Welcome to some of the most beautiful and unvisited regions on Earth. Sadly, you can’t visit them – unless you’re happy taking your life in your own hands that is. Most of these stunning places are also deeply troubled and fall within the British and the US government's no-go zones. Others aren’t entirely forbidden, but travel there is strongly advised against. So we have sought out some stunning images of some of the world’s most amazing places that you’re not currently allowed to visit. 

The whole of this turbulent country is currently deemed unsafe to visit for US citizens with large areas placed in the British Foreign & Commonwealth’s (FCO) red zone, including the bewitchingly beautiful Wakhan Corridor. Running from the northeast of Afghanistan and across to Tajikistan, Pakistan and China, this is one of the most remote corners of the world. Trekking here is not for the fainthearted but those who brave it get incredible views of the Hindu Kush and the Pamir Mountain ranges.

Bamiyan Valley is within the FCO’s orange zone where all but essential travel is advised against. Once an important centre for Buddhism, it was in the stark valley’s sandstone cliffs that Afghanistan’s incredible 6th-century giant Buddhas once stood until they were destroyed by the Taliban. The vast statues may have gone but the towering cut-outs where they stood remain and there are still numerous caves with carvings and frescoes to explore.

A few hours to the west lies one of the country’s most stunning natural wonders, the Band-e-Amir Lakes. High in the Hindu Kush mountains, this series of lakes blaze like jewels amid the scorched and barren landscape with their startlingly blue waters. They were named as the country’s first national park.

One of the most strategically important trade routes and military locations in the world, the Khyber Pass connects Central Asia with South Asia. It has a mind-boggling history (Alexander the Great marched through here) and haunting, inhospitable beauty. Sadly, the narrow pass that leads from Afghanistan through to Peshawar is off limits to British and US tourists, as is Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa region as a whole.

The US government warns its citizens against all non-essential travel to the whole of Pakistan while Britain highlights certain areas as no-go zones, including the stunning Swat valley in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Known as the Switzerland of the east because of its gorgeous alpine scenery, it was a popular tourist spot before it became a Taliban stronghold in 2007. Militants have been since driven out of the area but the valley remains in the FCO’s red zone. 

Remote and little visited, this war-torn country in central Africa is too unsafe to visit right now, which means exploring its starkly beautiful desert landscapes and discovering its diverse wildlife are off limits to tourism. The US has also issued a travel warning for Chad due to “ongoing tensions and potential terrorist activity”.

The vast Ennedi Plateau in the south east of the Sahara desert is one of Chad's most remarkable places, where bizarre and enormous sandstone rock formations loom out of the sand. Towering natural arches, pinnacles, cliffs, gorges and vast sand dunes characterise this haunting and inhospitable landscape. The region also has numerous prehistoric rock paintings and is the homeland of the Tubu nomads.

Due to ongoing conflict in South Sudan, the US Department of State and the UK's FCO advise against all travel here so its vast savannahs, swamplands and rainforests, which are home to some incredible wildlife, are out of reach. The White Nile, which runs through the troubled country, feeds an enormous untouched swampland called the Sudd, which is home to gazelles, zebras, rhinoceros, crocodiles and hippopotamuses.

Much of this war-torn country is deemed too unsafe to visit right now with the FCO having warned against travel here since 2012. But Mali is home to some extraordinary cultural sites such as the Great Mosque of Djenné, one of the world's largest mud structures and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the ancient mud mosques of Timbuktu. Sadly some of these sacred buildings have been destroyed by Islamic militants.

Remote Dogon Country in Mali's central plateau is another extraordinary sight that very few people will get to see. Home to the Dogons, one of Africa’s most isolated ethnic groups, this is a harsh and beguiling landscape. Within its vast plains and the rugged cliffs of the Bandiagara Escarpment sit a series of traditional mud villages characterised by architecture distinctive to the Dogan culture.

One of the most biologically diverse areas on the planet and home to Africa’s oldest national park, Virunga National Park, the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was once a prime destination for adventurous travellers. However, British tourists are advised not to visit eastern DRC at all as the security situation remains highly unstable. Americans are also advised to avoid unnecessary travel to the country.

Virunga has an astonishingly diverse range of habitats – lava plains, tropical forests, marshes, savannahs, glaciers and mountains – that are home to an array of African species including the rare okapi, elephants, leopards, hippos and chimpanzees. But it’s the mountain gorillas for which the vast wilderness, which borders Uganda and Rwanda, is most renowned. A large population of the endangered species inhabit the lower slopes of several extinct volcanoes in the southeastern edge of Virunga.

Fascinating yet forbidden, Dagestan sits on the eastern rim of the Greater Caucasus mountain range where Russia borders Georgia and Azerbaijan. Travelling here is highly inadvisable, according to the FCO, due to “frequent attacks and skirmishes between rebel groups and Russian forces”. But this forested mountainous region is seriously enchanting – a land of hidden valleys, high mountains, and remote and ancient cliff-side villages. 

Another gorgeous but disputed part of the north Caucasus, Abkhazia also possesses some spectacular scenery. Mountains trails and rocky peaks, thick forests (where brown bears prowl) and lowlands dotted with intriguing villages. Then there are its Black Sea beaches and ethereal lakes such as the pristine Lake Ritsa in the northwestern part of the country.

