However, there are some places that are just too dangerous, too protected, or maybe too special to visit—even for the most seasoned voyager. Here are some places which we are not allowed to visit.
1. The North Sentinel Island
This being one of the islands of Andaman is located the Bay of Bengal and is surrounded by coral reefs from everywhere. This makes the North Sentinel Island, a very hard place to visit.
This island is also occupied by the Sentinelese tribe, who are extremely protective of their isolation and apparently one of the last groups to resist contact with the modern world. They also happen to be headhunters.
2. The Lascaux Cave
This 20,000 years old cave is located in the southern France and has been banned for the public since 1963.
Apparently, when the cave was opened for tourists in 1948, the exhaled CO2 by humans was hampering the paintings in the cave leading the authorities to prohibit entry of humans into the cave in 1963. It has been declared as a heritage site by the UNESCO.
3. Snake Island, Brazil
Snake Island, as it is more affectionately known, is a 43-hectare island located of the Brazilian coastline. The island is home one of the globe’s most deadly species of snake, the Golden Lancehead Viper, who’s venom can eat through flesh. There are more than 4,000 of them on the island, but local lore suggests that there is one snake for every five square meters of the land.
4. Poveglia, Italy
Poveglia has long been considered one of the most haunted places on earth. Rumor has it that the ghosts of plague victims, war victims, and the ghost of a murderous asylum doctor roam the decaying grounds. Poveglia has been a refuge, a stronghold, a place of exile, and a dumping ground for the diseased and deceased for centuries.
5. Metro – 2, Moscow, Russia
This was a secret metro lane parallel to the public metro, which was 50-200 meters deep metro service in the undergrounds of Moscow, Russia. The purpose was to avoid a nuclear catastrophe.
6. East Rennell, Solomon Islands
Labeled by the UNESCO as a world heritage site, this beautiful island is inhabited by tribes and locals of this magnificent ground and they also happen to be headhunters.
7. Easter Island, Chile
Goes also by the name of Rapa Nui, this island is located in the Pacific Ocean, this happens to be one of the remote places on earth. This island comprises only of the local habitats.
8. Ise Grand Shrine, Japan
This Japanese shrine happens to be one of the oldest shrines in the world and it comprises of over 100 shrines. Prohibited to common folk, only members of the imperial Japanese family or people related priests or priestess can visit this place.
9. The vault of Coca Cola
The secret formula behind the Coca Cola recipe is one of the most heavily guarded secrets. To protect it, the company has a high tech vault that holds the recipe. Only a handful of people actually know the formula.
10. Svalbard Seed Vault, Norway
It was built to store seeds that would be retrieved in the event of a huge environmental disaster. Very few are even allowed access to the secure vault. Even countries that lend seeds aren’t allowed to enter.
11. Fort Knox, Kentucky
Fort Knox is a reserve that holds the US gold bullion reserve, as well as other national treasures. A security perimeter defends it, including 30,000 soldiers and a stream of attack helicopters. The gold vault is protected by 22-ton blast-proof doors and ALL visitors are forbidden.
12. Room 39, North Korea
It has been suspected that this top secret location is behind North Korea’s illegal counterfeiting. Its place for drug smuggling and also weapon sales. Very little is known about what happens within its perimeters.
13. Bohemian Grove, California
Every summer for around 150-years this secretive California camp ground hosts a gathering of the most powerful men in the world. . Private meetings at this retreat were directly responsible for the Manhattan project - the project that led to the development of the atomic bomb.
14. The Mormon Church Secret Vault
Blasted deep into the side of mountain is a heat controlled vault. It contains over 3 billion pages worth of data on genealogy and family history on many Americans. Tours are given of the front of the vaults but much of it is off limits.
15. White’s Gentleman’s Club
This is the oldest and most exclusive gentleman’s club in England. Members include royals, aristocrats, politicians and businessmen. Women are not allowed but Queen Elizabeth II broke this 3000 year rule visiting the club in 1991.
16. Tomb of the Qin Shi Huang, China
The tomb of China’s first Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who died in 210 BC, is buried deep beneath a hill in Central China. The burial complex consists of a complicated network of underground caverns that were filled with all the things the emperor would need in the afterlife, including clay reproductions of his armies, family, servants, horses, and staff, widely known as the Terracotta Army. Since its initial discovery in 1974, over 2,000 statues have been excavated, each of them completely unique, and experts believe that there may be more that 8,000 in total surrounding the central tomb, still yet to be uncovered. However, the Chinese government might never allow the excavation of the emperor’s tomb, choosing to respect the ancient burial rites. So while tourists can catch a glimpse of the emperor’s clay army during a site tour, the ancient warrior’s main tomb may remain undiscovered indefinitely.
17. Heard Island Volcano, Australia
The 368-square-mile landmass is mountainous, has 41 glaciers and is also home to an array of wildlife including penguins, seals, and marine birds. However in 2000, the University of Hawaii noticed a two-kilometer-long lava flow coming from the southwest side of Mawson’s Peak, a 2,745-foot-high complex volcano which has been active ever since. Aside from the volcano and its dangers, the weather on the island is notoriously poor. Plus, its a minimum two-week sail to any other major land mass — making it one of the most dangerous, and hardest places in the world to access.
18. Vatican Secret Archives, Vatican City, Italy
Buried deep within the walls of Vatican City, and mostly underground, are the Vatican Secret Archives, which house the immense history of the acts of the Holy See, along with historic documents, state papers, papal account books, and other official correspondence, some of which dates back to the eighth century.
19. The Queen’s bedroom
The bedroom is buried within Buckingham palace and heavily guarded. In 1982, however, a man named Michael Fagan broke into the bedroom. It was considered one of the biggest royal security breaches.
Sources : one, two, three
