National Parks Around The World That Are Worth The Flight
When choosing your next trip or adventure, it can be hard to decide where you want to go. Would rather sit on a sandy beach, or walk through the center of a bustling city? Do you want somewhere off the grid, or somewhere that's easy to fly to?
If you're planning on your next trip being about appreciating the amazing outdoors that our Earth has to offer, look no further than these 20 national parks around the world.
Namib-Naukluft National Park
The Namib-Naukluft National Park was once one of the largest game parks in the world. The park in Namibia encompasses the Namib desert and has huge sand dunes, including Dune 45 which you'd recognize from a number of famous films.
Kakadu National Park
A massive nature reserve home to over 2,000 plant species and to wildlife like saltwater crocodiles, plus Aboriginal rock paintings dating back to prehistoric times, Australia's Kakadu National Park gives the perfect experience for any visitors to the Northern Territory.
Chitwan National Park
As part of a preserved area in Nepal, the Chitwan National Park is known for its grassy plains and dense forests where rare animals like Bengal tigers and one-horned rhinos live. If you choose to venture to Chitwan, you're sure to see species you've never encountered before.
Plitvice Lakes National Park
If you've ever wanted to see 16 terraced turquoise lakes that extend into a limestone canon looks like, Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park should be your top priority. There are numerous walkways and hiking trails that will lead you through the park so you can see every lake and waterfall it has to offer, and there will be plenty of spots to take photos.
Fiordland National Park
When you think of a fjord, you probably think of one of the Scandinavian countries like Norway, but Fiordland National Park is a 12,600 square foot park located on New Zealand's South Island. The famous Milford Sound fiord is located inside the park where you can see colonies of fur seals and penguins, along with many other types of wildlife.
Jiuzhaigou Valley National Park
A nature reserve and natural park taking up over 180,000 acres in the Sichuan province of China, Jiuzhaigou is known for its multi-level waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, and incredible lakes like the Crystalline Turquoise lake seen in the photo.
Los Glaciares National Park
If you guessed based on the name that Los Glaciares National Park has something to do with glaciers, you'd be right. The park is the largest national park in Argentina and has one of the largest ice caps outside of Greenland, Iceland, or Antarctica, which feeds into 47 large glaciers surrounding it.
Cinque Terre National Park
Many people don't realize that Cinque Terre, which is located in the northwest of Italy, is actually a national park and also happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The coastline, the five villages, and the hillsides all make up the Cinque Terre National Park.
Tikal National Park
At the heart of Tikal National Park stands none other than the ruin of Tikal, hidden in the middle of a rainforest in Guatemala. Once one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Maya, the main Tikal temple stands more than 150 feet tall for you to see.
Snowdonia National Park
Next time you're in the U.K., if you head over to Snowdonia National Park in northwest Wales, you'll be able to kill two birds with one stone and take a look at Ireland as well. Snowdonia is where Wales' highest mountain, Mount Snowdon, is located, and from the top, you can see across the sea all the way to Ireland.
Göreme National Park
The region of Capaddocia in Turkey is one of the most popular in the world for hot air balloon trips, and if you choose to take one, you'll have the best view possible of the "fairy towers" that stand tall through Göreme National Park.
Jasper National Park
One of Canada's many beautiful national parks, Jasper National Park is the largest of the parks located in the Canadian Rockies just north from Banff. You'll be able to access the glaciers of the Columbia Icefields, hot springs, waterfalls, and mountains all within the confines of the park.
Komodo National Park
The Komodo National Park is located in Indonesia and is just the place for you if you're looking for scuba diving, pink beaches, and the world's largest lizard. The park was founded in order to protect the Komodo dragon, so don't be surprised if you run into a couple of them while you're visiting.
Torres Del Paine National Park
Named for the three massive granite towers that stand in the center of the park, Torres del Paine National Park is located in Chile's Patagonia region, and is one of the 11 protected areas of Chilean Antarctica, along with four other national parks.
Jostedalsbreen National Park
Getting its name from the Jostedal Glacier located inside the park, which is the largest glacier in continental Europe, this national park in Norway will fulfill all your nordic glacier hiking dreams.
Canaima National Park
The tallest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls, stands at one half mile high.
You've probably heard of Venezuela's Angel Falls, a waterfall that is nearly 1,000 meters tall and is the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall. Angel Falls is located inside Canaima National Park in the south-east part of Venezuela.
Yellowstone National Park
Located mostly in the state of Wyoming, the United States' Yellowstone National Park really is a national treasure. Yellowstone became the first National Park back in 1872, it has the world's largest herd of free-roaming bison, and it's home to the Yellowstone Caldera, a supervolcano and volcanic caldera.
Serengeti National Park
Known for its year-long migration of over a million wildebeest, Tanzania's Serengeti National Park really is like The Lion King. Estimated to have the largest population of lions in Africa, as well as hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle, there's a reason it's considered one of Africa's most impressive national parks.
Arenal Volcano National Park
Home to what they thought was an inactive volcano until a major eruption in 1968, Arenal Volcano National Park In Costa Rica is a popular location to visit for bird watchers. Within the grounds of the park, it's estimated that nearly all of Costa Rica's 850 bird species can be spotted, including the endangered resplendent quetzal.
Galápagos National Park
As designated by the government of Ecuador, 97% of the land area of the Galapagos Islands counts as the Galapagos National Park, which is home to popular tourist destinations like Tortuga Bay and Black Turtle Cove.
