This article originally appeared on Investing.com. It has been republished here with permission.
©ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock.comNowadays, research is at your fingertips with the click of just a few buttons. You can learn about anything using your phone or laptop, and there are few barriers for the curious. Unless they’re trying to learn about what’s inside these top-secret locations, that is.
All of the sites on this list are heavily-restricted, which means they are off-limits to the public due to hazardous conditions, political issues, rumors of hauntings and aliens, and other reasons. All of these places impose heavy fines, if not jail time, for those foolish enough to try to sneak in to capture photos with their smartphones.
1. Area 51
Where: Paradise Ranch, Nevada (Formerly Known As)
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $2,280*
Area 51 is one of the most popular military facilities in America, thanks to the large number of rumors, urban legends, and myths that surround it. This top-secret U.S. Air Force base is located in Nevada, and everything that goes on there is highly-classified.
©/Shutterstock.comThough Area 51 has been the subject of a Netflix movie of the same name, it’s anybody’s guess as to what happens there. Fines and penalties for sneaking into the alien-and-UFO site are steep, reaching well over $2,000 per violator.
2. Vatican Secret Archive
Where: The Vatican
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $275 Vatican trespassing fee*
Very few people have access to the Vatican Secret Archive, as only scholars over the age of seventy-five are permitted to study the archives. When they are authorized, academics enter the Vatican Secret Archive through an entryway guarded by the Swiss military.
©/Shutterstock.comThese scholars can access three pre-requested documents per day, no more. Technically, the owner of this secretive library is the Pope, as he owns it until he either dies or resigns. Then, ownership transfers to his successor.
3. Little Hall’s Pond Cay
Where: Bahamas
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $50*
Little Hall’s Pond Cay is a privately-owned island that is off-limits to the public, though the public will likely know its former owner. Johnny Depp, the star of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, bought the island years ago before later re-selling it to J.K. Rowling.
exploredplanet/PinterestLittle Hall’s Pond Cay certainly looks like something out of a Disney movie, as it is full of lush, tropical vegetation, clear waters, and white sands. The buildings on the island are solar-powered, and the surrounding lands are all part of a wildlife refuge.
4. Vale do Javari
Where: Brazil
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Undisclosed
The Brazilian government has made it illegal for people who are not indigenous to enter the Vale do Javari (Valle del Javari). The indigenous territory is one of the largest in Brazil, encompassing tens of thousands of square miles.
©/Shutterstock.comVale do Javari contains the world’s highest concentration of isolated indigenous people. Because these natives are so vulnerable to disease and damage, they are kept safe from the outside world and its pressures.
5. Korean Demilitarized Zone, DMZ
Where: The Korean Peninsula
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $155 (if South Korea catches you)*
The Korea Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a strip of land that crosses the Korean Peninsula. It acts as a border barrier between South and North Korea, separating the two contentious nations. Technically, the DMZ is an active war zone.
©Joshua Davenport/Shutterstock.comThe “world’s most dangerous border” might sound like the stuff of a Netflix action-thriller, but it is real. The stretch is isolated, rife with fences and landmines, and North Korea and South Korea exchanged gunfire across the DMZ as recently as 2020.
6. Maya Bay
Where: Indonesia
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Undisclosed
After the 2000 movie The Beach, which starred A-list actor Leonardo DiCaprio, Indonesia’s Maya Bay became famous for its clear waters and white sand. Millions of tourists flocked to the Bay, and that visitation came with a price.
©/stock.adobe.comMaya Bay’s ecosystem became heavily damaged because of boat traffic, with congestion and pollution killing off 80% of its coral reefs. As a result, Maya Bay was shut down. Now, if the public wants to see it, they can rent The Beach on Amazon Prime Video.
7. Aksai Chin
Where: India/China (Disputed Territory)
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $500-$1,000*
Aksai Chin is a disputed border area between China and India, though it is primarily controlled by China. Aksai Chin was neglected for years because of its barren, uninhabitable, isolated nature. But, in the 1950s, the Chinese took an interest in the region.
