Even though our world is full of wonderful places we can’t possibly resist visiting, it has its fair share of mysterious, dark and horrifying places that can beat the crap out of us. If you are a daredevil at heart or a conspiracy theorist and are ready to risk it all to embark on a frightening adventure, you are in luck today. We bring you the most enigmatic and spine-tingling places across the globe that is sure to leave you shocked and petrified. Feel free to play detective and solve the mysteries concerned with these places and cross them off the list as you are done with your adventure.
Crooked Forest (Poland)
The mystery of crooked forest in Poland is one that has no straight answer. Located on the extreme eastern part of the country, the crooked forest has always been on the travel radar of off-beat travellers. At first glance, the trees of the forest appear to make a ‘J’ like shape before straightening up again. This strange shape of the forest has earned it the title of ‘crooked forest’. What is weirder is that all the trees point towards the north direction. There is no logical explanation for this odd-phenomenon.
Some suggest that the trees might have got their spooky shape due to their burial under a severe snowstorm in their infancy. Others hold the local gravitational pull responsible for their odd shape. Another popular yet boring explanation someone has given is that the trees were given that particular shape by men, not by nature. Nonetheless, this enigma behind the forest gain the attention of an ample number of tourists, so who’d question?
Door to Hell
The Darvaza gas crater in Turkmenistan is known as the gateway to hell. The crater is believed to have been created owing to the mishap when Russians tried to drill the natural gas hoping to use the resource for their benefit. Little did they know that they would end up opening the door to hell. When the rig collapsed, researchers feared spread out of poisoning methane gas and to prevent it they set the crater on fire hoping it would burn out soon. The fire never faded but kept on burning even today. You can witness this alluring phenomenon easily and capture it on your camera lens. The sense of adventure you’ll get is beyond comprehension.
Eternal Flame Falls
The eternal flame fall is one of the most riveting mysteries on earth. Witnessing the burning flame in a chamber under a small waterfall is something you’d never be able to forget. The falls defy the law of nature that has baffled the community of scientists time and again. This natural occurring flame is a rare phenomenon because the gas and flame need to live in a specific environment so that it isn’t burnt away or destroyed. Interestingly, no conclusion has been achieved yet. Located in New York, the eternal flame is known to have been lit for thousands of years. No matter the reason, nothing can stop travel junkies to capture this rare phenomenon.
Highgate Cemetery
It might sound clichéd but cemeteries are naturally the most unnerving places on earth. Cemeteries are a spot where you can expect to encounter ghosts, hear whispers, and paranormal activities. The high gate cemetery in London is the finest funerary architecture in the land but at the same time, it has earned the moniker of being the most ‘creepy’ place too. Home to the gravestone of ‘Karl Marx’ and other famous personalities such as- James Holman, Malcolm McLaren, Anna Mahler etc, the cemetery is said to be haunted. Many people have reported a particular creature hovering over the graves, eerie sounds at night, the movement of angelic figures hiding amidst the shadow growth, apparitions wandering the cemetery. Some have also claimed to have seen vampires lurking in the shadow! (Would you believe that?). Doesn’t matter what people say, highgate cemetery is definitely a place that is bound to give you goosebumps.
The Tower of London
Eerie mansions and scary castles are probably the favorite hangout places of ghosts where they can cause all sorts of mischief and scare the hell out of us mortals. The tower of London has a gory past laden with murder, treachery, incarceration, execution and whatnot. The place is said to be haunted by the spirit of Queen Anne Boleyn who suffered an ill fate when she was beheaded at the behest of her husband King Henry VIII. It is believed that the ghost of the queen (headless body) roam the castle at night. Some people have also claimed to have seen ghostly apparitions of other people (Lady Jane Grey, Catherine Howard, Countess of Salisbury, Sir Walter Raleigh etc) haunting the tower. Curious much?
The Skirrid Mountain Inn (Wales)
Located on the eastern edge of the stunning Brecon Beacons National Park, The Skirrid Mountain Inn in Wales is said to be haunted and has actually become famous for its mysterious happenings. The hotel is infamous for notorious paranormal activities and its connection to the evil. Some say that the inn was once a courthouse where criminals were hung and condemned to death and it is the ghost of criminals that wanders the inn at night and create ruckus.
Many people who have stayed in the inn have reported the incidences of voice calling out their names, levitating objects, apparition of ‘white lady’ passing through the doors of the hotels, powerful scent of perfume infused in the nook and crannies of the inn, and feeling of dizziness, insomnia and fear. Interestingly, many ghost hunting companies hold regular séances and vigils for the public to remove the paranoia surrounded by the inn. Do you have the courage to stay here overnight?
The Banff Springs Hotel (Canada)
Canada is a popular tourist attraction that pulls people from all over the world towards it. From snow-capped mountains to the deep ravines, colorful street to tranquil places, Canada is a place where adventure, mystery and fun are all rolled into one. But, the Banff Springs Hotel speaks otherwise. Located in Alberta, the Banff springs hotel has occupied its place in the most haunted hotels in the world. Here guests and employees alike have an abundance of spooky tales to tell. More than a century old, the hotel is said to be a hub of paranormal activities.
Legend has it that a man committed suicide in room 873 after murdering his wife and young daughter. It is said that at the witching hour of the night, the room becomes the melting pot of supernatural activities that cannot be logically explained. Whoever had stayed in that room was claimed to be terrorized by the disembodied screams in the middle of the night. There are incidences of guests meeting horrible end who are said to never have left the hotel. A number of rooms are said to be haunted by ghosts. Now would you dare to stay in such a hotel?
