(beuty can be dangerous)
People go on vacations to relax and unwind, right? Apparently not since these next couple places we’re going to talk about will make you think twice about where you want to go on vacation. Whether it’s the beach, a mountain, a forest, or even a zoo, there’s lots of danger out there.
- Kokoda Trail
If you think you’re up for a hike through the forests of Papua New Guinea, keep in mind that it’s going to be humid and full of leeches. The Kokoda Trail is said to be one of the most dangerous rainforest hikes you could take. The trail spans about 100 kilometers, or 60 miles, which would take hikers about 6 days to get through if they hiked 10 hours a day. It comes with all the mosquitoes that could possibly be carrying malaria. Not only is nature a big factor into how dangerous the whole experience it could be, the area has been known to be prone to crime, with others preying on tourists not familiar with the area.
- Madidi National Park
The Madidi National Park is located in Bolivia. You see the dense forest in this photo, but really most of the scenes out of the park are actually quite scenic. Found in the upper Amazon river basin, the park has a span of 18,958 sq kilometers. It is a widely protected sight, but it also has its share of dangers in the form of poisonous plants. The animals here are said to be highly aggressive, too, with lots of creepy crawlies being tropical parasites you don’t want anywhere near you.
- Pattaya Elephant Kingdom (pah tae ya)
Now this is a place that seems to have been designed to put you in danger. Tourists that visited the Pattaya Elephant Kingdom in Thailand get to be all up close and pretty personal with the animals found at the tourist attraction--which from the name, it’s inferred that it’s mostly elephants. But one of the biggest attractions on the site is the floating cage over waters that are just full of crocodile. In fact, just last year, Pattaya Elephant Kingdom was closed since there were many safety concerns, with the floating cage being one of them. The wooden platform it stands on holds up to 15 people and has a 1.5 meter high fence--which has been deemed not safe enough for tourists to be behind.
- Kamchatka
Located in Kamchatka, Russia is a place known as the Valley of Geysers. That name in itself doesn’t seem so threatening, does it? In the far east region is this valley which also happens to spew a bunch of toxic gases into the area. How toxic? Well it can affect every living thing in sight, from humans, to animals, to plants. The more concentrated the geysers are, the less plants you’ll see in the area. Humans exposed to them are said to feel quite sick afterward.
Hua Shan Plank Path Walk is located on Mount Huan, in the Shaanxi province of China. That wooden path you see before you is all climbers have to step through in order to explore the steep mountain side. It is part of the Five Great Mountains of China and is considered a sacred area. You don’t even have to know much about it to know that this is one of the most dangerous hikes tourists love to go on. If you’re easily scared of heights and not the most balanced of people, this place is certainly not for you. The elevation of the mountain is up to 2,154 m or 7,067 ft. Not the highest in the world by a longshot. But with a pathway like that? Even if you’re just a couple hundred feet off the ground, the surface you’re walking on really matters.