13 Eerie Islands You’ll Be Too Scared to Explore
Islands, in their isolation from the mainland, often have stories and secrets — and sometimes, spirits. As we venture into the eerie, abandoned, and downright scary, you’ll quickly realize that these are not your typical vacation islands.
If you’re brave enough, explore haunted ruins, forbidden shores, and tales of isolation that can make your stomach quiver. These places are the stuff nightmares are made of.
Poveglia Island, Italy
Poveglia Island is famed as one of the most haunted places in the world. Once a plague quarantine station then a mental hospital, the island is said to be littered with the bones of the dead, with reports that 50% of the soil is human ash. The Italian government controls visits to the island, making it all the more elusive and terrifying, though paranormal enthusiasts and ghost hunters say the tortured spirits of the past still roam the island.
Isla de las Muñecas, Mexico
The “Island of the Dolls” is as macabre as it gets. Located just south of Mexico City, the island is eerily adorned with hundreds of decaying dolls suspended from the trees, supposedly put there by a former occupant to keep the spirit of a girl who drowned nearby happy. Their lifeless eyes and eerie positions keep visitors away.
Hashima Island, Japan
Hashima Island — or ‘Battleship Island’ — was once one of the most densely populated areas on the planet, but is now an abandoned ghost town. From 1887 to 1974 the island was a bustling coal mining hub, full of workers and their families. When the mine shut down, the island was emptied quickly, and the dilapidated buildings stand as a reminder of what life once was.
The Isle of Wight, England
Its stunning landscapes and historic sites are the more well-known facts about the Isle of Wight, but there is a more sinister story. The island, with a history going back to the Roman era, is one of the most haunted in England. An infamous ‘Floating Monk’ of the well room at Carisbrooke Castle is one of its many ghostly residents. It’s a place where the past seems a little too present and at night strange occurrences are often reported..
Hart Island, New York, USA
Hart Island, the city’s potter’s field, is just a stone’s throw from the crowded streets of New York City. More than a million people are buried here in mass graves, mostly unclaimed and unidentified residents of the city. The island is off-limits to the public, its sober history, an aggregation of stories of neglect and sadness; it’s one of the most hauntingly off-limits places in the United States.
Ilha da Queimada Grande/Snake Island, Brazil
Infested with one of the world’s most venomous snakes, the golden lancehead viper, Ilha da Queimada Grande is better known as ‘Snake Island.’ The population density of the snakes is so high that it is estimated that there are about five snakes per square meter. The Brazilian government has banned civilians from the island because of the extreme danger — it isn’t just a place of eerie isolation, it’s a literal no-go zone.
North Brother Island, New York, USA
North Brother Island has a dark and sad history. It was once the quarantine zone and death place of Mary Mallon also known as ‘Typhoid Mary’, the first identified asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever in the United States of America. Later the island was used as a drug rehabilitation center before being abandoned in the 1960s. Now it stands frozen in time, overtaken by nature and inhabited only by crumbling buildings. A silent reminder of its eerie past.
Ramree Island, Myanmar
Ramree Island was the scene of one of history’s largest crocodile attacks during World War II, with many soldiers falling prey to saltwater crocodiles. As a fortress for wildlife, the island’s mangrove swamps and dense undergrowth make them dangerous to traverse. Even the most curious of adventurers are kept at bay by the thought of what lurks in its murky waters.
Old Providence McBean Lagoon, Colombia
The legend of a headless priest who roams the beaches here is a relic from the island’s pirate-laden past. Although cloaked in the beauty of its surrounding coral reef and appearing to the world as a tropical paradise, local tales of curses and hauntings heavily contrast these beautiful features and make most locals weary of the beach.
Bear Island, Norway
Fog and mystery surround Bear Island located in the icy waters between Norway and Svalbard. With no permanent residents and only infrequent scientific expeditions to its shores, its solitude is the most terrifying thing about the island. The Silence is too loud, the isolation too palpable, and the echoes of its empty buildings and harsh Arctic climate make Bear Island very lonely.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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10 Best African Photo Safaris You Must Experience
Even if you’ve been on a safari in the past, an African photo safari is something you want to experience or at the very list add to the top of your bucket list.
But first, what is a photo safari? The phrase “photo safari” is not a common sentence structure but its meaning can be deduced easily. An African photo safari in general context means going on an adventure with the sole purpose of taking high-quality pictures.
10 Best African Photo Safaris You Must Experience
