Most Dangerous Forests in The World: Forests are dense uncultivated tract of trees and undergrowth, larger than woods. They are large area of land covered by trees. Forests could be tropical, temperate, boreal or plantation forest. Forests contribute positively to the ecosystem, livelihood and production. Forests are also homes for wildlife. Consequently, most forests are heavily restricted and activities in the forest regulated. Forests create avenue for adventures and tourisms. Thus, it also serves for recreational purposes. Forests are another world altogether. They are strange, distant and usually occupy a large area of land.
Forests by their very nature can be very dangerous. Asides being a hideout for terrorist, there are other factors which pose danger in forests such as the atmospheric condition, lonely nature, distance, the kind of trees that grows in the forests, the activities that goes on in the forests, dangerous animals, mystics and so on. The disparity and intensity of the existence of these factors makes some forests more dangerous than others.
Top 12 Most Dangerous Forest/Jungles in the World
Below is a list of the most dangerous forests in the world.
1. Amazon Rainforest: Amazon Rainforest is also known as Amazonia. It is a forest always at the top for being the most dangerous in the world. It is a tropical rainforest covering a large area of 5, 500, 000 kilometre square and the locations; Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Suriname, Peru, Guyana, Colombia and French Guiana. 60% of the rainforest covers Brazil, 13% covers Peru, 10% covers Colombia and other locations take up the rest of the forest area. Amazon Rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest in the world. Tourists should not be carried away by the beautiful view of the forest. It is best to tour with a guide.
There are risks of Malaria from mosquito bite as well as yellow fever; a high risk ailment. There are risks of bites from unfamiliar insects, rodents and ranges of wild animals as are being housed by the forest. The atmospheric condition, being a tropical forest is not a favourable one and it is usually worst in winter or rainy seasons.
Amazon Rainforest houses snakes, venomous spiders, aggressive ants, leaches, parasites, poisonous plants and so on. Amazonia environment is a very strange and hostile one notwithstanding that there are indigenes who inhabit in the forest. One has to be extremely careful in Amazon Rainforest since everything poses as threats; from what you eat and drink there to where you stay and the amount of time you spend there.
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2. Sambisa Forest: Sambisa is a National Forest in the Northern Nigeria. The forest is located 60KM Southeast of Maiduguri, Borno, Nigeria and covers Western Sudanese Savannah. Sambisa forest is governed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Sambisa forest covers parts of Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Jigawa, Darazo, Gombe and Kano. Sambisa Forest has been conquered and occupied by terrorists, particularly Boko Haram, and this sole factor renders the forest extremely dangerous coupled with other factors that are incidental to a forest.
Boko Haram is a top terrorist organization in Nigeria whose aim is said to be motivated by but goes beyond Islamization of the country. Being a forest, Sambisa is as well occupied by thick vegetation, creepers, reptiles and other dangerous animals. Sambisa is a forest of uncertainty.
Regrettably, the major threat faced by people in Sambisa forest comes from human beings (terrorists) who do no not attack on defence but on an outright attack. In fact, the terrorists are the dominant indigenes of the forest. At the mere mention of Sambisa, danger is perceived. Nobody ever ruminate the idea of going for tourism and adventure in Sambisa.
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3. Hoia Baciu Forest (Romania): Hoia Baciu is rated as the creepiest forest. The forest is located at Cluj County, Transylvania in Romania. It is also referred to as the Bermuda Triangle of Transylvania. Hoia Baiu is a very strange and unusual forest manifesting some signs of mysticism. Hoia Baciu is situated at the west of the city of Cluj-Napoca in Transylvania.
The forest covers an area of 295 hectares. Regardless of the dangerous tendency of the forest, people still use the forest for recreational purposes. There have been stories of the forest being inhabited by ghosts, cases of reappearing and ever young girl, unusual shaped trees, and so on.
4. Crooked Forest (Poland): Crooked forest is made up of usually shaped pines trees. The forest is located at Gryfino County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. The forest is dominated by pine trees which have oddly bent shape. The pine trees were said to be planted sometime in the year 1930.
There are a lot of mystical stories surrounding the making of the shape of the pine trees in the forest, ranging from the fact that the trees were naturally shaped in those curves for the production of timber, or that they were bent into the shape by snowstorm.
None of the mystical stories is strongly evidenced but they are strongly believed to be true. Crooked forest is as well open for tourism and adventure. Crooked forest is notorious for housing unfamiliar animals. This and coupled with the mystical stories makes the forest a dangerous one.
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5. Joy Falls forest (India): Here is another dangerous forest in the world. The forest is located in Sagara Taluk, Shimoga District, Karnataka, India. Joy Falls is a waterfall surrounded by forest, and this waterfall is considered a dangerous one.
