Did you know that it’s important for your mental health to take a walk in nature that’s at least 20 minutes long? These unique forests will have you easily walking 20 minutes and even more when you visit.
Whether you’re in California or in Japan, there are so many stunning forests that you and everyone you know should definitely put on your bucket list.
Spending time in nature will give you a really special feeling and it will make you reconnect with yourself. This might be, because you’re unplugging from the rest of the world for a moment or because you can relax, but whatever your reason, you should definitely visit one of these forests on your next vacation.
If you want to visit a beautiful forest, you’re not restrained to just one place though. You can find these breathtaking pieces of nature all over the world!
However, there are too many beautiful forests to visit all at once so we have made a list of 12 unique forests that you should visit during your next vacation!
Homebush Bay in Sydney, Australia
Australia is home to many natural wonders and Homebush Bay is an impressive forest that can be found in the capital city of Australia called Sydney. The reason why this forest is so special is that it contains a ship that’s over 102 years old!
Because of this ship, the forest is also called the Floating Forest. Although there were plans to dismantle the ship, they decided to keep it floating in the bay, which gave the bushes and plants the chance to overgrow the ship.
Redwood National and State Parks in the United States
If you’re going on vacation to the United States, you will get plenty of opportunities to go for a walk in nature. There are numerous national parks that can be found throughout the entire country, which is why it can sometimes be hard to choose just one.
However, you should definitely visit the Redwood National and State Parks! These parks have unique, tall redwood trees which can be as high as almost 350 feet!
The tallest of these trees in the forest is called Hyperion and it’s almost 380 feet tall. So visit these parks in Humboldt and Del Norte counties!
Hallerbos Forest in Belgium
When you’re planning on traveling to Europe, there are still plenty of opportunities to visit a stunning forest, like the Hallerbos Forest in Belgium. The unique feature of this forest is its bluebell flowers.
These bloom in the spring and make the forest look like a true fairytale! Your trip to this stunning forest can easily be combined with a trip to Brussels during the spring.
Keep in mind that this forest will be quite crowded in the spring as well, so be sure to plan ahead.
The Amazon Rainforest in South America
The Amazon Rainforest is one of the most famous forests in the entire world! It’s even the biggest rainforest in the world as it covers almost half a continent. You can find the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia.
When you visit the forest, you will be able to find more than 60,000 different species of plants and more than 2,500 different kinds of animals.
Among these are about 1,300 different bird species to discover! However, the Amazon Rainforest and all the life in it is on the verge of disappearing completely, thanks to industrialization, climate change, and deforestation.
The Carpathians in Maramures, Romania
Although the Carpathians are actually a mountain range, you should visit this area in Maramures in Romania. In Maramures, you can find a valley here that’s a forest, but it’s surrounded by the Carpathians.
This is exactly what makes this forest so impressive! Not only are the forests in this area absolutely stunning, but you can find small rivers and creeks as well, which are always fun to explore, too.
Black Forest in Germany
Another amazing forest in Europe is the Black Forest that’s located in Germany. Before you’re disappointed: the forest itself isn’t actually black. It has thousands of beautiful, normal pine trees.
The reason why this forest is called the Black Forest is that the trees and evergreens are all really close to each other throughout the entire forest, which makes it hard for daylight to fall through.
When you visit the forest, you will walk in the shade pretty much the entire day. Even when it’s sunny! In this forest, you can find some cute villages and wonderful thermal springs as well!
The Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica
The reason why this forest is called the Monteverde Cloud Forest is because of its fog. The fog in this stunning forest hangs in the upper half of the forest and its condensation provides plenty of water for all of the plants every day.
In the Monteverde Cloud Forest, you can find more than 3,000 different plant species and more than 100 mammal species! Other inhabitants of this beautiful forest are 400 different types of birds and of course thousands of different kinds of insects.
The Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in China
When you visit China, you should definitely pay a visit to this amazing park. Did you know that it was actually the inspiration for a Hollywood movie?
The Hallelujah Mountains in the movie Avatar 2009 are based on the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. In this park, you will find huge rocks that look a lot like pillars. This is what makes this beautiful forest so unique!
Wistman’s Wood in England
In England, you can find a stunning forest called Wistman’s Wood in the Dartmoor National Park. When you enter the forest, it looks almost as if you have entered the world of Lord of the Rings!
The forest is filled with trees that are tangled and covered in moss. The trees in Wistman’s Wood are really old too. Part of the forest even dates back to 7,000 B.C.! The large oaks in the forest are approximately 500 years old!
The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Japan
If you ever visit Kyoto, you must pair your visit with a trip to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove! It’s located near Kyoto and it has many temples, palaces, and gardens.
Although you will find a lot of tourists in this amazing forest, you will still be able to relax for a bit as the forest remains peaceful and relatively quiet.
This is because its visitors are encouraged by Japan itself to not make too much noise and just enjoy nature.
The Waipoua Forest in New Zealand
The Waipoua Forest in New Zealand is located on its North Island and it has a very special tree. The tree is a kauri tree with the name of Tāne Mahuta.
If you’re looking at the girth, this tree is actually one of the biggest trees on the planet and it has even brought some visitors to tears according to The Guardian!
The tree was named after the Maori forest god and has another nickname called The Lord of the Forest. Tāne Mahuta is 51.5 meters tall and has a girth of 18.8 meters around it.
The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda
The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda is a forest that’s on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The reason the forest is called impenetrable is because of all the bamboo, vines, and trees that are very close to each other in the forest.
The area of the forest is about 32.000 hectares. It also has plenty of inhabitants as you can find over 160 different kinds of trees and more than 100 different ferns there.
You can find thousands of different birds and insects as well, but the most special animal of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is the mountain gorilla, which is endangered.
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