There’s a lot that defines a country. It might be the people, the culture, the food, or the cities. But often enough, it’s the natural landscape of that country that really sets it apart – travelling through Canada is a completely different experience to travelling in Costa Rica, largely because of the vast differences in the local flora, fauna, climate, and geography.
One of the best ways of capturing a slice of a country is by visiting one of its national parks, and almost every single nation in the world has at least one or two national parks that are worth seeing. National parks are special places, and everyone should consider adding at least one of the following to their bucket lists.
Fiordland National Park
There’s a lot to see while visiting the country of New Zealand, and tourists will definitely want to take the time and see Fiordland National Park, which is the largest national park in the country, and one of the biggest in the world. It would take weeks to see everything that this park has to offer, but some of the highlights include snow-capped mountains, ancient forests, waterfalls, wildlife, and the ever-famous Milford Sound, which is the only fjord within the region that can be accessed by car.
Galapagos National Park
One of the most beautiful corners of the earth, the Galapagos National Park is like no other, and is a must-see for anyone that has a passion for nature. The park was established in the 1950s by the Ecuador government, and almost the entirety of the island has been sanctioned as a national park. It’s home to one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world, with fauna and flora that can be found nowhere else. It also holds a record for being the only part of the northern hemisphere that’s home to penguins.
Serengeti National Park
Capturing the essence of Africa in all its glory, the Serengeti National Park is breath-taking in every sense imaginable. Part of the northern region of the country of Tanzania, the national park also spills over into neighbouring Kenya, specifically the Maasai Mara, an amazing park of its own. It’s one of the few places left in the world where one can watch millions upon millions of animals making their yearly migrations over the plains as they search for fresh food sources.
Footage and images of these migrations have become deeply ingrained in much of our modern media, from documentaries to movies like the Lion King that we watched as children while our mothers sewed and our fathers read the latest golf betting tips and sports news.
Yellowstone National Park
Lastly, we have Yellowstone National Park, which can be found in the USA. There’s a lot to love about this park, and it’s widely considered to be the oldest national park in the world, having been preserved due to its unique natural beauty. Visitors can expect to find Old Faith, a large hot spring that sits on top of an active volcano, as well as countless other sights.