This Deserted Brazilian Island Is So Deadly Visiting It Is Illegal And Can Claim Your Life

After an incredibly long year, people yearn to go on vacation. While some wish to travel to colder places, others prefer spending their vacation in the wild with Mother Nature while basking in the sun on warm sandy beaches. Perfect, isn’t it? Well, that’s exactly what Brazilian island Ilha da Queimada looks like from a boat – a perfect jungle paradise for adrenaline-punched people wanting to temporarily escape from their busy city lives. But be warned, this deadly island is extremely deceiving and is nothing but a warm welcome from death itself. Located approximately 33 km from São Paulo, Brazil, Ilha da Queimada is popularly known as the Snake Island, and for a good reason.

While it is relatively small, only 106 acres, it is home to 41 bird species and approximately 4,000 golden lanceheads – the most venomous snakes on the planet. Apart from a large number of golden lanceheads, the island is infested with vipers, Bothrops, tiger snakes, pythons, tree snakes, boas and European cat snakes. According to researchers, per square meter, a human can be exposed to a maximum of six snakes which literally means that you’re only three feet from certain death. Keeping the snake population in mind, it is only clear than no human lives there, but that wasn’t the case in the 1900s. We’ll get to that in a bit.

It is believed that a long time ago, the island was infested with nearly 430,000 snakes! Can you even begin to imagine the level of nightmare we’re talking about here? We know that snakes are venomous, and that stepping foot on the island is an extremely bad idea, but just how venomous are the snakes? Can they be compared to the venomous snakes around the world? The short answer is no, they can’t be compared because the golden lanceheads are among the deadliest snakes on Earth, and the island is jam-packed with them. While there are 36 species of the golden lancehead found across South America, the ones slithering on this island are found nowhere else in the world.

Golden lanceheads of this island can grow more than 2 feet long and they’ve evolved enough to travel through trees to catch their favorite meal – wrens. However, if you’re on this island surrounded by golden lanceheads, your best bet to survival is to stand in semi-deep water; that’s right, golden lanceheads can’t swim. Since they’re doomed to stay on this island for as long as they live, they breed like rabbits. So, how did they come to Ilha da Queimada if they can’t swim? According to experts, about 11,000 years ago, the sea level rose high enough to isolate Ilha da Queimada from mainland Brazil, turning Ilha da Queimada into a deadly island.

The golden lancehead’s poison is so potent that one bite leaves you with a seven percent chance of dying, and even if you’re treated, your chance of dying is still three percent. Despite their deadly venom, some individuals illegally travel to the island to capture the deadly golden lancehead. Why? To sell them on the black market, because one snake can fetch them $30,000. This is a major reason why scientists think that golden lanceheads would soon be facing extinction. But why would anyone want to buy such venomous creatures? According to biologist Marcelo Duarte, the snake’s poison has significant medicinal value and has the potential to help with blood circulation, clotting problems, and heart disease. So now, you can guess who would want to buy the serpent on the black market.

So, what happened in the 1900s? A family was tasked to care for the only lighthouse on the island that warned mariners of rocky shoreline. A family moved in to operate the lighthouse, which is now automatic, but unfortunately one night, tragedy struck. When they forgot to lock their doors, a group of vipers slithered in and killed the entire family and rescuers who came to help the family suffered the same fate. Today only scientists, biologists, other experts, photographers, and a few journalists visit Ilha da Queimada legally. Others are forbidden to visit the island, so much so that Brazil has made it illegal for anyone to visit.

Now that you know a little something about Snake Island, what would you do if you won a chance to visit the island? Let us know in the comments below. Don’t forget to share this article with your friends.