10 dangerous travel destinations: Why these islands are not worth a visit

An island vacation sounds wonderful, doesn't it? But you should be careful when choosing an island, because there are a few in this world that you shouldn't consider. We present ten islands that aren't worth a trip to, and some of which can even be life-threatening.

There's an island in Germany that's not only not worth a visit, but you're not even allowed to land there without permission. The Greifswalder Bodden is home to the world's oldest virological research facility, where research is conducted into dangerous viruses and bacteria that are better left on the island.

The oldest virological research facility in the world is located on the German island of Riems.

Source: PantherMedia / Stefan Dinse

The institute was founded in 1910 by Friedrich Loeffler, a student of Robert Koch. Because he had inadvertently infected an entire region near Greifswald with foot-and-mouth disease during his research, he moved to the island of Riems for safety reasons in 1910. During the Nazi era, potential biological weapons were investigated on Riems. The island is not open to the public.

Plum Island is located not far from Long Island, a popular tourist destination for New Yorkers. Off the northeastern tip of Long Island, however, lies perhaps New York's most dangerous island: Plum Island is home to a high-security center for researching animal epidemics and diseases—the US version of the German island of Riems, so to speak.

Access to Plum Island is strictly prohibited.

Source: imago images/Dreamstime

No wonder the seven-square-kilometer island is a strictly restricted area. Only authorized individuals are allowed to enter. Some are convinced that monsters are being created on Plum Island since a dead, previously unknown creature washed up on a beach near Montauk, New York, in July 2008.

It was said to be the size of a dog, with sharp teeth and a beak-like appearance. The "Montauk Monster" was said to be almost hairless, and parts of its body were brown and pink. As the New York Times reports, speculation quickly arose as to whether the eerie creature had been created during experiments on Plum Island and then escaped. Experts agreed that the "monster" was a raccoon that had died in the water.

There's no ban on entry on the Japanese island of Miyakejima; Japan even promotes the island to travelers, raving about the volcanic island's stunning natural beauty. It's no wonder, with hot springs, black sand beaches, and natural landscapes formed by the volcano. That doesn't sound like an island you should avoid, does it?

A visit to the volcanic island of Miyakejima involves risks.

Source: imago images/Dreamstime

The fact is that the island consists of an active volcano, Mount Oyama. This volcano has erupted repeatedly in the past, most recently in 2000. At that time, enormous ash clouds were created and large amounts of sulfur dioxide were released. The concentration was so high that the locals had to be evacuated and were only able to return five years later. But the gas problem has not disappeared to this day, and in some parts of the island, the concentration is still dangerously high.

To protect travelers and locals from the toxic gases, Miyakejima has an alert system in place. At times, it was even necessary to wear a gas mask. So, while you can visit the island and enjoy nature, you should always be aware of warnings and safety instructions—or simply visit one of Japan's other islands.

North Sentinel Island is located east of India and covers approximately 75 square kilometers. The island is home to the Sentinelese, one of the world's last remaining non-contact tribes. They defend their isolation with violent means and react extremely aggressively to visitors.

North Sentinel Island is home to the Sentinelese, a small tribe of natives estimated to number between 50 and a few hundred people – but no one knows the exact numbers.

Source: imago images/Indian Coast Guard/Ritzau Scanpix

The island has been a restricted area since 1996, but not everyone adheres to this rule. In 2006, two fishermen who had approached the island were found dead off North Sentinel Island. And in 2018, a 27-year-old US tourist attempted to reach the island . He wanted to evangelize the Sentinelese but was shot with arrows by the indigenous people. In 2025, an American couldn't resist and set off for the forbidden island with a can of Coke. Although he was lucky and the islanders ignored him, his trip ended in pre-trial detention.

No one knows how large the native population is. It is estimated that between 50 and a few hundred people live on North Sentinel Island. The Andaman island has been their home for around 60,000 years. Not much else is known about the Sentinelese—for example, it is unclear whether they adhere to a religion or whether they can make fire.

Ramree Island, off the coast of Myanmar, gained notoriety during World War II. 1,200 Japanese soldiers occupied the island, which was then under British rule. On February 19, 1945, British and Indian troops recaptured the island and encircled the Japanese.

The Japanese soldiers refused to surrender and fled into the dense mangrove swamps at night. According to reports, only 400 of them survived this escape. The reason: hundreds of crocodiles lurked in the swamps. The incident went down in British military history as the "Massacre of Ramree."

