From ancient wonders to modern landmarks, some of the world's most fascinating destinations have been lost to time, nature, and human conflict. Join us as we explore incredible places that once drew visitors from around the globe but can no longer be experienced as they once were.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00To the hippies as to the tourists, Benares is no more than a place in the sun with palaces and
00:05picturesque squalor. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top
00:1010 travel hotspots that are impossible to visit today. Since 1997, when the statues were first
00:16threatened with destruction, UNESCO has led a campaign to safeguard Afghanistan's cultural
00:22heritage. Number 10. The Wawona Tree, Yosemite, California. In 1881, two brothers were paid $75
00:30to enlarge a fire scar in a giant sequoia tree, turning it into a massive living tunnel. Yosemite
00:36National Park began promoting the tunnel in the 1910s as automobile tourism began to increase in
00:41popularity. Driving through the Wawona Tunnel Tree became a popular photo op for tourists coming to
00:46Yosemite, celebrating the enormous trees native to the area. In 1969, the 2,300-year-old tree fell
00:53due to heavy snow, destroying the famous tunnel. The tree still remains where it fell today, but of
00:59course, it is no longer possible to drive through it. Number 9. Spree Park, Berlin, Germany. Opened in
01:051969, Spree Park was notably the only prominent amusement park in the entirety of Soviet East
01:10Germany. Back then, it was the VEB Kulterpark Plantewald, and up to one and a half million
01:17East Germans came here each year. The park remained immensely popular even after the reunification of
01:23Germany, attracting millions of visitors. Open-air concerts and impressive renovations kept visitors
01:29returning well into the 90s. However, after new owners took control of the park, poor decisions led to
01:34a decrease in visitors and a concerning increase in debt. When something is abandoned, something didn't
01:42work out. Something happened. And I guess for me, I'm very interested in knowing what happened
01:48exactly, what went wrong. The once popular park finally closed in 2002. Guided tours once offered
01:54the public a look at the abandoned grounds, but the land is currently being renovated into a new public
01:59green space, with many attractions being removed entirely. The Spree Park is very dear to people
02:05here in Berlin and in Germany, and it holds a lot of memories. So, you've got a big responsibility.
02:12It feels kind of heavy, to be honest. I mean, as you say, it's really in the mindset, especially of
02:18people from the GDR, this is a very, very important place. Number 8. Palmyra, Homs, Syria.
02:24Thousands of years ago, this ancient city was a bustling hub for trade and culture that linked
02:29the Roman Empire to valuable trade destinations like Persia, India, and China. One of the most
02:34difficult challenges for camel-drawn caravan merchants trading along the Silk Road was the
02:39journey across the vast Syrian desert. In the middle of it was an oasis city known as Palmyra,
02:46the city of date-palm trees. Its location and trade importance led to the creation of monuments that
02:51combined Greco-Roman, Persian, and Arabian architectural styles. These impressive ruins attracted tourists to
02:58Palmyra for centuries, and the city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.
03:03Provided everything that caravan merchants could want. There were shops for the merchants selling
03:08food, clothes, travel items, and even souvenirs.
03:12Tragically, during the Syrian Civil War in 2015, Palmyra was seized by ISIS, and several ancient
03:18monuments were destroyed. Archaeologists and antiquities experts hope to someday restore
03:23these important ruins, but the damage is currently quite extensive.
03:27A first glimpse of the ancient city of Palmyra after it was retaken from the so-called Islamic State.
03:33This footage has come as a relief to many. It shows a lot of the 2,000-year-old Roman ruins still standing.
03:40Number 7. The Chacaltaya Glacier, La Paz, Bolivia. Once known as the world's highest ski resort,
03:46this glacial ski run attracted many visitors year-round. Rising 5,300 meters above the sea level,
03:53the peak was a popular family weekend retreat near the capital, La Paz.
03:57In the 1990s, scientists studying Chacaltaya predicted the glacier would fully melt by 2015.
04:04In 2009, six years earlier than predicted, Chacaltaya was gone. Today, only the chalet remains to mark the resort that once was.
04:12Bolivia has lost around half of its glaciers in the last 50 years. And experts say things will
04:18continue to get worse as global warming continues. More than just a loss of tourism, the snow melt
04:25from Chacaltaya was an important water source for nearby La Paz. The loss of Chacaltaya is a shocking
04:30reminder of the consequences of climate change that will affect us all, likely sooner than we think.
04:35We must stop being ambitious right now and let the earth last longer,
04:38because I'd rather have water than a lot of money, really. That's what the future is all
04:43about now. We won't have enough water.
04:45Number 6, Wall Arch, Arches National Park, Utah. Thousands of beautiful natural sandstone arches
04:51in this national park attract millions of tourists every year, but they won't last forever.
04:56Known as Wall Arch, the 12th largest arch was an impressive 71 feet wide and 33 and a half feet high,
05:02first reported in 1948 by Louis T. McKinney. Sixty years later in 2008, the arch collapsed
05:09unexpectedly overnight. No witnesses observed the collapse, which begs the question, if a historic
05:15sandstone arch falls in a national park and no one's around to hear it, does it make a sound?
