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Who doesn’t love travel that’s dappled with a bit of mystery and intrigue? Thailand has no shortage of beautiful and wondrous places to visit. There’s the vibrant cities, awe-inspiring ancient temples and ruins, and those gorgeous beaches. Let’s face it, you could visit Thailand tons of times, and only scratch the surface of the wonders there. But, we have put together a list of some of the most mysterious places the country has to offer. Who knows, you might just end up putting one on your itinerary for your next visit.
Koh Hingham is an uninhabited island located off the coast of Koh Lope. To reach it, you can charter a boat. Some of the local island hopping tours in the region even offer it as a stop, if you want to make a day of it all. The beach of the island is covered in black pebbles. But, according to local mythology, these pebbles are actually precious stones. Koh Hingham is known as “The Cursed Island of Black Pebbles”. As the story goes, a Thai deity known as God of Tarutao placed a curse on the island.
The lore states that any visitor who dared to take a single stone off the island would be cursed forever. While you might think that it’s all nothing more than legend, the National Park service reports that they receive dozens of returned stones via mail. These are received from tourists who dared tempt fate and took a pebble home, but who now are desperate to lift the curse that followed them home. Curse or not, Koh Hingham definitely ranks as one of Thailand’s most mysterious places.
There’s a strange phenomenon that occurs along the Mekong River. In particular, a 250 km long section of it, centering around the Phon Phisai District. Every year, fireballs can be seen rising from the water, and rising into the air. They are said to range in size from mere small sparkles, all the way up to the about the size of a basketball. The fireballs are typically seen around the time of the Phayanak Festival, and most are typically reported at the end of Buddhist Lent in late October. Anywhere from tens to thousands can be reported being seen in a single night.
The fireballs were once called “ghost lights”, but have since been renamed. They reportedly rise from the water and move quickly, to about a couple hundred of meters into the air, before disappearing. Science has tried to figure out the reason for the Naga Fireballs. But, so far, no satisfactory answer has been found. How’s that for mysterious?
Next up on our list of Thailand’s most mysterious places is Koh Kham Noi. It’s an uninhabited island that the locals refer to as, “Ghost Island”. During various parts of history, the island was used as a burial ground. During World War I, the island was especially rife with the bodies of malaria victims. This included locals, as well as American soldiers. Those who lost their lives to the disease were brought here in an effort to keep the sickness from spreading. Nearby islands, which had large Muslim communities, also used the island as a place to bury their dead. Those who passed who were of Chinese-Thai descent, and from Thailand’s mainland, were also buried here.
Today, you can find two different cemeteries on each side of the island. There’s a Chinese cemetery on one side, and a Muslim one on the other. Locals feel the island is haunted, and many report feeling quite uneasy being there. Reports of disembodied moaning, wailing, and other sounds of pain are rampant. Today you can visit the island, though it will require you to charter a ship. It’s also closed during certain times of year as it is a turtle nesting and breeding ground. However, for the brave, the island also provides some top-notch snorkeling. Some brave souls even camp out overnight.
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