©Pav-Pro Photography Ltd/Shutterstock.comThe country’s military built a road through the region to connect Tibet to Xinjiang, something to which India strenuously objected. This kicked off border clashes that began in 1962 and, in some capacity, are still ongoing today.
8. Bohemian Grove
Where: Monte Rio, California
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $1,000 or 6 months in jail (maximum)*
“Weaving Spiders Come Not Here” is the motto hanging outside Bohemian Grove’s headquarters, reminding its gatherers that they can only come to the secret club if they leave business at the door. The Bohemian Grove is a secret society in Monte Rio, California.
/Wikipedia.orgIts meetings take place at a 2,700-acre private compound in Monte Rio, and members have to jump through a lot of hoops just to be considered for membership. In addition to a $25,000 initiation fee, members are hand-selected, and there is, currently, a sizable waiting list for those who want to become part of the secret society. The club is quite secretive, though there are some documentaries on YouTube that purport to have cracked Bohemian Grove’s mysteries.
9. Google Data Centers
Where: North America, Asia, Europe, and South America
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $500-$5,000, depending on where it is*
Google operates data centers on four different continents, and these centers are only available to Google employees who have permission to be there. The data centers run 24/7, using as much as 103 megawatts of electricity.
©/stock.adobe.comJust one data center is said to cost $600 million, if not more. The Data Centers keep Google’s products running, and the entire cost to set up its centers was rumored to be $13 billion for the year 2019 alone.
10. Chapel of the Tablet
Where: Ethiopia
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $25-$250*
Located in Aksum, Ethiopia, the Chapel of the Tablet is supposedly the home of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark itself is said to be guarded by a virgin sentinel who is not permitted to ever leave the Chapel.
©Anton_Ivanov/Shutterstock.comThis Guardian of the Covenant is the only person allowed to see the Ark in the Chapel’s catacombs, which are off-limits to the public. Whether fact or fiction, this tale, which brings to mind PARA and his escapades, has made the Chapel famous, bringing curious tourists from all over the world to the tiny Ethiopian town.
11. Chauvet Cave
Where: France
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Up to $16,000*
Located within Southeastern France, the Chauvet Cave has some of the most well-preserved figurative cave paintings and drawings in the world. In addition to this artwork, there are other markers of the Upper Paleolithic period within the Cave, too.
©Bruno M Photographie/Shutterstock.comBecause of its historical significance, the Chauvet Cave is banned from public viewing. The techniques and tools used to paint the Chauvet Cave’s artwork are varied and diverse, and the art itself covers a wide range of topics and events from Paleolithic times.
12. Tillamook Rock Lighthouse
Where: Oregon
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Up to $1,000*
Tillamook Rock Light is an inactive lighthouse located on the Oregonian coast of the U.S., just a mile off the shore of Tillamook Head. The lighthouse was built atop a rock in 1880, a construction plan that was incredibly risky.
©/stock.adobe.comBecause of its location, no one is allowed to attempt to visit Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. Nicknamed “Terrible Tilly” for its harsh location, the Lighthouse is rumored to be cursed by gods, spirits, and/or ghosts. These rumors have haunted the Lighthouse since its inception—even earlier, when you factor in Native American legends.
13. Langley
Where: McLean, Virginia
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $2,500 or 1 year in prison (maximum)*
Langley is an unincorporated town that has become synonymous with secret U.S. government hideouts. Langley, located in McLean, Virginia, is home to the George Bush Center for Intelligence, which is the headquarters of the CIA.
©The Old Major/Shutterstock.comThe CIA relocated from Washington D.C. to Langley in the early 1960s, and it has remained there ever since. Though Langley, as a community, is visitable if you’re part of the public, it goes without saying that the CIA headquarters are kept under lock and key.
14. Fort Knox
Where: Kentucky
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $1,000 or 6-12 months in prison*
Fort Knox is a U.S. Army installation located in Kentucky, and it is famous for being impossible to break into. Those attempting to trespass are subject to stiff fines and jail sentences, and no one has even attempted to burglarize the fortress since 1935.
