01

HAITI · CARIBBEAN  🔴 DO NOT TRAVEL

Port-au-Prince

Port-au-Prince is, by virtually every available metric, the most dangerous city in the Western Hemisphere and one of the most dangerous on Earth. Haiti’s capital has been in a state of acute crisis since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, a situation compounded by the catastrophic 2010 earthquake, chronic political instability, and the near-total collapse of state authority. Gang coalitions now control an estimated 80% of the city, including key infrastructure such as the main port and the road to the international airport. Kidnapping — including of foreign nationals — has become routine and industrialised. The US, UK, Canadian, and Australian governments all maintain their highest-level travel advisories (Do Not Travel) for Haiti. There is no tourism infrastructure remaining, no functioning emergency services in most areas, and no reliable mechanism for consular assistance if things go wrong. This is not a destination risk — it is an active humanitarian emergency.

02

VENEZUELA · SOUTH AMERICA  🔴 DO NOT TRAVEL

Caracas

Caracas has held the grim distinction of one of the world’s highest homicide rates for over a decade. Venezuela’s capital has been ravaged by economic collapse, hyperinflation, and the breakdown of public institutions under successive authoritarian governments. The city’s murder rate, while difficult to verify given official data suppression, is consistently estimated among the highest globally — well above 100 per 100,000 residents in peak years, compared to under 5 in most Western cities. Kidnapping, including express kidnapping (where victims are held briefly for immediate cash withdrawals), is endemic. Carjacking, armed robbery, and violence against tourists are well-documented. The collapse of the healthcare system means that even minor injuries can become life-threatening. The US Embassy operates with reduced capacity. Most Western governments advise against all travel. Even business travellers and journalists operating in Caracas do so with extensive private security arrangements.

03

HONDURAS · CENTRAL AMERICA  🟠 RECONSIDER TRAVEL

San Pedro Sula

San Pedro Sula held the title of the world’s most violent city for several consecutive years in the early 2010s and, while government crackdowns have reduced headline homicide figures, the underlying structural conditions — gang control of neighbourhoods, extortion networks that blanket the formal and informal economy, and endemic corruption — remain largely intact. Honduras’s second city and industrial hub is controlled in significant areas by the MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs, who operate with near-impunity across large residential zones. Tourists have no reason to visit San Pedro Sula — it lacks the cultural or natural attractions that draw visitors to other parts of Honduras — and those transiting through its airport should limit their time in the city strictly to their connection. The US State Department advises reconsidering travel to Honduras overall, with specific areas designated as Do Not Travel zones.

04

SOUTH AFRICA · SOUTHERN AFRICA  🟠 HIGH CAUTION

Johannesburg

Johannesburg is a city of genuine energy, culture, and economic dynamism — and it is also one of the world’s most dangerous cities for violent crime. The distinction between the two things needs to be held simultaneously. Certain areas of Johannesburg — particularly the CBD, Hillbrow, and parts of the inner city — have extremely high rates of violent crime including armed robbery, carjacking, and assault, and are considered no-go zones for tourists and many residents. The city’s township areas have their own complex security dynamics. Even in comparatively safe neighbourhoods like Sandton, Rosebank, and Melville, situational awareness and specific security behaviours (not stopping at red lights after dark, never displaying phones or jewellery in public, using app-based transport rather than hailing taxis) are essential. Visitors who engage with Johannesburg thoughtfully and with good local guidance can have a rich experience — but those who arrive unprepared face serious risk.

05

BRAZIL · SOUTH AMERICA  🟠 HIGH CAUTION

Fortaleza

Brazil has several cities with serious violence problems, but Fortaleza — the capital of Ceará state in Brazil’s northeast — has consistently ranked among the world’s highest for homicide rates in recent years, surpassing even Rio de Janeiro and Salvador in per-capita terms. The city sits at the intersection of drug trafficking routes and has seen sustained gang warfare between factions competing for territorial control. The beautiful beaches and historic centre attract tourists, but the risk of violent crime — including armed robbery targeting visitors, especially after dark — is significant and well-documented. The US State Department designates specific districts of Fortaleza as Do Not Travel zones. Tourists who visit need to strictly limit themselves to well-secured tourist areas, use reputable transport, and avoid any beach or street activity after dark.

