Believe it or not, the mystical and fairy tale-like forest portrayed in these beautiful photos below actually exists – it’s called Hallerbos (or Halle Forest in Dutch), and it’s located in Belgium.

 

The reason this forest looks like it’s been lifted right out of a fairytale is its dense carpet of bluebell flowers. These flowers thrive and bloom in spring and early summer, and it is their characteristic explosion of blue and violet that gives bluebell forests like this one their name.

 

The early spring blooms attract visitors (and photographers) to Hallerbos and to other forests like it in droves. Foggy conditions are especially good for photographers, giving the woods a mysterious and ghostly atmosphere.

 

Dense carpets of bluebells are usually an indicator that the forest in question is very old. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the trees in the area are old, only that the area has consistently remained wooded for at least 300-400 years.