World's most dangerous tours revealed


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For the adventure seekers among us, going on specialised tours can really make it a holiday to remember.

But some experiences around the world are more extreme than others, even putting holidaymakers at risk of arrest.

From Bolivia's so-called Death Road - a mountain-side route that tourists tackle on bikes - to the experience of being 'arrested' by Soviet secret police in Lithuania, here are some of the most extreme tours that holidaymakers pay for around the world.  

Memories of the horrific nuclear blast remain for tourists to see on the Fukushima tour

Memories of the horrific nuclear blast remain for tourists to see on the Fukushima tour

Contamination levels are now low enough for coach tours to visit the Fukushima power plant

Contamination levels are now low enough for coach tours to visit the Fukushima power plant

The Fukushima Nuclear Reactor Tour - Japan

The Fukushima site, the scene of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, has become a tourist attraction.

Local government tour guides are now escorting buses of people through the area, explaining what has become of the disaster zone.

Back in 2011, three of the Fukushima Nuclear Plant's six reactors blew up following a tsunami, releasing radioactive gases that meant the whole area had to be evacuated. 

However, with contamination levels said to be 'low', people are being permitted on whistle-stop tours to view the desolate and abandoned place.

Tourists who visit Lithuania get the chance to experience the terrors of a Soviet bunker

Tourists who visit Lithuania get the chance to experience the terrors of a Soviet bunker

Holidaymakers must sign a waiver before agreeing to sign up for the Soviet Bunker Tour

Holidaymakers must sign a waiver before agreeing to sign up for the Soviet Bunker Tour

The Soviet Bunker Experience - Lithuania

Lithuania offers a chance for holidaymakers to experience what life was like under the control of the USSR - using real dogs and former KGB officers, and taking place in a former Soviet bunker.

The terrifying experience starts with visitors being 'ambushed' by the Red Army in the middle of the forest, 15 miles from the capital Vilnius, before being transported down into the bunker for a three-hour Soviet experience.

Before taking part in the experience, which is called 1984: The Survival Drama, holidaymakers are asked to sign a waiver, which includes a clause stating: 'In case of disobedience participants may receive psychological or physical punishments.'

Mexicans are led to the border with the US all for show in the Illegal Border Crossing Experience

Mexicans are led to the border with the US all for show in the Illegal Border Crossing Experience

The Illegal Border Crossing Experience - Mexico

A small town in Mexico has set up a quasi-theme park that offers visitors the chance to experience what Mexican immigrants go through when they illegally cross the U.S. border.

For approximately $20 (£13), tourists visiting El Alberto can spend their Saturday night getting a three-hour simulated experience of what it is like to be a migrant attempting to cross the border.

Participants in the Caminata Nocturna, which translates as 'night walk', go on a challenging trek where they must evade 'immigration officials' and 'border patrol agents' as they flee through rough terrain.

Of course, unlike the millions of migrants who illegally cross into the U.S, the tourists' lives are in no real danger. A worst case scenario here would be a nasty fall. 

Make Your Own Cocaine Tour - Colombia

The South American country has cocaine 'factory' tours high up in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada. Holidaymakers willing to take extreme risks can work with local guides to visit poverty-stricken farmers who gamble with their lives in a desperate bid to provide for their families.

Tours of the illegal farms can cost as little as $9 (£6), but tourists put themselves at risk from paramilitaries operating in the area - who have been known to kidnap foreigners and hold them years at a time - or arrest by local police. 

Both experiences are highly illegal and even seeking them out can put foreign travellers at risk of arrest or attack by drug traffickers or paramilitaries.

Those who take part in the underground tours can be arrested even if they are just caught on the property of the drug-makers.

Many people like taking on a bungee jump, but would you fancy doing one over a crocodile-infested river?

Many people like taking on a bungee jump, but would you fancy doing one over a crocodile-infested river?

Bungee Jumping Over Crocodile-infested Waters - Zambia/Zimbabwe border

Tourists can leap head first from the Victoria Bridge over the crocodile-infested Zambezi River. 

However, back in 2012, then 22-year-old Australian Erin Langworth took on the bungee challenge, with almost fatal consequences.

After flying off the bridge, her rope snapped and she plunged into the water, feet still bound.

Her rope got caught on rocks, but that was the least of her trouble with crocodiles swarming. Miraculously, she managed to untangle the rope, and swim to safety with just cuts, bruises and a broken collarbone.

Tourists get the chance to explore the Bolivian mines of Potosi, with dynamite strapped to their backs

Tourists get the chance to explore the Bolivian mines of Potosi, with dynamite strapped to their backs

Mining With Dynamite - Bolivia

In the Silver Mines of Potosi, Bolivia, you can crawl around in the gravel with dynamite strapped to your back.

Not only that, but you are handed 95 per cent proof alcohol to give you the Dutch courage to continue on your quest.

But once you've polished off the tipple, be prepared to put your mask on, as the dynamite show begins - the walls of the mines shake and disintegrate around you. Not one for the faint-hearted.

Silver Lining Tours allow visitors to get up close and personal to Tornados in America's Midwest

Silver Lining Tours allow visitors to get up close and personal to Tornados in America's Midwest

Tornado Tours - America's Midwest

Silver Lining Tours will take guests to within a quarter of a mile of some of the swirling 300mph vertical wind funnels.

Storm-chasers Roger and Caryn Hill are now taking British punters on the hunt of their lives following deadly and destructive tornados.

Ploughing their way through 'Tornado Alley', the couple drive groups of up to 18 people in three buses and charge up to £230 a day for a ten-day chase.

At 15,400ft, The Death Road in Bolivia is a favourite spot for thrill-seeking cyclists

At 15,400ft, The Death Road in Bolivia is a favourite spot for thrill-seeking cyclists

 

The Death Road Tour - Bolivia 

At 15,400f, Bolivia's North Yungus Road - better known as 'The Death Road' - is among the nation's biggest draw cards for thrill-seeking tourists, even though it is estimated that 300 people die here every year.

Dubbed 'El Camino de la Muerte' (The Death Road) by locals, for obvious reasons, and considered by many the most dangerous stretch of road in the world, the 40-mile journey from its summit entices in excess of 25,000 mountain bike riders annually.

The ride takes in the stunning views among the rolling hills of the Amazon rainforest, but come with the somewhat distracting - and for some terrifying -sheer drop into the canopy as two rubber tyres separate the rider from a narrow single-lane road with very little in the way of railings.

For the locals, the 'Death Road' is an important transport route which they brave in cars and trucks, teetering on the edge and risking their lives with every trip.

For companies such as Gravity Bolivia, a cycling tour company that offers riders the opportunity to experience the once in a lifetime journey through clouds and waterfalls, it's big business.



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