Its All about Parks

Are you someone who wants to do some thing off the beaten track and visit some of the little known places which are not teeming with noisy tourists? Then here are some of the world’s most beautiful parks that you can visit and not be beset by crowds of people.

Torres del Paine National Park, Chile - This park offers the best that nature has to offer. There are the mountains, glaciers and green lakes. The most popular draw are the natural rock formations called rge “Torres del Paine”. This also means the blue towers.

Jasper National Park, Canada - This park is teeming with wildlife. See the grizzly bears, coyotes and the wolves, surrounded by the mountains. There are the seas of the Athabasca Valley and the Columbia Ice-fields along with the eight glaciers.

Cinque Terre National Park, Italy – This is located in a place called Liguria in Italy. In this park, there are the mountains which surround the oceans. The park gets its name from the five beautiful villages that are found here.

Nairobi National Park, Kenya - This is a place to sample some of the bewildering variety of African wildlife. There are lions, zebras, cheetahs and black rhinos too. There are about 400 species of birds and probably more, in the savannah grasslands. In the west, there are highlands and dense forests as well.

Arches National Park, USA (Utah) - This place has some of the most beautiful and amazing rock formations that you can ever find. In the park, there are over 2000 stone arches to be found, thus giving the park its name. The tallest stone arch is 14 meters long. All these rock formations are completely the work of nature. Another thing to notice about these rock formations is the fact that due to the action of erosion, the forms, colours and shapes of these are constantly undergoing perceptible changes.

Connemara National Park, Ireland – This park can be found in the west of the Republic of Ireland. There are the famous Irish moors and mountains. There are megalithic chamber graves which are about 4,000 years old. See the wild Connemara ponies and the red deer along with the orchids and some carnivorous plants.

Archipelago Los Roques National Park, Venezuela (Vargas) – This national park comprises 42 islands,. There are sand banks along with some of the world’s most untouched coral reefs. The waters are of a beautiful colour, from dark blue to a turquoise green. The park is located at a distance of 105 miles from the coast of Venezuela. Here you can stay in posadas. These are small rural dwellings run by families.

Picos de Europa National Park, Spain (Asturias, Cantabria, Castle and Leon) – This park is the largest national park in Spain. Right next to the Atlantic Ocean, the park is at an elevation of 1,100 meters and has mountains. There are the beautiful Covadonga Caves.

Berchtesgaden National Park, Germany (Bavaria) -This is the only park with untouched alpine pastures and farms. There are mountains all around with a beautiful variety of flora and fauna.

Here are some of the world’s best national parks.

The first one in the list is very obvious. It is the Yellowstone National Park. This park is usually said to be the first national park in the whole world. This was established in 1872 and is a treasure trove for some of the most exotic wildlife like grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and elk. There is the famous Old Faithful and some of the most famous hot springs and geysers in the world. There is also the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Then comes the Fiordland National Park of New Zealand. This park is beautiful and has some of the most beautiful waterfalls and glaciers ever to be found. There are 14 fiords to be found here and hence the name. Here the elk is supposed to be an exotic species. This park is a designated World Heritage Site.

Kruger National Park in South Africa is another famous name here. This park is millions of acres wide and is relatively untouched by man. As a result, people can see nature at its best here. There are so many different animals and birds that can be seen here. The wildlife here can walk around free while it is the visitors who have to be restricted.

The Tikal National Park in Canada is another must visit for a national park. This is again a World Heritage Site and here, you can see the remains of the Mayan settlement from 250 to 900 AD. There are the relics of many temples here which loom all around. And then there is the surrounding jungle all around as well. There are still some remaining Mayans here and one can always hire a Mayan guide to get a feel of the place. This place is seriously a walk down the ancient and eventful lanes of history which we all must know about.

Kaieteur National park in Guyana is a place which should be there on your itinerary. It is the only national park in Guyana and the best feature in this park is this towering waterfall which is a 226 meters drop. At that height, the waterfall is five times the height of the Niagara Falls. There are beautiful rainforests all around and most of it is largely untouched by man and development, still. There is a rare bird which can be seen there and is called cock-of-the-rock. It is a brightly colored bird.

And the last but not the least on this list is the Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary in Peru. There is the Inca trail there. Also there is a peak within the park which is called the Huayna Picchu. However, there is a certain restriction there, as everyday, only a certain number of people are allowed to go on the Inca trail and this limitation applies for the peak climbing as well. There is a fascinating history behind the park which is worth listening to. There are the local guides who are trained very well and can speak both Spanish and English very fluently.

This park is one of the most popular landmarks in the Big Apple and has found its way into the international mainstream culture as well. The Central Park finds a mention in numerous movies, books, and so on and so forth. Here is some information about one of the most popular parks in the whole world. The Central Park is 341 hectares in area and is located at the very hub of Manhattan in New York City. It is one of the most widely visited landmarks in the city and every year, this park witnesses an annual footfall of over twenty five million visitors.

The Central Park has a long history and was opened for the first time in the year of 1859 and the construction was finally completed in 1873. by 1963, the park had officially been given the title of a National Historic Landmark. The Central park was conceptualized and subsequently designed by one of the most famous landscape artists, Frederick Law Olmsted and also the architect Calvert Vaux. One of the most unique features of the Central Park is the fact that though most of the park looks as if it has been left to nature, almost the entire park has been conceptualized and landscaped.

