10 secret places you can't visit, no matter how much you pay

North Sentinel Island (Indian Ocean)

North Sentinel Island is a place you should avoid if you value your life.

For over 60,000 years, many travelers and anthropologists have tried to explore this island, but the indigenous Sentinelese people have consistently denied them access.

Despite numerous efforts to establish relations with the Sentinelese, we still do not know their language or their worldview.

Most attempts to learn more about this people have ended tragically. As a result, the world knows almost nothing about the Sentinelese and their island.

Northern Sentinel (photo: Wikipedia)

Poveglia Island (Italy)

There is a reason why the Italian government bans travel to Poveglia, a small island between Venice and Lido.

Since 1776, the island has been used to quarantine victims of the bubonic plague, who spent their final days there and were buried in mass graves. In the 1920s, a psychiatric hospital was established on the island, where a doctor conducted cruel experiments on patients.

Many believe the island is haunted. Although entry is prohibited, some people manage to bribe local sailors to take them to Poveglia.

Poveglia (photo: Wikipedia)

Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Norway)

On a Norwegian mountain, there is a well-guarded facility that no one is allowed to enter. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault was built to preserve a vast diversity of plant seeds from around the world.

It is designed to store 4.5 million seed varieties, each with an average of 500 seeds. This facility is located in a Norwegian mountain where the cold temperatures are ideal for seed preservation, but many believe there is much more hidden behind its doors.

The seeds are intended to provide a backup in the event of a global catastrophe, so it is likely that other emergency supplies may also be stored there.

Underground entrance (photo: Wikipedia)

Lascaux Cave (France)

In southwestern France, there is a place where you can get a glimpse of the world's earliest inhabitants, but unfortunately, it is off-limits to visitors.

Lascaux Cave is home to over 600 wall paintings and nearly 1,500 engravings, dating back 20,000 years. These artworks offer insight into the life of the earliest humans in Europe.

After World War II, people were allowed to visit the cave and view these masterpieces. However, visitors brought in foreign flora that led to fungal growth, which damaged some of the paintings. As a result, the cave was closed to the public.

Rock painting in Lascaux (photo: Wikipedia)

Hell's Gate (Turkey)

In 1965, archaeologists uncovered a Roman religious site in Hierapolis, Turkey. The temple was dedicated to Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld. Ancient priests sacrificed birds and bulls by throwing them into a cave.

Why? Because the air there is toxic. Scientists have recorded dangerous levels of CO2 in the cave. At night, these gases become denser. By morning, CO2 levels reach 35%, enough to kill a person or animal in minutes.

Even if you wanted to enter the cave, you wouldn't survive to tell the tale.

Hierapolis (photo: Wikipedia)

Island of the Snakes (Brazil)

If you have a fear of snakes, you should stay away from Ilha da Queimada Grande, also known as Snake Island.

Located off the coast of Brazil, this island is home to a rare species of venomous snake — the golden lancehead pit viper, which preys on the birds that frequently visit the island.

Scientists believe these snakes ended up on the island due to rising sea levels. Due to the danger, visiting the island is strictly prohibited.

Ilha da Queimade Grande Island (photo: Wikipedia)

Pravčická Brána (Czech Republic)

Pravčická Brána is the largest natural sandstone arch in Europe. This 52-foot arch majestically stands in the Bohemian Switzerland region of the Czech Republic. Such a grand geological formation naturally attracts many tourists, but they are not allowed to approach the arch.

Over time, Pravčická Brána has narrowed to a bridge only 10 feet wide. A similar landmark, the Azure Window in Malta, collapsed due to the same process. As a result, visitors have been prohibited from approaching Pravčická Brána since 1982.

Pravčická Brána (photo: Wikipedia)

Bhangarh Fort (India)

While you can visit Bhangarh Fort during the day, it might be best to avoid it altogether. This 17th-century fort in Rajasthan, India, has been officially declared cursed by the Indian government.

Authorities prohibit entry to the fort from sunset to sunrise. It is said that those who entered at night never returned. According to legend, King Madho Singh built this fort.

An ascetic named Guru Balu Nath once meditated there and asked the king never to build anything that could cast a shadow on his meditation spot. The king did not keep his promise, and as a result, the fort was cursed.

Bhangarh Fort (photo: Wikipedia)

Ghost town Varosha (Cyprus)

In 1974, Turkish troops invaded the tourist city of Varosha in Cyprus. The Turkish armed forces took control of the city, but all its residents fled during the invasion.

For 45 years, the once-thriving resort city of Varosha has remained abandoned. Tourists are prohibited from entering.

Once frequented by stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Marilyn Monroe, the city has now become known as a ghost town.

Varosha (photo: Wikipedia)

Paris catacombs (France)

Most tourists exploring Paris choose to visit the famous catacombs.

This tunnel, containing six million skeletal remains, dates back to the late 18th century. However, few realize that 99% of these tunnels are closed to the public.

The ossuary stretches 300 kilometers as a continuous labyrinth of bones in utter darkness. Yet, this doesn’t deter urban explorers from attempting to access restricted sections. Those who venture into the labyrinth quickly discover how easy it is to get lost.

Paris catacombs (photo: Wikipedia)