When you think of remote landmasses, the phrase “10 deserted islands” probably conjures images of pristine beaches and tropical bliss. Yet history proves that many of these isolated spots have served as stages for some of humanity’s strangest, most unsettling dramas. From forced exile to murderous madness, each of these forgotten isles carries a story that is as gripping as it is chilling.

10 Deserted Islands: Unveiling Their Dark Histories

10 The Isle of Demons

Off the icy coast of Newfoundland lies the forlorn Isle of Demons, a name bestowed by the native peoples who believed the rock was haunted by malevolent spirits. In 1542 French noblewoman Marguerite de la Rocque found herself cast onto this bleak shore after being caught in an illicit affair during a sea voyage. The captain—who was also a relative—ordered her exile, leaving her with only a lover and a servant for company. The trio cobbled together a rudimentary shelter from the island’s unforgiving climate and ferocious wildlife. Their ordeal grew even more harrowing when Marguerite gave birth; within sixteen months, her lover, her servant, and the newborn all perished. Defying all odds, Marguerite survived alone for two years, subsisting on whatever she could hunt, until fishermen rescued her in 1544 and escorted her back to Europe. The island’s ominous moniker, originally meant to reflect indigenous superstitions, likely took on a personal resonance for Marguerite after her grueling experience.

9 Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)

Chile’s Más a Tierra, now known as Robinson Crusoe Island, is famed for hosting Alexander Selkirk, the real-life inspiration for Daniel Defoe’s classic novel. Yet few know the bizarre circumstances that led to his abandonment. In 1704 Selkirk clashed with his ship’s captain over the vessel’s deteriorating condition and, convinced the ship was doomed, demanded to be left on the island. He believed rescue would be swift, but the island remained isolated for years. Over four solitary years, Selkirk’s sanity wavered; he kept his mind from unraveling by dancing with the island’s goats and cats, constructing huts from pimento trees, and training the cats to guard against rats that would gnaw at his feet during sleep. When an English privateer finally sighted him in 1709, the crew could barely recognize the once-civilized sailor—his speech was fractured, and his movements resembled those of a wild animal.

8 Roatan Island

Roatan, a Honduran cay, became the reluctant refuge of Philip Ashton, a Massachusetts fisherman who endured one of the most astonishing survival narratives of the 18th century. After being seized by the notorious pirate Edward Low in 1722, Ashton endured nine brutal months of captivity before escaping to the uninhabited parts of Roatan. For the subsequent sixteen months he survived on a diet dominated by wild fruit and raw turtle eggs, living in stark isolation. A brief interlude occurred when another English castaway arrived, offering a knife, a firearm, and gunpowder—essential tools that briefly eased Ashton’s plight before the stranger vanished without a trace. Ashton’s ordeal was marked by bouts of illness, venomous snake encounters, and even an attack by Spanish forces. When a British vessel finally rescued him in 1724, many dismissed his tale as fanciful, yet his detailed account persisted. To this day, legends whisper of buried pirate treasure and restless specters haunting the island’s shores.

7 Elephant Island

Antarctica’s stark Elephant Island earned its reputation as a crucible of human endurance during Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated 1914 expedition. After the Endurance was crushed by relentless pack ice, its 28‑man crew drifted on ice floes for five grueling months before finally washing ashore on this barren, glacier‑scarred rock. While Shackleton and five companions embarked on an 800‑mile open‑boat journey to seek rescue, the remaining 22 men fashioned makeshift shelters by inverting lifeboats and subsisted on seal blubber, penguin meat, and seaweed. Their daily routine even included meticulous “cleanings,” where they combed each other’s garments for lice. Despite sub‑zero temperatures regularly plunging below –20 °F and the looming threat of starvation, every member survived. Today, Elephant Island remains virtually uninhabitable, its ferocious winds and treacherous terrain deterring all but the most intrepid explorers.

