A guide to dangerous countries: Where not to go because of war, terrorism or unrest according to FCDO

A huge part of the world has become dangerous to visit. Nowadays, tourists should not go for impressions not only to Israel or Lebanon.

According to new data, 24 countries are considered dangerous to visit, which is 20.8% of the entire landmass. Which countries are on the list and which destinations will be risky for tourists is reported by Aol.

According to the FCDO (UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office) list, 24 destinations, covering 30,965,383 square kilometres, are unsafe to visit.

At the same time, another 42 countries have partial borders. Two countries have become safe to visit compared to the 2019 list. These are Burundi and Mauritania, including its coastal areas and the capital Nouakchott.

The most obvious areas that are unsafe to travel to are the regions of Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. Also, starting in February 2022, Russia and Belarus were added to the list. Since October 2023, Israel, Lebanon, and Palestine have become dangerous to visit.

Iran was completely closed to visitors, despite the fact that a few years ago British Airways even resumed direct flights from Heathrow to Tehran. Now the FCDO recommends refraining from any travel to Sudan, where armed clashes between rival military groups began last year.

It has become risky to travel to countries such as Mexico, where serious problems with violent crime have arisen in a number of regions. The list also includes Tanzania, which was previously considered safe, as well as Uzbekistan and Moldova. The escalation of gang violence has led to an increase in Ecuador's no-go zones, and the new five countries are also not worth travelling to. This includes Ethiopia, Côte d'Ivoire, Mozambique, Nigeria and Tunisia.

Despite the Foreign Office's recommendations, not everyone follows their instructions. Several reputable British operators run group tours to places that the FCDO has recommended not to visit.

These include Wild Frontiers, founded by Johnny Bilby over 25 years ago. He emphasized that this is only government advice and the recommendation may affect travel insurance.

24 blacklisted destinations (six more than in 2019)

The Foreign Office advises against travel, or all but essential travel, to parts of these territories:

1. Afghanistan
2. Belarus
3. Burkina Faso
4. Central African Republic
5. Chad
6. Haiti
7. Iran
8. Iraq
9. Israel
10. Lebanon
11. Libya
12. Mali
13. Niger
14. North Korea
15. Palestinian territories
16. Russia
17. Somalia
18. Somaliland
19. South Sudan
20. Sudan
21. Syria
22. Ukraine
23. Venezuela
24. Yemen

In: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Sudan, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories

Out: Mauritania (down to red), Burundi (down to red)

42 destinations from the "red list" (as of 2019)

The Foreign Office advises against travel, or all but essential travel, to the whole of these territories:

1. Algeria
2. Angola
3. Armenia
4. Azerbaijan
5. Bangladesh
6. Benin
7. Burundi
8. Cameroon
9. Colombia
10. Democratic Republic of the Congo
11. Djibouti
12. Ecuador
13. Egypt
14. Eritrea
15. Ethiopia
16. Georgia
17. India
18. Indonesia
19. Côte d'Ivoire
20. Jordan
21. Kenya
22. Kosovo
23. Laos
24. Malaysia
25. Mauritania
26. Mexico
27. Moldova
28. Mozambique
29. Myanmar (Burma)
30. Nigeria
31. Pakistan
32. Papua New Guinea
33. Philippines
34. Republic of Congo
35. Saudi Arabia
36. Tanzania
37. Thailand
38. Togo
39. Tunisia
40. Turkey
41. Uzbekistan
42. Western Sahara

In: Burundi (off black), Mauritania (off black), Mexico, Moldova, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Indonesia.

Out: Iran (to black), Russia (to black), Ukraine (to black), Sudan (to black), Lebanon (to black), Israel (to black), Palestinian Territories (to black).

Do not visit (changes since 2019):

1. Ecuador
2. Ethiopia
3. Côte d'Ivoire
4. Mozambique
5. Nigeria
6. Tunisia