Secret societies, supernatural activity, hidden paradises, cats, rabbits and crabs by the thousands, we have everything in this unusual route. Discover the strangest islands in the world, maybe your curiosity will convince you to visit one.
1. Sable Island, Nova Scotia
Sable Island, known as “shipwreck and wild horse island”, is in a region called the Graveyard of the Atlantic and its length is only roughly 42 kilometers. It however harbors about 475 sunken ships.
Another strange phenomenon is that it is home to more than 400 horses living on the island, which is a true mystery, since no-one understands how they survive here as there are no trees or grass, just sand and rainwater.
2. La Isla de las Muñecas
Situated in the region of Xochimico, near Mexico City, La Isla de las Muñecas, or Dolls Island, is home to an eery legend involving many dolls scattered around the island.
It is considered a sanctuary, dedicated to a child that died there under mysterious circumstances. This story has however never been properly confirmed. We only know that, in the fifties, a very religious man moved to the island and, according to him, the dolls were supposed to be a protection against “bad spirits”. Don Julian lived on this island for over fifty years, until he drowned precisely on the same spot where the little girl is believed to have also died.
3. Palmyra, North Pacific
Palmyra is not even considered an island, but more like an atoll, which means that it’s a ring-shaped oceanic island with a structure made of corals and other boneless creatures, encircling a lagoon with no apparent connection with the rocky crust.
Despite its apparent beauty given by the marvelous coral reefs that depict it as a lost paradise, they call it the “cursed island”, due to inexplicable paranormal activity occurring on it. Based on multiple reports, there have been numerous cases of supernatural events, unresolved mysteries and inexplicable facts happening here since 1798. Those who have visitied the island have described strange forces as well as the feeling of being constantly followed during their trips.
Palmyra was also the scene of the murder of Mac Graham and Eleanor LaVerne, who arrived on the atoll the same week an ex-prisoner did so too. The man killed the couple and stole their sail ship. Graham’s body was never found and his wife’s bones only appeared six years later.
4. Isola La Gaiola, Italy
Isola La Gaiola in Italy is known as the haunted island because of the adverse events that have been happening to whomever visits it.
From its first four owners, three have suffered tragic deaths (drowning, heart attack and the third ended up in a mental hospital). The last ones are either in jail or have committed suicide. Others had their children kidnapped. All these stories have contributed to the island’s far from the best reputation.
5. Deer Isle, United States
The region of Saint Lawrence River is known for its staggering number of islands and Deer Island is one of them.
The island is known for hosting a secret society for undergraduates of the University of Yale, alumni of which include George W. Bush or John Kerry. Only a few details regarding the precise venue were officially revealed, though. Its exact location remains a mystery to this day.
In the nineteenth century, the granite industry flourished in Deer Island, its quarries provided granite for structures such as the Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, the United States Naval Academy, the Manhattan Bridge or President John F. Kennedy’s tomb.
In John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley, Deer Island was a stopping point for the author, upon insistence that he visited Eleanor Brace’s hut in Dunham’s Point from his literary agent. And so he did, writing: “One doesn’t have to be sensitive to feel the strangeness of Deer Isle”.
This isle was chosen by musician Dan Fogelberg and his wife Jean as their last home, also having died there in 2007. This island, was still source of inspiration for painter Fairfield Porter.
6. Tashirojima Island, the “Isle of Cats”
The Isle of Cats is in Japan. It is home to just about a hundred inhabitants, but cats outnumber them by far.
The cats arrived here when a rat infestation hit the area in the eighteenth century, but even after the problem was solved, a fisherman decided to create a sanctuary to the felines and the community has largely grown since then. A fisherman sees cats as a sign of good luck and therefore takes care and feeds all the cats in the region. A curiosity is that, if you’re interested in sleeping on the island, you can just rent one of its logs, precisely built in the shape of cats.
7. Okunoshima Island, or “Rabbits Isle”
Okunoshima Island is in Japan and is known as Rabbit Isle. Its history is at least curious, since during Second World War, this island was the site of a chemical weapon plant. Between 1929 and 1945, over six thousand tons of poisonous gas were produced here.
It is believed that rabbits were brought here by students in the seventies. Nowadays, the island is home to hundreds of rabbits and welcomes many visitors due to its beautiful beaches, its abandoned factories and, of course, the impressive rabbit warren.
8. Queimada Grande Island, Brazil
Situated some 145 km from the city of São Paulo, Queimada Grande is known as Snake Island, because it has snakes of all kinds.
The number of snakes on the island is estimated to be from 2000 to 5000 snakes of the jararaca-ilhoa species, one of the most poisonous in the world. The animals feed themselves from migratory birds and disembarking on the island is forbidden due to the high risk.
9. Christmas Island, Australian territory
Known as “Crab Island”, it’s located in the Indian Ocean and is home to over 120 million of these crustaceans that have always travelled there on a true journey of migration. During the rain season, they walk over eight kilometers to the ocean.
In 1989, a roughly 1600-hectare national park was created with the goal of protecting this species of red crab, the scientific name of which being Gecarcoidea natalis. This park covers 60% of the island, mainly in the rainforest area and its activity is monitored by the Australian Nature Conservation Agency.
The island’s recent history is linked to migrations and its repression, since it became one of main passage points for refugees that try to reach Australia from Iraq, Afghanistan or Sri Lanka and on route through Indonesia. Since the called “Pacific Solution” was implemented, the island has hosted Australia‘s largest detention center, destined to arrest migrants who risk their lives landing illegally while searching for a better life. The island’s coastlines have witnessed tragic shipwrecks that sadly cost many hundreds of lives in the last ten years.
On each one of these islands you can live so many strange mysteries, will you dare venture to their shores?