6 Palmyra Atoll

Roughly a thousand miles south of Hawaii, Palmyra Atoll has cultivated a reputation as one of the world’s most cursed islands. Though technically uninhabited aside from a few researchers, the remote Pacific atoll has amassed a disturbing ledger of mysterious deaths, disappearances, and uncanny phenomena. Its darkest chapter unfolded in 1974 when the yacht Sea Wind arrived bearing two couples; only one couple ever left the island alive. Malcolm and Eleanor Graham were brutally slain, their bodies never fully recovered. The surviving pair was later convicted of the murders, yet many details remain shrouded in ambiguity. Sailors recount bizarre electromagnetic anomalies that fry equipment, compasses that spin erratically, and an overwhelming sensation of being observed. World War II servicemen stationed there experienced unusually high rates of suicide and mental breakdowns. Despite its picture‑perfect tropical veneer, the atoll has inexplicably repelled numerous multi‑million‑dollar development schemes, with investors mysteriously abandoning projects without explanation.

5 Flannan Isles

Scotland’s remote Flannan Isles are home to one of the most baffling maritime mysteries of the twentieth century. In December 1900, the three lighthouse keepers stationed on Eilean Mòr vanished without a trace, leaving half‑eaten meals, an overturned chair, and a clock stopped dead. When a relief vessel finally arrived, the island was utterly deserted; Thomas Marshall, James Ducat, and Donald MacArthur were nowhere to be found. Their logbooks documented a severe storm, yet the final entry chillingly read, “storm ended, sea calm. God is over all.” The mystery deepens because reaching the sea from the lighthouse required a steep cliff descent; had the men been swept away, at least one body should have washed ashore, yet none ever did. The isles also boast a pre‑historic legacy, with ancient structures hinting at earlier habitation, and locals for generations have refused to spend a night there, citing inexplicable voices carried on the wind. The now‑automated lighthouse stands as a silent testament to the men who simply evaporated into thin air.

4 Clipperton Island

Donut‑shaped and isolated in the eastern Pacific, Clipperton Island witnessed a harrowing descent into madness and brutality during the early twentieth century. In 1914, roughly a dozen Mexican families were deposited on the atoll to mine guano when the Mexican Revolution severed their supply lines. As desperation set in, most men succumbed to scurvy and starvation, leaving women and children at the mercy of lighthouse keeper Victoriano Álvarez, who declared himself the island’s “king.” Over the ensuing months, Álvarez subjected the survivors to horrific abuse, murder, and sexual slavery. The women eventually rebelled, killing their tormentor in 1917. When an American gunboat stumbled upon the atoll, only three women and eight children remained from the original near‑hundred‑person settlement. A solitary coconut palm now stands on the island, rumored to have sprouted from the grave of one of Álvarez’s victims. Though today the island is a French overseas territory, it remains uninhabited aside from swarms of land crabs that will devour anything lingering too long.

3 Jure Sterk’s Ghost Island

In January 2009 Slovenian solo sailor Jure Sterk vanished while attempting a circumnavigation. His vessel, the Lunatic, was later found adrift near Australia, engine still running, one sail hoisted, but with no sign of its skipper. The enigma deepens because Sterk’s logbook entries abruptly stopped on January 1, offering no indication of trouble or distress. His final recorded coordinates pointed to an unnamed, uncharted island that appeared on his navigation charts yet is absent from any official maps. Search teams that attempted to locate this mysterious landmass at the noted coordinates found nothing but open ocean. Some theorists suggest Sterk may have encountered a “temporary island”—a volcanic nub that briefly breached the surface before sinking again. Others note a spooky coincidence: three other solo sailors have disappeared in the same region over the past century, spawning theories ranging from rogue wave phenomena to otherworldly forces.

