Extreme tourism is a rapidly growing industry which takes a more exciting or morbidly curious approach to our normal holiday. Being able to visit some of the most dangerous or past places of tragedy gives our extreme tourism a unique market with a vast and extensive list of possibilities.
From bungee jumping into active volcanos to swimming with the most dangerous sea life, extreme tourism exists to teach you about past events or get your heart racing in the present. For the moment, we will stick to extreme tourism which does not require any special skills like swimming or paragliding, these are holidays that everybody can take for a thrill and to learn a lot about the world.
Devils Pool
One of the biggest attractions in Zambia is Victoria falls. Victoria falls is one of the most breathtaking waterfalls on the planet standing at over 100 m high and more than 1.7 km wide, twice as wide and twice as deep as Niagara Falls, there are very few other waterfalls in the world that can match the beauty and grander. A popular tourist destination for many who come to admire the sheer beauty and incredible spectacle every year.
While this seems like a calm tourist attraction and for the most part, it is, there is something else here for the braver among us. At the end of a long yet small rocky path leading into the Zambezi at the top of Victoria falls, you will be greeted by one of the most dangerous pools known to man, the Devil’s Pool. The Devil’s pool is a rock pool that has formed on the very edge of the waterfall, with the water in the rock pool literally flowing out and down the waterfall.
There is enough of a ledge to not be sucked into the waterfall, but not enough of an edge to make this a comforting experience. There is about 40 cm of rock ledge between you and certain death, so if you are scared of heights, rather stick to Australian sports betting for big thrills.
Chernobyl
On April 26, 1986, reactor four of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded and released tonnes of extremely harmful radioactive material into the air. Radiation levels were so high that radiations spikes were picked up as far as the United States and Canada. This incident has gone down in history as the worst nuclear accident the world has ever seen.
Chernobyl and the neighbouring Pripyat are in a ghost town state to all but some. Today there are guided tours through Pripyat, Chernobyl and even the power station in question. Tours are usually limited to 1 or 2 days and are done under strict and knowledgeable supervision for safety. It may be a morbid interest, but a more fascinating holiday you will not easily find.
Walking through Pripyat is like a ghost town that nature has started to reclaim, the tour of the nuclear power station includes the control room that reactor four was controlled from and reactor two for a better understanding of the sheer scale of a reactor exploding.