Orchid Island Ghost Stories: Unveiling Terror Legends & Supernatural Experiences

The Bloody History of a Forbidden Land

At the highest point of Orchid Island lies a mysterious lake known to the Tao people as “DuWaWa” (High Mountain Sea)—the Big Heaven Pool. This volcanic crater lake looks serene and beautiful on the surface, with calm waters reflecting the eerie silhouettes of dead trees, but in the hearts of the Tao people, it is an absolute forbidden zone.

Long ago, when medical care on Lanyu was scarce, tribespeople often went up the mountain to gather herbs for healing. The forests around Big Heaven Pool were rich in precious medicinal plants, but they also harbored deadly scrub typhus mites. These tiny creatures carried terrible diseases; those bitten would suffer high fevers and body aches, eventually dying in agony.

As more people died near the Big Heaven Pool, the tribe began to believe the place was cursed by ancestral spirits. They thought the souls of the dead could not rest and lingered by the lake, waiting for the living. Since then, Big Heaven Pool has been listed as a strictly forbidden area, and no one is allowed to approach it casually.

A Modern Explorer’s Terrifying Encounter

In 2023, a YouTuber named Rongrong decided to challenge this “legendary forbidden land” during his trekking tour around the island. As he hiked alone with his backpack along the steep mountain path toward Big Heaven Pool, the surrounding environment began to turn eerie.

The originally clear sky suddenly clouded over, and the sounds of birds in the forest faded away, leaving only the rustling of wind through leaves, sounding like countless whispers. When he finally reached the pool, the scene before him sent chills down his spine: the water was black as ink, and several dead trees stood eerily in the lake, their reflections swaying in the breeze as if beckoning him.

What was even more terrifying was the feeling of being watched by countless eyes from the shadows. Every time he turned to look, he saw nothing, but the sensation of being monitored grew stronger. He hurriedly took a few photos and prepared to leave, but on the way down, he found himself lost—the path he remembered clearly was nowhere to be found.

It wasn’t until dark that he managed to find his way down in fear. Back at the homestay, he discovered something in his photos: on the surface of the lake, blurry human figures appeared in the reflection—figures that were definitely not there when he took the shot…

Legend of the Giant Snake

At the Five Hole Cave on the southeast coast of Lanyu, a bright red warning sign hangs at the entrance of the first cave: “Snake’s Nest.” The three blood-red characters look particularly glaring in the sunlight, as if written in fresh blood.

According to local elders, long ago, a giant Snake King lived in this cave. This snake had a body as thick as a water bucket, over ten meters long, covered in dark green scales that shimmered in the dark. Most terrifying were its eyes, like two blood-red gems, glowing eerily in the darkness.

The Snake King did not live at the bottom of the cave but coiled in the rock crevices above. When someone entered, it would silently descend from above, wrapping its massive body around the prey to crush them to death before slowly swallowing them. Because the cave was deep, the victim’s screams could not be heard from outside.

The Disappearing Explorer

In the 1980s, a group of university students from Taiwan came to Lanyu for a geological survey. One student named A-Ming did not believe the local warnings and insisted on exploring the first cave. “These are just superstitions!” A-Ming told his companions, “We are scientifically educated, how can we believe such absurd legends?”

Despite his companions’ attempts to dissuade him, A-Ming entered the cave alone with a flashlight and rope. At first, they could hear his footsteps and voice inside, but gradually, the sounds vanished. His companions waited at the entrance all day, but A-Ming never came out. The next day, a local rescue team entered the cave but found only A-Ming’s flashlight and some torn pieces of clothing stained with unknown slime deep inside.

Even more eerie, the rescue team found a giant snake skin over eight meters long at the top of the cave. Since then, no one has dared to enter the first cave, and the “Snake’s Nest” warning sign has been painted an even brighter blood red.

A Desperate Couple’s Cruel Decision

In the early 1990s, a young couple from Taipei traveled to Lanyu. The girl was pregnant, but they were both students and unable to raise a child. In that conservative era, unmarried pregnancy was a great shame. They stayed in Lanyu for a few months, and the girl gave birth in a secluded homestay. Looking at the crying baby, both fell into despair. On a dark, windy night, they took the baby to Five Hole Cave. They knew this was a forbidden place for the Tao people, rarely visited, making it a “good place” to dispose of the child. “I’m sorry, baby…” the girl cried as she left the infant at the entrance of the second cave.