2 Ilha da Queimada Grande (Snake Island)

Just off Brazil’s coast lies Ilha da Queimada Grande, ominously dubbed “Snake Island” because it hosts the world’s highest concentration of venomous snakes—estimated at one to five snakes per square meter. The island’s most notorious resident is the golden lancehead viper, whose potent venom can liquefy human flesh and claims a fatality rate of about 7 % even with prompt medical treatment. The Brazilian government has outright prohibited anyone from setting foot on the island. The last known human inhabitants were lighthouse keepers who met a grisly fate in the 1920s when snakes slithered through their windows, leaving them dead in pools of blood, riddled with bites. Earlier attempts to cultivate bananas on the island ended in tragedy, with workers reportedly dying aboard their boats before ever reaching the mainland. Local fishermen swear they sometimes hear human screams echoing from the island at night, despite its official uninhabited status, fueling rumors of clandestine activities or perhaps the anguished cries of the countless snakes themselves.

1 North Sentinel Island

North Sentinel Island, nestled in the Bay of Bengal, is arguably the world’s most fiercely defended “uninhabited” island. It is home to the Sentinelese, the last pre‑Neolithic tribe believed to have lived in complete isolation for up to 60,000 years. Their determination to remain untouched is legendary; they violently reject any outside contact, firing arrows at approaching boats, helicopters, and any intruders daring enough to draw near. In 2006 two fishermen drifted too close and were killed; in 2018 American missionary John Allen Chau met the same fate while attempting to convert the tribe. Despite decades of observation from a distance, virtually nothing is known about their language, customs, or even precise population size, with estimates ranging wildly from 15 to 500 individuals. The Indian government, acknowledging the tribe’s desire for seclusion, has established a three‑mile exclusion zone around the island and ceased all attempts at contact. The Sentinelese thus stand as perhaps the last human population on Earth with zero knowledge of the modern world beyond their shores.

Even though deserted areas can appear cold and desolate at times, they are frequently anything but. When humans leave, nature takes over, transforming shipwrecks into waterlogged forests and old Italian flour mills into lush oases.

Mother Nature’s influence, in some ways, makes decaying antiques appear even more remarkable than they were before. Vacant buildings are eventually absorbed by the plants and, in some cases, the soil itself, leaving only a faint trace of our human presence. We discovered ten such deserted places that have been reclaimed by Mother Nature and offer a glimpse into a world without human interference.

Related: 10 Times Nature Ended Human Conflict

10 Ta Prohm, Angkor Wat, Cambodia

The temple of Ta Prohm is undeniably one of the most popular and largest of the several discovered at Angkor Wat. The temple’s disintegrating walls have been clothed by massively overgrown tree roots. The construction of Angkor Wat began in the 12th century and was overseen by King Jayavarman VII. Because enormous banyan tree roots have entwined their way through the temple walls and bulging ground, most passages in this Buddhist temple are now largely impassable.

Ta Prohm is, however, still open to the public and can be seen from the courtyards. Visitors to the site have sectioned off some portions for preservation, such as the well-known Crocodile Tree (famously featured in the film Tomb Raider). The remarkable engineering of the Ancient Khmer empire is in full evidence at Ta Prohm. Today the surrounding jungle has almost fully engulfed the temple, with its roots and plants absorbing the ancient walls.^[1]

9 The Town of San Juan Parangaricutiro, Mexico

The remnants of a church commemorate the spot where the village of San Juan Parangaricutiro thrived until it was engulfed by lava and ash from the Paricutin Volcano, one of the youngest volcanoes on earth, in Mexico’s western state of Michoacan. When Vesuvius erupted in southern Italy in AD 79, it destroyed the town of Herculaneum and several other communities, including Pompeii. Likewise, when Paricutin erupted in 1943, it obliterated the town from which it derived its name, as well as San Juan Parangaricutiro.

