Top 10 Most Dangerous Travel Destinations - URBANETTE: Lifestyle Magazine & Blog


Top 10 Most Dangerous Travel Destinations

The most incredibly dangerous places to visit — and why.


6. Grozny, Chechnya, Russia

Top 10 Most Dangerous Travel Destinations

Constant violence in Grozny, Russia

The UN has labeled Grozny the “Most Destroyed City on Earth.”  The two Chechen Wars, adding up to about twelve years of nonstop violence, have left the city without much except rubble.  Those who are unfortunate enough to be detained in Chechnya “face a real and immediate risk of torture,” according to Holly Carter, director of the Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia division.  Recently there has been an increased interest in Grozny as an extreme tourism destination.

7. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Refreshingly, amidst all this human-perpetrated crime, Papua New Guinea is the location of a great deal of seismic activity.  This creates a constant threat of tsunamis, earthquakes and landslides.  But, let’s not forget those standbys of rape, robbery and carjacking.  Half of sexual violence in the country is committed against children, and both homosexuality and adultery are illegal.  Criminal gangs, called “raskols,” make Port Moresby one of the most unlivable cities on Earth, according to the Intelligence Unit of the Economist.

8. Port-au-Prince, Haiti

The media prominence of Port-au-Prince has faded since the 2010 earthquake became old news, but the city continues to be a hotspot of kidnapping, murders, drug-related shootouts, car-jacking, armed robberies and home break-ins.  Once a popular stop for cruises, the city has seen a drop in tourism that only compounds its unemployment and underemployment issues.

9. Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Top 10 Most Dangerous Travel Destinations

Unsolved murders of women in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

This city is noted as the “most violent zone in the world outside of declared war zones.”  Drug-related crimes, kidnappings, sexual homicides; you name it, Ciudad Juarez has it.  Nevertheless, it is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world.  It’s probably the only place on this list where you can, in fact, purchase a Big Mac.  However, those who can afford to leave the city still do so in droves, as it is one of the most prominent battlegrounds for the continuing Mexican Drug War.

10. Baghdad, Iraq

Iraq continues to be considered a “critical” place for threat of terrorism by the United States Bureau of Diplomatic Security, who reported that though the number of terrorist attacks has decreased, the deadliness of those attacks had increased due to a shift in targets towards public areas such as religious facilities and markets.  Attempts to raise Baghdad to its former glory as a center of culture, especially by redeveloping Tahrir Square, are on-going.

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Reader Discussion: 113 Comments

  1. Joanne Moran

    I don’t want to get kidnapped or anything like that and then get sold to white slavery mafias!!! Remember the movie Taken?!

  2. Dawn Gonzales

    I bet most people who are saying that those countries are truly dangerous and shouldn’t be visited are yet to visit those places themselves.

  3. Learning about those unsafe places will put off the myths that surround them, and it gives a chance to humanize the people there again.

  4. Violet Bell

    Advanced knowledge of survival skills is what one needs in able to outlast any difficult situation one may encounter in those unsafe places.

  5. Cindy Buford

    West Bank and Gaza strip is Israel are areas that can be considered dangerous because of the tension on the borders with Israeli government forces.

  6. Alexis Stevenson

    What are these youngsters trying to achieve anyway? Are they trying to make a mark in this world or just trying to be famous on social media? If by any chance you die, I bet none of your followers actually care.😐

  7. Bernice Perry

    Never travel alone as a woman. Not because we can’t do it, but because we are more likely to be targeted than most men. But whether we are a man or a woman, it is always practical not to travel alone in a risky place.

    • Peggy Ortiz

      It’s always good to travel in pair or groups because when a problem arises, there are more chances that someone can find help.

  8. Angelica Prouty

    Anti-tourists must be street smart. One should never wear a Rolex and carry a big camera hanging around the neck. Observe how people act, their gestures and body languages to know how to respond accordingly.

  9. Penny Ryan

    Going to precarious places is no fun at all. Imagine having to watch over your shoulder in every minute? How can you appreciate the time you are spending on that place?

  10. There’re always crimes in any country that any traveler will face. It is not surprising to be commonplace anywhere. Exercising common sense and doing precautionary measures are always needed in any foreign land we are into.

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