Do You Know the 34 Best National Parks Outside of the US?

The US has some of the best National Parks in the world, I won’t argue with that!  But you’re missing out on a ton of wonderful and interesting scenery if you only limit yourself to the great US of A.  For example, here’s Plitvice National Park (see #29) in Europe with all of its beautiful waterfalls and pristine turquoise water:

 

 

 

 

Thanks to EdoStuff for this wonderful and informative video!

 

 

 

 

? By Winky from Oxford, UK - Flickr, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=990288Question #1: Torres del Paine: One of the southernmost national parks, few people travel to this corner of the world to see this underrated beauty.

? By PACI LAETITIA - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39942411Question #2: Pyrénées: This park features the notoriously impassable mountain range between Spain and ___________ .

? By Paul Gierszewski - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8957617Question #3: Nahanni: This pristine subarctic wilderness with magnificent canyons is only reachable via a floatplane.

? By Sotiale - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20649314Question #4: Seoraksan: Buddhist temples and statues line the entrance to this park featuring trails and scenic mountains.

? By Neil - Flickr.com - image description page, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=341139Question #5: Jasper: Glaciers, hot springs, lakes, and waterfalls are a diverse group of attractions in this park in the Rocky Mountains.

? By Abrget47j - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29751825Question #6: Lahemaa: It’s hard to believe this pristine beauty was originally established by the former Soviet Union in 1971.

? By Marco Verch - Iguazu-Wasserfälle in Brasilien inkl. Regenbogen, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37368287Question #7: Iguazu: This is the largest waterfall system in the world, lying between Argentina and this country.

? By AndiFuer - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48906214Question #8: Kalkalpen: one of the largest forests in Central Europe is located in this park, situated in the Limestone Alps.

? https://pixabay.com/en/china-national-park-zhangjiajie-222364/Question #9: Zhangjiajie: It’s hard to believe humans have settled in these beautiful foggy gorges for over 100,000 years!

? By Bernard Gagnon - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17863927Question #10: Taroko Gorge: You’ll find plenty of unique temples and bridges like these in this scenic gorge.

? By Arturo Sotillo from La Canada, CA, USA - Costa Rica... No artificial ingredients!, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39336938Question #11: Arenal Volcano: This volcano has seen numerous eruptions, sometimes violent, between 1968 and 2010.

? By Hadi1121 at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2097808Question #12: Band-e Amir: Despite the proximity of a recent warzone, this park gets thousands of tourists a year.

? By Nikater - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8427529Question #13: Berchtesgaden: This area became a military zone for the US after WWII, so the park was established for nature conservation not long after.

? By DoctorJoeE - Vacation photoPreviously published: NA, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26435972Question #14: Victoria Falls: You have to see these falls emptying into amazing gorges on the border between Zambia and ____________ .

? By chensiyuan - chensiyuan, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17131820Question #16: Jiuzhai Valley: These turquoise colored lakes along a backdrop of multicolored rocks and leaves are a signature feature of this park.

? By Opioła Jerzy - Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=959105Question #17: Tatra: This park was formed on the border between Slovakia and _________ to protect the pristine forests and mountains plus the unique rock formations.

? By Carlos Delgado, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6510182Question #18: Banff: This park is known for its wildlife, glaciers, mountain peaks, coniferous forests, and numerous lakes.

? By Wanjak Atikomchakorn - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49813114Question #19: Khao Sok: This rainforest is supposedly more diverse and even older than the Amazon. See what remains of it at this park.

? By Pseudopanax at English Wikipedia - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28230129Question #20: Paparoa: It’s famous for the limestone karsts, but you’ll find a variety of caves, mountains, forests, and coastlines.

? By Lysy - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4683281Question #21: Oulanka: Enjoy the (nearly) untouched wildlife and boreal forests just a stone’s throw away from the Arctic Circle.

? By Velela - self taken image, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1242453Question #22: Snowdonia: Despite the name, the highest mountain in this park is only about 1000m.

? By 颐园新居 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36838448Question #23: Huangshan: The low cloud cover and peculiar mountain peaks have been the subject of paintings for thousands of years.

? By Txo - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11132077Question #24: Göreme: It’s speculated that these rock tunnels were formed many thousands of years BC by people escaping political unrest.

? By Beast from the Bush from nl, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=722197Question #25: Fiordland: One of the best places to see Fjords in the Southern Hemisphere.

? By Mussklprozz - Own work, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3854516Question #26: Port Campbell: Numerous scenic cliffs overlook the harsh Southern Ocean.

? By Lacen - Skradinski Buk, Croatia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=302665Question #27: Krka: Designed to project the Krka river for scientific study and tourism, this is already the 7th park in this small European country!

? By No machine-readable author provided. Tomnie assumed (based on copyright claims). - No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=619455Question #29: Plitvice: One of the oldest national parks in this country, the diversity of minerals and organisms in the water create the distinctive blue and azure hues.

? By Rivi - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=681925Question #30: Isla de Pascua: Hundreds of these monumental statues built by the ancient Rapa Nui people are found on this island park.

? By Kp.vasant - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49473854Question #31: Valley of Flowers: This remote mountain valley with unique flowers and wildlife was only first discovered in the 19th Century and only established as a park in the late 20th Century.

? CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1500704Question #32: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain: The famous Tiger Leaping Gorge has a depth of over 3000m from peak to river in some places!

? By McKay Savage (mckaysavage) - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mckaysavage/6571216787/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23205882Question #33: Þingvellir: A rift valley that separates the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates runs through this scenic park.

? By Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37669071Question #34: Stone Forest: Over 200 years ago, this area was a shallow sea which helped form the numerous rock spires that look like the inside of a cave.

 

 

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