Unlike the massive Italian volcano, which most likely killed thousands when it erupted, the Mexican volcanic eruption caused no casualties during its amazing eruption. Luckily, residents in the area were able to flee before the lava began flowing into the village several days later. Today, San Juan Parangaricutiro is a tourist attraction, a desolate, lava-covered region save for the remnants of the church, the bell tower, a portion of the facade, and an altar. All these have survived and are still used by local residents who come to light candles and pray.^[2]

8 New World Shopping Mall, Bangkok, Thailand

The dilapidated and derelict New World Mall in Bangkok’s Bang Lam Phu neighborhood was developed in the early ’80s. However, it lasted a mere 15 years before closing for good. There are a number of reasons for its demise, including a history of misfortunes such as fires, collapses, and uncontrolled construction of its upper stories. The mall’s top floors also made it taller than the neighboring Grand Palace. This enraged residents because it is considered a “no-no” in the area for buildings to be built taller than this widely revered and historical landmark.

After the higher levels were partly demolished, leaving the building without a roof, the ground floor was left with almost 465 square meters (5,000 square feet) of entirely flooded space. This resulted in a massive mosquito outbreak, which became a serious concern in the neighborhood. Vendors and residents decided to take care of the problem themselves and began throwing fish in the pond to counteract the mosquito infestation. This led the fish population to grow in abundance over time. The peculiar ecosystem at one point housed approximately 3,000 koi, striped catfish, mango fish, and other species.

The story of the “deserted fish mall” ultimately became world news around 2015 and drew a lot of attention. Unfortunately, due to safety concerns, the fish were later collected with nets, with intentions to drain the pond later.^[3]

7 Ross Island Penal Colony, India

The Nicobar and Andaman Islands are made up of over 500 small islands. One of these is known as Ross Island. By the 1850s, the British authorities in India began to use the island as a convict settlement, mainly to contain and secure a significant number of detainees from the Indian Rebellion of 1857. At the same time the British established the prison colony, they designated it as the administrative center for the entire group of islands and continued to build several amenities and houses at the location.

Thousands of its inhabitants were killed when a huge earthquake rocked the area in 1941. The Japanese subsequently took over control of the island and used its strategic position as a safe haven during World War II. Bunkers were erected to defend the Japanese soldiers, but ownership was returned to India after the war. Today, Ross Island is back in the hands of the Indian Navy. Once scuttling with people, it now lies deserted and fully overrun with jungle vines.^[4]

6 The Town of Kolmanskop, Namibia

In the early twentieth century, German mining corporations landed on a stretch of the Kalahari Desert supplied only by a small railway station, 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the Namibian shore. Kolmanskop, the settlement that rose from the sand, would come to produce 12% of the world’s diamonds by 1912—at which point Namibia was under German rule. As a result, the small mining town went from a shabby collection of wooden structures to a remarkable display of European design, even boasting a music hall and a beautiful pub.

However, when richer diamond sources were located further south, the fortune-seekers left, and the dunes rushed in. The sand gets moved a lot in the Namibian desert due to its dry, windy climate. The town’s final inhabitants left sometime between 1955 and the 1960s, leaving the quaint little town to be recaptured by Namibian sandstorms. As a result, the sand began to pile up in the ornately designed structures, leaving us with nothing more than relics of a bygone era, ultimately reclaimed by the dunes.^[5]

5 The Valley of Mills, Sorrento, Italy

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Italy is its stunning architecture, delicate wines, wonderful art, and incredibly beautiful coastal towns. While Vernazza, Sperlonga, and Scilla may spring to mind, many people are unfamiliar with the Italian town of Sorrento. The town sits on a cliff with amazing views overlooking the Bay of Naples. Sorrento is also known as the birthplace of the well-known (and delicious) liqueur Limoncello. Although there are numerous attractions in and around Sorrento, some remarkable lesser-known sites should not be overlooked.

