Some time ago, "Where are the Magical Animals 3" was screened in major theaters, and a wave of hot topics was set off in the Ha fan circle. Although the eccentric animals in the film do not exist, there are many places where you can see all kinds of cute and cute animals in reality, and the national park with the function of a wildlife sanctuary is a good choice. You can return to the quiet nature, admire the meandering rivers and rugged peaks, and get up close and personal with the animals that run freely in the endless wilderness, and feel the most primitive and wild pulse.
Kruger National Park, South Africa
Image source: krugerpark.co.za
As one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries on the african continent, Kruger National Park covers an area of approximately 20,000 square kilometers and is also the oldest national park in South Africa. The reserve in which the park is located was established in 1898 and officially became South Africa's first national park in 1926. Kruger National Park is not only an important part of the Kruger Gorge biosphere, but also a UNESCO-designated human and biosphere reserve, which plays a pivotal role in the field of international ecological protection.
Image source: krugerpark.co.za
Kruger National Park is home to 517 species of birds, 147 species of large mammals and 114 species of reptiles, and rare and endangered animals such as black rhinos and African wild dogs can also be seen in the park. Ride in a modified jeep through the endless wilderness of the park and encounter Africa's "five sacred beasts" - lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and African buffaloes; Look up, vultures, falcons and other birds of prey flying in the air; Near the water, ferocious crocodiles lurk in the river. Occasionally, there are lionesses with one or two baby lions walking around, looking around from time to time, making people can't help but fall in love with these "big cats".
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Image source: serengeti.com
Located west of the Great Rift Valley, Serengeti National Park is the starting point of the annual Great Migration of Animals, where millions of wildebeests and hundreds of thousands of zebras stage their migrations each year. In the local Maasai language, Serengeti means "the place where the land flows forever". The thousands of animals that live in the park really keep the land alive. The northern part of the park borders Kenya and is also connected to the Masai Mara National Wildlife Refuge, and the two parks form a huge ecosystem.
Image source: serengeti.com
In addition to the wildebeest migrations that make it famous, the ubiquity of animals such as lions, elephants and rhinos makes Serengeti National Park a top destination for fantastic animal tours. There are also many idyllic chalets in the park, which allow you to sleep with wild animals and immerse yourself in the natural wild style.
Tongariro National Park, New Zealand
Image source: national-parks.org
With its diverse ecosystem and rich Aboriginal Maori culture, Tongariro National Park, located in the middle of New Zealand's North Island, has been awarded the UNESCO Title of Natural and Cultural Heritage Site. There are 3 active volcanoes in Tongariro National Park – Tongariro, Nauruhil and Rowapihoo, of which Nauruhei is the prototype of the doomsday volcano in the epic movie The Lord of the Rings that burns with a raging fire and eventually melts the Lord of the Rings.
Image source: national-parks.org
Volcanoes, grasslands, deserts, waterfalls, forests and other ecosystems have also become a paradise for animals. One of the parks is recognized as the "best day hiking trail" in the world, the Tongariro Alpine Trail. The approximately 20-kilometre trail takes you through The Lord of the Rings' Middle-earth, with the occasional slithering hare and birds adding to the mystery, the steep ascent winding its way up the edges of long-frozen lava flows and breathtaking volcanic terrain stretching from underfoot to out of reach.
Bainé National Park, Chile
Image source: national-parks.org
Bainei National Park is located in the southern part of the Patagonian Plateau of Chile and is part of the Chilean National Forest Reserve. In the local indigenous language, Paine means "blue", "Torres del Paine" means "blue peaks", which is quite romantic and magical, and the landscape of mountains, canyons and deep lakes in the park really makes people feel like they are in a fantasy.