@whereintheworldarethemorgans/InstagramNo visitors are permitted at Fort Knox, which is located next to the U.S. Bullion Depository. Today, Fort Knox houses 143.7 million troy ounces of gold, which is about half of what the U.S. Treasury owns.
15. Pluto’s Gate
Where: Turkey
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Undisclosed
Pluto’s Gate, also called the Ploutonion at Hierapolis, was discovered in the 1960s by Italian archaeologists. Excavation began on the Turkish site, which was revealed to have been a ploutonion (a religious sanctuary) for worshipers of Plouton in Hierapolis.
@metinstelegraph/InstagramThe small cave was rumored to be, both in Greek and Roman religions, a portal to the underworld. Since 2022, the exterior of the cave has been opened to the public, but much of Pluto’s Gate remains hidden from prying eyes, so as to preserve its integrity.
16. Poveglia
Where: Italy
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $30-$300*
Poveglia is located within the Venetian Lagoon of Italy, and it has been in historical records since 421 A.D. Poveglia, a small island, was inhabited until 1379, when its residents were forced to flee due to warfare.
@luoghi_abbandonati_/InstagramIn 1922, a mental hospital infamous for its unethical practice was opened on the island. Eventually, it closed, but rumors of hauntings have remained. Rumor has it, half of Poveglia’s soil is human remains. True or not, the small island is off-limits to the public, and no transportation service will go there.
17. Niihau Island
Where: Hawaii
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Up to $1,000*
Niihau is an island of Hawaii that 84 people call home. Of all of Hawaii’s inhabited islands, Niihau is the most pristine and untouched. The people who live there are all native to Hawaii, speaking their own unique dialect of the Hawaiian language.
@hawaiianbeachtours/InstagramThe island is privately-owned and off-limits to the public, as its owners, Bruce and Keith Robinson, protect Niihau from the pressures of the rest of the world. Though Niihau residents can leave as they please, people who aren’t from there cannot enter the island without trespassing.
18. Chichen Itza Pyramid
Where: Mexico
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $5,856*
In 2022, there was a high-profile case of a woman climbing up the side of the Chichen Itza Temple in Mexico. People booed her and yelled profanities, and the trespasser was punished by Mexico for her disrespect to the temple.
@kobroshowsky/InstagramWhile you can view Chichen from the outside, the interior is off-limits (so is climbing it). The archaeological site is invaluable to human history, and its natural wonders are not to be subjected to interference.
19. Surtsey
Where: Iceland
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Undisclosed
This volcanic island is known as Surtsey, and it is part of Iceland, though no members of the public are permitted to venture there. Surtsey is a forbidden island, formed in the mid-sixties by a volcanic eruption that started hundreds of feet below sea level.
@enjoytravel.ro/InstagramSurtsey has UNESCO status, which means visitors are off-limits, lest they disrupt the island’s status as a living scientific laboratory. Surtsey has been a gold mine for researchers, teaching them how animals and plants naturally, without human interference, colonize a new place.
20. Grand Shrine of Ise
Where: Japan
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $712 or 3 years in prison (maximum)*
This Shinto shrine is known as the Grand Shrine of Ise, and it is dedicated to Amaterasu the Solar Goddess. Located in Japan, the shrine is composed of Naiku and Geku, its two main buildings. Visitors are allowed to tour the complex and its exterior, but they cannot go in.
@isejingu.official/InstagramEvery twenty years, Ise is torn down and rebuilt, so as to comply with Shinto’s theories of death and rebirth. Only priests, priestesses, and members of the Japanese Imperial Family can enter the Shrine of Ise—the rest of the public can only look at it from afar.
21. Mezhgorye
Where: Russia
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Undisclosed (kept highly secret by the Russian government)
Mezhgorye, also sometimes spelled as Mezhgorya, is a small, secretive town in Russia. This closed town is famous because it allegedly contains a nuclear base. During Soviet Times, Mezhgorya was known as Ufa-105 or Beloretsk-16.
