From the Royal Shrine of a Japanese Sun Goddess to a Brazilian isle covered in golden snakes,
today we look at 12 Forbidden Places You Should Never Dare To Visit.
#12 Snake Island More than 90 miles into the Atlantic Ocean,
off the coast of Sao Paulo, Brazil, lies an island straight out of a horror film.
Known as “Snake Island,” or Ilha da Quemeida Grande, this relatively small island hosts
an incredible amount of snakes with a locally-predicted population of 1 to 5 snakes per square meter,
though scientists say it is a bit less than that.
The local residents of the island, the golden lancehead pit viper, is part of the genus
responsible for 90 percent of Brazilian snakebite fatalities.
It has a venom so volatile it eats away at the flesh of its recipients and is the fastest
acting venom among lanceheads.
These extreme dangers posed by the golden lancehead have led to the Brazilian Navy restricting
access to the island.
Conversely, changes in their habitat as well as attempts to destroy the species by locals
in hopes of using the island as farmland in the future have caused the golden lancehead
population to dwindle.
While the population is so vast on the small landmass of Ilha da Quemeida Grande, resources
are limited as a result and the species was labeled critically endangered in 2004, though
its population trend at the time was considered stable.
#11 Ball’s Pyramid Formed from the hardened magma of a 6.4 million-year-old
shield volcano, this erosional remnant sits more than 400 miles away from the Australian
coast of Sydney and 14 miles southeast of Lord Howe Island in the Pacific Ocean.
The volcanic pyramid stands more than 1,800 feet tall and is characterized by a steep,
eroded surface.
This peak plays home to the last living colony of a wingless insect known as a “land lobster”
or the Lord Howe Island stick insect.
Thought to be extinct for decades, a discovery in 2001 led to the revelation of their continued
existence on Ball’s Pyramid...14 miles across open ocean from their native habitat!
Access to the island was originally banned in 1986, however some climbers have been allowed
to attempt to ascend Ball’s Pyramid with applications and approval.
This prevented the discovery from taking place prior as, until recently, Ball’s Pyramid
remained one of the most unexplored places in the world.
#10 North Sentinel Island Little is known of the Sentinelese that have
inhabited this verdant jungle island for an estimated 60,000 years, however one thing
is abundantly clear upon arrival: visitors are NOT welcome.
In the Bay of Bengal, the island remains a nominal part of the Indian territory of Andaman
and Nicobar Islands, however relations between India and North Sentinel Island are worn at
best.
Various attempts by both the Indian authorities and foreign researchers were met with violent
repercussion time and again, until finally in 1997 Indian authorities ended attempts
to establish any relations altogether.
There has been no contact between the Sentinelese and the rest of the world since 2006 when
a pair of fishermen encroached too closely to the island and were consequently killed
by the native people.
The Indian government did not seek prosecution and have since turned to a role of observation
and protection of the Sentinelese as a sovereign people.
#9 Lascaux Caves Approximately 17,000 years old, the cave paintings
that adorn the walls of these caves were originally vivid in coloration with brilliant earthen
tones bringing the depictions to life.
However, shortly after its discovery in 1940 and subsequent transition to tourist attraction,
there was a realization that the cave paintings were changing due to foreign elements.
Increases in carbon dioxide and sunlight exposure caused the paintings in the Lascaux Caves
to alter in appearance and lose color as early as the late 1950s.
In addition, the appearance of lichens and crystals began to appear on walls and by 1963
the caves were closed to the general public.
From then on, a few visitors were allowed to visit weekly, however fungal issues have
only worsened and spread, with the appearance of various molds and other fungal growths
within the caves continuing to appear into the 21st Century.
#8 Metro 2 Rumored to be deep within the Moscow underground,
alongside the subway system known as the Moscow Metro, is a second metro system hidden from
the public eye.
This supposed structure is said to be more than 65 stories underground and act as a connection
between the Kremlin, the Federal Security Service, the local International Airport,
and an actual underground town!
In 1991, the U.S. Department of Defense published a report detailing and diagramming such a
structure.
In addition, many defectors and ex-KGB members have been interviewed and recorded as confirming,
to some degree, Metro 2’s existence.
However, while many truths related to the existence of Metro 2 are undeniable, such
as the construction of underground facilities during the Cold War, some details, such as
proof of an underground city, remain questionable at best.
#7 Ise Grand Shrine This legendary Shinto shrine is dedicated
to the sun goddess Amaterasu (ahm-uh-tur-ah-su) and is located in the Mie Prefecture of Japan.
Composed of a collection of thatch-covered shrines that span across the city of Ise (ih-say)
, these structures are made of solid cypress wood with no nails, substituting joined wood
for interlocking the planks.
These shrines are rebuilt once every 20 years as part of the Shinto belief of renewal after
life.
The main shrine, Kotai jingu (coat-eye jin-goo), is restricted to photographs and visitor entry,
with the responsibilities of upkeeping the shrine resting on the shoulders of the chief
priest or priestess from the Imperial House of Japan.