They hurriedly left Lanyu, leaving the baby alone to face death in the cold cave. A few days later, locals found the baby’s body, which had been gnawed beyond recognition by wild dogs.

The Curse of the Crying Sound

To appease the infant’s spirit, the local Christian church placed a cross at the cave entrance, hoping the child’s soul would find peace. However, the curse had already begun. Since then, people often hear the cries of a baby near Five Hole Cave, especially late at night. The cries are shrill and desperate, piercing the hearts of those who hear them.

In 2010, a guest at a homestay was awakened by crying in the middle of the night. When he went out to check, he saw a transparent child chasing a motorcycle on the road, crying “Mommy, don’t leave me!” The guest fainted on the spot and suffered a mental breakdown afterward. Since then, the cross at the second cave of Five Hole Cave has become one of the eeriest landmarks in Lanyu.

Unspeakable Horror

In the deepest part of Five Hole Cave, the fifth cave is completely sealed by a thick concrete wall, with iron bars and warning signs installed outside. Locals call it the “Cave of Evil Spirits.” Even the bravest Tao warriors dare not approach this place. Elders are reluctant to speak of it in detail.

According to scattered legends, long ago, Tao ancestors sealed an extremely evil entity in this cave. This was not an ordinary ghost but something ancient and terrifying—a demon from the depths of hell.

Origin of the Seal

Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, a mysterious disease appeared on the island. The infected would die in agony and turn into monsters that attacked the living. Tao shamans discovered the source was in the fifth cave. They gathered the island’s most powerful shamans for a life-and-death exorcism ritual.

The ritual lasted seven days and nights. Shamans died one by one until only the High Shaman remained. At the cost of his own life, he sealed the demon in the deepest part of the cave and drew eternal sealing runes with his own blood at the entrance.

Modern Terror Events

Even sealed for centuries, the fifth cave still emits an unsettling evil aura. In the 1970s, the government sent a geological survey team to study Five Hole Cave. When they prepared to open the seal of the fifth cave, strange things began to happen. Equipment malfunctioned, and members started having nightmares of a giant shadow dragging them into darkness.

Most terrifyingly, one member walked toward the fifth cave while sleepwalking, trying to dig open the seal with his hands. He was found with bloody fingers and torn nails. Since then, the government ordered the permanent closure of the fifth cave. Locals added another layer of concrete and iron bars. However, on full moon nights, some still hear low growls coming from behind the seal…

YouTuber’s Horror Experience

In the summer of 2019, popular YouTuber “White Idiot Princess” went to Lanyu for a working holiday. She lived in a staff dormitory room at a homestay in the Dongqing Tribe. At first, everything was normal, but things changed at night.

On the first night, she felt something was wrong. The room always felt inexplicably cold, and she constantly felt watched.

Terror on the Third Night

The real horror began on the third night. Just as she lay down to sleep, she heard footsteps outside her room. “Knock, knock, knock…” someone knocked. “Who is it?” she asked, but no one answered.

The footsteps continued, but this time inside the room! She could clearly hear someone walking around, pacing from the bed to the window, then to the door, as if inspecting every corner of the room. She was too scared to move, hugging her quilt tight. The footsteps got closer and finally stopped right by her bed.

The Invisible Visitor

Most terrifyingly, she felt the mattress sink, as if someone was sitting on the edge of the bed. Then, she felt a cold hand stroking her hair, sending chills down her spine. “Don’t be afraid…” a voice whispered in her ear, “I just want to look at you…”

She suppressed a scream. The invisible visitor stayed by her side for an hour. This “patrol” happened every night since. She tried changing rooms, but it followed her.

On the seventh night, she couldn’t take it anymore. When the visitor came again, she summoned the courage to open her eyes. What she saw was a sight she would never forget: in the dim moonlight, a blurry human figure sat by her bed. The figure had no face, only a black hollow hole, “smiling” at her… The next morning, she packed her bags and left Lanyu, never to return.