Welcome to the intense world of dark tourism.

It could be the site of a genocide, a natural disaster, a terrible accident, or incarceration and death. In recent years, these places have not only grown in popularity but many now offer organized tours.

Places like Chernobyl, Pompeii in Italy, Auschwitz, and the 9/11 memorial in New York City are just a few places that are open to the public.

Near Cape Town, you can visit Robben Island, around 10 miles off the coast. It’s the maximum prison that housed Nelson Mandela.

And some of these sites are actually worth visiting, like Auschwitz and Chernobyl. Because if you can’t remember the past, you may be doomed to repeat it.