Just about any walk can be dangerous – you can fall over while taking a photo or get lost on a short cut – but there are some walks out there that carry more extreme risks than normal. Some of them have dangerous weather, while others have narrow trails that would make a goat pause, while others include a high risk of being kidnapped. We’ve given these adrenalin-loaded walks a danger rating: 1= you'll need strong nerves, 10= you'll need a Last Will and Testament.
Darian Gap, Central and South America; Danger rating: 10/10
This particular walk is located in the undeveloped swamp and forest joining Panama with Colombia. There is a walking trail there, but the area is controlled by guerrillas and drug runners. The Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia have committed numerous assassinations, kidnappings and other human rights violations during their insurgency against the Colombian Government. The Australian Government’s Smartraveller website advises that people not travel beyond the end of the Pan-America highway in Yaviza, Panama. In short, find another way around from Central America to South America. The area wasn’t always quite so dangerous, a British Travel Company actually used to run walking tours through the area in the early 1980s and mid 1990s, before the hostilities worsened.
It has actually been crossed since then – marathon athlete Pat Farmer traversed it in 2011 as part of his pole-to-pole run, but he did take 17 armed soldiers with him for this section. "One guard, Seargent Villa," wrote Farmer in his book Pole to Pole (see break out), "a skilful sniper with a high-powered rifle, literary never left my side, not even when nature called."
El Caminito del Rey, Spain; Danger rating: 9/10
The King's Little Pathway, named after the brave Spanish King Alfonso XIII crossed it in 1921, has earned itself the dubious accolade of being the most dangerous walkway in the world. The reason? It's one metre wide, has no hand-rails and perches on a mountain, 700m above a river in the Gaitannes Gorge, Spain. On top of that, this terrifying structure was built in 1905 and parts of it have fallen away, leaving only the metal bearing rods behind. There is a wire above the walk for people to hold onto, but it really wasn't designed to carry much weight.
When you think about human nature, its probably not surprising that these features also earned it the reputation of being an extreme attraction for adrenalin junkies. It was finally closed in 2000 after four people died on it in two years, but that hasn't stopped adrenalin seekers finding a way onto it.
Pisac ruins, Peru; Danger rating: 8/10
If you’re not walking through caves, then you’re very close to the edge of the mountains on the trail to the Pisac ruins – no hand-rails, no safety harnesses, just a narrow path and a 3000m plunge to the bottom of the valley if you miss your step. But if you’re brave enough to take on this narrow trail and manage to survive, there's a magnificent reward at the end – a 360° view of the Sacred Valley below and the nearby Pisac Incan ruins, believed to have been built after the year 1440, perched high on the side of a mountain. There are partially destroyed baths and buildings, with the Intihuatana, a volcanic plug that is supposed to have been carved into a hitching post for the sun, nearby and the ancient agricultural terracing below. Just make sure you get safely off the side of the mountain before nightfall.
Mount Hua, China; Danger rating: 8/10
Located in central China, this dubious route is a strong contender for the El Caminito Del Ray's title. It's a highly travelled pilgrimage route that has claimed over 100 lives, thanks to the walkway path, the long drop to the bottom of the valley and the fact that many of the domestic tourists who climb it do so in the dark so that they can see the sunrise from the summit. And the snow, ice and wind probably don't help either.
There are some spectacular views from the temple at the top, but you have to get there first. About the only advantage it has over the El Caminito Del Ray is the existence of safety equipment – there is a cable that you that you can hook a tether onto for the worst of the vertical sections, which add that small degree of safety – and the fact that it’s still open.
Huckleberry Mountain, Montana; Danger rating: 6/10
Located in Glacier NP, this area is well known for its ravening wildlife – you could spit and possibly hit a hungry grizzly bear. The area has one bear per square mile and they all head towards the mountain in Huckleberry season (summer and autumn) to feast. But just because they’re after the berries, doesn’t mean that they’re going to pass up the opportunity of snacking on a nice human. Ten people have died since 1967 and there are an average of one or two attacks per year, especially in spring and autumn. The best thing to do is avoid their food sources – the rangers usually close the trail in berry season, but people have still headed towards the mountain. If you do see a grizzly, either hope that you’re upwind and it hasn’t caught your scent, or try to avoid eye contact and back away. And pray it doesn’t charge.
