10 Entrances to Hell You Can Actually Visit

The idea of visiting hell—or at least the gateway to hell—might not appeal to everybody, but for the devilishly-curious there are a number of places across the planet that are supposedly entrances to hell. Some of these hell gates gained their reputation based on their looks alone; others are believed to be entrances to the underworld for cultural and/or religious reasons. So if you want to dance with the devil, here are 10 places to add to your bucket list.

1. Darvaza Gas Crater // Turkmenistan
2. Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave // Belize
3. Chinoike Jigoku // Japan
4. Cape Matapan Caves // Greece
5. Acheron River // Greece
6. Fengdu Ghost City // China
7. Masaya Volcano // Nicaragua
8. The Ploutonion // Turkey
9. Houska Castle // Czech Republic
10. Mount Osore // Japan

Darvaza Gas Crater // Turkmenistan

The place that perhaps looks the most like hell on Earth is in Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert. Darvaza Crater, often called “the Gates of Hell,” is a roughly 230-foot-wide and 100-foot-deep fire pit that has been burning for decades thanks to an underground pocket of gas that is slowly being vented through cracks in the crater. But when and why the gas was first ignited isn’t certain.

The most popular story has it that the crater was set alight in 1971 by Soviet geologists, but there’s no official documentation due to the Soviet Union’s secrecy; it’s either been destroyed or is still classified. But explorer and TV presenter George Kourounis—the only person known to have descended the sheer walls into the fiery pit—has heard a different story. “We had two old school geologists from the government come out to the crater with us,” he explained to CNN, “and what they told me was that the crater actually formed at some point in the 1960s and was bubbling away with mud and gas for quite some time and didn’t get ignited until the 1980s.”

Although now a major tourist attraction, Darvaza Gas Crater might be on its way out. Not only has the government considered extinguishing the fire multiple times, but there are reports that the flames are getting progressively smaller. “I would say it’s only burning at around 40 percent of the level I first witnessed there in 2009,” Dylan Lupine, a pioneer of tourism in Turkmenistan, said in 2024.

Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave // Belize

In the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve in Belize is a cave that the Maya believed to be a passage for spirits to cross between Earth, heaven, and hell (known as Xibalba). Actun Tunichil Muknal—commonly shortened to ATM—was a sacred site where sacrifices were offered to the gods. These sacrifices often took the form of ceramic pots filled with food. But sometimes humans were sacrificed, too.

Although some of the sacrificial items have been moved to a museum, many bones and pottery shards still litter the cave. The best-known specimen still in ATM is known as the Crystal Maiden—the complete skeleton of a teenage girl whose bones have calcified over the years, giving them a sparkly appearance.

Chinoike Jigoku // Japan

The Japanese city of Beppu is famous for its many hot springs, but one of them isn’t like the others. Chinoike Jigoku—which literally translates to “blood pond hell”—is a striking red color. Although the color looks scary, its source has nothing to do with hell, and instead comes from the iron oxide-rich mud that rests at the bottom of the pool (and is sold to treat skin conditions). The other hellish feature of Chinoike Jigoku is its temperature: It simmers away at 172°F, making it far too hot for a relaxing soak. 

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Cape Matapan Caves // Greece

Ancient Greeks believed that the underworld was a tangible place—one that was both named Hades and was ruled over by Hades—that they could travel to before dying (although not many people actually wanted to go there, for obvious reasons).

One entrance to Hades is supposedly located at the southernmost point of mainland Greece, in the Cape Matapan Caves. The area is also known as Cape Taenarum (the name of the now-ruined ancient city that once stood in the area). The ruin of a Spartan temple currently marks the spot above the cave system, which has to be entered at sea level.

The Matapan Caves pop up a few times in Greek mythology. It’s where Orpheus turns around to look at Eurydice while trying to rescue her—thereby breaking the deal he made with Hades and dooming her to the underworld. The caves are also where Hercules enters the underworld to capture the three-headed canine Cerberus and complete his 12 labors.

Acheron River // Greece

Another way into the ancient Greek underworld was via the Acheron River, which means “River of Woe.” The 32-mile-long waterway winds through some beautiful scenery, but it also cuts through an intimidatingly large gorge and goes underground at some points. The ruins of a Necromanteion (meaning Oracle of the Dead)—a temple dedicated to necromancy—are thought to lie on the bank of the river in Epirus, although it may just be a farmhouse. Either way, people hoping to commune with the dead are known to have traveled to the river.