©Mehaniq/Shutterstock.comIt was granted “town status” in the mid-nineties, and it remains the only closed town within a Russian republic. It belongs directly to the Russian federal government, answering only to top-level government officials who keep the place locked tightly.
22. North Sentinel Island
Where: India
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Arrows in your back
North Sentinel Island is an Indian island that dozens of people call home. These people are known as the Sentinelese, an isolated, indigenous population that lives in protected isolation. As they have demonstrated, the Sentinelese will defend by force this isolation.
©vivaswa/Shutterstock.comIt is illegal to visit the tribal community, and visitors who have tried have ended up shot through with arrows. The community there is vulnerable to disease from visitors, as they have not had contact with the outside world at all.
23. Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Where: Norway
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Undisclosed
The Svalbard Seed Vault cost almost $9 million to construct, and it was a wise investment, as the Vault is the world’s insurance policy for its food supplies. The Vault contains millions of different kinds of seeds, each representing an important crop.
@cografya.evreni/InstagramShould the worst come to pass, the Svalbard Seed Vault could be used to re-grow the surviving world population’s food supplies. Though you can see the outside of the Vault, the inside is very private, strictly off-limits to visitors without authorization.
24. Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang
Where: China
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Death, possibly
The Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first Qin Emperor, is the burial place of the man who unified the empire and helped start the Great Wall of China. The twenty-mile funerary compound has never been excavated.
©Ashapmen/Shutterstock.comNo eyes have actually looked inside the tomb, which is thought to potentially be booby-trapped, for 2,000 years. Not only are researchers concerned about deadly traps, they are also worried about damaging the tomb and losing historical artifacts and information by excavating it.
25. Morgan Island
Where: South Carolina
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Up to $5,000*
Located off the coast of South Carolina, Morgan Island is strictly off-limits to the public, as it is an important nature preserve. Morgan Island was established in the late 1970s as a home for a breeding colony of free-range rhesus monkeys from India.
©Sunil_Sharma_ab/Shutterstock.comYou can get on a boat and sail past, but Morgan Island itself belongs only to the monkeys. The 2,000 acres of pristine land is inhabited by 4,000 rhesus monkeys, all of which are used by the government as a source for their federal laboratories.
26. Pravcicka Brana
Where: Czech Republic
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $9.21 for trespassing after dark*
Pravcicka Brana is an arched, narrow, rock formation located within the Bohemian Switzerland Region of the Czech Republic. Pravcicka Brana is the continent’s largest sandstone archway, and it is a popular site for tourists.
©Fotokon/Shutterstock.comThat said, you cannot go onto the arch itself—you can only see it from a distance. Tourists crossing over the archway will erode the natural sandstone over time, so it is a natural site you can only see, not touch.
27. Ilha da Queimada Grande
Where: Brazil
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Death, possibly
Located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil, “Snake Island” (Ilha da Queimada Grande) is not a place you would want to visit. Visitors are not permitted, as this hazardous island is home to the world’s deadliest, most endangered snakes.
@unmundoperdiscover/InstagramThere are around 15,000 species of snakes that call the Island home, and the 106-acre is crawling with millions of the reptiles. Going to Snake Island illegally is a surefire way to get a nasty, likely fatal bite. Should you survive, you’ll incur a fine from Brazil for trespassing, if not a prison sentence.
28. Lascaux Caves
Where: France
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Up to $16,000*
Fans of prehistoric history have likely heard of the Lascaux Caves, a network stretching over 84 acres. The caves are home to more than six-hundred parietal wall decorations, which are painted along the Caves’ interior walls and ceilings.
©spatuletail/Shutterstock.comAfter WWII, the Lascaux Caves were a popular tourist site, but this popularity came with a price. In 1963, the Caves were sealed off when it was revealed that the sweat and breath of visitors was creating humidity and carbon dioxide that was going to damage these prehistoric paintings.
29. Heard and McDonald Island
Where: Australia
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $1,500*
Penalties as stiff as $1,500 apiece have been handed down to those foolish enough to trespass on Heard and McDonald Islands in Australia. These subantarctic, heavily-glaciated volcanic islands are barren and uninhabited.
