BEST NATIONAL PARKS IN THE WORLD TOP 10+

1. Amistad National Park, Costa Rica, Panama

2. Antarctica

3. Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

4. Banff National Park, Canada

5. Bryce Canyon National Park

6. Canaima National Park, Venezuela

7. Caribbean Coral Reef Islands, Honduras

8. Chimborazo National Park

9. Chinese Wall World Heritage Site

10. Chitwan National Park, Nepal

11. Cuyabeno National Park

12. Daintree National Park, Australia

13. Erawan National Park, Thailand

14. Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

15. Galapagos

16. Göreme National Park, Turkey

17. Grand Canyon National Park

18. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia

19. Great Himalayan National Park, India

20. Guilin Li River National Park, China

21. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

22. Iguazu National Park, Argentina/Brazil

23. Jim Corbett National Park, India

24. Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina

25. Kakadu National Park, Australia

26. Khao Sok National Park, Thailand

27. Khao Yai National Park, Thailand

28. Kruger National Park South Africa

29. Mount Rainier National Park

30. Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary

31. Manú National Park, Peru

32. Nambung National Park, Australia

33. Nahuel Huapi, Argentina

34. Huascaran National Park, Peru

35. Pantanal Matogrossense, Brazil

36. Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

37. Poas National Park, Costa Rica

38. San Fernando National Reserve, Peru

39. Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

40. Serranía de la Macarena, Colombia

41. Snowdonia National Park, Wales

42. Spitsbergen National Park

43. Tikal National Park, Guatemala

44. Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

45. Verdon Regional Park, France

46. Victoria Falls National Park, Zimbabse

47. Wulingyuan National Park, China

48. Yellowstone National Park

49. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

50. Zion National Park

Best National Parks in the World Top 10

Are these really the worlds best national parks top 10? Well, let's put it this way: These are among the world's most dramatic and beautiful national parks and reserves, but this list is far from complete. I tried to rank them in a sequence of beauty and importance, but I soon gave up and listed them alphabetically. How can you compare the beauty of Antarctica with the Chinese Wall, which is not just the monumental structure, but a vast strip of protected land, surrounding it. Moreover, who determines that anyway? So ignore those website that claim to rank the world's best national parks. Most likely, the website owners never have seen more than a few national parks in their own country.

Hi, I am Dr. Daan Vreugdenhil, aka the "Parks Man", a lifetime conservationist with a PhD in conservation ecology and CEO of the World Institute for Conservation of Nature and Environment, WICE. For four and a half decades I have been serving organizations like the World Bank, the United Nations, the WWF and other international organizations as an advisor on establishing and improving national parks systems in many developing countries and I still do.

Did you realize that most developing countries have set aside between 10% and 20% of their national territories as protected areas? Well, they did! In every country, those protected areas are the places with the most beautiful landscapes and the most spectacular animals and plants! We help you discovering and enjoying them. This is why I decided to to that:

A tireless traveler and explorer, over time, my passports accumulated entry stamps of more than 80 countries and usually my boots hit the trails of at least one, and often several national parks in each country I visited. 25 years ago, WICE initiated an ecolodge in the Amazon in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, Ecuador and a few years later I became part of the polar Plancius cruises, now Oceanwide Polar Expeditions.

What often struck me on my travels, was the fact that national parks in developing countries are so often ignored by tour-operators. Many have a tendency to take you to the more convenient places in secondary forests, where everything is conveniently organized for you, while denying you the spectacle of the most beautiful nature, the most spectacular wildlife and the best birding the country has to offer: its national parks. So when those outfitters pretend they help preserve nature with their ecotour, in reality, they don't because their tours compete with visits to national parks, where the really important nature is, but they don't let you visit it, because they prefer you to spend time on their property or in other areas with little conservation importance.

That is why I decided to start organizing exiting new destinations to the best national parks worldwide as well as to ecocruises to insular paradises, so that you can explore the world's best wild places in a sustainable way. 

