5 Fairytale Forests Straight Out of a Story Book

No doubt we’ve all read a book or seen a film where the characters find themselves exploring an enchanted or haunted forest and the  scene before us becomes like something out of a fairytale.

There are trees taller than skyscrapers, majestic colours and sights so beautiful you have to rub your eyes a time or two before you can believe them.

As unbelievable as these sights may be, the forests we see in fairytales aren’t entirely fictitious. That said, here are five fairytale forests that are entirely real…

1. The Crooked Forest, Poland

Located just outside of the village Nowe Czarnowo in western Poland grows a forest of roughly 400 pine trees. While that in itself is nothing out of the ordinary, the fact that each of the trees grows with a 90 degree, northward facing bend at the base of their trunks lends this forest it’s fairytale edge.
Weirder still, a forest of perfectly normal, straight growing trees immediately surrounds the Crooked Forest.
It is believed that the Crooked Forest was planted sometime around 1930 by the Germans when the area was still a part of the German province of Pomerania. Studies suggest that the kink in the trees is entirely man-made, however no one has yet been able to prove how the Germans created this fairytale looking forest.

2. North Sentinel Island Forest, Bay of Bengal

It’s sad to say that for the most part many of the places modern day people have been deforested. This however is one of the reasons North Sentinel Island Forest is unique – it’s still a complete forest which covers the entirety the island. The reason? The island (which is 72km² in size) is surrounded by beautiful coral reefs and has no natural harbours which resulted in modern man never settling there.
And (if an island which is a forest from beach to beach wasn’t fairytale like enough for you) it’s on North Sentinel Island that you’ll find the world’s only still existing pre-neolithic tribe, known today as Sentinelese.
The tribe have no contact with the outside world and when modern man comes knocking they scare them off with arrows and javelins, making this island as mysterious as it is unique. Stepping onto this island (though it’s not recommend) really is like stepping back through time.

3. Bialowieza Forest, Poland and Belarus

Speaking of stepping back through time, Bialowieza Forest is yet another forest that will seemingly transport you through the ages. It’s Europe’s last surviving primeval forest which experts describe as a 7,000 year old time capsule.
Within it’s bounds you’ll find wolves roaming free, you’ll be dwarfed beneath some of the world’s tallest oak trees (the tallest of which stands at 46 metres tall!) and will feel like a giant as you gaze upon the pygmy owls and other minute creatures.
If the sheer size of the forest wasn’t enough to blow you away then no doubt the vast range of wildlife (some of which aren’t found anywhere else on Earth) will do the trick.

4.Hoia-Baciu Forest, Romania

Of course, not all fairytales are full of happy endings and mythical creatures. More often than not fairytales feature some darkness, commonly in the form of a haunted forest, which brings us to Hoia-Baciu Forest.
The forest was named for a shepherd who once entered with his 200 sheep only to vanish without a trace. To this day the mystery has never been solved. Since then locals have been afraid to enter the forest and have claimed it’s haunted however a brave few have ventured within it’s bounds, only to return injured, ill, or with a paranormal experience to report.
The forest is also a hotspot for UFO sightings and many reputable scientists have gambled their career by reporting their own mysterious findings on the area. Spooky…

5.Sagano Bamboo Forest, Japan

Located just a short distance from Kyoto, Sagano Bamboo Forest is, as the name suggest, made up entirely of bamboo trees. While it may not be your typical fairytale forest, it certainly is an incredible sight to behold.
As soon as you step within it’s bounds you’re greeted by lush green trees and when the wind blow you experience the shy rustle of leaves and the eerie yet oddly blissful sound of the bamboo singing.