The great outdoors: an A to Z of the world’s best national parks, from Greenland to Thailand
- Spectacular landscapes, including the magnificent Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, and the dazzling lakes of China’s Jiuzhaigou, can be found in parks
- Some parks – Abel Tasman, in New Zealand, and Snowdonia, in Wales, for example – are paradise for hikers
Named after the first European explorer to sight New Zealand, Abel Tasman National Park is the country’s smallest. The pristine paradise is a magnet for kayakers, scuba divers, cyclists and beach bums, but especially trampers (hikers), who gain bragging rights by completing the three-to five-day Abel Tasman Coast Track.
The forests, granite peaks, temples and ancient fortresses of Bukhansan National Park are just 20 minutes by taxi from downtown Seoul, South Korea. Hiking to the summit of Baegundae Peak, the highest in the region, takes a couple of hours.
World heritage-listed Chitwan National Park, in Nepal, is one of the best places in Asia for wildlife watching. There is every chance of seeing one-horned rhinos, wild elephants and maybe a leopard. A few really lucky visitors might even glimpse an elusive Bengal tiger.
Mountain peaks don’t come any more jagged than those of the Dolomites. The most visited national park in Italy, Dolomiti Bellunesi is home to large areas of wilderness where visitors can ski or hike their hearts out, then drive just a couple of hours to Venice.
First-world infrastructure, high animal density and a low risk of malaria make Etosha National Park, in Namibia, a great place for big-game viewing. Watering holes are strategically located throughout the park, making wildlife spotting a breeze for tourists – and for predators.