The park has some amazing features for all the visitors who go there. There are many lakes and ponds which are again man made, though they look natural. Then there are many walking trails which are really long. Then are two ice skating rinks, and one of these is a swimming pool as well in the months of July and August. There is the Central Park Zoo, the Central Park Conservatory Garden, a wildlife sanctuary, a lot of forested land which is natural, a reservoir with a track for all the runners, and also the famous Delacorte Theater. This theater is known for hosting the popular “Shakespeare in the Park” festival which is generally held in the summer.

Central Park is very conveniently located because on the north, there is West 110th Street, while on the south there is the West 59th Street, on the west there is the Eight Avenue. There are many other attractions that the Central Park has to offer, other than the ones which we have already mentioned above. There is the Belvedere Castle which has its own nature center. Then there is the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre along with the famous and legendary Carousel as well. There are lots of playgrounds for children and many quiet spots for people to relax as well.

There is a lot of exotic wildlife in the park and it acts as a convenient location for so many migratory birds which comes in during the autumn and the spring seasons. Over 200 species of birds are seen and thus the Central Park is also a hub for many avid birdwatchers. There are some famous sculptures in the park as well, like the “Angel of the Waters”, at Bethesda Terrace by Emma Stebbins.

Africa is the continent of exotic wildlife and a variety of flora and fauna that would make your eyes stare in wonder. Thus, if you are going to Africa, the best way to savour the real sights of the place is by visiting the various national parks that Africa has to offer you. There are in all, five national parks. Here is a short brief about them so that you know what to expect when you do land up there.

The first one to feature on this list is the Amboseli National Park. This park is in Kenya and is located very close to the border of Tanzania. This park is doubly special for the very reason that, if you travel North West from the Amboseli Park, then you will come to the highest peak of Africa which is the legendary Mt. Kilimanjaro. This park has an exotic variety of wildlife and creatures that you have only read about in adventure stories will be there for real in front of you. The natural vegetation of this land consists of plains, swamps, marshes and some rocky lands as well. The famous tusk elephants of Africa are to be found here and that too, the biggest ones ever. There is heavy rainfall in two seasons.

Then comes the famous Masai Mara. This is very popular and has found its way in popular culture as well. You have probably seen stunning pictures and descriptions of Masai Mara in films, documentaries, and have heard about the safaris and the research teams which go there to explore the exotic flora and fauna. There are many attractions in the park and these include the dense forests for game, hot air balloon rides which give you a stunning birds’ eye view of the Masai Mara. And then there are the open savannahs or the grasslands which are again a trademark of the African wildlife there. This place has a bewildering variety of animals and these include the wildebeest, zebras, lions, leopards, black rhinos, and the bat eared foxes.

The Kruger National Park is another popular destination for those who love wildlife and nature at its best. This is a huge park and covers over 20,000 square kilometers of land in Africa. The Kruger National Park spans the borders of three different countries, ie., Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique. This has the five famous animals, the lion, African elephant, Cape-Buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros.

The Kgalagadi Trans-frontier Park is even bigger and covers 38,000 square kilometers. It is in the Kalahari Desert and here you can see the black-maned lion of the Kalahari as well as the blue wildebeest and red hartebeest. The temperature is dry with very little rainfall.

The last is the Serengeti National Park which is in Tanzania and has one of the world’s oldest ecosystems. There are the never ending grasslands and plains where lions, zebras and cheetahs roam freely. There are many special walking safaris organized here.

One of the most famous parks in the world is the Blue Mountains Park. This park is located in New South Wales in Australia. The park is very conveniently located as it is situated at a distance of just 81 kilometers from Sydney. Thus it is very centrally located and it is also very easy to reach the park from the City Center directly. The park is located in the region of the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains, by itself is another place which is one of the most beautiful places to visit too.

Why the place is called Blue Mountains? That entire region is covered with a bluish mist most of the times and thus, the name. You mus travel to this place if you want to see some of the most beautiful views in the whole world. The funny thing is, though it is called the Blue Mountains Park, the entire region is a plateau region with no mountains to be seen anywhere. There are many rivers flowing through the plateaus. There are many beautiful places to go and see, in the Blue Mountains Park. One of the biggest attractions is the Three Sisters. Other than that, there are so many beautiful walking trails where people can walk in, both during the day as well as the night to appreciate the sheer beauty of the place.  Thus, you must visit this place for the experience of a lifetime.

Another world famous national park is the Yosemite National Park. This is in California, United States and was established in 1980. the Yosemite park is located in the east central side of California. Not only that, the park is surrounded and overshadowed by the looming Sierra Nevada range of mountains. This park, thus offers some of the world’s most breathtaking views of mountains along with greenery and exotic wildlife. The park is huge, covering a distance of 761,266 acres. It is one the most popular tourist destinations in the country and attracts a huge footfall. Every year, the annual visitor counts reaches almost 3.5 million people. There is another feature that the park is very famous for and that is because of the Yosemite Valley which can be seen on the south western side of the park. This valley has some spectacular granite cliffs along with some breathtaking waterfalls. This place is a must see.

Nature has given us some of the world’s most beautiful sights ever and we must look, appreciate and take good care of her beautiful creations. The entire planet is filled with so many beautiful sights. Some are strange and enigmatic, while others are wondrous. The variety of natural beauty is bewildering. There are deserts, and the snow covered mountains. Then there are the green forests and the plains along with the clue oceans and sandy oceans too. There are so many different kinds of creatures walking the earth that we can never hope to see in just one lifetime.