06

IRAQ · MIDDLE EAST  🔴 DO NOT TRAVEL

Baghdad

Baghdad carries the weight of one of history’s most ancient cities — the seat of the Abbasid Caliphate, the city of Scheherazade and the Thousand and One Nights — and one of its most painful recent histories. Twenty years after the 2003 invasion, the city has stabilised compared to the peak years of sectarian conflict and ISIS activity, and there is genuine reconstruction underway. But the security environment remains extremely volatile. Rocket and mortar attacks on the Green Zone, car bombings, kidnappings of foreign nationals, and militia activity are ongoing risks. The US State Department maintains a Level 4 Do Not Travel advisory for Iraq overall. Consular services are severely limited. No travel insurance policy covers travel against government advisory. Journalists, aid workers, and contractors who do operate in Baghdad do so with extensive private security infrastructure that is not available to ordinary travellers.

07

MEXICO · NORTH AMERICA  🟠 HIGH CAUTION

Culiacán

Mexico presents a genuinely complex security picture: most of the country’s tourist destinations — Mexico City, Oaxaca, the Yucatán — are reasonably safe for informed travellers. But certain cities in cartel-controlled states are a completely different matter. Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa state and historical home of the Sinaloa Cartel, is one of the most dangerous cities in Mexico and, by extension, the world. The city has no tourist attractions to draw visitors, and the risk of being caught in cartel violence — including open gun battles in the streets, which have occurred repeatedly in recent years — is real and unpredictable. The US State Department advises against all travel to Sinaloa state. Other cities in this category include Zamora (Michoacán), Zacatecas city, and parts of Guerrero state including areas outside tourist zones in Acapulco.

08

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO · CENTRAL AFRICA  🔴 DO NOT TRAVEL

Kinshasa

The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the world’s most resource-rich and most conflict-affected nations, and its capital Kinshasa — a megacity of over 17 million people — reflects both realities. The city itself is relatively more stable than the DRC’s eastern provinces, which remain in a state of ongoing armed conflict involving dozens of militia groups. But Kinshasa presents serious risks for travellers: petty crime, armed robbery, and occasional civil unrest are common, police corruption is endemic, and the complete absence of reliable emergency services means that any serious incident can rapidly become life-threatening. The DRC as a whole carries the highest-level travel advisories from most Western governments. The country’s extraordinary natural and cultural wealth — the Congo Basin, the mountain gorillas, the river — is inaccessible to most travellers given the security environment.

09

EL SALVADOR · CENTRAL AMERICA  🟡 IMPROVING BUT CAUTION REQUIRED

San Salvador

El Salvador’s capital presents the most nuanced entry on this list — because conditions here have changed more dramatically than almost anywhere else in the world in recent years. Under President Nayib Bukele’s controversial state of exception, declared in 2022, the government has imprisoned over 70,000 alleged gang members and the homicide rate has dropped by over 90% from its peak, transforming El Salvador from the world’s most violent country into one of the most improved. San Salvador, once deeply dangerous, now sees tourists walking streets that were impassable three years ago. However, the crackdown has attracted serious human rights concerns, the legal situation remains exceptional and unpredictable, and the US State Department still advises exercising increased caution. The security situation could reverse if political conditions change. Visit with awareness that the improvement, while remarkable, is recent and politically contingent.

10

PAPUA NEW GUINEA · PACIFIC  🟠 RECONSIDER TRAVEL

Port Moresby

Port Moresby has the unfortunate distinction of being one of the world’s most dangerous capitals in a region — the Pacific — not typically associated with urban violence. Papua New Guinea’s capital suffers from extremely high rates of violent crime, including armed robbery, carjacking, sexual assault, and tribal conflict spilling into urban areas. The city has historically been rated among the least liveable in the world in major liveability indices. Infrastructure is poor, police response is unreliable, and even the Australian High Commission — Australia being PNG’s closest neighbour and largest aid donor — maintains strict security protocols for its staff. PNG itself has extraordinary natural and cultural wealth — the Highlands, the Sepik River, world-class dive sites — but accessing them safely requires careful planning, reputable operators, and a clear-eyed understanding of the risks. Port Moresby itself is best treated as a transit point only.