“The world of the dead was considered quite dangerous,” Anthi Aggeli, an expert on Greek history, told National Geographic. “Therefore, pilgrims had to be clean in body and soul. They had to follow a specific cleansing ceremony.” In an effort to speak to those in Hades, pilgrims would perform rituals at the river and eat hallucinogenic plants (which probably explains the claims of communication with the dead).

Fengdu Ghost City // China

Located on a hill on the banks of the Yangtze River is Fengdu Ghost City, which, according to legend, is the home of Tianzi, the King of the Dead. The area first started being associated with the underworld during the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 CE).

The story goes that two imperial officials, named Yin and Wang (together their names mean “King of Hell”), traveled to the area to practice Taoism and they became immortals. The site then became a Taoist burial ground, with temples and shrines dedicated to the afterlife scattered across the hillside. Hell can supposedly be entered via Guimen Gate (the Gate of Hell), which is surrounded by statues that depict people suffering in hell. 

Masaya Volcano // Nicaragua

When Spanish colonizers saw Masaya volcano’s active lava lake—which sits at the bottom of Santiago crater—they dubbed it “la Boca del Infierno,” which translates to “the Mouth of Hell.” Believing the lava lake to be genuinely hellish, in 1528 Friar Francisco de Bobadilla even erected a large cross at the top of the crater in an attempt to exorcise the devil. A similar cross stands there today.

The lava lake at the bottom of the crater is certainly evocative of hell. Along with the bubbling lava, huge clouds of steam and sulfur dioxide are constantly being emitted, giving the appearance that the lava is hotter than, well, hell. The scale of the crater also adds to its intimidating impression, with the steep walls reaching up 984 feet in some places.

The Ploutonion // Turkey

In the ruined ancient city of Hierapolis, near the modern-day Turkish city of Pamukkale, is a religious temple with an eerie reputation. Built to honor Pluto, the Ploutonion was believed to be a portal to hell and was used as a site of animal sacrifice.

“This space is full of a vapor so misty and dense that one can scarcely see the ground,” wrote Greek geographer Strabo. “Bulls that are led into it fall and are dragged out dead.” And yet the priests who led the animals in would miraculously emerge unharmed. Legend has it that the lethal vapor was the breath of hellhound Cerberus.

In 2013, the temple drew the attention of volcano biologist Hardy Pfanz, from the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany. “When I read the descriptions from the ancient writers, I began wondering if there could be a scientific explanation,” he told the BBC. “I wondered, could this Gate to Hell be a volcanic vent?”

Pfanz traveled to the Ploutonion and immediately saw that there was some truth to the stories. “We saw dozens of dead creatures around the entrance: mice, sparrows, blackbirds, many beetles, wasps and other insects,”he said. After testing the air around the shrine, Pfanz discovered that it was 80 percent carbon dioxide, as opposed to the 0.04 percent found in regular air. “Just a few minutes exposure to 10 percent carbon dioxide can kill you,” he said, “so the levels here are really deadly.”

Because carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen, it pools on the ground, which is why animals—whose noses were a lot lower—died while the priests survived.

Houska Castle // Czech Republic

Built during the 13th century, Houska Castle has a few peculiarities. It wasn’t constructed near any trade routes, it has no nearby water source, and its defensive walls face inward toward the courtyard. Legend has it that these peculiarities exist because the castle was built as a defense against demons who were using a bottomless pit at the site as a gateway to and from hell.

The story goes that to stop the demonic creatures from coming to Earth, the pit was covered over and the castle was built on top of it to seal and protect the entrance. The castle’s chapel is said to stand on the exact spot of the hellish portal. 

The less fanciful story is simply that the castle was built as an administrative center.

Mount Osore // Japan

Mount Osore—a.k.a. Osorezan, which translates to “Fear Mountain”—earned its hellish reputation thanks to its geological features that match the Buddhist description of paradise and hell. The active volcano is surrounded by eight other peaks and there’s a river that seems to correlate to the mythical Sanzu River, which, according to Buddhist teachings, people must cross to reach the afterlife.

To add to its hellish atmosphere, the smell of sulfur fills the air and the barren ground is cut through by fissures that spew steam and boiling water. The Buddhist Bodaiji Temple currently sits on the mountain; people travel there hoping to commune with their departed loved ones in the afterlife.