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#17 Valley Of Death, Russia

The name says it all. Russia’s Valley of Death is a destination to avoid at all costs. Those who do get too close risk never returning.

Lying beneath Kikhpinych, a stratovolcano on the remote Kamchatka Peninsula, the Valley of Death traps the poisonous gases that emerge from countless cracks in the Earth’s surface. Hydrogen Sulfide, Carbon Dioxide, Sulphur Dioxide and other dangerous elements make for a toxic brew. With no wind to disperse the deadly gases, just breathing the air here can be fatal.

Innumerable bird and mammal carcasses lie all around in what has become an eerie animal graveyard. Those heading here risk suffering a similar fate, and visitors are not encouraged. Since the Valley of Death was first discovered in the 1930s, many adventurers have found the lure too hard to resist. If you ask locals, they’ll tell you 80 people have known to have been lost in the valley of death.

Number 16