Stunning national parks and wilderness areas in Asia
Stunning national parks and wilderness areas in Asia
Picture a wooden boat sliding through river mist at sunrise, with monkeys shaking the branches overhead and a cup of tea going cold in your hand. The national parks and wilderness areas in Asia have plenty of mornings like that. They also have volcano rims, snowy passes and jungle trails full of leeches.
Some travelers want an easy day hike that ends with noodle soup at a village homestay. Others would rather trek for a week with a pack, sleeping in cold huts under thick blankets. Wildlife fans might sit very still for hours hoping to see a tiger or a snow leopard. Monsoon rain changes everything, so timing matters.
The destinations on our list include famous parks with ranger stations and printed maps. Others are quieter places where the road ends at a village and the rest is on foot. Those take more planning but people often talk about them longest.
Lists by region
National Park in Japan
Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
Fuji, Hakone, Izu and volcanic islands
The park stretches from the Fuji Five Lakes to volcanic islands far out at sea. Climb Mount Fuji between July and early September to watch sunrise from 3,776 meters. In Hakone, a ropeway passes over the steaming Owakudani valley. Boats on Lake Ashi glide past a red shrine gate in the water.
National Park in Japan
Setonaikai National Park
Island seascapes, bridges and art islands
In 1934 this became one of Japan's first three national parks. It covers the calm Seto Inland Sea and hundreds of small islands. The red torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine seems to float at high tide. Cyclists cross six islands on the Shimanami Kaido bridges. At Naruto, whirlpools spin under a bridge in spring tides.
National Park in Japan
Kamikochi
Clear river valley beneath the Hotaka Range
Kappa Bridge is a wooden footbridge over the clear Azusa River. The Hotaka peaks rise above it to more than 3,000 meters. Private cars cannot enter, so the valley stays quiet. Flat trails follow the river to Myojin Pond and Taisho Pond. The valley is open from mid April to mid November.
National Park in Japan
Chūbu-Sangaku National Park
Northern Alps peaks, snow walls and onsen
Peaks near 3,000 meters line the Northern Alps between Toyama and Nagano. The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route crosses them by bus, cable car and ropeway. In spring, snow walls up to about 20 meters tall line the road at Murodo. Rock ptarmigan, a protected alpine bird, wander near Mikurigaike Pond.
National Park in Japan
Aso-Kuju National Park
Giant caldera, active volcano and highlands
Each March, farmers burn the old grass across the Aso caldera. The fires keep the wide meadows open for grazing cattle and horses. The caldera is about 25 kilometers long and holds whole towns. Nakadake crater steams above a turquoise acid lake when it is safe to visit.
National Park in Japan
Akiyoshidai Quasi-National Park
Japan's largest karst plateau with caves
Below the grassy plateau is a cave that the future Emperor Hirohito named in 1926. About one kilometer of it is open on a lit walkway. Rows of rim pools called Hyakumaizara look like stacked plates. Up top, thousands of white limestone rocks dot the largest karst plateau in Japan.
National Park in Japan
Shiretoko National Park
Brown bears and drift ice in Hokkaido
An elevated boardwalk at the Five Lakes runs above bear country behind an electric fence. Boats from Utoro cruise along cliffs where brown bears dig on the shore. In February drift ice from the Sea of Okhotsk packs the coast. Guides lead walks on the ice in dry suits.
National Park in Japan
Kerama Shoto National Park
Kerama blue seas, coral and whales
The sea glows a bright shade that locals call Kerama Blue. More than 30 islands lie about 40 kilometers west of Okinawa. Snorkel with sea turtles off Ama Beach on Zamami Island. From December to April humpback whales come here to breed. Ferries from Naha arrive in under an hour.
National Park in Japan
Daisetsuzan National Park
Japan's largest national park, in Hokkaido
Sulfur steam hisses from vents on Asahidake, the highest peak in Hokkaido. A ropeway climbs to the tree line for easy walks between alpine ponds. This is the largest national park in Japan. Autumn color reaches these slopes before anywhere else in the country, often by mid September. Brown bears roam the high meadows.
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