{"id":9106,"date":"2017-10-27T11:00:53","date_gmt":"2017-10-27T00:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures?p=9106&preview_id=9106"},"modified":"2025-02-26T03:20:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T16:20:44","slug":"halloween-adventures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/halloween-adventures\/","title":{"rendered":"Trip or treat? Our spookiest adventures from around the world"},"content":{"rendered":"

UPDATED: This blog was originally published on October 30, 2014.<\/em><\/p>\n

It’s that time of year: Halloween. And things are getting spooky at Intrepid. Several staff called in sick during the full moon and we\u2019re pretty sure there\u2019s a malevolent presence haunting the coffee machine.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But instead of calling in the Ghostbusters, we decided to get into the spirit, so to speak. We’ve come up with a list of our most terrifying trips that take travellers to the world\u2019s spookiest events and destinations. Read on \u2013 IF YOU DARE!<\/p>\n

Bran Castle<\/h2>\n

\"BranThis isn\u2019t a fortification built of wheat; this is the original home of Dracula (at least according to most sources). Perched on a creepy crag overlooking the lowlands and backed by the mist-shrouded mountains of Transylvania, it was briefly the residence of Vlad Tepes (you may know him as Vlad the Impaler), a fairly hideous man who took great pleasure in torturing his victims in extremely unpleasant ways. It\u2019s said he impaled around 100,000 souls during his reign of terror, so it\u2019s no surprise he\u2019s the supposed origin of the Dracula mythology. Truth be told, Bran Castle wasn\u2019t Vlad\u2019s actual home, but the place has become synonymous with the story. It doesn\u2019t matter much anyway: when you\u2019re walking through the claustrophobic medieval interiors or navigating the eerie secret passageways beneath the fountain in the castle\u2019s courtyard, you\u2019ll feel goose bumps. It\u2019s the kind of place you definitely don\u2019t want to be left behind in.<\/p>\n

HAVE A HAIR-RAISING HALLOWEEN IN TRANSYLVANIA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Day of the Dead<\/h2>\n

\"AThis is one of the only festivals in the world where the dead are actively encouraged to take part. The Day of the Dead<\/a> (or Dia de los Muertos<\/em>) is Mexico\u2019s <\/a>answer to Halloween. It\u2019s actually quite a lovely idea: faith holds that on the night of October 31, the gates of heaven open and the spirits of friends and family who have passed-on return to earth to celebrate with the living. It\u2019s a time for honouring ancestors, but it wouldn\u2019t be Mexican if it weren\u2019t also one giant spooky party. Explore Mexico City by day, then venture into the graveyards at night for the famous moonlit festivities. This is a day to die for (metaphorically speaking, of course).<\/p>\n

TAKE PART IN DAY OF THE DEAD FESTIVITIES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Haunted Savannah<\/h2>\n

\"AIf the stories are to be believed, there are ghosts lurking around every corner in Savannah (it holds the current title as the most haunted city in America<\/a>). From the spirits of soldiers killed in battle during the Siege of Savannah in 1779, to the unlucky victims of multiple outbreaks of Yellow Fever, there\u2019s a definite spine-tingling energy in the city. In the Marshall Hotel, used as a hospital for Union soldiers and again during the Yellow Fever epidemics, guests have reported taps turning on and off by themselves and hearing children screaming in the corridors \u2013 but when they open the door to tell them to hush, THERE\u2019S NO ONE THERE. In the Moon River Brewing Co, said to be the most haunted place in Savannah, patrons have spotted ghostly figures loitering on the stairs, and have had to duck to avoid the odd flying bottle, thrown by disgruntled apparitions.<\/p>\n

Catacombs of Paris<\/h2>\n

\"TheIf you search for the \u2018catacombs of Paris\u2019 on Google Maps, its description says \u2018Tunnel complex filled with millions of skeletons\u2019. This is a very accurate description. Not many people realise that beneath the cobbled lanes and tiny patisseries selling raspberry macaroons lies a subterranean labyrinth filled with about six million skeletal remains. We\u2019re talking rows and rows of skulls, avenues of femurs and ribs, and terrifying faces frozen in stone. It\u2019s not often you get to use the word \u2018catacombs\u2019 in a sentence, but when you do, this is what you imagine. They were built in the early 19th<\/sup> century to cope with the overflow from the city\u2019s major cemeteries, and are now the city\u2019s most macabre museum. While the City of Lights begs to be explored, it\u2019s the darkness beneath that you really shouldn\u2019t miss.<\/p>\n

PREPARE FOR CHILLS IN THE CATACOMBS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mercado de Hechiceria<\/h2>\n

\"RowsAt most markets, it\u2019s fair to assume you\u2019ll find your basics: bread, eggs, a nice range of fresh veggies… Not so for residents of La Baz in Bolivia, whose local market \u2013 the Witches Market \u2013 caters to all things occult. Walk past the smiling vendors, dressed in colourful garb with cute bowler hats, and into the heart of the market, where you\u2019ll find wooden omens and stone totems, promising to deliver good luck to those who buy them. Further on, invest in potions to aid in weight loss, pregnancy, and (ahem) bedroom support, as well as bundles of incense to ward off evil spirits, and buckets of dried frogs, bones and llama foetuses to mix up a spooky potion or two. It\u2019s said that the dried specimens are buried under the foundations of all new buildings in the region, as an offering to the goddess Pachamama, in exchange for good fortune. Righteo.<\/p>\n

BRUSH UP ON YOUR POTION MIXING IN BOLIVIA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The Hill of Witches<\/h2>\n

\"TreeOn a forested sand dune overlooking Lithuania\u2019s Curonian Lagoon, you\u2019ll find The Hill of Witches, a macabre outdoor sculpture gallery among the trees. Local artists have carved trunks and stumps into demonic icons and snarling faces, leering grins and characters from Lithuania\u2019s dark folklore. During the day, with the sun shining and bluebirds singing in the trees (it\u2019s always bluebirds), the place isn\u2019t too spooky. But once the sun sets, the sculptures take on a more sinister note. While we don\u2019t leave travellers on the hill overnight, we imagine it would be suitably terrifying as the shadows lengthen and the branches start to sway.<\/p>\n

MEET THE MACABRE CREATURES IN THE WOODS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Want to experience the world’s weird and wonderful places? Check out our range of small group adventures.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

All images via Shutterstock.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With Halloween fast approaching, things are getting eerie at Intrepid. 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