The active volcano Mount Paektu, which straddles the border with China, is highly sacred to the people of the secretive state of North Korea as well as South Korea. It's easy to see why with the mesmerising deep crater lake at its summit. Reputedly the birthplace of the earliest Korean leader ever recorded, Dangun, pilgrimages up the mountain are popular but strictly monitored. US passports are currently not valid for travel to North Korea while Brits are advised to avoid non-essential trips. If you want to know what it's like to visit North Korea, though, read our piece here.

Conflict and terrorism have struck Yemen’s breathtaking natural beauty and fascinating cities off the agenda. One of its most stunning ancient cities is Sana’a. Rising spectacularly out of a mountain valley, the old town’s towered buildings have striking geometric patterns and its high clay walls encircle numerous mosques, including the 7th-century Jami’ al-Kabir, ancient palaces and baths. Having been inhabited for over 2,500 years, it’s one of the word's oldest cities.

More ancient fortified towns and traditional mountain villages can be found clinging spectacularly to the rocks in the craggy Haraz Mountains in the northwest of Yemen. The scenery in this remote region is outstanding: all arid desert, vast cliffs and sweeping valleys.

Home to the intriguing dragon’s blood tree, among around 800 other endemic species, Socotra island lies over 200 miles off the coast of Yemen in the Arabian Sea. Despite a harsh and hostile climate, the isle is home to myriad birds, reptiles, insects and marine life, while its varied landscapes include limestone caves and towering mountains. It’s remote, remarkable and really like nowhere else on Earth, but for the foreseeable future it’s firmly closed to tourists.

Brits are advised against all non-essential travel to the west of the Nile Valley, which includes the Siwa Oasis. Siwa has always been a trek to get to, but those that made it to this beguiling oasis, originally settled by Berbers, knew it was worth the effort. Rising out of the Great Sand Sea near the Libyan border, it’s a remarkable patchwork of date palm and olive trees and a series of springs amid the undulating dunes.

The US Department of State warns its citizens to “consider the risks of travel to Egypt due to threats from terrorist and violent political opposition groups”. One of the most dangerous parts of the country is North Sinai, the mostly desolate desert region renowned for its undulating landscape of rock. It’s in the FCO’s red zone while most of South Sinai is in its orange zone, including one of the region’s most significant sacred sights, Mount Sinai, where God supposedly handed Moses the 10 Commandments.

Mount Sinai and St Catherine’s, the world’s oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery which sits at its base, were firmly on the tourist trail with visitors flooding in to visit or trek up Sinai at sunrise from Egypt’s Red Sea resort Sharm El Sheikh. But now people are being asked to think carefully before travelling to this sparsely populated and arid region that’s mostly home to Bedouin tribes.

Travel warnings have been issued by the US Department of State for Venezuela, including capital Caracas, due to “social unrest, violent crime, and pervasive food and medicine shortages”. The FCO recommends no travel within 50 miles of the Colombian border and says of the rest of the country: “The FCO advises against all but essential travel to the remaining areas of Venezuela, due to ongoing crime and instability.”

That means the thundering waters of the Angel Falls in the mountainous Canaima National Park in southeastern Venezuela are out of bounds for now. The world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall has always been a mission to get to – either an intrepid trek through the depths of the jungle or a plane ride above to see the natural wonder – but those that made were rewarded with an awe-inspiring sight.

It doesn’t come more desert-island idyllic than the mostly uninhabited Los Roques, a little visited archipelago that lies in the Caribbean Sea just north of Caracas. With their stark white sands and super-clear waters, the 300-plus islands in this national park are a wonderful place for beach lounging, snorkelling and diving above the pristine coral reef, but for now the Venezuelans have them mostly to themselves.

The US warns that the north African country is highly unsafe due to the activities of warring militias. As does the FCO, stating: “Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Libya.” That means the country’s remarkably well-preserved Roman remains are out of bounds to tourists, including Leptis Magna. One of the most beautiful cities in the Roman Empire, it’s also now on UNESCO’s danger list due to the “high level of instability affecting the country". 

Also on the danger list is the ancient city of Ghadamès, one of the oldest pre-Saharan cities and a beautiful oasis in the sand dunes of the northern Sahara near the border with Algeria and Tunisia. Known as the pearl of the desert, the walled city is characterised by its narrow cover alleyways and the inter-connecting rooftops of its white-washed houses.

Beautiful Beirut is once again on the no-go list for US visitors with the Department of State advising them to “avoid travel to Lebanon because of the threats of terrorism, armed clashes, kidnapping, and outbreaks of violence, especially near Lebanon’s borders with Syria and Israel”. The Mediterranean nation has long beguiled travellers as a fascinating meeting point of western and middle eastern cultures. British officials highlight parts of the city as problematic but most of the western part as safe.

The beleaguered country has untold beauty and some of the Mediterranean's most significant ancient ruins including those at Byblos, one of the oldest remaining Phoenician cities. Just north of Beirut, this significant site has multiple layers of ruins including those of a beautiful and well-preserved citadel from the time of the crusades.