Kotai jingu is said to also be the location of the Sacred Mirror, a legendary relic known
as one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan, or gifts given from the gods to the first
Emperor of Japan.
#6 Poveglia Within the Venetian Lagoon of Northern Italy
sits a placid island, rife with tragic tales from across history: Poveglia.
This periodically inhabited isle was host to a number of a morbid events, including
the conversion to a quarantine shelter during the end of the 18th century and again during
the turn of the 20th century, in addition to serving as a secluded mental asylum for
a large portion of its use.
Due to the vast number of unfortunate passings and grave happenings in the history of the
island, it is suspected to be among the most haunted places on earth.
In 2014, attempting to help reduce debt, Italy almost auctioned off the island, granting
the auction winner lease of the island for 99 years!
The auction fell through, however, and current discussions involve renovating and restructuring
the island for use by Venice residents.
#5 Tomb of Qin Shi Huang Perhaps the only location on this list that
no living person may ever visit, this entry has yet to even be excavated!
The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor is a combination of the unexplored tomb and the
necropolis that surrounds it.
The structure of the tomb itself is said to have taken 38 years to construct and began
when the Emperor was only age 13.
According to documents detailing the biography of Qin Shi Huang, the tomb was laden with
traps by its builders with crossbows and arrows primed to shoot any who entered the tomb.
Upon its completion, the Second Emperor who was now overseeing its final steps concluded
the servants of the First Emperor ought to join him in the afterlife and had the tomb
sealed with them inside, trapping them within.
The area surrounding the actual tomb has given way to a number of other artifact discoveries,
including the famed Terracotta Warriors.
These large sculpted warriors were found kilometers from the Emperor’s tomb and their discovery
in conjunction with other relics have played a major role in uncovering one of the most
impressive details of this necropolis: the complex acts as a microcosm of the Emperor’s
empire and palace, with the tomb’s mound at the nucleus!
#4 Bhangarh Fort Within a range of hills in the Sariska Reserve
of India, a fort more resembling the size of a palace can be found nestled in the green,
sloping landmass.
There are many local stories regarding Bhangarh Fort, including one about a monk’s curse
regarding the height of new homes and a wizard’s curse as revenge for love unrequited.
Doors to the Fort are even locked after dusk due to haunting!
Well, either that or to keep the overzealous ghost hunters from damaging the historic location.
Regardless of the reason, the Archaeological Society of India posts warnings to visitors
about entering the location after dusk, only furthering local suspicions of paranormal
activity.
#3 Mezhgorye In the southern range of the Ural Mountains
of Russia you can find a pleasant place that, on the surface, seems the same as any other
mountain town.
There’s just one catch: it’s closed.
The snow-covered town of Mezhgorye is closed to visitors and maintained by the Russian
government, with military forces surrounding it to ensure unqualified entry is barred.
It is believed the town serves as either a shelter for a nearby secret base on Mount
Yamantu, or as a potential repository for Russian treasures, food storage area, and
nuclear bunkers.
The mystery of the closed town’s purpose lives on as, even though the project begun
during the Cold War, little more is known of the mysterious city today.
#2 Bohemian Grove Tucked away in Monte Rio, California, a large
campground belonging to the San Franciscan-based Bohemian Club sets the stage for a meeting
of some of the most prominent men in the world each July.
Named Bohemian Grove after the gentlemen’s club of the same name, this secluded location
has seen its share of Presidents, performers, and business leaders congregate in secret.
The Grove’s most important known gathering came when hosting a meeting in September of
1942 for the planning of the Manhattan Project, which would later go on to result in the creation
of the atomic bomb.
This combined with a number of fantastical rituals and customs has led to mention of
the Bohemian Club evoking suspicion in the modern world.
#1 Svalbard (s’vahl-bar) Global Seed Vault Wedged between the icy landmasses of mainland
Norway and the North Pole, a remote island in the Svalbard (s’vahl-bar) archipelago
houses the Global Seed Vault.
Built deep within a snow-blanketed summit, the seed storage facility is made to last
with the details of its structure thoroughly researched, from the temperature and humidity
requirements down to the local tectonic activity.
Even the choice of a location featuring thick layers of rock and permafrost were done with
the intention of insured preservation.
The natural refrigeration that occurs thanks to these specific elements allows the facility
to store frozen seeds without requiring any power!
This safehouse for agricultural genebanks serves as a means to prevent the loss of not
only specific species of plants, but also variations in genetic structure.
The facility is built to house 4.5 million seed samples, with each sample containing
about 500 seeds.
The total number of samples inside the Global Seed Vault is more than 968,000...that’s
more than 465 million seeds!
But that’s still not quite near the maximum storage capacity of 2.5 billion seeds.
Given the extreme isolation of this facility, visiting it may not be the first thing on
your mind.
However, even if it was, access is greatly restricted for those wishing to visit the
Svalbard (s’vahl-bar) Global Seed Vault.
But one can’t be too cautious regarding the seed vault, after all, it is the backup
plan for…well, life!
Which of these Forbidden Places would you visit if you could?
Which one would you DARE your friends to visit?
Let us know in the comments below!