The 5 Most Dangerous Tourist Destinations on Earth!

All of these places have a lot to offer to those willing to take a chance and visit them, but, compared to other, just as beautiful, destinations they pose a higher risk. Just to be clear this is not a list of the most dangerous places on Earth; countries like Iraq, Sudan or Liberia haven’t been listed here because they are so dangerous that tourists have lost any interest of traveling there.

5. Brazil
Brazil is a beautiful country, with sunny beaches, clear waters, lush rainforests, incredible culture and many other attributes that make it a lovely travel destination. Unfortunately there is also a down side, a dark side of Brazil you’re bound to experience if you ever go. Despite the accelerated economic growth of recent years, poverty is still a serious issue here and people will do just about anything when their survival instincts kick-in.

You could end up with a switchblade pressing hard on your throat and be forced to surrender your wallet and valuables in order to keep your life. Kidnappings aren’t unusual in large cities like Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paolo; you just get pulled into a car and taken to the closest ATM in order to pay your own ransom. If you can’t do that, well, you better hope your family can or you’re in serious trouble. Drug cartels have a firm grip over the slums of many of Brazil’s large cities and the police simply don’t have the power to bring them to their knees, so you might be unlucky enough to find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time and become a victim of their crossfire.

4. Sri Lanka
Resembling a tear falling down from the Indian mainland, Sri Lanka is an exotic paradise where natural beauty and man-built luxury combine perfectly.

With some of the most beautiful sights on the planet and a few of the world’s most luxurious resorts, Sri Lanka might seem like paradise to many tourists.

But those who keep in touch with world news would know that terrorism has been a great problem here ever since a conflict between the government and a revolutionary faction called the Tigers of Tamil broke out in 1983. Over 70,000 people have died since then and although foreigners are not directly threatened they could easily become collateral victims.

3. South Africa
With all the civil wars going on as we speak in African countries like Sudan, Liberia, Burundi and many others, some might say South Africa is one of the few islands of peace in an ocean of war.

But South Africa has its own problems and for many, they are enough to make them change their minds about spending a vacation there. The 2010 World Cup host is always rated as one of the top countries by homicide rate.

Most of the killing takes place in the poor parts of the country but it often reaches the more peaceful cities as well.

South Africa has been named the “rape capital of the world” on numerous occasions and more than 10 million of its inhabitants are HIV positive. Not exactly your dream destination, is it?

2. Colombia
With a gorgeous coast, lovely mountainous inland and some of the most beautiful women on Earth, Colombia sounds like the perfect travel destination.

And it is indeed worth a trip if you can live with the risks. It’s a known fact that Colombia supplies almost 80% of the cocaine in the world and people like Pablo Escobar have become legends to those that want to leave poverty behind through any means necessary.

Drug cartels around Colombia have no fear of the law, they bribe who they can and kill the rest, especially local authorities who refuse to do their bidding.

And one mustn’t ignore the dreaded FARC rebels, famous for kidnapping people and releasing them when nobody really thinks they’re alive anymore. Those are the lucky ones, many others are simply killed. There are thousands of people kidnapped in Colombia every year.

1. Haiti
One of the most beautiful countries in the Caribbean, Haiti is also the lawless, poorest and most dangerous. Riots, killings and kidnapping used to take place on a daily basis but, after the deployment of UN troops in the area, the country gained some political and social stability.

Still, the inefficiency of the police and judiciary system help maintain Haiti in a state of crisis. Even the UN Council called for aid in stabilizing the country that is now confronted with problems caused by devastating hurricanes.

Of the 57 million demanded by international humanitarian organizations to help the Haitians, only one had been raised at the end of September 2008.

Famine and the lack of shelter could throw Haiti back into the chaos it fought so hard to climb out of.

Austria relieved at Fritzl verdict (World News).

Josef Fritzl's life sentence is widely welcomed in Austria's newspapers.

There's a clear sense of relief with headlines in the popular Kronen Zeitung and Der Standard proclaiming "Life for Josef F".

The front page of the daily Heute carries a colourful scene from Hieronymus Bosch's painting The Last Judgement, with the words "That's the way: life sentence!"

There is no rush to criticise the police or other agencies for failing to prevent his crime.

Many of the papers pore over the details and emotion of the trial.

Austria's tabloid Kurier says it was Fritzl's daughter who made sure that he would receive a life term.

With her 11-hour video statement and her surprise appearance in person at the trial, she wanted to ensure her father wouldn't "escape through a back door", says Kurier.

Most of the papers try to capture the drama of the final day in court. Der Standard quotes the final statement of the daughter's court representative, Eva Plaz.

She stressed that her client wanted the accused to be held to account for the death of her child.

By contrast, says the paper, the defence lawyer used such passionate phrasing in his opposition to the murder charge, that he twice drew laughter from the courtroom.

There's much praise for the way the trial was conducted. Kurier describes the performance of the 32-year-old prosecutor, Christiane Burkheiser, as a great success.

She took over the case after just 11 months in office, says the paper, and managed to get convictions on all counts.

Der Standard also applauds the professionalism of the court, noting what it called the unpretentious appearances of the judge and state prosecutor and the competence of the daughter's court representative.

"It should not go unremarked," says the paper, "that all of these were women."

In an editorial, Der Standard goes on to address criticism of the speed of the trial.

"Why prolong the process when the facts are clear," it asks. "Wilfully dragging out the trial would have served only to satisfy a desire for sensation."

Away from the courtroom Die Presse returns to Amstetten, the Fritzls' home town, where many of the locals are weary of the bad publicity caused by their most infamous resident.

One says he's heard how schoolchildren from Amstetten were taking a skiing course in the resort of Obertauern, when some of the pupils were asked whether they were Fritzl's children. "What nonsense is this?", the resident asks.

But the Mayor of Amstetten is more hopeful, says Die Presse. "The verdict is what everyone was hoping for," he told the paper. "A dark chapter in the history of our town is now closed."