It’s the hunt for the perfect picture. To do this, people climb over barriers or pose too close to abysses. Sometimes with fatal consequences. A selection of dangerous photo spots around the globe.
From the sheer cliffs in Norway to the Iguazu Falls between Brazil and Argentina to the infamous “Train Street” in Vietnam: with breathtaking backdrops, people can forget about their own safety while taking a snap. The urge for spectacular motifs not only leads to dangerous situations, but also to tragic deaths. A selection of places from around the world where taking photos is risky:
Harihar Fort in India
A popular selfie spot in India is a steep path to Harihar Fort in the state of Maharashtra. The climb appeals to many people, especially in the rainy season, when the stone steps, which are carved directly into the almost 80 degree vertical rock, are slippery and the wind blows strongly. Because of the risk and adrenaline rush, some people comment on the Trip Advisor platform. “The descent is more difficult than the climb because then we can see where we fall if we slip,” writes one of the users. Akshay Sunil Patil, who lives nearby, says he loves adventure sports and “exciting places” like Harihar Fort. He’s not afraid.
According to a study, many people in India die while trying to take selfies. Researchers at the Indian university hospital chain AIIMS reported in 2018, based on a global newspaper analysis, that there had been 259 deaths from self-photography worldwide between October 2011 and November 2017 – around half of them in India.
Via ferrata in Austria
The via ferrata on the Donnerkogel with the spectacular ladder to heaven attracts thousands of sometimes poorly equipped people every year. “People don’t know what they’re getting into. It’s crazy,” says the head of training for the Alpine police in Upper Austria, Kurt Arnold. The climb in the Salzkammergut is considered difficult even for experienced alpinists; on the 40-meter-long ladder to heaven, everyone floats around 100 meters above a gorge.
“Some summer days there are 50 people at the entry point,” says Arnold. According to the alpine police officer, some of them didn’t even have the absolutely necessary via ferrata equipment with them. There are posts on Instagram where daring people hang from a rung with just one arm for self-promotion. “There are always imitators,” says Arnold, criticizing the behavior. Most recently, a Briton died on the trail, and other tourists had to be rescued from exhaustion.
“Pedra do Telegrafo” in Rio
The metropolis of Rio de Janeiro is not only known for its world-famous beaches, but also for the countless spectacular viewpoints. One of them is the rock of “Pedra do Telégrafo” – a cliff at 350 meters high with a view of the picturesque coastal beaches, mountain ranges and the Atlantic rainforest. Tourists and locals can be photographed at the top of the rock in seemingly daring poses: whether hanging upside down with the tips of their feet or trying to do one-armed pull-ups.
In fact, the rock is only a few centimeters above the ground and the photos only give the impression from certain angles that the person is standing on the edge of an abyss. However, there was an incident in September 2023 that could have ended tragically: two men clashed over a photo and fell a short distance down the hill. Only because one of them asked to stop the argument could something worse be prevented.
In Rio, deaths continue to occur while attempting to photograph rocky shores, slopes, viewpoints and waterfalls. According to an investigation by the fire department, 16 people died in the state in 2022.
“Train Street” in Vietnam
Officially, the famous “Train Street” in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi has been closed to visitors for years. Nevertheless, tourists repeatedly overcome the barriers with large warning signs to take selfies on the photogenic train route – which runs between narrow blocks of houses. There have been several incidents in the past: once a train had to make an emergency stop to avoid colliding with crowds of visitors. In 2022, a vacationer from South Korea was hit by a slow-moving train. He was lucky and was only slightly injured.
A look back: Since 2018, more and more onlookers have been arriving, attracted by spectacular photos on the internet. “Train Street” became an Instagram hotspot. Cafés and souvenir stands opened, residents set up food stalls, and restaurants even placed tables directly on the tracks during the “train-free” period. Eventually the authorities closed the attraction because of the great danger. The train route dates back to the French colonial period. Today it still plays an important role for local and foreign travelers. When a train comes, the barriers are temporarily dismantled.
Iguazu Falls in South America
The world-famous Iguazu Falls on the border between Brazil and Argentina are one of the most gigantic natural wonders in the world. From afar you can hear the rumbling of the 20 larger and over 250 smaller waterfalls, which are one of the most important tourist attractions in the region. Signs on the circular paths warn against climbing on the railings. But this doesn’t seem to deter some tourists from taking the supposedly perfect photo – with fatal consequences in 2022.
A visitor sat on one of the railings to take a photo, as firefighter Walter Barreiro said in an interview with the Argentine news channel “TN”. “The man lost his balance and fell into the river.” The masses of water would have pulled him under water in a matter of seconds. According to the park, the average water flow is 1.8 million liters of water per second.
Fjord landscapes and Iceland’s natural spectacles
The vast and spectacular nature of Scandinavia attracts millions of tourists every year. Norway’s fjord landscapes and hundreds of meter high cliffs or Iceland’s waterfalls are perfect for hunting for the perfect snapshot. In the far north, for example, daring people are attracted by high cliffs and rock formations, such as Preikestolen and Kjeragbolten in Norway or the stone bridge in Arnarstapi, Iceland. There is always danger on the rock when – as is so often the case in Scandinavia – it rains, storms or snows.
In Iceland, hair-raising stories are told about careless tourists who climb over barriers to take photos and pose too close to abysses, gorges, waterfalls or geysers. For example, in the extremely photogenic volcanic area on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland. According to police, after the most recent eruption near the town of Grindavík at the end of last year, a man had to be rescued by helicopter after making the long and grueling hike to the site of the eruption alone. During a previous eruption, photos of onlookers climbing close to a crater caused authorities to temporarily close the area to the public.
In order to make travelers aware of the risks posed by Icelandic nature, the tourism authority Visit Iceland launched a special campaign a few years ago: Tourists can take the “Icelandic Pledge”, a kind of online vow not to do anything stupid while traveling to Iceland. Rule number three says: “I will take beautiful photos to die for without dying for them.”