About 31 percent of the earth’s surface is covered by forests. Something must be important to take up such a huge space from the earth, and of course, forests are extremely important. They are important to the lives of humans, animals, and other living things that inhabit the earth. Besides providing humans with oxygen, forests also provide food, shelter, and materials for building.
But forests are not just meant to provide basic things for humans. They also serve as attractions that one can visit and enjoy the beauty of nature. Studies have even shown that spending a few minutes in nature is beneficial to humans, and there’s no better place to enjoy nature than in a beautiful forest. Inspired and looking for the best forests to spend some time in? Here are the world’s most beautiful forests around the world that are worth getting on a flight for.
10 Sequoia National Forest, California, US
The beauty of Sequoia National Forest lies in its giant trees that make people feel like ants walking past them. This forest covers an area of about 1.1 million acres, and it is home to plenty of giant Sequoia trees, which are known to be the largest in the world. More Sequoia trees are located here than anywhere in the world.
Besides this tree specie, the forest also has other stunning trees such as the Jeffrey Pine and Red fir. People from all over the country visit this park just to walk at the foot of the giants and also wrap their arms around the tree. Due to the sizes of these giant trees, it takes between 6 and 8 adults to completely circle it while holding hands, and this activity is not uncommon here.
9 Hoh Rainforest, Washington
Hoh Rainforest is one of those forests that comes with an eerie kind of look but is just too charming to overlook. This rainforest is located within Olympic National Park, and although the larger park area is worth exploring, there’s a reason this point has been arrowed to the Hoh Rainforest. Such incredible scenery must be explored separately, and of course, there are plenty of trails within the forest that take travelers to the best parts. One such trail is the Spruce nature trail which stretches for 1.2 miles and leads to the most enchanting parts of the forest.
8 Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica
It looks like a thick cloud of smoke enveloping the entire forest at Monteverde Cloud Forest. Unsuspecting visitors might raise an alarm that the forest is on fire, but this is just a normal thing here. What looks like smoke is actually fog that’s trapped under the canopy of the forest. After hanging there for some time, the fog condenses into liquid and wets the leaves and plants.
Monteverde Cloud Forest is one of the world’s remaining cloud forests, and visiting it is a must-do as there are plenty of things to enjoy there besides the scenery. At Monteverde Cloud Forest, one can walk on the canopy walk, go ziplining or hike on the trails in the forest.
7 Amazon Rainforest
Besides being king of all rainforests in the world, The Amazon Rainforest is also incredibly beautiful. The forest covers an area of about 5.5 million square kilometers and covers parts of Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, and a few other countries in South America. This means there are plenty of destinations from which to witness the incredible beauty of this vast expanse of rainforest. The Amazon is home to about 16,000 species of trees, and that’s just a lot of scenery. One of the best ways to experience the beauty that this place has to offer is by engaging in an Amazon River cruise along the river basin. This way, you get to see the amazing natural scenery as well as some animal, marine species, and birds that call this place home. The Amazon Rainforest is one of the places to visit before they disappear, and that is one more reason to get on the next flight to the destination today.
6 Wistman’s Wood, England
The UK is home to plenty of beautiful and enchanting forests, and Wistman’s Wood is one of the most beautiful. And not just beautiful. This forest is also sort of enchanting. It feels like a type of forest where one might just get charmed into the den of an eerie-looking witch. What makes the forest so enchanting is the abundance of Oakwood it hosts. Whether it is real or not a fairytale, visitors to the forest should always watch their backs in case something creepy-looking is about to startle them.
While that warning should not be taken seriously, this forest has even had a past marked by tales of ghosts, druids, and supernatural occurrences. This just makes it scarier, but it’s just too beautiful to not visit. Maybe just bring a cross in case something supernatural shows up.
5 Waipoua Forest, New Zealand
Somewhere on the North Island of New Zealand lies the beautiful Waipoua forest, which is home to several ancient trees known as the giant Kauri trees. Besides being incredibly large, these giant Kauri trees are sacred to the Maori people and also very old, with some being about 2,000 years old. This forest has plenty of hiking trails that offer the opportunity to walk through the forest to enjoy the natural scenery and also get up close to some ancient and gigantic trees.
4 Daintree Rainforest, Australia
Covering an area of approximately 1,200 square kilometers, the Daintree Rainforest is a forest area in Australia that has beautiful white sand beaches, scenic lakes, streams, and waterfalls, and dense forest areas with curled vines and an oppressive canopy. All these endowments have made Daintree Rainforest an amazing place to enjoy some peaceful time in nature. In this rainforest, one can hike, go fishing, or kayak on the river.
3 Hallerbos Forest, Belgium
Many have seen the spectacular pictures of a forest with bluebells covering the floor. The pictures are those of Hallerbos Forest in Belgium, and yes, this forest is even more beautiful than it looks in the pictures. While the forest is beautiful all year round, one can only get to witness the beauty of the bluebells during spring from Mid-April to Mid-May. After then, the blue scenery disappears, and the forest goes back to normal. Imagine walking in a forest and being surrounded by charming purple carpets of bluebells. Such an experience is life-changing.
2 Otzarreta Forest, Spain
Otzerreta forest is a beautiful 1,481-acre area in Spain’s Basque Country. This forest is located in Gorbeia Natural Park, and surprisingly, this forest is not on the front page of newspapers because it’s so beautiful and charming. Many call it an enchanted forest because of its centennial beech trees which have curly moss-covered roots and twisted branches that rise several meters into the sky. The forest also has a stream known as Zubizabala stream, which just adds to the charms here. Taking a walk in such a forest is a fairytale experience that many only watch characters do in movies.
1 Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Japan
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is one forest that comes with a unique kind of scenery. Located near storm mountain in Kyoto, this forest graces one with a picturesque scene of towering bamboo trees lined up side by side while a paved walkway goes through the middle. During the day, the daylight pierces through some small openings into the forest, and the trees glow beautifully from the light of the sun. This makes the entire forest feel so enchanting and gorgeous.
Such a beautiful forest is too beautiful not to be on every traveler's bucket list. While this is a good thing, the popularity of the forest among all types of travelers has made it an extremely touristy place. But even though millions of people come from all over the world every year to walk through this forest, it is still appealing and worth getting on a flight for.