With globally recognized parks and other natural sceneries, it’s hard to think of the most haunted places in Africa. However, the truth of the day is that there are countless, untold tales of places with dark history in Africa. The eerie mystery around them is loud and crippling. Only the strong-hearted follow through with every bit of history about these haunted places. While they are depressing, they carry a sense of resilience and purpose. They are a symbol of sacrifice and a belief that guides the people to stand up for what’s right.
Table of Contents
Which are the Most Haunted Places in Africa?
Despite the continent’s solid tourism history, it’s shrouded in mystery of the most haunted places in Africa. These places include the following:
- Rainforests of Congo
- Pemba Island in Tanzania
- Liwonde National Park in Malawi
- Menengai Crater in Kenya
- The Zambezi River
- The Valley of Kings in Egypt
- Robben Island in South Africa
- Cape Town’s Slave Lodge
- With Rock of Kibiro in Uganda
- Castle of Good Hope in South Africa
1. Rainforests of Congo
The biloko, evil spirits reportedly have an operational base in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to local legends, biloko are troubled ancestral spirits who excel in tormenting people who step into the rainforests.
2. Pemba Island

Pemba Island. Photo/ Uroadventure.
Pemba Island in Tanzania is unbelievably among the most haunted places in Africa despite its allure as a beach destination. Local folklore suggests that the island is home to a strange demonic creature called popobawa. This creature lurks during the day with a human physique but changes to a wicked bat with only one eye at night.
3. Liwonde National Park
Malawi’s Liwonde National Park is a haunted place, particularly around the leper tree. It’s believed that this tree absorbed evil spirits in the 1950s from disposed bodies of people who succumbed to leprosy. The bodies were dumped right at the base of the tree.
4. Menengai Crater
Menengai Crater in Nakuru, Kenya is horrifying. The eeriness of the place is sponsored by unappeased spirits who cause unexplained misfortunes in life, death included. Although the crater formed millions of years ago is a geological marvel, the devilish mystery surrounding it qualifies it among the most haunted places in Africa.
5. The Zambezi River

Kariba Dam in Zambia built along the Zambezi River. Photo/Africa Fixers
The Zambezi River in Southern Africa is home to a dragon creature called Nyaminyami. This creature was rumoured to have unleashed its wrath on the people in 1956 after Kariba Dam’s construction. Some 86 people lost their lives during and after its construction.
6. The Valley of Kings
Egypt’s Valley of Kings is a graveyard of kings among them Pharaoh. Those who have visited the valley lined up with ancient tombs suddenly fell sick or their gadgets such as cameras and phones malfunctioned. As one of the most haunted places in Africa, the Valley of Kings has curses carved onto the walls of the tombs.
7. Robben Island

Robben Island prison in South Africa. Photo/Britannica
The late Nelson Mandela spent 18 years locked up in prison at Robben Island. It’s a place where anti-apartheid activists were tortured and some killed. Some tourists reported hearing footsteps, cries and screams in the prison’s corridors. Others reportedly saw ghostly figures at Robben Island Prison cells.
8. Cape Town’s Slave Lodge
Slave Lodge was a holding camp for slaves. The kind of suffering they endure is untold but can explained by its unsettling atmosphere and mystical appearance of shadowy figures.
9. Witch Rock of Kibiro
The rock of Kibiro in Uganda located away from Lake Albert is not a normal place; it’s among the most haunted places in Africa. It’s a harbour for witchcraft and fishermen give it a wide berth. Stories are told of boats that capsized after getting too close.
10. Castle Good Hope
South Africa’s Castle of Good Hope is purportedly haunted by the spirits of butchered people under the command of Governor Pieter Gysbert van Noodt. The castle was a place of torture and death in the 18th century during the governor’s reign. So angry were the gods that Governor Noodt passed on while seated moments after ordering the execution of some soldiers.
What is the Most Haunted Place in Kenya?
Menengai Crater in Nakuru wins as the most haunted place in Kenya. Locals in the Kikuyu dialect call it ‘kirima kia ngoma’ which translates to ‘the devil’s mountain’. Why though? They say that the crater has a devilish aura all over and is a playground for evil spirits. Historical folklore indicates that the ancestors who lived and guarded the crater were unhappy with the conduct of human beings. Their anger came from the breaking of taboos, disrespecting nature and living a wayward life.
As a result, their spirits lurk in the crater, sometimes making eerie sounds while other times; they take away lives mysteriously. The folklore adds that those visiting the crater should offer necessary sacrifices to appease the spirits and avert any evil spell that may befall them while there. People are discouraged from visiting the crater at night because it’s at this time that it lives up to its reputation among the most haunted places in Africa.
Legends further cite that visiting the crater at night is a recipe for attracting unending misfortune in one’s life. It’s alleged that there are scary whispers at night accompanied by flashes of light from the crater and it’s all dreadful. Fearful of bad omen, soldiers in faith hold prayers before going to the crater while traditionists offer sacrifices to appease the spirits.
The appearance of shadowy figures, strange sounds and an unsettling atmosphere exists in each of the 10 most haunted places in Africa. In some of them where cruelty prevailed, cries for help fill the air. Nevertheless, these places preserve Africa’s history.