- 4 months ago
Mother Nature can be as deadly as she is beautiful! From treacherous mountains and toxic lakes to extreme climates and unpredictable dangers, we’re venturing into stunning landscapes that only the boldest dare approach. Discover which breathtaking sites are notorious for their hidden perils, and why travelers are often warned to admire them from a safe distance.
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00:00We are 12 and a half thousand feet up Mont Blanc. This is the tallest mountain in Western Europe.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo, where we're discussing some beautiful wonders which are unfortunately
00:10perilous to visit, though some people may do so anyway. Right nearby is this lake that actually
00:17goes from here to Kenya and just pink flamingos everywhere. Number 10. Great Blue Hole, Belize.
00:25A near-perfect circle of deep blue indigo set off with a fringe of coral 46 miles from the coast of
00:31Belize. This huge sinkhole sits just off Belize's east coast. It's over 400 feet deep, making it an
00:38attractive spot for divers. It used to be a limestone cave, but was flooded after the ice age, creating
00:45the beautiful hole we see today. Sea levels rose and flooded those caves, literally bringing the
00:51house down, collapsing the roofs and forming what we now know as blue holes. While it's tempting to
00:56explore, it's exceptionally dangerous. Its bottom is too deep for humans, and divers frequently
01:03experience nitrogen narcosis. The best sites reside lower down, putting divers at risk of getting the
01:10bends. In the past, people have surfaced too quickly, which can prove fatal. 300 feet down, there's a thick
01:18layer of toxic hydrogen sulfide, making life at the bottom impossible.
01:23But the question remains, can the blue hole survive for decades to come?
01:28Number 9. Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia.
01:31And it is really in the middle of nowhere. I have to remember that we're extraordinary
01:36privileged to be here. I mean, this is inaccessible, remote land of Kamchatka.
01:41In Russia's far east lies the beautiful Kamchatka Peninsula. It has tons of mind-blowing nature,
01:47but to most people, it's not worth the trip. Kamchatka is home to the biggest brown bears
01:53in Eurasia, which looks spectacular, but can be highly aggressive. It also hosts 160 volcanoes,
02:0129 of which are active. Many of these are considered the most beautiful volcanoes on earth.
02:07This is the crater of the Uzan volcano. There are 25 volcanoes on the reserve. 12 are still active.
02:14The Kluchevske Sopka is relatively popular for hiking, but it's proven to be fatal on more than
02:21one occasion. Additionally, the region is prone to both earthquakes and tsunamis, which can then
02:27result in rock slides and avalanches. A volcano is erupting and lava can be seen flowing from its
02:34snowy peaks. It started erupting last November after being dormant for more than 30 years.
02:39Number 8. The Bay of Fundy, Canada. Between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, you can find the Bay of
02:46Fundy. There are some remarkable rock formations on its beaches, which are caused by the highest
02:51tidal range on earth. An area now being described as the Mount Everest of tides. The tides can rise a
02:58total of 52 feet, which happens in only a few hours. This means it's not the type of beach to sunbathe and
03:05read a book. Hopewell Rocks is the most famous site, but it can be fatal.
03:10The section that collapsed is one of the more famous of these iconic structures. It's known as
03:15the elephant. Park officials think these rocks collapsed sometime this morning.
03:21Thankfully, the area has plenty of staff and facilities to keep you safe. If you go when the
03:26park's closed, don't even bother trying to see Hopewell Rocks. It's just too dangerous.
03:31Curiosity over the collapse of one of the attraction's iconic figures continues to draw
03:37crowds. That one back a year and a half ago, Elephant Rock, that was big. That got international
03:42attention. Number 7. Danakil Desert, Ethiopia. Welcome to the Ethiopian desert. To one of the
03:50harshest, most inhospitable places imaginable. This 52,000 square mile desert gets almost as hot as
03:58Death Valley. Danakil Desert is the site of some unique nature, making tempting for tourists. Parts
04:05of it, like the areas surrounding the Dalol volcano, look like an alien planet. The volcanic activity
04:12also fills the air with toxic gases like sulfur and carbon dioxide. This, combined with over 120 degree
04:20temperatures, makes it one of the Earth's least hospitable areas.