@exploratumun2/InstagramThey are a UNESCO World Heritage Site from which the public is barred. Big Ben is the island’s active volcano, having “woken up” after a period of 75,000 years of dormancy. Since its inscription, Big Ben has steadily grown larger.
30. Bhangarh Fort
Where: Rajasthan, India
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $6.07 if you trespass there after dark*
Bhangarh Fort is located in Rajasthan, India, and it was constructed in the 1500s. Bhangarh has a unique history, as 10,0000 people used to live in the fort before it was deserted one night. Rumors of black magic and curses surround Bangarh, which was said to once be home to a black magic priest.
©mrinalpal/Shutterstock.comThough visitors can see Bhangarh in all its former glory during the day, its haunted reputation means that it is off-limits to visitors after sunset and before sunrise. Those found at Bhangarh after dark risk jail time and fines…if not a curse or two from the priest’s ghost that haunts the ruins.
31. North Brother Island
Where: New York
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $250 or 15 days in jail*
North Brother Island is famously located next to New York’s Rikers Island prison complex. It was, for a time, a drug rehabilitation center until its abandonment in 1963. North Brother Island is off-limits to the public, due to its newfound status as a bird sanctuary.
@usaondisplay/InstagramOnly nesting herons use the island, which was valued at $1.1 million in 1970 ($8.62 million in today’s money). That’s probably for the best, as the ruins of the island are covered in thickets of poison ivy and other hazardous, rash-causing flora.
32. Bank of England Vaults
Where: London, England
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Up to $2,600 fine*
Beneath London’s Bank of England is a massive hoard of gold. The Bank of England Vaults house 400,000 gold bars, worth $257 billion in total. The gold is spread out among nine underground vaults, and it is guarded stringently.
©/Shutterstock.comThroughout its three-centuries-long history, the Bank of England has never once been robbed (though a sewer worker did almost break-in). In addition to armed security, the Vaults are also constructed with high-tech security systems and thick, foolproof walls.
33. Coca-Cola Vault
Where: Atlanta, Georgia
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $1,000 or 1 year in jail (maximum)*
There are a lot of Coca-Cola stores in the world, as Coca-Cola is one of the biggest brands on earth. This historic brand just has one vault, and it is located in its museum in Atlanta, Georgia. This Atlanta museum showcases the total history of Coca-Cola.
©alisafarov/Shutterstock.comOpened in 2007, the Vault houses Coca-Cola’s legendary secret formula, one that many soda-makers have attempted (and failed) to copy. Though the Vault is available to be seen, you cannot go inside, as the secret formula is one of the world’s most closely-guarded culinary secrets.
34. Navassa Island
Where: The Caribbean Sea
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Undisclosed
This small, uninhabited island is known as Navassa, and its 2.1 square miles have remained abandoned since the late 1800s. Visitors aren’t allowed, and the island is hard to travel to anyway, thanks to its steep cliffs and lack of beaches.
©Fly Of Swallow Studio/Shutterstock.comBecause of its hazardous layout, Navassa is closed to the public. Though it was previously used by the Navassa Phosphate Company, along with others using its guano resources, the island is now a dead zone, save for its non-human residents.
35. Diego Garcia
Where: British Indian Ocean Territory
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $500 or 6 months in prison*
Diego Garcia is an island located in the Indian Ocean, and it is an overseas territory of the U.K. This militarized atoll is completely off-limits to the public. Its twelve square miles are home to fifteen separate military commands, including the Navy Support Facility.
©Stephen P. Mallory/Shutterstock.comThe U.S. Navy is the host command of the atoll, and it has garnered the nickname “Footprint of Freedom” in the U.K. and U.S. Today, Diego Garcia has a major role in supporting U.S. and U.K. military units operating in the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean.
36. Metro 2
Where: Russia
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Undisclosed
Metro 2 is the purported, informal name for a secret subway system that runs parallel to Metro 1, which is the metro in Moscow, Russia. Metro 2 was allegedly built during Stalin’s reign, and Moscow Metro has neither denied nor confirmed its existence.
wallpapervip/PinterestBasically, Metro 2 was to be used by high-ranking Soviet officials to travel through the country unnoticed. In the early 1990s, the Diggers of the Underground Planet, an urbex group, claimed to have found the entryway to the infamous secret subway line.
