Beautiful Forests Around The World

On every continent except Antarctica there are forests that are utterly enchanting and home to all kinds of interesting flora and fauna. These are just some of the remarkable forests around the world.

The Hoh Rain Forest in Washington's Olympic National Park is a scenic spot covered in green moss and ferns. The lush forest looks like something out of a fairy tale.

The Arashiyama Bamboo Forest leads to the village of Sagano, and the sight of its towering bamboo is breathtaking. In winter, an event known as "Hanatoro" sees thousands of lanterns light up the grove.

Known as "the Blue Forest," Belgium's Hallerbos is characterized by giant sequoia trees and large quantities of bluebell flowers. The flowers typically bloom in mid-April, making for incredible springtime scenery.

The oldest tropical rainforest in the world, Australia's Daintree Rainforest has an eye-popping landscape that provided inspiration for the hit movie "Avatar." It's characterized by green vines and lush canopies, and the Daintree River is known for its saltwater crocodiles.

On the Yemeni island of Socotra lies one of the world's strangest natural wonders, a forest of dragon's blood trees. Named for its red resin, the dragon's blood tree is notable for its green umbrella-shaped canopy and stands between about 10 and 33 feet.

Costa Rica was one of the trendiest locations of the 2010s and is known for its animal and plant life. The island is home to the Monteverde Cloud Forest, home to 2.5% of the entire world's biodiversity, including many rare birds and plants.

Surrounded by a 10,000-hectare national park, Germany's Black Forest is centuries old and named for the fir trees that make up the areas on higher ground. Oak and beech woods lie along the lower slopes of the area, and there are many mineral springs here too, and as a result, spas.

Located in northern Spain's Gorbea Natural Park, Otzarreta Forest is characterized by enchanting beechwood trees. In fact, the area is the setting of many stories in Basque mythology making it quite romantic.

The largest national forest in America, Alaska's Tongass National Forest is home to some of the nation's most picturesque natural beauty and wonderful wildlife such as bears, eagles and fish. Sitka, one of the best coastal towns in America, notably lies at the edge of the forest.

The South American Amazon rainforest is, sadly, disappearing at an alarming rate. At 4 million hectares, however, it is still the world's largest rainforest and is home to 40,000 plant species and 300 species of mammals, giving it some of the richest biodiversity on the planet.

In northeastern Poland, Krzywy Las ("Crooked Forest" in Polish) is a mesmerizing place. It's a 16-acre area consisting of several hundred pine trees that, at about 7 to 20 inches from the ground, bend toward the north for approximately 3 to 9 feet before growing upward again.

Madagascar is one of the islands that lie off the coast of Africa, and the Tsingy of Madagascar is one of its many impressive natural sights. A forest of fossilized shell formations dating back to the Jurassic era, the Tsingy's limestone blocks look like carved blades.

New Zealand has a diverse landscape with mountains, lakes, forests, beaches and even active volcanoes. Waipoua is a famous ancient forest that's home to rare birds and impressive greenery, including New Zealand's native kauri trees. In fact, it's home to New Zealand's largest kauri tree, Tane Mahuta, which is about 2,000 years old, 148 feet tall and still growing to this day.

A 30-mile route runs through the Great Trossachs Forest National Nature Reserve known as the Great Trossachs Path, winding through the beautiful country of Scotland. Scenic hill slopes, lake shores and woodlands lie along the path.

Kazakhstan's Kaindy Lake is a beautiful place surrounded by spruce trees. The picturesque lake is full of submerged ancient spruce trees rising out of the water. Flooded when the lake was formed, the trees' lower branches are impressively well-preserved, having been sheltered from sun and wind by the water.

The redwood forests of America are some of the most beautiful places in the country's national and state parks. The largest redwood state park in California is Humboldt Redwoods State Park, with 17,000 acres of ancient redwoods.

The Białowieża Forest straddles the Polish-Belarussian border, with hundreds of specimens of European Bison as well as pine, oak, hornbeam spruce and mixed woods. About 100,000 people come to visit the forest every year, many staying in the charming village of Białowieża in the heart of the forest.

Taiwan's Taipingshan National Forest is filled with natural beauty, such as the Renze Hot Springs, Cuifeng Lake and precious trees such as the Japanese cypress, Taiwan cypress and Taiwan hemlock.

Originally inhabited by the aboriginal people of Tasmania, the Tarkine Forest is the largest patch of temperate rainforest in Australia. This lush area is full of rivers, caves and grassy woodlands, as well as amazing native animals such as the platypus, wombat and the Tasmanian devil.

Located in southeastern England, the ancient Forest of Dean is enchanting enough to make an appearance in the final "Harry Potter" book. It's also a real life movie and TV location; it's featured in the "Harry Potter" franchise as well as "Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens" and "Doctor Who."

Located in the Russian province of Kaliningrad situated between Poland and Lithuania, the Dancing Forest is made up of pine trees, nearly all of which are bent or twisted into a ring near their base. No one knows what caused the trees to grow that way, making this spot one of the most mysterious places in the world.

Another one of the oldest rainforests in the world, Malaysia's Taman Negara is about 130 million years old. Huts built high above the ground serve as strange hotels, and the area is also home to fascinating caves and rivers.

Canada's Great Bear Rainforest is literally quite great. About the size of Ireland, it has about a quarter of all the coastal temperate rainforest in the world. It's also the only place in the world that's home to the white Kermode bear, or "spirit bear".

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda is more than 25,000 years old and is home to nearly 400 plant species. It's also home to amazing animals, including 400 mountain gorillas — roughly half the world's population.

There are about 1,900 species and subspecies of flora in the Yakushima Forest of Japan, including the ancient sugi, or Japanese cedar. The forest is also home to lovely walking trails, moss-covered rocks and some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world.