04:24Just how anything or anyone survives out here is beyond me. It's just so hot, at times it's hard
04:30to breathe. Despite this, it gets quite a few tourists, particularly over the winter months when
04:36it's safer. It's also home to the Afar people, who make a living mining the region for salt.
04:42There are two jobs here, splitting and lifting the great salt slabs, then shaping them into precise
04:48one kilogram blocks. Number 6. Table Mountain, South Africa.
04:52Table Mountain dominates the skyline of Cape Town, 3,566 feet high.
04:59This remarkable mountain towers over Cape Town, South Africa's legislative capital. If you know what
05:05you're doing, hiking to its peak can be relatively safe. There are only so many precautions you can take,
05:12though, since it's home to wildly unpredictable weather. Crime also poses an issue, with hikers being
05:18attacked fairly frequently. That doesn't stop the national park that contains it from attracting
05:23over 4.2 million tourists annually, though. In 2012, Table Mountain was voted one of the
05:29new Seven Wonders of Nature. And from up here, it's easy to see why. The views are breathtaking.
05:35Thankfully, locals are trying to improve safety via preventing crime and educating hikers. If you do visit,
05:42go in a group and always hire a guide, or just take the cable car.
05:47I'm one of over 25 million tourists who've used the aerial cableway to get to the summit.
05:53Number 5. Frying Pan Lake, New Zealand. The largest hot spring on earth sits in a crater within the
05:59Waymangu Volcanic Rift Valley. It was formed in 1886, after the nearby Mount Tarawara erupted,
06:07then became a hot spring by 1917. Tarawara's eruption in 1886, we have an exact start time
06:15in terms of Waymangu. It's 9.4 acres in size, and is relatively safe to go and see.
06:23Going for a swim would disappointingly prove fatal, as it has an average temperature of 131 degrees.
06:30We've been mindful about how we can look after them so as to minimize their impact.
06:34And we're guiding them through where we place the tracks.
06:38It's also strongly acidic, plus it's constantly leaking toxic gases like carbon dioxide and hydrogen
06:44sulfide. The entire Waymangu Volcanic Rift Valley is very geologically young, meaning it's highly
06:51unstable. Sudden geysers, mud pools, or steam bursts can and will happen without warning.
06:58Think of it as a geyser caught in the bottom of a bowl.
07:01So at least like the fountain and more like a bit of a boil up.
07:04Number 4. Mont Blanc, France.
07:07White Peak, Mont Blanc, that is the translation. And it's truly a spectacular place, but it is
07:12the new battleground for climate change because a glacier on this mountain is in the process of
07:17breaking off.
07:18Climbing the highest mountain in the Alps isn't an easy feat. It's so dangerous that between 10 and
07:2420 climbers perish there annually, usually from getting lost, falling off cliffs, or getting hit by rocks.
07:31In one valley, scientists found that rockfalls happen every 37 minutes.
07:36When do you think this might happen?
07:38You have to call God because you cannot say when it falls.
07:43But Fasson says the culprit is clear. Climate change.
07:47The effects of climate change aren't helping at all, making the weather increasingly unpredictable.
07:52Interestingly, it's rarely considered one of the hardest climbs. This causes it to attract
07:57thousands of visitors annually, many with little to no climbing experience. Two planes also
08:04tragically crashed into the mountain in the 20th century, making it seem cursed.
08:09Dozens of tourists here to see the spectacular mountain scenery instead forced to spend the
08:14freezing night trapped in midair in these cable cars dangling over the French Alps.
08:19Number 3. Lake Natron, Tanzania.
08:22Sun is setting just gorgeous. And I mean, it's the real deal. This is nightfall. There's no rose.
