The Island Where People Disappear Without a Trace: What Science Says About an Interesting African Phenomenon (9 photos)

If you think everything mysterious in this world has long been explained and documented, welcome to Kenya. In Lake Rudolf, there's a tiny island called Enwaitenet.

It's famous for the fact that people who find themselves there disappear without a trace.





Enwaitenet—the name even sounds a bit sophisticated, if you don't know the translation. In the language of the local tribes, it translates as "irrevocable." Not figuratively, but literally: those who set foot there often never returned.

Why don't the locals go there?

For the Turkana, El Molo, and Samburu tribes, this island is like a violent, mentally ill neighbor in a communal apartment. Everyone fears him, but they don't evict him.



According to locals, at every new moon, screams and groans—something between people and animals—were heard from the island. Those who dared to spend the night on Envaitenet complained of nightmares of creatures resembling humans, only from another world. And then—like something out of a horror movie—someone would suddenly fall ill, drown, or die out of nowhere.

From the outside, the island is very beautiful – lush vegetation of a bright emerald hue beckons.

But beauty, especially in the tropics, can often be deceiving. As the poet and bard Mikhail Shcherbakov sings:

"Oh, beauty! No matter how much you punish us,

We still catch your false light,

Though we remember that, more beautiful than a coral snake,

There is no more beautiful reptile."

People Who Disappeared on the Island

The first known story documented by Europeans occurred in the 17th century. A family of local Turkana people hid on the island from slave traders and...disappeared. Slave traders then set out to capture the natives. Their group also disappeared (they were the ones I really didn't feel sorry for).





The local Turkana people view the island with suspicion and haven't visited it in a long time.

In 1935, two British explorers, Martin Shaflis and Bill Dyson, went there. They kept in touch for several days, saying all was well. Then – silence.

When the search party arrived on the island, they found no bodies or signs of a struggle. Nothing to indicate a hasty escape.

A search was conducted throughout the area for the researchers. A plane was dispatched, and hundreds of locals were brought in. The result – zero. They vanished like socks in a washing machine.



30 El Molo tribesmen vanished without a trace

In the 1950s, several El Molo families moved there. A conflict arose with their neighbors, and, fleeing persecution, they were forced to look for a place to move. The island seemed the ideal place.

The El Molo ignored the horror stories of the surrounding tribes. People built huts, fished, and everything was peaceful. Until one day, relatives came to visit and found only empty houses and rotten fish. Thirty people seemed to have vanished. And again, no signs of packing up or hasty escape.



The huts remained, the people disappeared.

Now let's see what modern science has to say about this.

Disappearing Stones and Guardian Trees

First, let's look at the island's unusual appearance and strange sounds.

Geologists have explained the eerie sounds quite simply. The sounds don't come from hell, but from the depths. Underground cavities and gas vents sometimes create eerie sound effects. Especially at night. Especially on an island that's already eerie.

The island's vegetation is an unusually vibrant emerald hue. A similar hue is not seen anywhere else in the area. Scientists believe it's due to the mineral composition of the soil. Volcanic minerals enhance the green pigment chlorophyll, making it more saturated and vibrant. The effect is enhanced by the thick fog that often forms in the area. It helps retain moisture, and the color of the plants is more saturated.

Another oddity is the rocks. They are smooth, as if someone had polished them. Locals swear they've seen the rocks "appear and then disappear."



The forest on the island acts like a security guard at a club: if you don't like it, you can't get in. It's very reminiscent of Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and Mirkwood, which refused to let travelers through.

The forest here is indeed impassable in places. But there's nothing mystical about it. The tree branches here can be so densely intertwined that getting to the center is impossible.



Animals don't like living here at all. The only fauna here are snakes, nothing else. They have nothing to eat, so they have to wait for migratory birds.

But with the disappearance of people, things are more complicated.

Nature is playing horror games

The island is relatively small – about 11 km long and 5 km wide.

What's going on on this tiny island? Let's see what scientists have to say.

Volcanic gases. Lake Rudolf is not just a lake, but a volcanic formation. There's speculation that gases like carbon dioxide or hydrogen sulfide may be emitted on the island. In high concentrations, they cause hallucinations, disorientation, and, unfortunately, are often fatal.



Predators. The lake is teeming with crocodiles. They are voracious, living in conditions of fierce competition for food. The wild animals, already frightened, approach the water very cautiously. But humans might have been less cautious.

But to drag off thirty people without leaving a trace—even the fattest crocodile would need an army of friends. And to do it discreetly, so others don't raise the alarm... it sounds like science fiction.



The psychological factor. When you're told for hours that an island is cursed, and then you go there, your mind can easily conjure up screams, groans, and visions. Especially if a strange wind blows and the bushes rustle. Your imagination will fill in the rest.

Today, the island remains deserted. Tourists don't flock there, and locals keep their distance.

Envaitenet is that rare case where a mystery is in no hurry to be solved. And perhaps that's its special charm: it reminds us that the world is still full of mysteries that don't fit into tables and graphs.