The world is a wonderful, and crazy place to explore. Whether it’s ascending a mountain, experiencing different cultures, or diving below the sea, it’s in our nature to want to explore. But what about the illegal places to visit? Some places on earth are illegal to visit due to preservation of the land. Some are because of human safety. And a few locations are so closely linked with paranormal activity that governments have deemed it too dangerous to visit. There are a myriad of reasons, and we will get into all of those reasons in just a minute. There are places to visit where you can get government approval, but those are few and far between. And you are not likely to receive said approval.
There are famous locations such as Snake Island off the coast of Brazil, North Sentinel Island off the coast of India, and the Ise Grand Shrine in Japan. But what about the lesser know places? Monkey Island is off the coast of South Carolina. Do you know about the history of it? Or Ni’ihau Island in the Hawaiian Islands? Bet you didn’t know about these illegal places to visit in America. If you get the opportunity to visit some of these places, you will be one of a handful of living souls that have seen these locations with their own eyes. However, some of these places are so dangerous, or at least perceived to have danger, to the point that humans are simply not allowed.
Montserrat Exclusion Zone
Pyroclastic flow across old city of Plymouth from the Soufrière Hills volcano
Monsterrat is an island in the Southeast Caribbean that has a history of being colonized by the English and French. But the reason why it is illegal to visit this zone is because of what happened in July of 1995. The Soufriere Hills Volcano erupted. The eruption engulfed the Capitol city of Plymoth, and the damage caused more that 2/3rds of the population to leave the island. There are still residents of the island, but a large exclusion zone was created in the south of the island as the volcano remains active. There are efforts to build a new capitol city with an airport on the north half of the island.
Pluto's Gate (Turkey)
Ancient city of Hierapolis with a statue of a Pluto and columns in Pamukkale. UNESCO cultural heritage. Denizli, Turkey
There are many “Pluto’s Gate’s” in the world. The one in the ancient city of Hierapolis Turkey set it apart from the others. Autorities have banned anyone for getting too close to the 2,000 year old cave. Archiologists unearthed the monument in 1963. However, an earthquake decades ago caused a crack in the cave beneath the monument. The crack leaks gasses that can kill humans if exposed for more than a few minutes. Only researchers are allowed in these days, but they have to wear breathing masks to filter out the lethal chemicals.
Ise Grand Shrine, Japan
Chrysanthemum Crest and Cherry Blossoms
Ise Grand Shrine in Japan is dedicated to the sun god. This structure was constructed roughly 2,400 years ago. Today the only souls allowed in the walls of the shrine are Japanese Imperial family members and distinguished gusts of the family. The shrine’s Chief Priest or Priestess has to be a family member. Today that is Sayako Kuroda, the daughter of Emperor Emeritus Akihito.
Bhangarh Fort, India
view of Bhangarh: the most haunted fort in India
This fort was built in the 1500’s for the rulers son. This is a location you can visit during the day. It is one of the region’s most popular tourist attractions. But when the sun goes down, Bhangarh gets weird, and it is illegal to step foot on the grounds. The site has had strong links with paranormal activity. It is believed that the soul of a black magic wizard haunts the grounds after being crushed during a trick gone wrong where he was crushed by a falling boulder.
Morgan Island, South Carolina
Mother Rhesus macaque with baby
Morgan Island has been completely off limits to visitors since 1979. That’s because in 1979 a colony of free range rhesus monkey’s were placed on the island from Porto Rico, and there is a high risk of the monkey’s spreading disease to any humans that come in contact with the island. These monkey’s were involved in research facility where there was a high volume of animal to human dasiese transmission. Today, roughly 3,500 monkeys live on the island, and are fed by an automated system from a building off island. For scientist who are permitted on the island for research purposes, they must undergo strict quarantine procedures upon their return to civilization.
Ni'ihau Island, Hawaii
West coast of Kauai with Niihau island on the horizon
This is apart of the state of Hawaii. Ni’ihau is a massive island in the Hawaiian Archipelago. It was was purchased in 1864 by Elizabeth Sinclair. Today the only people allowed are the decedents of Sinclair, the Robinson family, their guests, US military personnel, and Hawaiian government officials. There are helicopter tours of the island and limited hunting excursions. However, there are no overnight accommodations on the island.
Snake Island, Brazil
Bothrops insularis snake, known as the Golden lancehead. Close up view.
Located about 20-miles off the coast of Sao Paulo in Brazil, Snake Island is exactly what it says; and island full of snakes. In particular, the Golden Lancehead Viper. This is the most venomous snake on the planet, and Snake Island is the only place to find them. There are roughly 4,000 lanceheads on the island. The Brazilian navy avoids the island due to the danger of the viper’s venom.
Poveglia, Italy
A scenic view of the abandoned Poveglia island in the Venetian Lagoon in Italy
This small island is off the coast of the famous city of Venice. Residents of the island fled in the 1300’s, and it sat unoccupied for 400 years. in the 1700’s it was used as an isolation camp for those sowing side effects of disease like the plague, and would be used for this for 100 years. It was then used as a mental asylum in the 1900’s. This island is known as the most haunted place on earth. People are not allowed on the island because of a potential historic disease that could live in the soil.
Mezhgorye, Russia
Mezhgorye is a fully functioning town in Russia with a population of 16,000, but it is completely shut off from the outside world. All the residents are employees or family members of Russian military personnel. There is a military base hidden in the mountains of the town where many top-secret Russian military projects are executed. The town has been rumored to be the location for many of Russia’s nukes, and the home of the “Deadhand Project” that can launch a nuclear assault on the rest of the world.
North Sentinel Island
This is the most famous illegal places to visit. The native tribe, the Sentinelese, are not too fond of visitors. Video has shown the tribe, who have inhabited the island for 60,000 years, shooting arrows at low flying aircraft and those who approach by boat. There is very little known about the Sentinelese, but there believed to be 50-500 in the tribe. It is illegal to get within 8-miles of the island, a law imposed by the Indian government.