37. Plymouth, Montserrat
Where: Territory of the U.K.
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $2,700 or 4 months in prison (maximum)*
This ghost town is known as Plymouth, and it is, technically, the capital of Montserrat, a territory of the U.K. Plymouth was evacuated in the 1990s after a summer eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano. Though the volcano had been inactive for centuries, it really woke up in ’95.
©James Davis Photography/Shutterstock.comIt sent ash falls and lava flows across Plymouth, endangering the town’s residents and forcing them to evacuate. Though you can visit some areas of Plymouth, Zone 5, the closest to Soufriere Hills, is totally off-limits to the public.
38. Albatross Island
Where: Australia
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $2,520 fine or 1 year in prison (maximum)*
Albatross Island is one of many protected natural sites in Australia, known for its albatross birds. These birds are very vulnerable to the diseases and habitat destruction that humans tend to bring, so the public has been banned from visiting.
©David Osborn/Shutterstock.comThis 18-hectare nature reserve is located in the Bass Strait, which is halfway between King Island and Smithton. Those familiar with the Peerapper aboriginal peoples will know Albatross Island as “Tangatema.”
39. Dulce Base
Where: New Mexico
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $500 fine or 6 months in prison*
The Dulce Base story has been bandied about by conspiracy theorists for a while. According to Michael Barkun, a political scientist, there are Cold War underground missile installations throughout the New Mexico territory, so a military base belowground could plausibly exist.
©Steven Beck/Shutterstock.comThat said, the conspiracy theories, which include claims about aliens, firefights between extraterrestrials, abductions, and more, are a bit less believable. Regardless, underground missile installations are off-limits to the public, and one that handles aliens and alien conflicts would definitely be a no-go zone.
40. Yanomami Indigenous Territory
Where: Brazil
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Undisclosed
Brazil takes its indigenous protection seriously, and there are several territories throughout the country that are off-limits to everyone but native tribes. Yanomami is one such example, as it is home to both the Yekuana and Yanomami peoples.
©/Shutterstock.comUnfortunately, this site is under threat due to illegal gold mining activities, which cause conflicts in areas where state conservation units overlap with Yanomami territory. The Yanomami, by nature, are fishers, hunters, and horticulturists—they have no use for gold mining, viewing it as a threat (which it is, to them).
41. Woomera Prohibited Area
Where: Australia
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $2,520 fine or 1 year in prison (maximum)*
The Woomera Prohibited Area is a major civil aerospace and military facility operated by the Royal Australian Air Force. As with pretty much any secretive military base in the world, Woomera is off-limits to the public and those without passes.
r/ScarySigns/RedditThe 47,177-square-mile complex was declared off-limits in 1947, the year its first military trial took place. There have been nine nuclear tests, along with tests of aircraft weapons, drone aircraft, rockets, space technology, and missiles.
42. Room 39
Where: Pyongyang, North Korea
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Life imprisonment or worse
There are no real photos of the interior of Room 39, though people have quite a few guesses at what could be inside. The secretive, North Korean organization headquarters is owned by the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of North Korea in Pyongyang.
©/AlamyRoom 39 is said to handle the North Korean slush fund, bringing in as much as $1 billion a year or more from criminal enterprises. Centered around the dynastic Kim family, Room 39 is the linchpin of the “court economy” of the mysterious nation of North Korea.
43. Mount Weather
Where: Virginia
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $2,500 or 1 year in jail (maximum)*
Mount Weather is under the control of the federal government agency FEMA, and it is one of the world’s largest bunkers. It is located in Virginia, and it is similar to the Raven Rock site of the Pentagon. The Emergency Operation Center was outed as existing fifty years ago by The Washington Post.
©Vidpen/Shutterstock.comSince then, people have been quite curious about Mount Weather, which went from being an ordinary late-1800s weather station to a secret bunker, there in case of a worst-case-scenario, apocalyptic situation.
