A short while back I learned for the first time of North Sentinel Island. It’s a small island located in the Bay of Bengal with picturesque beaches and a lush, tropical interior.

And it’s exceptional because it is home to a tribe of hostile natives known as the Sentinelese.

In fact, the Sentinelese are so hostile they have successfully fended off any contact with the civilized world and have caused the island to be dubbed the “hardest place to visit in the world“. The Indian government, which theoretically controls the island, has set up a 3-mile buffer zone around it to protect the tribe, and would-be visitors. And if you somehow were to make it to the island itself you would very likely be greeted with a barrage of spears and very angry tribes people.

And if I had the courage of a thousand men and no fear of death I would love to go there. To me, visiting North Sentinel Island and meeting the people there would be more like a trip back in time than a trip to a location. Who wouldn’t want to travel back 60,000 years and see how people lived?

We all probably have places we would like to visit – if only they weren’t so darn dangerous, or so darn difficult to get to. In this thread, tijlover asks:

If You Only Had The Guts To Do It, Where Would You Go? We’re also assuming you have the time and money to do it, but it would take guts, involve some risk-taking.

Interestingly, two of the locales that make travelers’ lists have been featured prominently in previous posts on ThreadTripping – Iran (Iran and Iranians in Photos) and Yemen (Anyone Been to Yemen Recently?).

i’m about to do it actually. I’m going to get an Iranian visa on my non-US passport and fly from UAE into Tehran and do some exploring. Take a picture by the old US Embassy. ~ace587

Yemen. Long ago for a school project I chose that country for a report, and became fascinated with it, its scenery and people. But it’s just too dangerous for me to consider. ~orelse

Several other countries and regions that you might expect to make a list like this do, in fact, make the list, including:

• North Korea
• Cuba
• Afghanistan
• Syria

And then there are some travelers who aren’t afraid to admit they lack the guts to even consider these very dangerous places, and have even been hesitant to visit such places as Japan, Honduras or Australia.

Australia? As orelse puts it:

Maybe he’s an ex-con and thinks it’s still the old days!

But perhaps the most interesting aspect of this discussion are those who have considered routes they would like to explore, and the manner in which they would like to explore them … if only they had the guts (and the money).

Fly to Delhi. Buy a motorcycle. Drive to Cambodia.

LOTS of guts required.

1. Driving a motorcycle on Indian roads? Holy crap
2. Drive through Burma?
3. Drive through Bangladesh?
4. I think the Secretary of State still has a travel advisory for Cambodia… ~scorpio516

There is … something that sounds very adventurous (for me) and does intrigue, and that is going to the north of Finland to see a reindeer farm, experience a dog sled and especially cruise on that crazy Sampo icebreaker, and float around in that crazy suit in arctic ice water! ~Podo944

Where would your ultimate “gutsy” trip see you going?

Read the thread in its entirety to get some ideas: If You Only Had The Guts To Do It, Where Would You Go?

And just for fun, enjoy this classic Match Game clip related to air travel: