7 Abandoned Islands You Can Still Visit Around the World

Wouldn’t it be lovely to go to a place where nobody else is? Abandoned islands have all sorts of interesting history, and while some of them aren’t safe to visit or just generally aren’t accessible, there are others that make for great once-in-a-lifetime trips.

In fact, the local people who live close to the islands know how popular abandoned locations can be. There are times that filming crews will be on them to get just the right shot, but then there are other companies that will set up trips to give you a chance to see the sights, although you may be limited to when you can go.

Want to add some abandoned locations and islands to your list of must-visit destinations? Here are seven that you can still visit.

1. Eynhallow, Scotland
2. Devon Island, Canada
3. Suakin Island, Sudan
4. Ross Island, South Andaman District, India
5. Ōkunoshima, Japan
6. Mitsubishi’s Gunkanjima Island, Nagasaki, Japan
7. Cumberland Island, Georgia, United States

Eynhallow, Scotland

The Orkney Heritage Society knows the dangers of visiting Eynhallow, which is why they have a special ferry set up to get you there (and back). This is one of those locations that is only accessible at specific times of the year. In fact, it’s just one day a year when you can get here!

Well, okay, you can go on your own if you want. You would need to hire a private local boat, and not everyone is going to want to go there due to the strong tidal surges, which is why the Orkney Heritage Society has something official set up.

Eynhallow is a small island located between Orkney and Rousay, just off the north coast of Scotland’s mainland. It’s only a total of 75 hectares, and it once had a population of 26 people. Yes, there used to be crofters on the island, until 1851 when they were cleared away. It’s now a bird sanctuary.

Devon Island, Canada

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live on Mars? Many people wonder this, which is why scientists visit Devon Island, located in Nunavut’s Baffin Bay.

The island was first sighted in 1616, and since then, various people have lived there. In fact, an outpost was established in 1924, and nine years later, it was leased to the Hudson’s Bay Company. By 1934, things took a turn. With the collapse of fur prices and due to the windy conditions, the Inuit families left.

There was an attempt to repopulate the island in the 1940s, but by the 1950s, it was abandoned once more. Now, only a few building ruins remain, and the land is mostly used for experimentation due to its Mars-like features.

Suakin Island, Sudan

If you’re interested in an island that offers a ghost-town experience, you’ll want to turn to Suakin Island. Believed once to be a Roman port, it became a major location for merchants in the 10th century. Many of the buildings were constructed from coral, reflecting the wealth from the trade routes.

However, with the development of the new Port Sudan in the 1920s, the island stopped being the place to travel through. The old city became a collection of ruins. There are attempts to preserve the buildings, though, and this makes it more than worth visiting.

You can access from Port Sudan, with travel available via public minivan or bus and via a ferry from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Dress for the climate, as it gets brutally hot and humid most of the time, especially in the summer months.

Ross Island, South Andaman District, India

Not to be confused with Ross Island in Antarctica, Ross Island in India is a popular tourist destination due to its history. The island itself has now been reclaimed by nature, but it’s certainly a spot to put on your list when you want to see abandoned settlements and buildings.

Ross Island was turned into a penal settlement when the British first colonized India, but was eventually adapted to become the Administrative Headquarters as other penal settlements were set up. That was until it was occupied by the Japanese during World War II, becoming the home of the Japanese admiral during this time.

It has since been renamed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island, and you can access the island through the entrance of Port Blair. Many of the buildings have turned into ruins, with nature growing over them into a beautiful tourist spot.

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Ōkunoshima, Japan

If you love rabbits, Ōkunoshima is the island to visit. However, it has a much darker history than wild rabbits enjoying life.

Okunoshima became the home of a poison gas factory during World War II, and it was a key part in the creation. This gas was used against China throughout the war, and there were even attempts to hide the history when World War II originally ended—yes, the Allied Occupation Forces tried to hide it all! In the end, the Okunoshima Poison Gas Museum was opened.

Now, it’s a home for wild rabbits, and they are friendly enough to come up to humans! You will also be able to see many of the old forts and some of the gas factory, although access to the factory is prohibited due to the danger of the chemicals.

Mitsubishi’s Gunkanjima Island, Nagasaki, Japan

When you initially think of an island near Nagasaki, you might think that it was closed due to the atomic bomb during World War II. That’s not the case with Mitsubishi’s Gunkanjima Island. This place became a ghost island due to events surrounding the reason it was created in the first place.

Nicknamed the “island without green,” the island was originally developed by the Mitsubishi Corporation due to the belief of a rich submarine coal deposit underneath. Sure enough, the people at Mitsubishi were right, and this led to the tiny island producing more than 400,000 tonnes of coal each year to grow Japan considerably during and after the war.

Then the coal ran out. As with so many ghost towns, the people left as the company closed the mine, and now the island has been left abandoned. You can safely visit, which is where you’ll see the entire setup up one company created.

Cumberland Island, Georgia, United States

Finally, there is a place a little closer to home for Americans to visit. Cumberland Island was the home of the Dungeness mansion, the home built by Thomas and Lucy Carnegie in 1884. The family owned all but 10% of the island, and it was used as a lavish winter getaway in the 1880s.

However, during the Great Depression, the family left the island behind, and it remained decaying until 1959. That was when a fire destroyed the majority of the house that was left behind, and now it’s just a reminder of the past.

The Cumberland Island National Seashore took over the ruins, and now it is a structure that can be visited. You’ll get a glimpse of what was, and if you’re lucky, you’ll see the wild horses and other wildlife that have made this island their own.

Now it’s time to put together your own list of abandoned islands you want to visit. Some will take a little more planning than others.