The forest has restricted entry. It has recorded stories of strange strangling of people to death. The forest houses wildlife and has several large caves round the forest.
6. Aokigahara Forest: Aokigahara is a forest in Japan. It is also referred to as the Sea of Trees, and the suicide forest. Aokigahara forest has its location in Mount Fiji. The suicide forest name was ascribed to it by the virtue of several suicides being committed by people in the forest.
In fact, an inscription was inscribed discouraging suicide at an entrance of the forest. Being a suicidal home, you would meet a lot of skeletons hanging and on the land areas, and regularly death bodies too. The land areas of the forest are made up of volcanic rock.
The indigenes loosely refer to the forest as the home of ghosts due to the mysterious occurrences being experienced in the forest. Aokigahara forest is notorious for being the forest that is haunted the most in Japan.
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7. Black Forest: Black Forest qualifies as one of the most dangerous forests in the world. It is a forest in Germany. Black Forest is a very thick and dark forest and it is from this attribute that the name “Black Forest” was ascribed. Black forest has beautiful flora and fauna and houses dangerous creatures which render it dangerous.
8. Congo Rainforest: This is the second largest rainforest in the world and a dangerous one at that. The forest occupies roughly 2, 000, 000 kilometer square.
Congo Rainforest is located in the Republic of Congo. The forest houses varieties of dangerous mammals, insects, birds and rodents.
9. Dering Woods (ENGLAND): The creepiest and most haunted forest in the UK is found in Kent, near Pluckley, the country’s most eerie village. The entire region is said to be the scene of extensive paranormal activity, including weird sounds heard throughout the woodland, giving rise to the nickname “Screaming Woods.” People who have visited the area claim to have heard spine-tingling cries coming from the forest’s depths at night, as well as footsteps and whispering on misty days.
The screams are frequently attributed to a highwayman who was apprehended and executed by locals in the 18th century and whose ghost supposedly still harbours a great deal of resentment. Others believe the apparitions stem from the alleged 1948 massacre, in which 20 individuals were allegedly found murdered in the woodland on November 1st. Residents reported seeing weird lights coming from the woods that Halloween night and an autopsy of the bodies couldn’t ascertain a cause of death. Nevertheless, despite all the unsettling elements, paranormal activity seekers from all over the world and enthusiasts of haunted towns adore the location.
10. Freetown-fall River State Forest (United States): The Free Town State Forest in Massachusetts is infamous for criminal and paranormal activity, as well as UFO and Bigfoot sightings. Over the years, several dead bodies, including those of young children and women, as well as some that had been mangled and found in strange shapes, had been found in this area. Furthermore, there are increasing allegations of a satanic cult and activities on the grounds, which may explain some of the weird sightings but poses another scary component to avoid during a visit.
Some locals believe that the forest is cursed by its erstwhile residents, the Native Americans, whom the conquerors mistreated during colonisation. With an inherent sense of unpredictability regarding the next strange scenario one may see while there, the heavily forested woodland clearly leans towards the scary side of the scale.
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11. Forests of Gadchiroli (INDIA): The dangerous forest in India’s Maharashtra state is known for its enormous spectre of tree species and wildlife sightings, making it both exciting for nature lovers and risky encounter grounds. Still, Gadchiroli’s most dangerous aspect is hidden from the eyes in the form of Maoists or Naxalites refugees and forest hijackers.
They are spread through the forest and around the Gadchiroli town area and hundreds of kilometres in the neighbouring states.
There is hardly any tourism in the forest since the Naxalites made it their frontier in the fight for survival. This terrorist struggle with the Indian army poses an enormous risk of inadvertent gunfire from either side, capable of killing many from both factions as well as occasional village people passing through the area.
12. Tsingy Forest (MADAGASCAR): The menacing nature reserve in Madagascar’s Melaky region, near the picturesque western coast, spans 666 square km. The forest morphed naturally some 200 million years ago and is now known as “the forest of knives.” Its numerous karst limestone formations, which are typical of stone forests like this one, have razor-sharp edges that resemble kitchen knives.
The Tsingy Forest is among the most dangerous jungles in the world thanks to these spectacular rocks, which are majestic in their sky-reaching posture that may rise to 70 metres above the ground. The Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nation Reserve and Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park are the two separate sections of the forest, which are located on the northwest side of the island.
These worldwide natural forests, which range from immense jungles to deep woods and stone-strewn scapes, may be appealing to explore, but it is advisable to do so with a local guide in a suitable setting.
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Conclusion
Regardless of their propensity to risk lives, forests also qualify as recreational arenas. Some forests even have constructed recreational parks in them. Using forests for its recreational purpose must be done with a guide. Forests generally, by their very nature are dangerous although some are more dangerous than others, and the above highlighted in this article are most dangerous.
Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.