05:20Number 5, Love Locks Bridge, Paris, France. A popular tradition for traveling couples around the world,
05:26a padlock with each partner's name is placed in a notable spot to symbolize the permanence of their
05:31relationship. It was a nice idea once. Back in 2008, the first couple locked up their love on the bridge
05:37and then tossed their key into the Seine as a sign of their undying devotion. Unsurprisingly,
05:43the City of Love is one of the most popular destinations for love-locking hopefuls. As the trend grew,
05:49the Pont des Arts Bridge became so burdened by heavy padlocks that the integrity of the bridge was at stake.
05:54The locks became so heavy that the grillwork would collapse routinely. Every day there was in some
06:01state of collapse and it was a true safety hazard. As a result, the locks were removed and replaced
06:07by panels of glass that would make it impossible to attach a lock to the bridge. The plan is to
06:12replace all of the metal grids with padlock-proof barriers. After a long, loving relationship with the
06:18river Seine. Officials say it's now time for the Pont des Arts to move on. Despite these efforts,
06:25tourists still find ways to leave their mark on Paris in this romantic, albeit slightly destructive,
06:30tradition. Number four, Six Flags New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. First opened under the name
06:36Jazzland in 2000, Six Flags invested millions into the amusement park before its 2003 reopening.
06:42Six Flags New Orleans, it's playtime. The park featured areas themed after Louisiana culture,
06:48including Cajun country and a Mardi Gras section. Just two years after extensive renovations,
06:54the park was tragically hit by the devastating Hurricane Katrina. The land was flooded for over
06:58a month after the hurricane, destroying many of the attractions beyond repair. Hurricane Katrina left
07:04many scars on New Orleans nearly two decades ago, but one of the most visible is the old Six Flags
07:10Park in New Orleans East. The cost of rebuilding would have been incredibly steep, especially after the
07:15investment Six Flags had made before the hurricane. The park was left abandoned, though it was
07:19occasionally used as a filming location. In 2024, it was announced that what remained of the park would
07:25be demolished. The redevelopment plan, named Bayou Phoenix, aims to bring sports fields, lodging,
07:31shopping, and other attractions to the land that's now filled with husks of buildings.
07:36Number three, the Azure Window, Gozo, Malta. This strikingly beautiful natural rock formation
07:42was developed over time by constant erosion from the Mediterranean Sea.
07:45The contrast of the limestone rock against the blue waters of the sea made the Azure Window a
08:03popular site for tourists. The rock feature was even used as a backdrop in Game of Thrones
08:07and Clash of the Titans. Sadly, after decades of partial collapses widening and weakening the arch,
08:19the Azure Window collapsed in 2017 after heavy storms. The remains of the arch are now fully
08:25under water, enjoyed today only by scuba divers.
08:34Number two, the Buddhas of Bamiyan, Bamiyan, Afghanistan. These enormous 6th-century Buddha
08:40figures were an important stop for Buddhist pilgrims traveling on the Silk Road, but they're
08:44impressive-sized odd visitors from all religious backgrounds for centuries.
08:48In 2001, six months before 9-11, the Taliban declared the statues an affront to Islam.
08:55The two statues measured 125 and 180 feet tall, carved into sandstone cliffs. In 2001,
09:06the Taliban destroyed the historic monuments, allegedly to comply with Islamic law. This
09:11shocking move outraged the international community, leading to protests and the UNESCO
09:16director-general calling the destruction a, quote, crime against culture.
09:19The statues of the Buddha that once stood at this site in Bamiyan were an estimated 15 centuries old,
09:25and they weren't just a part of Afghanistan's history, they were a part of human history.
09:29The site is now on UNESCO's list of world heritage in danger, and efforts are being made to preserve
09:35and restore what remains of the Buddhas. UNESCO today continues to work to preserve Afghanistan's
09:40cultural heritage in general, and the Bamiyan site in particular. Before we continue,
09:45be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
09:50You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them. If you're on your phone,
09:55make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
10:00Number 1. The Hippie Trail
10:01Less of a tourist attraction and more of an epic pilgrimage, this route wove through Europe,
10:06West Asia, and South Asia, and was followed by beatniks and hippies from the 1950s to 70s.
10:12Why are you here?
10:15I wish I knew, really. And I feel like I've come here to do something now.
10:20And I feel like I've come here for some reason, and I've got to find some reason before I can go back again.
10:25Traveling as frugally as possible helped extend the length of one's journey,
10:29which typically took travelers from Western European cities like London and Paris all the way to Kathmandu.
10:34The Hippie Trail can be adventurous and romantic, but it can be ugly and destructive.
10:40It can end in disease, repatriation, and even death.
10:43Travel along the Hippie Trail declined sharply in the 1970s,
10:47when conflicts in Iran and Afghanistan made passage too dangerous for tourists.
10:51Though it is possible to follow the trail today.
10:54Enduring tensions in the Middle East make the route far less safe and hospitable than it was in the past.
10:59To them, the trail is a pursuit in search of awareness and self-knowledge.
11:03Which of these lost tourist attractions would you most like to visit?
11:07Let us know in the comments.
11:08It's known the world over for being a city of romance,
11:12but one bridge in Paris is literally buckling under the weight of love.