Visit onlyHashima
A coal-mining island left behind, with the silhouette of a battleship.
Ghost towns & forgotten cities
A collection of unusual places
Somewhere
out of the ordinary.
Forgotten towns. Stories that linger.
Places you can actually spend the night.
A small atlas for the curious.
In focus / 01Namibia · Ghost town
Kolmanskop, near Lüderitz
The desert
moved in.
Kolmanskop, Namibia · Photograph by Damien du Toit, CC BY 2.0 · Cropped for display
The collection / 001—015
Worth a closer look.
15 places to explore
Visit only
Visit onlyDhanushkodi
The ruins of a coastal town, shaped by a cyclone and two seas.
Ghost towns & forgotten cities
Visit onlyKayaköy
Roofless hillside homes, carrying a history of displacement.
Ghost towns & forgotten cities
Visit onlyKuldhara
An abandoned desert village, with a departure wrapped in legend.
Ghost towns & forgotten cities
Visit onlyKolmanskop
A former diamond town, with sand drifting through its empty rooms.
Ghost towns & forgotten cities
Visit onlyIsland of the Dolls
Dolls hanging among the trees, deep in Xochimilco’s canals.
Mystery & haunted places
Visit onlyBhangarh Fort
Ruined passageways and a reputation built around stories of a curse.
Mystery & haunted places
Visit onlyParis Catacombs
Beneath the city, an ossuary gives the streets another history.
Mystery & haunted places
Visit onlyPort Arthur
A former penal settlement, explored by lantern light and remembered stories.
Mystery & haunted places
You can live hereThe Stanley Hotel
A historic mountain hotel with ghost stories and a connection to The Shining.
Mystery & haunted places
IllustrationYou can live hereSkylodge Adventure Suites
A transparent sleeping capsule attached to a Sacred Valley cliff.
Extraordinary stays
You can live hereThe Mirrorcube
A mirrored hotel room that reflects the forest around it.
Extraordinary stays
IllustrationYou can live hereWhichaway Camp
Heated sleeping pods in an ice-free corner of Antarctica.
Extraordinary stays
IllustrationYou can live hereDeep Sleep
An underground night reached through a former slate mine.
Extraordinary stays
IllustrationYou can live herePalacio de Sal
A salt-built stay beside the vast white landscape of Salar de Uyuni.
Extraordinary stays
An atlas, carefully assembled
Curiosity deserves
a little context.
We collect places with something unusual to tell. Each entry brings together the story, what’s there today, and the sources behind it.
History is history. A local legend is a local legend. We make the difference clear, and keep the collection small enough to give each place our attention.
Our sources & photo credits