A historic abandoned flour and sawmill can be found only a few minutes walk from the town’s main square. The historical stone structures of Il Vallone dei Mulini or the Valley of Mills, once the pulsing heart of the region’s pasta-making activities, are now buried beneath thick vegetation. Once you’ve seen it, it’s difficult to deny the old mill’s allure. Plants have overgrown its stairwells, surrounding paths, and the mill itself. The abundance of unruly vines and ferns, which imitates a fairytale tower in a magical realm, only adds to the eerie atmosphere of mystery and forgotten stories.^[6]

4 The Fishing Village of Houtouwan, China

The fishing village of Houtouwan is located on an island in the Shengsi archipelago, fewer than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the bustling streets of Shanghai on the mainland. Residents began to leave the village in the 1990s, and Houtouwan was completely enveloped by vegetation in less than 30 years. Amazingly, it was a fishing community with 3,000 residents only a decade before it was abandoned. When the island’s seafood supply became insufficient, fishermen moved their families to the mainland, with a few later returning to escort tourists around.

Today, only adventurous tourists venture to the island. Visitors like peering into the old and derelict houses, which often have a museum-like air to them, with relics of the past such as household and furniture items. Unfortunately, locals have had to put up warning signs because some of the structures are deemed hazardous to explore due to the plantlife hastening their ultimate deterioration.^[7]

3 Carbide Willson Ruins, Quebec, Canada

Although many visitors to Gatineau Park are familiar with the Carbide Willson ruins, they may be unfamiliar with the man who built them. Thomas Leopold “Carbide” Willson, born in 1860 in Woodstock, Ontario, was a forerunner in the North American electrochemical industry, holding over 70 patents. The inventor’s fame and nickname “Carbide” stem primarily from his discovery of a calcium carbide manufacturing technique while working in the United States in 1892. As is often the case, this discovery was made possible by a series of fortuitous coincidences.

Although Carbide secured a piece of real estate in the early 1900s, his construction project was never completed as he died before it could be finished. The only thing that remains today is the building’s empty shell that gives us a glimpse of the beauty that could have been. The numerous empty spaces that would have been windows have instead become intertwined in the park’s twisting vegetation. A waterfall right beside the structure completes nature’s invasion.^[8]

2 The Ghost Village Of Kayakoy, Turkey

Kayakoy is a small village located near the popular resorts of Olu Deniz and Fethiye. Yet, it is desolate and devoid of life. Its houses are falling apart, and the streets are deserted. However, Kayakoy was in full bloom around the turn of the nineteenth century. Schools, churches, shops, and businesses were bustling, and, in fact, the village was flourishing. The twist and most important portion of its history lies in the fact that Turks and Greeks coexisted inside the town. Outside of their beliefs and education, these two disparate ethnic groups lived an integrated life, and everyone just tried to make a decent living.

Kayakoy fell victim to a series of historical events, including the loss of the First World War, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the attempted Greek annexation of the Anatolian region. The signing of the Turkish-Greek Population Exchange Treaty, however, was unquestionably the final nail in the coffin. Essentially, Greek Christians were deported from Turkey, while Muslim Turks were ejected from Greece. When an earthquake struck, the few inhabitants who remained finally left. Kayakoy’s residents were ultimately used as pawns in a larger game played by higher powers, a mistake still being made in many other countries and villages around the world.^[9]

1 Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Ukraine

In April 1986, a nuclear power plant explosion in Chernobyl, Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union), caused a cloud of radioactive particles that swept across Europe. The catastrophe is now known as the worst nuclear disaster in history. With little time to prepare, 350,000 people had to be evacuated from the exclusion zone, the area surrounding the nuclear power plant. As such, many homes, workplaces, and classrooms remain in the same state as when their occupants left.

The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone has never piqued visitors’ interest as it has now, thanks to HBO’s chilling depiction of the nuclear disaster and its harrowing aftermath. When it comes to the world’s abandoned places, the forsaken town of Pripyat in Ukraine is undoubtedly worth mentioning. However, the exclusion zone, which first opened to the public in April 2019, is on our list today. Wildlife thrives here, including brown bears, lynxes, wolves, and an estimated 200+ bird species. Plantlife and vegetation surround the streets and buildings, showing that life will somehow always find a way.^[10]