08:29Northern Tanzania is home to one of the deadliest lakes on the planet. Lake Natron's pH level can
08:35exceed 12, an extremely high alkalinity, with temperatures that barely drop below 100 degrees.
08:41That's so hot. Rain often evaporates before it hits the surface. It's commonly claimed it turns
08:48animals into stone through a process called calcification, which happens after some animals
08:53come in contact with the lake. It's full of cyanobacteria, which gives it a beautiful pink
08:59color, but can also be poisonous. Despite its dangers, tourists love it, especially photographers.
09:05The stone animals produce fascinating images. It doesn't stop 2.5 million lesser flamingos from
09:12calling it home, though. Flamingo migration is one of the Great Rift's most enduring mysteries.
09:19They appear and disappear unpredictably.
09:23Number 2. Mount Nirogongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
09:28This often active lava lake is unsurprisingly deadly. It's also located in one of the poorest
09:33countries on Earth, which has been ravaged by decades of constant conflict following a brutal
09:40Belgian rule. The volcano is dangerously active, erupting most recently in 2021. Thousands from the
09:47nearby city of Goma were displaced, and the chaos caused over 30 deaths.
09:52We turn now to Central Africa, where a devastating volcanic eruption has killed at least 15 people.
09:58The region's instability makes it challenging to monitor the volcano, resulting in there being
10:03zero warnings about the recent eruption. It also releases toxic carbon dioxide gas,
10:09which is an immense hazard and frequently claims the lives of locals.
10:14For now, panic has given way to morbid curiosity,
10:18as people who escaped the worst of it took selfies amidst the still-glowing molten ash.
10:23Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:28Yosemite's Half Dome, USA. It's one of the world's deadliest hiking trails.
10:33The body of a hiker was recovered just a few hours ago after he fell off Half Dome.
10:38Ben Nevis, UK. Scotland's highest mountain claims roughly three lives annually.
10:44Their guidebooks may tell them that Ben Nevis means the mountain closest to heaven,
10:49but some experts believe that the Gaelic name is more likely to translate as Mountain of Dread.
10:55El Caminito del Rey, Spain.
10:58Pre-2015, it was the world's most dangerous walkway, Mount Fuji, Japan.
11:04It looks beautiful, but the climb can prove fatal.
11:07Mount Fuji is over 12,000 feet high, sitting, of course, just outside Tokyo.
11:15That's incredible.
11:16Snake Island, Brazil.
11:19It's illegal to visit due to its highly venomous locals.
11:22This guy to my left wound up at what could be the most dangerous place on Earth.
11:27Yeah, they call it Snake Island.
11:28It's off the coast of Brazil and it's crawling with venomous pit vipers.
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11:47Number 1. Mount Iger, Switzerland.
11:51In southern Switzerland, more than 64 climbers have died scaling the north face of Mount Iger.
11:57They were just down there, the people who could save his life.
12:00And he just couldn't get, his fingers were completely frostbitten.
12:04They were just dead.
12:05This has earned it the German nickname Mordwand, which translates to murderous wall.
12:11It's one of the hardest climbs on Earth and wasn't done successfully until 1938.
12:16It took multiple attempts, with many ending in fatalities.
12:20It's quite foreboding, actually.
12:23I mean, this is a scene of so many epics, so many almost horror-like stories about people
12:28battling for their lives to get up here.
12:29Its dangers make it highly appealing to climbers, seeing it as the ultimate challenge.
12:35What's even more harrowing is that on a clear day, you can observe the entire face with telescopes
12:40nearby.
12:42This means you can sit and watch climbers ascend the mountain, a nerve-wrecking way to spend
12:47the day.
12:48By the early 60s, climbers all over Europe were looking for the next great prize on the
12:53Iger's north face.
12:55What natural wonder would you love to visit the most, but is tragically too unsafe?
13:00Let us know in the comments.
13:01A fixed rope snapped, and John Harlan fell to his death.
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