5 extraordinary forests around the world

There are people who see forests as magical and charming places, true points of connection with nature; others stare at the vastness of trees and tremble at the thought of a frightening maze. Whatever your vision, the five forests we are going to show here are truly extraordinary places, in some cases for their unique characteristics, in others for their peculiar history.

1- The Crooked Forest

The Crooked Forest is located in Poland and is not very large. It is made up of a group of 400 pines planted around 1930, which grew from a 90 degree curved base, resembling a "J".

To complement the curiosity generated by the shape of the trees, there is the fact that the Crooked Forest is surrounded by a completely normal pine forest. Scientists have come up with various hypotheses to try to justify the bizarre style of the pines, but to date no one has been able to provide a convincing explanation.

2- The Hallerbos Forest

Also known as the “Blue Forest, ” or “Enchanted Forest, ” the Hallerbos Forest in Belgium actually lives up to the nicknames it receives. If when thinking of an enchanted forest, your mind goes to a colorful place, covered with flowers and full of cuddly animals, you probably thought of something quite similar to Hallerbos.

During April and May it is covered with wild hyacinths, almost like a blue carpet; and to complete the scenario, still houses deer and bunnies.

3- Aokigahara

This may be one of the most famous forests on this list. Aokigahara is in Japan, near Mount Fuji, and is known worldwide as the “Suicide Forest”. The rate of such incidents is so high that in 2003 authorities found over 100 bodies.

It is not known exactly what attracts suicide bombers to Aokigahara: some believe it to be the various legends in which spirits inhabit the forest; others claim it is because it is so dense that finding the bodies inside is not easy.

The fact is that the rate of suicide in the forest was so high that it worried the Japanese authorities, who now leave signs scattered along the trail: some asking visitors not to get out of the way, thus preventing them from getting lost and seeing something unwanted; and others containing motivational messages intended to make people give up the idea of ​​suicide.

4- Hoia Baciu

Irony or not, this picturesque forest is right in Transylvania. It's relatively small, about 3 square kilometers, but scary enough to be known as the “Bermuda Triangle of Europe”.

Its trees are twisted, the way you see yourself in movies, and in its center is an oval clearing where nothing grows. Local legends claim that people actually disappeared there, with no way back, hence the nice nickname. In addition, a military technician claims to have seen - and photographed - a UFO hovering above the clearing.

5- Tsingy the Stone Forest

You probably won't want to get lost in this rock forest of Madagascar. It is about 1, 500 square kilometers and is formed by pointed rocks over 120 meters high that have been shaped by rain for thousands of years.

Tsingy may not be the world's most suitable place for human dwellings, but it is the perfect shelter for more than 150 kinds of animals, many of them endemic to Madagascar.

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