Clear skies and crystal water hide this island's dangerous secret

Some of the most dangerous places on Earth wear their danger on their sleeve, such as the Danakil Desert in East Africa or Namibia's Skeleton Coast. However, some places, like the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, could be mistaken for paradise if one didn't know their dark secrets.

Bikini Atoll, located in the Marshall Islands, was a tropical paradise for centuries. Today, it is uninhabitable. While this location in the Marshall Islands appears idyllic, a dark secret lies beneath its crystal-clear waters: it was a nuclear weapons testing site for more than a decade. During the Cold War, the local population was relocated to make way for the U.S. military, which detonated over 60 nuclear weapons in the area between 1946 and 1958. One of the devices was reportedly 1,100 times larger than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, and the radiation seeped into the water, land, and air, with devastating effects. Even today, the radiation persists. While tourists can visit, the radiation levels at Bikini Atoll have not decreased enough to make it habitable.

Pripyat, Ukraine, was evacuated on April 27, 1986, one day after the Chernobyl disaster released massive amounts of radiation into the atmosphere, endangering hundreds of thousands of people in nearby towns. The disaster's pollution spread across more than 150,000 square kilometers in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, and thousands of cancer cases and other health problems have been linked to radiation exposure from the disaster. Today, Pripyat remains largely uninhabited. Although radiation levels have significantly decreased, very few locals have returned. The town is considered safe to visit, but it still bears the scars of its deadly past.

The winding 64-kilometer road connecting La Paz and Coroico in Bolivia is known as the North Yungas Road, but most locals are more accustomed to calling it "Death Road." Built in the 1930s, the road features a massive 610-meter drop-off, steep slopes, and sections as narrow as 3 meters. Rain, fog, and landslides are also common. According to records since 1994, approximately 300 people die there each year, but the death toll has not deterred tourists. Around 25,000 travelers brave Death Road each year, many of whom hope to traverse the road by mountain bike.

This dangerous tourist attraction is called the "Door to Hell" for a reason. The natural gas pit is 70 meters wide and 30 meters deep and has been burning for over 50 years near the village of Darvaza in the middle of the Karakum Desert. It is unclear whether the pit is natural or man-made, as reports from the Soviet era regarding its formation have reportedly been lost, are incomplete, or remain classified. What is known for sure is that in the 1970s, engineers lit the pit on fire to prevent toxic gases from spreading from it, and it has been burning ever since.

It should come as no surprise that the highest mountain on Earth is considered one of the most dangerous places on the planet. Over 340 people have died on Mount Everest in recorded history, and approximately 200 bodies remain on the mountain because bringing them down is simply too dangerous. At over 8,848 meters above sea level, Mount Everest is extremely inhospitable to human conditions, and the uppermost part of the summit is even called the "Death Zone" because it is where the most deaths on the mountain occur.

From the shore, Lake Natron looks like an idyllic natural wonder. However, once you step into the water, you may find yourself in agony. This 57-kilometer-long lake on the border of Kenya and Tanzania is highly alkaline and can cause burns and irritation to human skin and eyes. Recorded pH levels are as high as 12 (similar to ammonia), so swimming is not advised. Due to the lake's high sodium content, animals that die in the water turn into gruesome calcified corpses.

Just a glance at the sulfur springs and volcanoes in the Danakil Desert is enough to send most tourists running in the opposite direction. Spanning 136,956 square kilometers across Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti, this desert is one of the lowest and hottest places on Earth, with a record high temperature of 49°C. The Danakil Desert is extremely dry and hot, and volcanic and tectonic activity is common, so it is no surprise that only a few indigenous Afar people live here.

Considered one of the most dangerous natural locations in the United States, Death Valley lives up to its name. Summer temperatures can soar as high as 56°C, and rainfall is very scarce, but that doesn't stop the danger of flash floods in the canyon. Other dangers include wild coyotes and abandoned mines, which may be unstable and could contain toxic gases, bad air, or hidden shafts. Since 2007, over 60 deaths have been recorded in Death Valley National Park, averaging about four deaths per year.

Welcome to Oymyakon, the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth. The average temperature in winter is about -50°C, with a record low temperature of -67.7°C. An unofficial reading in January 1924 reportedly showed a temperature of -71.2°C, a temperature only officially recorded in Antarctica and Greenland. Being caught outside without protective clothing in such extreme temperatures can lead to death.

The Skeleton Coast, once called "the land God made in anger" by the indigenous San people of Namibia, has a terrifying reputation. Stretching approximately 1,000 kilometers from the Kunene River in Angola to the Swakop River in Namibia, the Skeleton Coast is constantly battered by huge waves, shrouded in sea fog, and often receives less than 10 millimeters of rain per year. Its beaches are littered with the bones of whales and seals from past decades, as well as the wreckage of ships that have been lost on offshore rocks or in thick fog. To say that this place is inhospitable is an understatement.

Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra, Indonesia, lay dormant for 400 years. Then, it erupted in 2010, and the eruptions have not stopped in the years since. Two eruptions occurred on the same day in 2010, sending ash about 3 kilometers into the air, triggering earthquakes, and forcing about 17,500 people to evacuate. A third eruption occurred a few days later, the force of which was felt 8 kilometers away. Since then, Mount Sinabung has erupted multiple times in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Dozens of people have died from the volcanic activity in the past 15 years.

Most people refer to Ilha da Queimada Grande, off the coast of Brazil, as "Snake Island" because it is reportedly home to a large population of snakes. This 430,000-square-meter island is home to many venomous snakes, including the golden lancehead viper, which is not found anywhere else in the world. Due to the sheer number of snakes, Ilha da Queimada Grande is strictly off-limits to tourists, and only members of the Brazilian Navy and highly vetted researchers are allowed on the island.

This unassuming island near India, just 8 kilometers long and 7 kilometers wide, is home to a tribe that has refused contact with the outside world for centuries. The indigenous tribe that lives on North Sentinel Island has been hostile to all foreign visitors for years and has shown a willingness to defend their home with violence. Three people have died on the island in the past 20 years: Indian fishermen Sunder Raj and Pandit Tiwari were killed by the Sentinelese in 2006 for drifting too close to shore, and American Christian missionary John Allen Chau was killed when he illegally traveled to the island in the hopes of proselytizing to the locals.