Impressive and dangerous at the same time: Saltwater crocodiles can grow up to seven meters long. (Symbolic image)

Source: imago/blickwinkel, J.Blitzer

Although historians dispute the number of soldiers killed by the animals and describe the event as an urban myth, the Guinness Book of World Records lists it as "the greatest animal disaster ever inflicted on humans." To this day, the island's mangrove swamps remain a haven for saltwater crocodiles, considered the largest and most aggressive of their kind. Added to this are the island's remoteness and poor medical care. If a crocodile attack were to occur, aid would be difficult to reach the island.

Bikini Atoll is arguably the most famous atoll in the world. Not because of its paradisiacal beach conditions or its stunningly blue water, however. Rather, the atoll is known as a site for nuclear testing after World War II. Between 1946 and 1958, the United States conducted 23 nuclear weapons tests here. Among other things, the "Castle Bravo" bomb, the most powerful hydrogen bomb ever detonated by the United States, was detonated on the atoll. The explosion was said to have been over 1,000 times more powerful than that of the Hiroshima bomb.

So it's not an ideal place to spread out a beach towel. The numerous nuclear tests have contaminated the atoll's natural environment with radioactivity. Although decontamination measures have been carried out, radioactive cesium-137 is still present in the soil, and coconut palms and their fruit are considered contaminated. Despite the existing danger, Bikini Atoll is partially accessible.

Saba is the smallest inhabited island in the former Netherlands Antilles and lies east between the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Approximately 1,900 people live on the small island in the Caribbean. And that's quite dangerous, because no other place in the world has been hit by more hurricanes in the past 150 years, reports The Telegraph.

The airport on the small island of Saba is one of the most dangerous in the world.

Source: imago images/Shotshop

In addition, the island is home to one of the most dangerous airports in the world, Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport. The runway is just 400 meters long and is located directly on the steep cliffs of the coast. Only very small aircraft, flown by specially trained pilots, are allowed to land here.

Queimada Grande in Brazil is perhaps the deadliest island, home to thousands of the world's most venomous snakes. The " Snake Island ," as the rocky island is also called, is firmly in the hands of the island lancehead viper. It is estimated that between 4,000 and 15,000 snakes roam the 44-hectare island.

No one lives on Ilha da Queimada. The reason: poisonous snakes!

Source: By Marinha do Brasil - Navio Balizador Faroleiro Mario Seixas (H26) na Ilha da Queimada Grande, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=140442424

For more than 30 years, (almost) no one has been allowed to set foot on the island. There used to be lighthouse keepers on Queimada Grande, but none of them survived long. Today, only scientists are allowed on the island, and they always have a doctor with them to administer the antidote immediately in an emergency. We've compiled even more facts about Snake Island here .

You should really only visit Danger Island if you're completely out of ideas for other adventures. The island is located in the middle of the Indian Ocean and is uninhabited. There's no medical care, no emergency assistance, and no signal. Furthermore, getting to the island isn't easy, as Danger Island is surrounded by coral reefs, and dangerous currents make landing virtually impossible.

You shouldn't even consider visiting Danger Island, as it has been a marine protected area since 2010, meaning that access is prohibited without permission. The political situation is also tense: The Chagos Archipelago, to which Danger Island belongs, is administered by Great Britain , even though the International Court of Justice ruled that the islands should belong to Mauritius. There is also a US military base on the archipelago's main island.

Things get a little spooky at the end: Gruinard Island, located one kilometer off the northwest coast of mainland Scotland in the Atlantic Ocean, was long considered the most dangerous island in the world and nicknamed "Anthrax Island." Why? During World War II, biological weapons experiments using anthrax for biological warfare were conducted here on behalf of the British War Office.

At some point, researchers discovered that spores of the deadly pathogen had penetrated the soil – and the island was sealed off. Studies to decontaminate the island were conducted starting in 1978, and attempts to save it were made in 1986. 280 tons of formaldehyde were injected into the soil and the vegetation was destroyed with herbicides.

The island has been officially anthrax-free since 1990, but visitors still avoid it. Fears that anthrax spores still exist are too great. Strangely, in March 2022, the island was engulfed in flames from one end to the other. Whether the fire was natural or arson is unclear.

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