’s strategic nuclear projects. Despite the fact that it it is forbidden to visitors, you can still catch a sight of life by looking at these photographs by photographer Ksenia Yurkova.

White´s Gentleman Club

White´s Gentleman Club

White’s is the oldest Gentleman’s Club in London and the most exclusive club there is. How exclusive you may ask? It’s members-only, first of all, and notable members included Prince Charles, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Former British Prime Minister David Cameron whose father Ian Cameron had been the club’s chairman. The club is an establishment made exclusively for gentlemen, so unfortunatley ladies no women were are allowrd. But of course, there were two exceptions, when Queen Elizabeth II made a visit, so then the ban was lifted briefly. Ian Fleming, the man behind the creation of James Bond, was also a member of the club.

Moscow Metro-2 (D6)

Moscow Metro-2 (D6)

As we previously mentioned, there are a lot of hidden, unknown places in Russia, but this time it is situated in Moscow – the nation’s capital. Metro-2 is a nickname given to the metro line, which is rumored to have been constructed in parallel to the actual metro that is open to the public. Also codenamed as D6 by the KGB(USSR’s equivalent of CIA), it was apparently built under Stalin. The purpose was to link the strategic points in Moscow, such as Kremlin and the KGB headquarters, should a nuclear war/ total disaster break out. No one is exactly sure whether it is still in use, or how far exactly it reaches, but explorers in Moscow seemed to have discovered an entrance.

Zelenogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai,

Zelenogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai,

Yet another remote town in Siberia, although this one is actually a lot closer to the rest of civilization. Zelenogorsk in Krasnoyarsk Krai (not to be confused with other cities of the same name), like Norilsk, is also a secluded town located within the Krasnoyarsk Krai. Here is where the soviets (and the Russians) develop the uranium needed for nuclear energy, so again this is prohibited to visitors. During the Soviet time, it was allocated to Krasnoyarsk-45, but this was actually a code for post offices. It hinted that the place was actually located inside the city of Krasnoyarsk.

Coca Cola Vault

Coca Cola Vault

Most of us have already heard of it by now, Coca Cola is very protective when it comes to their secret recipe. It was understood that only a certain few people in the world know about the exact recipe. It is so secretive that they claimed on their website that the secret formula of Coca-Cola is written on a piece of paper that is kept in a vault. If you believe this claim or not, it is nearly impossible to get into that vault, that we do know for sure.

Mount Weather

Mount Weather

We have been through a large amount of secret military locations in Russia that are forbidden, but believe it or not there are also a number of them in the USA. One of them is located in Virginia, on Mount Weather. The Mount Weather national emergency operations center is run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which already describes its strategic importance. It is used as the center of operations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and it is triggered when there is a national emergency.

Have you heard of these places before? Perhaps you would like to see some of them at some point? Many of these places look amazing and would spectacular to see with our own eyes…or perhaps do the Naruto run. If you enjoyed reading this article, why not share it with your friends? Who knows, maybe one day these places will be open to visitors!

Surtsey Island

Surtsey Island

Making it as the youngest entry on our list, Surtsey Island was actually formed on November 14, 1963, after a volcanic eruption. The island has been under Iceland’s sovereignty, as it is only 32 km from the south coast of Iceland. So why is it prohibited to go there? Well, for a righteous cause actually, so that it can be free from human interference. Surtsey has been creating special long-term data on the colonization process of new land by plant and animal life. Only specific scientists and researchers are permitted to step foot on the island.

North Sentinel Island

North Sentinel Island

This may look somewhat similar to you, during 2018, an American Missionary was attacked by the natives of the island. North Sentinel Island is located in the Bay of Bengal, India. It is also the home to the Sentinelese tribe, who declined contacts with the outside world unit today. In order to secure the island natives from contracting diseases that they have no immunity for, a law was passed in 1956 to forbid entry to the island. It also does not allow any approach closer than five nautical miles. Although banned and highly dangerous, there was an occurrence where researchers were able to reach the island.