Cellular Jail in the Andaman Islands has a dark and significant history. During the many years of British rule, prisoners were forced into exile in this remote location. Known as the Kala Pani (Black Water in Hindi), Indian freedom fighters … Read More
“Masada shall not fall again.” The oath that soldiers take when inducted into the Israeli Defence Forces ends with this line. It is connected to a siege that took place almost 2000 years ago. The 1st-century fortress at Masada was … Read More
Kadykchan is located at the eastern extremity of Russia in the Kolyma region of Siberia, an area renowned for the harshness of the climate. This part of Siberia is known for something else too, the devastating brutality of its Gulags. … Read More
During the Cold War, the Soviets couldn’t get enough of blowing up nuclear weapons in northeastern Kazakhstan. The tests were not always with the intent to one day nuke the USA, however. Conducted by the military under the banner of … Read More
Sidoarjo is the biggest mud volcano in the world and the resulting mudflow is an eerie, desolate sight. The current eruption has been active since 2006, and it has transformed the area south of Sidoarjo, Indonesia. The cause is also … Read More
The 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami was one of the most devastating natural disasters in the last 20 years. Countries bordering the Indian Ocean suffered greatly, with an unprecedented loss of life. Sri Lanka was hit hard, with the Queen of … Read More
Before the start of the Cold War, Vozrozhdeniya Island in the Aral Sea (then a part of the Soviet Union), was an unassuming place. Apart from a few locals working a small fish processing plant, nothing much happened there. That … Read More
If you take a trip to Viper Island in the sound of Port Blair, Andaman Islands, you will find the ruins of a former British colonial-era penal colony prison. Not much remains, however it is still worth taking the time … Read More
I love a good road trip. On one of my travels, I drove from London to Mongolia in a Fiat, I have checked out the entire east coast of Australia over 6 months living out the back of a Holden … Read More
When photographer Joe Rosenthal captured the image of six U.S. Marines raising the American flag atop Iwo Jima’s highest point, it arguably became the most iconic moment of the war in the Pacific. The date was February 23, 1945, and … Read More
The Hanging Coffins of Sagada is a strange sight and is part of a tradition that is believed to go back 2,000 years. The clue is the name of course. The people of Igorot Sagada, within Luzon in the Philippines … Read More
On a calm night at sea in March 1954, 23 Japanese fishermen were aboard their trusty vessel Daigo Fukuryū Maru, (Lucky Dragon 5). There was a flash in the predawn sky followed a few minutes later by a rumble and … Read More
Located on the south-eastern end of Pamban Island (or Rameshwaram Island) in Tamil Nadu, Dhanushkodi is an essential dark tourist destination for anyone exploring India. This once small yet prosperous town had all the amenities of a bustling community; a … Read More
The cover for Unit 731, while it was in operation, was a lumber mill. Situated in Harbin, which at the time was part of Japanese-occupied Manchuria, the complex would receive daily deliveries of new “logs” (maruta), and workers would come and … Read More
A must-see dark tourist site in Jodhpur has to be the grid of 31 sculpted hands at the entrance to Mehrangarh Fort. Coated in ochre paint, many of the handprints are child size and they are all female. Each belonged … Read More
Truk (Chuuk) Lagoon, tucked away among the islands of Micronesia approximately 1,100 miles northwest of New Guinea is a diver’s paradise. It is also a top spot for dark tourists that like to get in the water. First discovered by … Read More
One for the bucket list for intrepid dark tourists has to be Roopkund Lake, otherwise known as Skeleton Lake in India. Situated in the Uttarakhand Himalayas, getting there is no easy task. Not only do you need to be physically … Read More
If you are in Jerusalem and are looking for an insight into how the British treated Arab and Jewish prisoners during the occupation of Palestine in the first half of the 20th Century, the Museum of Underground Prisoners is definitely … Read More
Visiting the site of the world’s largest nuclear bomb detonation is clearly a destination for a dark tourist. However, only the really committed need apply. The little known Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya isn’t the easiest place to get to. … Read More
The demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea needs no introduction to the average dark tourist. It is one for the sinister travel bucket list. This 160-mile-long (257 km), 2.5-mile-wide (4 km) strip of land between the two Koreas, … Read More