44. Jiangsu National Security Museum
Where: China
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Up to $1,000 for non-Chinese intruders*
If you’re a non-Chinese foreigner, you won’t be able to get into the Jiangsu National Security Museum, as this barrel-shaped “Education Exhibition Hall” is full of information on the history of Chinese spies and informants.
/imgur.comHollowed-out coins, guns disguised as barrels of lipstick, and more line the museum’s exhibits, according to those who have visited and talked about it. Chinese people are the only ones allowed in the museum, so as not to compromise national security.
45. Robins Island
Where: New York
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $250*
This 435-acre private island cost its owner, billionaire Louis Bacon, millions, and it has a current value of $500 million. The teardrop islet is not available to the public, though it is part of the jurisdiction of Suffolk County, New York. The island has been bought and sold since the 1600s, with Bacon as its most recent owner.
©Grant Duncan-Smith/Shutterstock.comThough the island is worth half a billion dollars, Louis Bacon bought it at a court auction for just $11 million in 1993. Bacon invested a lot of money to restore the island, replacing non-native grasses, importing oak trees, and banning visitors, save for those who come occasionally for pheasant hunting.
46. Farallon Islands
Where: U.S.
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Up to $1,000*
The Farallon Islands, also known as the Farallones, are a grouping of sea stacks and islands off the coast of SoCal’s San Francisco Gulf of the Farollones. The natural paradise is remote, and you can only access it through full-day tours with experienced naturalists.
©Pete Niesen/Shutterstock.comThe reason for the Islands’ secretiveness is its biodiverse marine ecosystem, for which the wildlife refuge needs protection. The refuge supports not only common marine mammals and seabirds, but also rare bird species, whales, and White Sharks.
47. Pine Gap
Where: Australia
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: $1,250-$2,000*
Pine Gap is not a place for visitors, as only those with special permission are allowed there. This Australian-American satellite-tracking station was established back in 1970. Four-hundred U.S. families were relocated to the Northern Territory of Australia.
©ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock.comNow, this satellite-tracking base is one of America’s most important overseas intelligence facilities. It is run by the CIA in partnership with the Australian military, and its location deep in the remote, mysterious Australian outback is no coincidence.
48. Cave of Altamira
Where: Spain
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Up to 2 years in prison if you can’t pay a fine*
While it is not impossible to visit the Cave of Altamira in Cantabria, Spain, it is very difficult, as access is highly restricted. Five people are chosen by lottery to visit, and visitors must stick to the tour and allotted viewing times for their section. There is just one tour a week.
©luisrsphoto/Shutterstock.comLighting conditions and attire rules apply, as the Spanish government wants to preserve this prehistoric cave site, which is renowned for its art. Altamira was discovered in the late 1860s, and, just over a century later, UNESCO named it a protected World Heritage Site.
49. Zone Rouge
Where: France
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Up to $16,000*
In France, you can be punished with a fine of up to $16,000 for trespassing in a protected area. That’s enough to deter even the most ardent of thrill-seekers, many of whom wish they could travel to Zone Rouge (in English: Red Zone).
/commons.wikimedia.orgZone Rouge is a territory of 42,000 acres that France cordoned off after World War I. Zone Rouge was the site of immense environmental destruction from the Great War, and, a century later, the area has no residents and access is very limited while Zone Rouge recovers.
50. North Korea
Where: North Korea
Cost Of Penalty For Visiting: Shoot on sight
Believe it or not, there have been people who have chosen to sneak into North Korea. Usually, these people have a religious conviction or a desire to rescue family members from the infamous dictatorship.
©Astrelok/Shutterstock.comThese intruders are punished just as harshly as defectors, as North Korea punishes those who travel without a valid visa. Detention and arrest usually follow, as does a lengthy prison sentence and, according to some prisoners, torture. Many countries have imposed travel bans on citizens who want to go to North Korea, both to protect themselves and to avoid war with the capricious, mysterious Kim Jong Un.
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