BestNational Parks
The standout national park in each country, and what it protects. Two things catch visitors out more than difficulty does: the entry systems — timed permits, vehicle reservations and daily caps are now normal in the busiest parks and often sell out months ahead — and the season, which in much of the world closes roads entirely rather than merely making them unpleasant.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Northern Territory
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A dual World Heritage Site in the Red Centre, protecting the vast sandstone monolith of Uluru and the domes of Kata Tjuta, both sacred to the Anangu people.
Kakadu National Park
Northern Territory
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Australia's largest national park and a dual World Heritage Site, spanning wetlands, escarpments, and waterfalls, with ancient Aboriginal rock art and abundant birdlife and crocodiles.
Chobe National Park
Northern Botswana
Lençóis Maranhenses National Park
Maranhão
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A coastal expanse of rolling white sand dunes that, during the rainy season, fills with thousands of turquoise freshwater lagoons, creating a striking seasonal landscape.
Banff National Park
Alberta
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Canada's oldest national park, set in the Rocky Mountains and known for turquoise glacial lakes such as Louise and Moraine, alpine peaks, and abundant wildlife.
Jasper National Park
Alberta
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The largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, spanning icefields, glaciers, and forested valleys. It is designated a Dark Sky Preserve for exceptional stargazing.
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
British Columbia
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A rugged stretch of Vancouver Island coastline with old-growth temperate rainforest, long surf beaches, and the multi-day West Coast Trail through wild terrain.
Gros Morne National Park
Newfoundland
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A UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its geology, including the Tablelands where exposed mantle rock reveals plate tectonics, plus fjord-like lakes and coastal cliffs.
Torres del Paine National Park
Chilean Patagonia
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A flagship of Patagonia, defined by the granite Paine towers, glacier-fed lakes, and the multi-day W and O trekking circuits through wind-scoured mountains and steppe.
Arenal Volcano National Park
Alajuela Province
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Centred on the near-symmetrical Arenal Volcano, once among the world's most active, the park pairs rainforest trails and hanging bridges with nearby geothermal hot springs.
Plitvice Lakes National Park
Central Croatia
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Croatia's oldest and best-known national park, a UNESCO site where sixteen terraced lakes linked by cascading waterfalls flow through travertine barriers and dense forest.
Galápagos National Park
Galápagos Islands
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Ecuador's first national park and a UNESCO site, this remote volcanic archipelago shaped Darwin's theory of evolution and shelters giant tortoises, marine iguanas, and endemic birds.
Berchtesgaden National Park
Bavaria
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Germany's only alpine national park, centered on the emerald Königssee, one of the country's cleanest lakes, and the Watzmann massif. Ibex, chamois, and golden eagles inhabit the surrounding limestone peaks.
Vatnajökull National Park
East Iceland
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One of Europe's largest national parks, built around the vast Vatnajökull ice cap. It encompasses glaciers, active volcanoes, and seasonal blue ice caves.
Þingvellir National Park
Southwest Iceland
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A UNESCO site straddling the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, and the historic meeting place of Iceland's parliament from the year 930.
Gran Paradiso National Park
Aosta Valley / Piedmont
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Italy's first national park and the only one centred entirely on a peak within Italy, Gran Paradiso at 4,061 metres. It is the stronghold of the Alpine ibex, saved from extinction here in the 19th century, alongside chamois and golden eagles.
Maasai Mara National Reserve
Narok County
Kinabalu National Park
Sabah, Borneo
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A UNESCO site centred on 4,095-metre Mount Kinabalu, identified by UNESCO as the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. Exceptional botanical diversity includes carnivorous pitcher plants and hundreds of orchid species; summit climbs require advance arrangements.
Volcanoes National Park
Northwestern Rwanda
Table Mountain National Park
Western Cape
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Wrapping Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula, it takes in the flat-topped Table Mountain, the Cape of Good Hope, rich fynbos vegetation, and a resident African penguin colony.
Teide National Park
Tenerife, Canary Islands
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A UNESCO volcanic landscape built around Mount Teide, Spain's highest peak, with lava fields and calderas. Clear skies make it a leading site for astronomical observation.
Swiss National Park
Graubünden
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The oldest national park in the Alps, a strict nature reserve in the Engadine where human intervention is minimal and ibex, chamois, and marmots roam freely.
Khao Yai National Park
Nakhon Ratchasima / Saraburi / Nakhon Nayok
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Thailand's first national park and the heart of the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site. A highland sanctuary of monsoon evergreen forest sheltering Asian elephants, gaur, tigers, and gibbons, with waterfalls that flow year-round and open grasslands where wildlife grazes at dusk. The park is 2–3 hours from Bangkok and is one of the most accessible UNESCO-listed parks in Southeast Asia.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Southwestern Uganda
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A UNESCO World Heritage site in the Albertine Rift, protecting a dense montane rainforest and a major share of the world's remaining mountain gorillas. Permitted treks visit habituated groups in several sectors; the park also shelters rich birdlife, primates, and forest elephants.
Lake District National Park
England
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England's largest national park, a UNESCO landscape of ribbon lakes and rounded fells including Scafell Pike, long associated with Wordsworth and the Romantic poets.
Cairngorms National Park
Scotland
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The largest national park in the United Kingdom, centred on a high sub-arctic plateau of ancient Caledonian pine forest, moorland, and Scotland's tallest mountains after Ben Nevis.
Denali National Park
Alaska
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Built around Denali, the highest peak in North America, amid vast subarctic wilderness. A single road penetrates the interior, home to grizzly bears, caribou, moose, wolves, and Dall sheep.
Kenai Fjords National Park
Alaska
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Centered on the Harding Icefield, one of the largest icefields in the United States, with tidewater glaciers calving into glacier-carved fjords. Boat tours access marine wildlife including orcas, sea otters, and millions of seabirds.
Joshua Tree National Park
California
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Where the Mojave and Colorado deserts meet, named for its twisted Joshua trees. Massive granite boulder piles draw rock climbers, and dark skies make it a noted stargazing destination.
Glacier National Park
Montana
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A rugged expanse of glacier-carved peaks, alpine lakes, and remaining ice fields along the Continental Divide. The Going-to-the-Sun Road crosses the park through dramatic mountain scenery.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Tennessee / North Carolina
Capitol Reef National Park
Utah
North Cascades National Park
Washington
Yellowstone National Park
Wyoming / Montana / Idaho
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The first national park, established in 1872, sitting atop a volcanic hotspot. Known for geothermal features including Old Faithful and the Grand Prismatic Spring, plus bison, wolves, and bears.
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