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Top 10 National Parks In The World
Yellowstone National Park, United States of America
Established as a national park, way back in the Spring of 1872, Yellowstone National Park was the first national park in the world and is famed for it’s forest, wildlife and geysers. Spanning over 3,400 square miles of lakes, canyons, rivers and mountain ranges, Yellowstone also hosts the largest active volcano on the continent. With humans around in the area for over 11,000 years, Yellowstone was established as the very first national park to be protected for future generations to continue to enjoy. The park is so beautifully preserved, you’ll be blown away from the natural geothermal features, flora and fauna, and breathtaking geology. In a park this size, there’s always something to see and do, all year round, just be careful when you go, the summer is warm, but temperatures have been known to go as low as -54°C in the winter.
Photo credit: Jeff Gunn.
Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Waterfalls, glaciers and fiords are all part of the appeal of this world heritage site, situated in the south-west of the southern island in New Zealand and spanning roughly 12,500 square kilometers. The park plays host to dolphins, seals, parrot, deer, and of course the NZ national symbol, the Kiwi. New Zealand is already very well known for it’s natural beauty, so it comes as no surprise to find a national park here, conserving the area for future generations to enjoy.
Photo credit: Rabun Warna
Kakadu National Park, Australia
Staying within the same region, Kakadu National Park is located in the Northern Territory of Australia and is 19,804 km2; roughly the size of Slovenia. If you thought that humans living in Yellowstone for 11,000 years was a long time, it’s nothing compared to the 40,000 years that Aboriginal people have lived at Kakadu, and because of this, there’s multiple sites where you can view Aboriginal rock art. Another member of the world heritage list, Kakadu has 4 major rivers, floodplains, lowlands, stone country and outliers, under its protection. The park is a major tourist attraction for Australia’s north, and a $25 entrance fee helps to raise the money required to protect it, while you’re off enjoying the sites and camping.
Photo credit: Territory Expeditions.
Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal
Containing the southern half of Mount Everest in eastern Nepal, Sagarmatha is a protected area of the Himalayas with a strong religious and cultural significance. It’s home to holy places such as the Thyangboche and is also the homeland of the Sherpas, a group of unique high altitude dwellers. Mountains, valleys and glaciers are a big part of the appeal to this national park, and this park is often visited at the same time as the bucket list task of climbing Mount Everest. My favorite part about this national park is the changes that It goes through as the altitude increases and the variety of animals that we just don’t see in the west, such as the Himalayan Black Bear, the Snow Leopard and the Red Panda. If you’re considering Mount Everest, then swing on by.
Photo credit: Jetske.
Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
This is the largest national park in Croatia, and extends over 296.85 km² and plays host to over 900,000 visitors a year. The reason this park is so special is because of its 16 cascading lakes that stretch over a distance of 8km and cover an area of roughly 2 square km. The natural colors of these lakes range from azure blue to green and even grey, depending on the minerals in the water and angle of the light. If you love naturally colorful landscapes, peaceful lakes and waterfalls, then this park is ideal for you, and it helps that Croatia is not only a beautiful country, but relatively cheap to travel round and stay in – I’ve been a couple times and would definitely go back.
Photo credit: Rosa Amato.
Galápagos National Park
This was Ecuador’s first national park, founded back in 1959 and covers 97% of the Galápagos – it’s an absolute must-visit when in the country. There are 15 different types of tortoises on the islands, most of which are very tame and allow you to come up and take photos with them, along with other animals on the island such as the iguanas and birds. The animals are the main reason to visit this park and the laid back nature of the islands make it, just that much more enjoyable. You can also experience diving with sharks, penguins, rays and a wide variety of tropical fish, when exploring what the islands have to offer. This national park is more like a little slice of natural island paradise than anything else, and I would highly recommend it to any animal lover.
Photo credit: Eric Schmuttenmaer.
Kaziranga National Park
Located in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of Assam, India, this world heritage site contains one of the large amounts of tigers and one-horned Rhinos in the world. A breeding ground for famous asian animals such as elephants and buffalos and over 30 other mammalian species, the park has been protected since 1905. If you’re interested in seeing a huge variety of animals in the wild, Kaziranga has an extensive variety of fauna for you to see.
Photo credit: Kip Lee.
Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Lakes, forest, volcanos, glaciers, marshland… this park has it all. Covering 3,000 square miles, it was established in 1925 as Africa’s first national park. Among all these wonderful natural attractions, you’ll also find critically endangered mountain gorillas which were the primary reason for founding the park. Because of the location and history of the Congo, the park is largely uncrowded and only very few people visiting each year to see the lava lake and wild gorillas, meaning if you do decide to make the trip, it will be largely unspoiled.
Photo credit: Kibuyu.
Kruger National Park
One of the largest game reserves in Africa, Kruger is located near Nelspruit in the north-east of South Africa. If you’re looking to go on a safari, then this is the place to do it. Not only will you find some of the world’s largest mammals, such as Buffalo, Rhinos, Giraffes Wildebeests and Hippos, but almost half the species of birds in the world are found at Kruger too. If you’re planning on visiting, take one of the nine different trails at the park and stay in areas virtually untouched by humans.
Photo credit: Chris Eason.
Tikal National Park, Guatemala
This is one of the largest archaeological sites for Maya civilization and the area surrounding it for 220 square miles has been declared the Tikal national park. This park differs to the others in the list due to the fact that rather then protecting animals or naturally beautiful areas, it’s preserving the work of man. Situated in tropical rain-forests, this site dates back over 1,100 years to when the 800 year civilization came to the final of its 33 rulers. Expertly preserved and wildly fascinating, this site will spark the historic interest of almost anyone.
Photo credit: Jetske.
Complete an activity on the Bucket List 500
The Facts: Walk Up Mount Sinai, Egypt
How much:
For the transport, guide and a few other extras, it costs about £40 per person. We were staying a couple hours away so the drive was quite long.
Who should do this:
No young children or elderly as it's very physically demanding, it's not a matter of mind over matter on this one. If you're not feeling well or moan a lot, then this isn't for you either.
Description:
The walk up Mount Sinai has cultural and religious significance for the Egyptians and many Christians as the walk is believed to be the one that Moses took to receive the Ten Commandments. For everyone else, it's a pretty cool walk and awesome sunrise.
On Fiked:
4 people want to do this
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