(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
When deciding on locations to visit, most opt for a fun place with good weather that is also very safe. There are those, however, that find safe all-inclusive resorts to be incredibly boring and opt for something called Extreme Tourism. Extreme tourism can range from slightly dangerous to downright wrought with peril and warnings not to travel to certain locations. Here are 8 destinations that are perfect for extreme tourists looking for something with a bit more danger and often a lot more adrenaline-pumping options.
Devil’s Pool is located on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Erosion has created a spectacular waterfall that draws thousands of tourists. These rainbow-tinted views could be taken in from a helicopter of from the bottom of the falls, but many choose to take it in from the top.
For more adventurous people, however, there is the opportunity to watch the drama from the edge of the waterfall. There are even tourism guides that can be hired to take you there.
People have been running with the bulls in Spain for hundreds of years. In the early days, young boys and men would run alongside the animals to prove their bravery. Over time, towns have set up formal bull runs, encasing a path with wood barriers. The most famous of these runs is held in Pamplona, Spain.
Deaths are not all that common during the Pamplona run, though 15 have died since 1910. Injuries occur quite a bit, however. Thousands of tourists participate in the event each year.
Death Valley in California becomes one of the hottest places on Earth during the summertime. The graben (an area between two mountain ranges) features stunning canyons, salt flats, and sand dunes. The area can be incredibly inhospitable to people. That does not mean, though, that tourists aren’t interested.
And plenty of people visit Death Valley each year. The smart ones do so with experienced tour guides and large amounts of supplies. There is even a luxury inn in the area where people can wind down after a busy day of sightseeing.
The Yungas Road in Bolivia connects the major city, La Paz, to the Yungas region. The road was essentially carved into a windy mountain trail. Initially, it was a single-lane road with no guardrails and difficult fog and rain. The pathway was so dangerous it was nicknamed the Death Road.
Improvements have been made over time. In 2006, the roads were paved, a second lane was added and guard rails were added. And tourists can’t wait to visit. The road draws 25,000 visitors a year, many of whom decided to bike down the path with tour guides.
Ireland’s beauty and hospitality make it one of the most visited tourist locations in the world. And many of those visitors want to check out the Cliffs of Moher. Located in County Clare, the Cliffs draw more than one million visitors each year.
While the Cliffs of Moher are stunningly beautiful, they can also be quite dangerous. While there are trails for people to follow, some choose to come off the trails to get a closer look. According to a study from the Journal of Travel Medicine, 66 people died at the Cliffs between 1993 and 2017.
New Smyrna Beach has everything a traveler could want. Not only is the weather regularly fantastic, but the area also features some of the best waves for surfing in the world. Unfortunately, the waters of New Smyrna Beach also feature a large number of sharks.
The shark issue has gotten so bad that the beach has been dubbed, “the shark bite capital of the world.” Of course, that doesn’t deter the thousands of surfers who visit the beach each year. In 2007 and 2008, the area had record-breaking numbers of shark bites. Fortunately for the victims, shark bites in the area are seldom deadly.
Up until 1986, Pripyat had grown into a moderate-sized city with a population of 49,000. Many of those inhabitants were employed by Chernobyl Nuclear Plant. While less than 100 people died in the disaster, the entire town had to be evacuated due to the high levels of radiation.
Interestingly enough, there are plenty of people who want to visit the ghost town. Tour guides regularly take groups through the grounds. Since 2011, authorities have deemed the place safe to visit.
Bikini Atoll, in the Marshall Islands, is a stunning coral reef. Prior to the Second World War, a number of people lived on the Atoll. They were asked to relocate and settled on other nearby islands. For nearly two decades, nuclear tests were conducted there.
In the late 1960s, there was an attempt to resettle people on the atoll. There were soon medical problems, however, such as miscarriages and birth abnormalities. The island was evacuated for a second time. Today, the island is still visited by researchers, but also by divers who want to see the beautiful coral below.
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