We talk so much about our national parks that we often forget about protected spaces in other countries. And some places are doing it even better than we are.
Did you know that nearly 20 percent of the island of Aruba is a designated national park? Arikok National Park has nearly 8,000 acres of protected land—everything from desert landscape to lava formations to beaches. It also has ancient settlements and paintings from the island’s original inhabitants.
For an entirely different natural experience, think Wales, where 20 percent of the land is covered by three national parks. One of them, Snowdonia National Park, is made up of mountains, coastlines and islands. Not bad for a country that’s only 8,000 square miles.
And you’ve heard of Argentina’s Iguazu National Park, with the famous waterfalls. But there’s over a dozen national parks in Argentina that you can visit as well. Like Talampaya national park, which is basically the Grand Canyon of South America. You don’t have to deal with the crowds, and the bragging rights are even more impressive.
Visit the National Parks archives for more ideas overseas and in the U.S.
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