10 completely off-limits places on earth

The new virus strain is shutting borders again. The traveller is being caged within his four walls, travel bags are being mothballed and what was once called the travel bug is not biting anyone. Dream destinations will have to wait but here’s some virus solace - Corona or not, here are 10 places that you could not have visited even on a happy day.

Area 51 (USA): Not many know its official name: Homey Airport (KXTA) or Groom Lake named after a neighbouring salt flat. But tucked in the Nevada Desert, Area 51 is the conspiracy theorists' favourite scrap of land. In use since 1955 as a US Air Force military facility, no one knows what happens within the inaccessible, highly guarded Area 51. Conspiracy theorists believe it is the testing ground for aliens and UFOs. Do not try hopping into this forbidden area, the grounds are protected by mines.

Snake Island (Brazil): It is the worst nightmare of those with ophidiophobia (fear of snakes). Located 93 miles off the coast of Sao Paulo is Ilha da Queimada Granda, also known as Snake Island, there live nearly 4,000 critically endangered lanceheads (pit viper), probably the deadliest serpents on the planet. So dangerous is the island that the government has strictly prohibited the entry of humans into this 106-acre land.

Heard Island (Australia): Lying between Antarctica and Madagascar, tho barren island with two active volcanoes is one of the most unexplored places on the planet. The terrain is composed of debris and limestone left behind by volcanic eruptions. Politically, a part of Australia, Heard Island is mostly blanketed in snow, its sole inhabitants being seals, birds and four types of penguins. To preserve the fragile landscape, the Australian government has made it illegal for humans to enter Heard Island.

Vatican Apostolic Archive (Vatican City): Previously known as Vatican Secret Archive, this treasure trove of letters, accounting details, state papers is locked for centuries. Not accessible to the public, the Apostolic Archive is opened only for highly qualified scholars and educators but only after undergoing long, stringent background checks. Materials dated after 1939 and an entire section of the archives relating to personal affairs of the cardinals from 1922 onwards are strictly unavailable.

Mezhgorye (Russia): Sitting snug in the Ural Mountains, the entire town of Mezhgorye is off-limits to everyone. Founded in 1979, the official word is that the town situated 120 miles from Ufa (capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan) is used for mining, houses a bunker for Russian leaders and holds vault crammed with treasures. Not many buy into the official descriptor, though. Word is that Mezhgorye houses automatic nuclear missiles that can be activated remotely. The fact that two military battalions guard the town has fuelled the nuclear speculation.

Poveglia (Italy): Its hoary past is morbid and macabre. For long, this island between Venice and Lido was the dumping ground for the near-dead and the dead of the 1700s’ Bubonic Plague. No one wanted to enter Poveglia because they knew Death waited for them there. As if death wasn’t morbid enough, Poveglia later also became an asylum for the mentally ill. Today, the town is abandoned and entry is forbidden into Italy’s most haunted place.

Global Seed Vault (Norway): If tomorrow there is a zombie attack or an apocalypse, this is where the world will return for its future seed needs. Global Seed Vault is a bank like no other. Dubbed Doomsday Vault, this bank preserves seeds from across the world in a secure vault. Not one or two or hundreds of seeds but 930,000 varieties of food crops are stored in the Global Seed Vault on Spitsbergen, part of Norway’s Svalbard archipelago.  The vault is open on very specific days for very specific people but not to general public. (Photo courtesy: Wikipedia)

Surtsey Island (Iceland): Often dubbed as the newest island on the planet, Surtsey Island is said to be formed by volcanic eruptions that lasted four years. Tagged UNESCO World Heritage Site, the island is home to countless lichen, fungi and birds, as well as 335 species of invertebrates. Though select geologists and scientists are allowed into the island, it is off-limits to tourists.

Lascaux Cave (France): Containing cave paintings more than 20,000 years old, Lascaux Cave is an archaeologist’s delight. The cave has Paleolithic paintings depicting cattle, stags, bison, cats and other animals. The most beautiful sight inside the cave is the Hall of the Bulls that houses four bull murals, one of which is 17 feet long. The cave has been closed for public since 1963 not only for the preservation of historic art but also due to the presence of harmful fungi and mold that can be extremely detrimental to human health.

Ise Grand Shrine (Japan): In Japanese Shinto tradition, the Ise Grand Shrine is the most revered and the most expensive. Rebuilt after every 20 years to signify the Shinto tradition of death and renewal of nature, this shrine does not permit entry of public. Only members of the Japanese imperial family can enter this shrine.