The boat ride starts off like any other through the ancient canals of Xochimilco. There's laughter in the distance, floating mariachi music, and the occasional splash of an oar. But then your trajinera turns away from the main path. The air gets still. The water darkens. The laughter fades. You're no longer headed toward a party—you’re heading into a ghost story.

At first glance, the name sounds exaggerated. A thousand islands? Come on. But then you see it — a horizon dotted with green-topped rocks, tree-crowned blips, mansion-laden isles — and you realize: “A thousand” barely covers it. The **Thousand Islands** region along the St. Lawrence River actually comprises over **1,864 islands**, each rising from the water like a secret waiting to be discovered.