Image source: national-parks.org
Bainei National Park was officially designated a national park in 1959. It is centered on the Bainei Mountains, which include glaciers, deep valleys, lakes, rivers and other landforms. Rugged ancient forests dotted with turquoise lakes and rolling glaciers. The rich ecological environment also makes it a paradise for wildlife. Huge Andean vultures flew through the air from time to time, and clever red foxes stood on the grass and looked slyly into the distance. If you're lucky, you'll encounter a cute maroon alpaca on the hike and take a funny selfie with the Patagonian Highland mascot.
Yala National Park, Sri Lanka
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Located in southeastern Sri Lanka, Yala National Park offers views of the Indian Ocean. In 1900, Yala Park was designated a wildlife sanctuary and in 1938 it was designated a national park. Yarra National Park covers an area of 1,300 square kilometers, divided into 5 regions, forests, bushes, meadows, lakes and other ecosystems, which has also become home to 44 species of mammals and 215 species of birds, leopards, elephants, sloth bears, jackals, buffalo, crocodiles, peacocks and so on are the owners of this park.
Image source: yalasrilanka.lk
The best time to visit Yarra National Park is from February to July, when there is less rain and most of the animals in the park forage in the wilderness for water. Flocks of elephants with big ears and long noses flicking and playing happily in the mud; Two or three sika deer fight with each other, as if they have used the grass as their own backyard, and they are unscrupulously throwing and rolling; Many herons and birds on the banks of rivers and lakes support thin legs and catch food in the water. In Yala National Park, you can feel the wildest and free side of this island nation.
Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
Image source: corcovadonationalpark.com
Located on the Osa Peninsula in southwestern Costa Rica, Corcovado National Park covers an area of about 424 square kilometers and occupies nearly one-third of the peninsula. Corcovado National Park preserves the largest area of virgin forest on the Pacific coastline and is home to one of the few large lowland tropical forests in the world. The park's ecosystem is so diverse that it's no wonder National Geographic called it "the most biodiverse place on earth."
Image source: corcovadonationalpark.com
More than 500 species of trees in the park provide a variety of "homes" for wildlife, including the endangered Baird tapir. Walk through the lush rainforest and you'll see a variety of fascinating and adorable creatures, such as scarlet macaws. When you go out to sea by boat, you'll also have the pleasure of encountering fin whales that migrate through the area, humpback whales that come here for the winter, dolphins that occasionally jump out of the water, and manatees who lazily bask in the sun on near-coastal reefs.
Galapagos National Park, Ecuador
Image source: galapagosislandnationalpark.com
More than 960 kilometers off the coast of Ecuador, the Galapagos National Park is far from the inhabited area and is also the ideal place for wildlife lovers. The Galapagos National Park is famous for Darwin's finding of important evidence of evolution, so it has also become home to the Darwin Biological Research Institute, and the island has various types of animal and plant research stations and marine research centers.
Image source: galapagosislandnationalpark.com
In Spanish, the word "Galapagos" means "tortoise", so the locals also refer to the Galapagos Islands as "Turtle Island". In addition to various turtle species, unique species such as giant iguanas and lava lizards also live comfortably in the park. Due to the influence of the Peruvian cold current, penguins, sea lions, seals and other animals that survive in the cold zone can also be seen on the island. The large lizards and giant tortoises that roam the beach leisurely attract wildlife lovers from all over the world just to catch a glimpse of their "beauty".
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia
Image source: gbrmpa.gov
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which covers an area of more than 340,000 square kilometres, is the world's largest coral reef ecosystem, spanning 2,300 kilometres off the northeast coast of Australia. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is made up of nearly 3,000 individual reefs, which account for about 10% of the world's coral reefs. In addition to the colourful coral reefs, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is home to an amazing array of animals, from microscopic plankton to whales weighing more than 100 tons. More than 3,000 species of molluscs, more than 1,600 species of fish, 630 species of echinoderms, 215 species of birds, 133 species of sharks, 14 species of sea snakes, 30 species of whales and dolphins, 6 of the world's 7 species of sea turtles, and the globally endangered species of dugongs live here.
