Which place is the most dangerous in our world?

 

Peter Wade

 

visited all 50 U.S. states (at least 13 times each)

To best answer this question, let’s consider danger to be not only a location that is inherently dangerous, but one that is also surrounded by danger. The goal would be to define a place a very long way from safety, from which someone is least likely to reach refuge without being seriously injured or killed. If the question implyies that a person will be teleported to the single most dangerous location in the world, including nearly inaccessible places, then any North Korean prison camp would probably win the competition. That’s the easy answer.

In that regard, you could also be teleported to the top of a mountain that is impossible to descend where you’d eventually starve to death. You could be placed into a prison cell with one of the most dangerous humans, like Timothy Joseph McGhee who kills people as a hobby (I wrote his Wikipedia article). I’m going to go in a different direction. The average human wouldn’t find themselves imprisoned in North Korea, or placed atop a mountain, and I feel like the question seeks a location that could realistically be visited.

The most dangerous place anyone could visit

Certain neighborhoods in Mexico would be horrific at night for an outsider, but wouldn’t be as dangerous for a local. Even in a North Korean labor camp, the prison guards are not in danger as long as they follow the rules. So I’ve challenged myself to find a place that is dangerous for absolutely anyone of any background, not just outsiders.

In my opinion, based on all my world travels, the single most dangerous place in the world would be deeply embedded in an unsafe country with the risk of human attack, coupled with the terrifying combination of natural dangers and merciless wildlife. While places in Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, and the Darien Gap would certainly rank near the top, locals are again safer than visitors. Walking alone through the Serengeti amongst lions, cheetahs, crocodiles, and hippos might be even worse. But at least Tanzania is a safe country. I think I can beat all of them.

The winner

After some serious consideration, the place a human would be least likely to escape unharmed would probably be GPS coordinates 6.311697, -64.488869.

You’re standing at the top of Pará Falls perilously perched on a rock. It’s located in Venezuela’s Jaua-Sarisariñama National Park. You’re right in the middle of the powerful Caura River relentlessly blasting past you. If you fall, humans would very likely be injured by a 200-foot drop into water, especially with the river pounding you at the base. The Caura also has piranhas and crocodiles. If you don’t fall right away, there is a precarious walk across one of the widest waterfalls in the world back to the banks while trying to avoid losing your footing. You’re probability of escape is extremely low already.

If you survive round one, now you’re forced to hike out of an expansive tropical rain forest with venomous snakes and jaguars in a desperate search for any road. Tourists rarely visit this park except by helicopter because of its inaccessibility, and the rare hikers in these dense woods suffer bug bites from insects not recognized by scientists. By the way, the nearest remote dirt road is a grueling 74 miles away if you can walk in a straight line.

And now, round three. Even if you make it back to civilization, you’re still in the middle of one of the world’s most dangerous countries! Good luck getting a ride to the nearest town of Ciudad Bolivar without being robbed and either beaten or killed. The crime rate there scores a 92 out of 100! They do have an airport if you can make it.

The country of Venezuela dropped four places in 2022 on the Global Peace Index. So essentially one of the scariest nations on the planet is getting more dangerous as we speak, among the most dangerous in the world. I think few people would escape this location unscathed!

What are the top 3 places in the world to visit, and why?

 

Peter Wade

 · 

visited 83 countries, all 7 continents

What are the top three places in the world to visit, and why?

For anyone who has traveled the world extensively, it is excruciatingly difficult to eliminate all the scenic beauty, fascinating culture, and stunning cuisine we’ve enjoyed, narrowing down a lifetime of adventures to only three recommendations.

Sorting through my memories around the globe - the mountains of New Zealand, Montenegro, and Switzerland, the remote regions of Argentina, Peru, and China, the oceanfront of northern Norway, southern Chile, and Australia’s Lord Howe Island, and the exotic aura of India, Brazil, and Egypt - all of this is so diverse and unique and worthwhile. It’s so unfathomable to reduce the planet to only a few of the world’s highlights.

Within the United States alone, I cannot imagine overlooking the stunning scenery of Alaska, Hawaii, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, California, Oregon, and Washington! America has its own impressive highlight reel, which I’ll set aside for the purposes of recommending the planet’s most ideal, exotic, far-flung places off the radar of many.

If I must attempt this impossible task, I won’t need to necessarily select the three most beautiful places I’ve witnessed. I must simply choose three locales of great variety that will offer a tremendous adventure to anyone who takes my advice, not only the final destination but the experience along the way. With that in mind, I’ll give you three examples whose photo ops will make all your friends envious, places with staggering terrain and stunning water features, sufficiently life changing enough to ignite a passion for travel if not already, and even the opportunity to glimpse unique wildlife as a bonus.

• GPS coordinates -23.148672, 14.443982
• Sandwich Harbour, Namibia

This is one of the most majestic places you’ll see in the world. The massive sand dunes of the Namib Desert are juxtaposed against the mighty South Atlantic Ocean in one of the planet’s most surreal scenes.

Lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, black rhinos, and oryx are among hundreds of species that roam the barren desert landscape and even the coastline itself. The endless stretch of crashing waves and lunarlike topography without the intrusion of resorts and high-rises is simply stellar.

• GPS coordinates -64.847812, -62.948225
• Paradise Bay, Antarctica

See as much of Antarctica as you can. Quite simply, these are the most indelible travel memories I retain. In Paradise Bay, the water is as smooth as glass, the black mountains offer an eerie intrigue, and the glacial cliffs of stunning proportion rise like frozen skyscrapers towering above the bay. Turn off the boat engine and you won’t hear a sound. It’s the only place in the world I’ve ever felt the experience of going deaf. There is literally not one speck of noise pollution in this remote place at the bottom of the world. And my goodness, the journey along the way!

• GPS coordinates 63.775764, -18.175476
• Reynisfjara Beach, Iceland

Just tour all of Iceland from top to bottom and your mind will be blown. But a personal highlight was strolling along the southern coast of this magical island, with jet-black sandy shores, waves reaching for the foothills of Reynisfjall mountain, and basalt sea stacks towering in the ocean. The orange-beaked roosting puffins and odd rocky formations along the cliffside known as Columnes Reynisfjara complete this otherworldly trek, as if you’ve stumbled into a fairytale.

Of all my travels, these three places are perhaps the most unforgettable and most likely to inspire!

You may also be interested in my list of the most exquisite and lesser-known places in the world.