OUR NATIONAL PARKS WORLDWIDE TOURS AND ECOCRUISES TAKE YOU TO THE WORLD's TOP 10+ AND MANY MORE NATURAL PLACES

Largest list of National Parks in the World

Developing an international travel website is a very time consuming exercise and countries will be added one at the time will be added. While our Ecuador website deals with all destinations on both Galapagos, the Amazon and the Andes, the first countries that is now operational from this website are Ethiopia and Peru, each with fantastic modules for both eco-expeditions and cultural highlights now available for booking.

Best National Parks of the world for wildlife, birds, geology, and exuberant nature

Enjoying wildlife, birds and nature in general are very important and we like to help you focus on what is most important to you. But you don't have to be an amateur naturalist to join our tours to the best national parks of the world for wildlife. We help you discover wildlife, plants while enjoying dramatic landscapes. Some of our trips focus on wildlife, like our Africa safaris, while other areas have beautiful birds and flowers, like the tropical rainforests. Other people like to join us on a whale-watching excursion. Whichever way you like to enjoy nature, we like do everything we can to help you realize your dreams. I am there to give you honest professional advise that normal ecotravel agencies can't give you, because they lack the know how.

National Park Ecocruises

Some of the best nature in the world can best be explored from the water. We offer the best value for money for high quality small ship ecocruises to some of the most hidden locations in the archipelagos in the world. While these are not cheap, we try to help you find reasonably prized packages while securing our high-standards for the programs.

National Park Tours even takes you under water

Visit Planet Ocean! The moment the surface of the water passes by your diving mask, you enter Planet Ocean, a completely different planet from Planet Earth. I shall never forget that moment I was stuck for a long weekend in Belice on a World Bank mission with nothing to do because all offices were closed. So I signed up for a diving course and I slowly sank under water with a tank of air on my back, entering a world I never knew existed. A world of extreme colors, fishes shooting by me as if I were not there and the strangest life forms everywhere around me. Instantly addicted, I never was the same afterwards.

National Park Photography

Many words have been spoken about photography while traveling. Some claim you can't experience the world around you when you always look through the viewer of your camera. But are you one of the privileged few who understand that you see details that other never are aware of because you DO look through the viewer of your camera? Who knows the thrill of the perfect shot? While not a professional photographer and never having won a prize, I certainly appreciate the art of photography, and many of the pictures on this website were taken on my professional expeditions. We encourage you to never forget your camera.

Ready to take the perfect shot....

National Parks and Culture

Many people think that ecotourists are only interested in nature. That myth is nonsense of course. Why would YOU not be interested in the local culture and historical monuments just because you love nature? We make sure that you get to experience and visit the local cultural highlights in addition to your nature program.

National Parks Worldwide Tours and leisure

Another myth is that ecotourists are not interested in leisure. Does your love for nature mean that you don't appreciate some time browsing the local art stands or spending some time on the beach? Of course not. After all, you are on vacation, and we help you make it an experience exactly the way you want it.

Who says you can't enjoy a relaxing day in a beach resort or go surfing on an ecotour?

National Park Tours and children

There is no better time to engrain the love for nature than in childhood. Are you like us, and want to travel with children or even toddlers? Be aware, there are limitations to what children can do. If you decide you want to travel with children, you may need to customize your trip. Be aware that in group travel, not all people in a group may enjoy the company of children. Consult with us if and how we can accommodate your needs and we 'll do everything to get you there with your children. I even took my 6 months grandson on expedition to Ethiopia!

National Parks Worldwide Tours and prices

We are family people and we know better than most, that you are not rich and that you can't blast away money. While many ecotravelers have satisfying jobs, we know that for most of you, buying a trip abroad takes a considerable financial effort. We feel a great responsibility that you get value for money. We also know that national parks, particularly in developing countries, need visitors to justify their protection and it is our mission to make that possible. This means they need to be accessible for as many people as possible. So, price matters!  Therefore we  make every effort to secure reasonable prices, often by cutting out the middleman. In many cases, you pay directly to the service provider for your National Parks Worldwide Tour.