A forest is a place where there is always some special atmosphere. It is not for nothing that in so many fairy tales and legends something magical and mystical happens in the forests, and its inhabitants seem to live in some other dimension, separated from the human bustle, noise, and constant movement. Time freezes in the forest…
We will tell you about the most beautiful, mysterious, and fabulous forests that only exist on this planet.
Sagano Bamboo Forest, Japan
The foothills of Mount Arashiyama on the outskirts of Kyoto Prefecture is one of Japan’s most popular tourist destinations. There you can see the magnificent park, which is especially popular in spring when the cherry blossoms, and in autumn when the foliage lights up in fiery shades of red, yellow, and orange.
Within this centuries-old historic landmark, this scenic landscape is home to the spectacular Sagano Bamboo Forest, one of a kind. The path cuts through bamboo trees rushing to the sky, and when the sun pierces the grove with bright light and a light breeze blows, a truly picturesque view of the rays pierced like spears opens up.
Schwarzwald, Germany
The enchanting and mysterious forest of the Black Forest (translated as “black forest”) in Germany is rightfully considered one of the most magnificent natural beauties of the world. This forested mountain range in Baden-Württemberg got its name from the Romans, thanks to the dense coniferous trees that block sunlight from entering the forest.
However, in addition to the beauty of the local flora, in the Black Forest, you can see mountains, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, footpaths, mountain bike paths, and cross-country skiing trails, as well as unique forest inhabitants.
Here you can get acquainted with the traditions and culture of the locals, which includes the craft of wood carving (in particular, the manufacture of the famous cuckoo clock) and national cuisine (Black Forest ham, cakes, and gourmet dishes).
Crooked Forest, Poland
The Crooked Forest ( Krzywy Las ) is located in the suburb of Nowie Tsarnowo, Poland as if descended from the surrealistic paintings of Salvador Dali, and for 80 years now has been a mystery to man.
The sparse grove of approximately 400 pines was planted in 1930 in the former German province of Pomerania.
The reason for this unusually symmetrical curvature of trees is believed to be the use of a special tool or technique when planting, but the methods and motives remain unknown, and the forest itself continues to inspire local legends about the intervention of supernatural forces.
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China
The wild rocky forest has been considered a national park relatively recently, although the natural area has existed for a long time – it was officially opened in 1982 and almost immediately added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The park area is about 13,000 km2, where about 500 animal species and rare plant species grow, which have been protected and monitored since the award of the title of Zhangjiajie National Park.
This place is considered one of the most impressive on Earth, primarily due to quartzite rocks with an average height of 800 meters (and the highest peaks of the massif reach a height of 3 kilometers). It was here that the creators of the film “Avatar” filmed the landscapes of Pandora. One of the attractions of the park is the world’s highest set of elevators that lift tourists to an observation deck 360 meters above the ground.
Lake Caddo, USA
Lake Caddo, located on the border of the states of Texas and Louisiana, covers an area of 25,400 acres – entirely labyrinths of waterways, channels, marshes, canals, islands, and thickets of cypress trees overgrown with bearded moss. This place is so overgrown that it’s really easy to get lost in it, and the mystical atmosphere is quite suitable for the horror genre.
The lake, named after the native Southeast Indians who lived in the area before they were evicted in the 19th century, is home to the largest cypress forest in the world.
The wetlands are under the international nature protection program, as they are known for their diversity of fauna: beavers, woodpeckers, owls, and even alligators live here.
Inyo National Forest Park, USA
The White Mountains of Inyo County, California are a timeless place, and the ancient bristlecone pine forest is a prehistoric landmark.
Here, under the protection of the forest, long-lived trees grow, including the Methuselah tree, one of the oldest living organisms in the world. The age of the legendary spiny pine of the Great Basin, named after the biblical character Methuselah, has (!!!) 4,845 years. The exact location of the miracle tree is kept in the strictest confidence to protect the living legend from vandalism.
Daintree Rainforest
Daintree is a huge, endless area of tropical rainforest in Australia, growing all the way to the coast of Queensland. Renowned for its stunning beauty and impressive natural diversity, the Daintree Forest dates back 160 million years and is one of the oldest surviving rainforests in the world.
It is home to 30 percent of all Australian frogs, reptiles, and marsupials, 65 percent of all Australian bats and butterflies, and centuries-old plants.
Most of the Daintree Forest is in the wet tropics, which is a Queensland World Heritage Site but exploring the area in detail, you can discover white sandy beaches, coral reefs, rocky mountains, gorges, rivers, and picturesque waterfalls.
Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, Costa Rica
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is located in Costa Rica along with the Cordillera de Tilaran mountain range and is visited by about 70,000 tourists every year, which makes it invaluable to the country.
The forest consists of 6 ecological zones, which include more than 2,500 plant species, 100 mammal species, 400 bird species, 120 reptile, and amphibian species, and thousands of insect species. It also has the largest number of orchid species in the world (over 500).
And among the proud representatives of the world of fauna, you can meet the jaguar, ocelot, Central American tapir, three-horned bell ringer, bare-necked umbrella bird, and the elusive quetzal bird.
Waipua Forest, New Zealand
The Waipa Forest is primarily famous for its two giant preserved kauri trees, Tane Mahuta and Te Matua Ngaere, and for one of the finest stretches of coniferous kauri forests in New Zealand.
The Te Matua Ngaere tree is the largest in girth and the second-largest kauri in New Zealand; its age, according to experts, is between 2,000 and 3,000 years, and the famous Tane Mahuta (“lord of the forest” in Maori), is 1,250 to 2,500 years old, is the largest known kauri tree.
It is also home to Northland’s largest population of brown kiwis from the North Island and populations of the endangered contact from the North Island. Both birds have a symbolic meaning and are of great value to New Zealand.
National park Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Poland and Belarus
All representatives of the Slavic peoples had to hear about Belovezhskaya Pushcha: many songs were sung about it, lines were written in literature, pictures were drawn and films were made.
It is a centuries-old forest stretching along the border between Belarus and Poland, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered one of the last and largest remaining patches of the primeval forest that once stretched across the European Plain.
Due to the underdeveloped infrastructure, tourists rarely visit the park from the Belarusian side, however, about 200,000 tourists make annual excursions to the park from the Polish side, either on foot or in horse-drawn carriages.
Due to the underdeveloped infrastructure, tourists rarely visit the park from the Belarusian side, however, about 200,000 tourists make annual excursions to the park from the Polish side, either on foot or in horse-drawn carriages.