Image source: gbrmpa.gov
The variety of animals also makes Great Barrier Reef Marine Park one of the richest and most complex natural systems on the planet. In recent years, due to global warming, the survival of many coral reefs has been seriously threatened, and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park has also launched a series of conservation, research and other activities, calling on everyone to pay attention to the environment and jointly protect biodiversity.
Yellowstone National Park, USA
Image source: yellowstonenationalpark.com
Yellowstone is one of the parks with the highest frequency of social media, whether it is in movie blockbusters or internet celebrity blogs. As the world's first national park, Yellowstone has conquered visitors from all over the world with its unique geothermal resources and geological features.
Image source: yellowstonenationalpark.com
In addition to the famous Mammoth Hot Springs, Lamar Valley, Upper and Lower Geyser Basin and Grand Prism Springs, a variety of wildlife such as grizzly bears, elk, bighorn sheep, bison, wolves, bald eagles and more are also unmissable in the park. Not only does Yellowstone Offer modified jeeps or buggies to get you up close and personal with these animals, but there are also campsites and wooden houses in the park that allow you to immerse yourself in sleeping with wildlife.
Etosha National Park, Namibia
Image source: etoshanationalpark.org
In 1851, European explorers Charles Anderson and Francis Galton discovered this lush area of aquatic vegetation and fauna. In 1907, the area was designated a national park, and Etosha Park, which covered more than 100,000 square kilometers, became the largest wildlife sanctuary in the world at that time. But later, due to various controversial border restructurings and political changes, Etosha National Park currently covers an area of just over 20,000 square kilometers.
Image source: etoshanationalpark.org
In the local Ovambo language, Etosha means "a vast expanse of white land", which is actually a wide salt marsh that is 130 kilometers long and 50 kilometers wide. There is also a sad local legend about this salt marsh, which is said to have been a large lake with no end in sight, many villages along the lake, and a sudden war slaughtered almost all the people in the village. The surviving villagers were devastated and wept day and night at the lake, which eventually dried up and formed a huge salt marsh. Today, the salt marsh is a salt supply depot for the wildlife in the park. When the rainy season comes, the salt marsh becomes a swamp about 10 centimeters deep, and large flocks of flamingos migrate here. According to statistics, at most, there are about 1 million flamingos in the big salt marsh, and the whole salt marsh is pink.
Komodo National Park, Indonesia
Image source: national-parks.org
Established in 1980, Komodo National Park consists of 3 larger islands and 26 smaller islands on Komodo, Pada and Rinca, with a total land and sea area of more than 1,700 square kilometers. The park was originally established to protect the Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard, and later a variety of reptiles, birds and marine life have also become the park's conservation objects.
Image source: national-parks.org
The Komodo monitor lizard has always been a town treasure in Komodo National Park, the largest lizard in the world, with an average adult body length of 2-3 meters and a weight of about 70 kg. Only in Komodo National Park can the world see so many Jurassic-era creatures. Every year, many wildlife lovers come to Komodo National Park to get up close and personal with the monitor lizards and observe the "hideous face" of this terrestrial beast.
Banff National Park, Canada
Image source: banffnationalpark.com
Canada's first national park, Banff National Park, is located in the eastern foothills of Rocky Mountain, with different forms of ice peaks, glacial lakes, alpine grasslands, forests and other strange peaks and beautiful waters in the park. Known as the "sapphire of the Rockies", Lake Louise in the middle of the park is crystal clear and changes shades of color with the light. This glacial lake leans against the graceful Victoria Mountain, surrounded by layers of dense forests like guardians.
In addition to mountain views, grizzly bears, cougars, moose, elk and hundreds of species of birds are among the most unmissable in Banff National Park. Imagine the mirror-like lake reflecting the majestic snow-capped mountains and green coniferous forests around it, like the little flower deer incarnated in the fairy tale looking down at the lake to drink, and the ripples in a circle swing away, the whole picture is quiet and beautiful, fascinating.