There’s something uniquely captivating about places once bustling with human life, now silent and surrendered to the patient hands of nature. When humans depart, an incredible transformation begins. Shipwrecks might sprout forests, old buildings might become green sanctuaries. Join us as we explore ten such mesmerizing deserted places, each telling a story of nature’s relentless and beautiful reclamation.
10. Ta Prohm, Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Deep within Cambodia’s famed Angkor Wat complex lies Ta Prohm, a temple that truly embodies nature’s embrace. Imagine massive tree roots, like ancient serpents, weaving through stone walls and courtyards. This incredible sight makes it one of Angkor’s most popular and largest temples.
King Jayavarman VII initiated Ta Prohm’s construction in the 12th century, envisioning it as a Buddhist monastery and university. Over the centuries, as human presence waned, the surrounding jungle moved in. Giant silk-cotton and strangler fig trees have grown up, through, and around the temple’s structures. Their powerful roots pry apart ancient stones, creating a breathtaking scene where human craftsmanship and wild nature merge. While some passages are now impassable due to these botanical giants, visitors can still wander through many courtyards and halls. You might even recognize its atmospheric corridors from the movie Tomb Raider, particularly the famous ‘Crocodile Tree’. Ta Prohm stands as a stunning testament to both the ingenious engineering of the Khmer empire and the persistent, artistic power of nature.
9. The Town of San Juan Parangaricutiro, Mexico
In Mexico’s western state of Michoacan, the stoic remains of a church tower mark a village lost to volcanic fury. San Juan Parangaricutiro was a thriving community until the Paricutin Volcano, one of the youngest volcanoes on Earth, erupted in 1943. Much like Pompeii was buried by Vesuvius, this town vanished beneath lava and ash.
However, unlike the devastating Italian eruption, the birth of Paricutin didn’t result in any direct casualties from the eruption itself. The local villagers were incredibly fortunate; they witnessed the volcano’s dramatic emergence from a cornfield and had several days to evacuate before molten rock slowly engulfed their homes. Today, the site of San Juan Parangaricutiro is a stark, lava-covered landscape. The only structures to defy the flow are parts of the church: its bell tower, a section of the facade, and the altar. These remnants have become a poignant place of pilgrimage, where locals and visitors light candles and offer prayers, a solemn tribute to a town swallowed by the earth.
8. New World Shopping Mall, Bangkok, Thailand
In the bustling Bang Lam Phu neighborhood of Bangkok, the New World Mall stands as a dilapidated monument to an unfortunate past. Built in the early 1980s, its commercial life was cut short, closing permanently after just 15 years. A series of mishaps, including fires and structural collapses, plagued the mall. Controversy also arose because its upper floors controversially made it taller than the nearby Grand Palace—a significant cultural no-no in Thailand.
After authorities ordered the partial demolition of the upper levels, the building was left without a roof. This created a vast, open-air basin on the ground floor, which quickly flooded, transforming into a nearly 5,000-square-foot pond. The standing water led to a massive mosquito problem for the neighborhood. Ingeniously, local vendors and residents introduced fish, like koi and catfish, into the makeshift pond to control the mosquito larvae. Over time, the fish population flourished, with estimates reaching around 3,000 individuals. This unique, accidental aquarium gained international fame around 2015. However, due to safety concerns about the decaying structure, the fish were eventually removed, and plans were made to drain the water, though its legend as the “fish mall” endures.
7. Ross Island Penal Colony, India
Ross Island, one of over 500 islands in India’s Nicobar and Andaman archipelago, holds a somber history. By the 1850s, British authorities in India began using it as a penal colony. Its primary purpose was to imprison a large number of detainees from the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Alongside the prison, the British established Ross Island as the administrative headquarters for the entire island group, constructing grand houses and amenities.
Life on the island took a dramatic turn in 1941 when a powerful earthquake struck, tragically killing thousands of its inhabitants. Soon after, during World War II, Japanese forces occupied the island, recognizing its strategic value. They built bunkers for defense, but after the war, control reverted to India. Today, Ross Island is under the jurisdiction of the Indian Navy. Once a bustling hub of colonial administration and forced labor, it now lies deserted, its magnificent buildings and pathways completely engulfed by a relentless tide of jungle vines and roots, a silent testament to its layered past.
6. The Town of Kolmanskop, Namibia
In the early 20th century, a diamond rush transformed a barren stretch of the Kalahari Desert in Namibia. German mining companies converged on an area near a small railway station, just 10 kilometers from the coast, and the town of Kolmanskop was born. By 1912, this unlikely desert settlement was producing an astonishing 12% of the world’s diamonds, during a time when Namibia was under German colonial rule. The newfound wealth turned Kolmanskop from a cluster of simple wooden buildings into a remarkable town boasting European-style architecture, complete with a music hall and an elegant pub.
However, Kolmanskop’s prosperity was fleeting. When significantly richer diamond deposits were discovered further south, fortune-seekers quickly abandoned the town. The powerful desert winds of the Namib began their work, relentlessly carrying sand into the once-grand structures. The last residents departed between 1955 and the 1960s, leaving Kolmanskop to the mercy of the sandstorms. Today, its ornate buildings are filled with towering dunes, creating an eerie and beautiful spectacle—a ghost town slowly being swallowed by the sands of time.