The Maze, Utah; Danger rating: 6/10
This is a high-stakes version of ‘choose your own adventure’ – the Maze is virtually trail-less, so hikers have to pick a route. Any path you take will wind past sandstone fins and through interconnecting canyons that all the look the same and can often turn into dead ends. You’re walking beneath high cliffs, so there are few vantage points to scout landmarks from; water is scarce or just out of your reach, and temperatures can rise to 43°C. Once you’re lost in this rocky jungle and out of fluid, you probably don’t have the three days it could take for the emergency services to get to you. Surprisingly, this trail hasn’t actually claimed any lives yet – its horrifying reputation has kept all but the most canyon-savvy from entering and exploring it. But even experienced hikers should carry both a GPS and a map to ensure that they can get back out again.
Wendenstock, Switzerland; Danger rating: 5/10
Located in central Switzerland, Wendenstock is often mentioned by climbers as a great destination, with several peaks of bullet-hard limestone providing some of the best hard alpine rock routes out there, coupled with some fabulous views. The climbs may be intimidating, but the trails around its base have claimed the lives of several climbers – the tiny tracks are extremely difficult to follow as they are covered in a deceptively innocent-looking obstacle: grass. It might sound strange, but the grass doesn’t just confuse walkers, it can become slippery when wet from morning dew or rainfall, adding an extra hazard as you walk above drops of hundreds of feet – a slip here could send you plummeting back to the base of the mountains. The weather in the area is notoriously poor, which is no help to climbers or hikers on the slippery grass.
Barr Trail, Colorade; Danger rating 4/10
This might seem to be an unusual hazard, but Colorado’s mountains seem to be home to a high amount of electrical storms. There have a lot of lightning related incidents involving hikers and campers in this area – motorists passing this way might be able to avoid lightning by jumping into their cars, but if you’re out on the trail there’s nowhere to go. The Barr Trail in particular crosses exposed meadows and boulder fields above the tree, with the sparky Pike’s Peak looming at the end. This peak collects moist air and swirls it with turbulent winds to create moisture, lift and instability – great ingredients for a storm. If you’re hiking near this peak, the best advice (and this applies to all walks really) seems to be don’t wait until you see the lightning – if there are any signs of a storm, get out before you get fried.
Mount Pinatubo, The Philippines; Danger rating: 3/10
It may have managed to sleep through a 7.8 earthquake in July 1990, but after five centuries of slumber, this volcano woke up with a bang nearly a year later. The eruption – the second largest in the last century – produced avalanches of hot gas and ash, giant mudflows and a gigantic cloud of ash that stretched for hundreds of kilometres. Mount Pinatubo also killed people and continued to throw out boulders for a month, leading to the creation of a 40km radius danger zone around it. It seems to have settled down and those with strong nerves can certainly go walking near it and survey the damage caused. However, bear in mind that this not-so-sleepy giant is still active – walking on it may cause you to have a few sleepless nights on the way; but the views and the experience of walking through this moonscape environment are worth a few heart palpitations.
Nanda Devi NP, India; Danger rating: 2/10
It’s a fact of life really; any high altitude walks will come with some hazards – snow, altitude sickness and exposure being the first ones that come to mind. And the walks in the Nanda Devi NP, a glacial basin containing the famous Nanda Devi peak and surrounded by its towering neighbours, are no exception – the trans-Himalayan trek to the Nanda Devi East Advance Base Camp, for example, commences at 2290m above sea level and includes river and waterfall crossings, sections of the trail littered with boulders and slippery, melting ice bridges as you climb higher. Other walking options include the Milam Glacier or the trek into the sanctuary, crossing two river gorges in the process. But if you’re well prepared for the hard walking and can handle the heights, you shouldn’t be in too much danger on these hikes.