North America
The Appalachian mountain range tapers off into the rocky cliffs and sheltered coves of Newfoundland’s Terra Nova National Park. Canada’s easternmost park boasts lush rolling hills, bogs, hiking trails and white-water canoeing on the North West River. South of the Canadian border, visitors to Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park can view the landscape on horseback or via the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Visit historic sites like the Everett Road Covered Bridge or the Hale Farm and Village, where potters and glass blowers offer demonstrations.
South America
Need an escape from the outrageous nightlife at Copacabana Beach? Journey to Lencois Maranhenses near the northern Brazilian city of So Luis. Visit the world’s only desert dotted with thousands of natural lakes. Walk amid dunes, turquoise lagoons and deserted beaches. For those who prefer the mountains, Chorro El Indio in the Venezuelan Andes features cacti, mesquite and a 1,500-meter-tall waterfall that seems to spill from the clouds.
Africa
Dinosaur tracks and petrified dunes are among the top attractions at Waterberg Plateau Park, 300km from the Namibian capital, Windhoek. Sharp-eyed viewers can also spot leopards and cheetahs in the wild. Looking for a more tropical environment? Last year Mozambique declared Qurimbas Archipelago a national park, protecting its coastal forest and marine wildlife. More than 50 kinds of coral live in its waters, making it one of the world’s richest–and most underexplored–coral reefs.
Asia
South Korea’s Halla-san National Park on Jeju Island offers refuge from the continent’s sweaty cities. The volcanic mountain’s peak, which is the country’s highest point, is often hidden in mist. Hike along one of five trails at Paengnoktam, the clear lake inside the volcano’s crater. Mount Malindang National Park in the Mindanao region of the Philippines boasts another crater lake, as well as swirling rivers and a rain forest.
AustraliaTravelers to the desolate 1.2 million-hectare Lake Ayre National Park in South Australia’s outback will definitely feel like they’re getting away from it all. The park contains the Tirari Desert and barren Lake Eyre, which has filled to capacity only three times over the past 150 years. Visitors can also wander among the sand dunes and fossil-rich salt lakes.
Europe
Reindeer graze amid pine forests, lakes and boulder fields at Norway’s Femundsmarka National Park. Bird watchers will enjoy scoping out the native cranes, Arctic terns and three-toed woodpeckers. Visitors, who can camp in small huts, may also catch glimpses of elk, beaver, mink and wolverines. In Southern Europe, don’t forget to drop by the well-preserved Asinara National Park, a small island off Sardinia, Italy. Asinara was once a quarantine center, then a World War I prison camp. During the 1970s, it housed a jail. That curious history, combined with its sweeping coastline and lush Mediterranean vegetation, make it a national park not to be missed. Happy hiking!