5. The Valley of Mills, Sorrento, Italy
Sorrento, Italy, is renowned for its stunning coastal views overlooking the Bay of Naples and as the birthplace of the delightful Limoncello liqueur. While many visitors flock to its main attractions, a hidden gem lies just a short walk from the town’s central square: Il Vallone dei Mulini, or the Valley of Mills.
This deep gorge once housed a bustling flour and sawmill, the heart of the region’s pasta-making industry. Now, these historic stone structures are deserted, almost entirely consumed by lush, vibrant vegetation. The moist, sheltered environment of the valley has allowed plants to flourish, with ferns and vines draping over stairwells, pathways, and the mill buildings themselves. The sight is undeniably captivating, resembling a lost tower from a fairytale, shrouded in mystery and forgotten stories. The relentless greenery has transformed an industrial relic into an enchanting, if eerie, natural oasis.
4. The Fishing Village of Houtouwan, China
On an island in the Shengsi archipelago, less than 100 kilometers from the bustling metropolis of Shanghai, lies the abandoned fishing village of Houtouwan. Residents began leaving in the 1990s, and in less than three decades, nature has almost completely enveloped the village. It’s hard to believe that just a short time before its abandonment, Houtouwan was a thriving community of 3,000 people.
The exodus began when the island’s seafood supply dwindled, prompting fishermen to relocate their families to the mainland for better opportunities. A few former residents occasionally return, acting as guides for the adventurous tourists who make the journey. Visitors find themselves peering into decaying homes, which often feel like time capsules, still containing furniture and personal belongings. However, exploring Houtouwan comes with risks; the encroaching plant life is hastening the deterioration of the buildings, and local authorities have posted warning signs due to the hazardous condition of some structures. It’s a striking example of nature’s rapid reclamation.
3. Carbide Willson Ruins, Quebec, Canada
Nestled within Quebec’s beautiful Gatineau Park are the intriguing Carbide Willson Ruins. Many visitors are familiar with the picturesque stone structures, but fewer know the story of their creator, Thomas Leopold “Carbide” Willson. Born in Woodstock, Ontario, in 1860, Willson was an innovative figure in the North American electrochemical industry, holding over 70 patents. His nickname, “Carbide,” stemmed from his significant discovery of a method to manufacture calcium carbide in 1892, a finding made through a series of fortunate experiments.
In the early 1900s, Willson acquired property in what is now Gatineau Park and began constructing a summer home and laboratory. Unfortunately, he passed away before his ambitious project could be completed. All that remains today is the building’s empty stone shell, offering a glimpse of what might have been. The numerous window openings are now frames for the park’s vibrant, twisting vegetation, which has thoroughly invaded the structure. A nearby waterfall adds to the scene, completing nature’s picturesque takeover of Willson’s dream.
2. The Ghost Village Of Kayakoy, Turkey
Near the popular Turkish resorts of Olu Deniz and Fethiye lies Kayakoy, a village hauntingly silent and devoid of life. Its houses are crumbling, and its streets are eerily deserted. Yet, around the turn of the nineteenth century, Kayakoy was a vibrant community. Schools, churches, shops, and businesses thrived, and the village was home to a mixed population of Turks and Greeks who, despite differences in belief and education, largely coexisted peacefully.
Kayakoy’s fate was sealed by a tumultuous series of historical events, including the Ottoman Empire’s loss in World War I, its subsequent collapse, and the Greco-Turkish War. The final blow, however, was the 1923 Turkish-Greek Population Exchange Treaty. This agreement mandated the forced deportation of Greek Christians from Turkey and Muslim Turks from Greece. The Greek residents of Kayakoy were forced to leave, and while Turkish Muslims were meant to replace them, many found the location undesirable. An earthquake later drove away the few remaining inhabitants. Kayakoy’s story is a sad reminder of how ordinary people can become pawns in the larger games of politics and power.
1. Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Ukraine
In April 1986, the world witnessed the worst nuclear disaster in history when a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union) exploded. The explosion released a vast cloud of radioactive particles that spread across much of Europe. In the aftermath, authorities established an Exclusion Zone around the plant, forcibly evacuating around 350,000 people with little time to gather their belongings. As a result, many homes, schools, and workplaces in towns like Pripyat remain frozen in time, just as their occupants left them.
Interest in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone surged following HBO’s chilling miniseries depicting the disaster. While the forsaken town of Pripyat is a well-known symbol of abandonment, the broader zone itself, which cautiously opened to tourists in April 2019, showcases an astonishing resurgence of nature. Wildlife, including brown bears, lynxes, wolves, and over 200 species of birds, now thrives in the absence of humans. Trees sprout through roads, and vegetation envelops buildings, a powerful testament to nature’s ability to reclaim even the most profoundly altered landscapes, showing that life, somehow, always finds a way.
These ten deserted places offer more than just haunting beauty; they are powerful reminders of nature’s resilience. From jungle-clad temples to sand-filled towns and submerged malls, each location shows how quickly the natural world reclaims what humans leave behind. They invite us to reflect on our own footprint and the enduring strength of the planet. These spots are not just ruins, but living galleries of art sculpted by time and nature.
Which of these nature-reclaimed wonders fascinates you the most? Have you visited any similar deserted places? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
