Stunning national parks and wilderness areas in Asia
Stunning national parks and wilderness areas in Asia
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 metres. In Hakone, a ropeway passes over the steaming Owakudani valley. Boats on Lake Ashi glide past a red shrine gate in the water.
Nature Reserve in China
Wulingyuan nature reserve
Misty Peaks of Avatar Fame
More than 3,000 sandstone pillars rise from the forests of northwest Hunan. Many top 200 metres and are wrapped in mist after rain. The Bailong Elevator climbs 326 metres up the outside of a cliff. Paths at Yuanjiajie pass a pillar renamed for the film Avatar. Golden Whip Stream winds along the valley floor below.
National Park in Turkey
Göreme National Park
Fairy chimneys and cave wonders
Rock cones stand like giant chess pieces across the valleys. Locals call them fairy chimneys. At sunrise over a hundred hot air balloons drift above Rose Valley. Inside the Goreme Open Air Museum, monks painted cave church walls a thousand years ago. Trails through Love Valley are best in the cool morning.
Nature Reserve in Ha Long
Ha Long Bay
Vietnam’s Otherworldly Seascape
Spring and autumn bring calm seas and mild air to the bay. About 1,600 limestone islands rise straight out of green water. Overnight boats anchor between the peaks so guests wake to quiet coves. Kayaks slip into hidden lagoons through low rock arches. Sung Sot Cave has huge chambers lit in soft colours.
Nature Reserve in China
Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve
Colorful lakes in Tibetan mountains
Clearer than a swimming pool, Five Flower Lake shows sunken tree trunks on its bottom. The valley is named for nine Tibetan villages. Shuttle buses link the lakes and waterfalls of three valleys. Come in October when gold and red leaves frame Nuorilang Falls. Pearl Shoal has white water foaming over a wide rock slope.
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.
Nature Reserve in China
Danxiashan World Geopark
China’s Red Cliffs and Legends
Geologists named a whole type of red rock formation after this mountain. The name Danxia means rosy red clouds. The cliffs glow just like that at sunset. Boats drift down the Jinjiang River below the red walls. A cable car climbs to lookouts over a sea of red peaks.
National Park in China
Huanglong National Park
China's Colorful Terraced Wonderland
Tibetan and Qiang families gather at Huanglong Temple for a summer fair. Below the temple, thousands of terraced pools step down the valley. Mineral deposits and algae tint the water yellow, turquoise and blue. A wooden boardwalk climbs to the Five Color Pool at over 3,000 metres. Take the climb slowly in the thin air.
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 metres. 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 metres 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 metres tall line the road at Murodo. Rock ptarmigan, a protected alpine bird, wander near Mikurigaike Pond.
National Park in Thailand
Khao Yai National Park
Wild Elephants, Waterfalls and Jungle Trails
The rainy season from June to October fills the waterfalls. Haew Suwat Waterfall drops into a pool seen in the film The Beach. Wild elephants often walk the main road at dusk. Great hornbills fly over the evergreen forest. Founded in 1962, this was the first national park in Thailand.
National Park in Thailand
Similan Islands
Thailand's underwater paradise
The name comes from the Malay word for nine, after the original nine islands. Giant granite boulders tumble into clear water on Island Eight. Climb to Sail Rock for a view over Donald Duck Bay. Divers drift past sea fans at Elephant Head Rock. The park opens from mid October to mid May.
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 kilometres long and holds whole towns. Nakadake crater steams above a turquoise acid lake when it is safe to visit.
National Park in Indonesia
Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park
Where volcanoes meet ancient traditions
Tengger villagers have honoured the volcano for centuries. At a yearly festival called Yadnya Kasada they throw fruit and chickens into the crater. Jeeps cross a grey plain called the Sea of Sand before dawn. From the Penanjakan viewpoint, Bromo smokes in front of Semeru, the tallest peak on Java.
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 kilometre 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 kilometres 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.
Nature Reserve in Jordan
Wadi Rum
Valley of the moon's timeless magic
Red sand turns deep orange as the sun drops behind sandstone peaks. Bedouin guides drive jeeps to the Burdah rock bridge and old carvings in Khazali Canyon. Desert camps glow with fires under thick stars at night. T.E. Lawrence rode through this valley during the Arab Revolt.
National Park in Armenia
Sevan National Park
Armenia’s Blue Pearl and Peaks
Sevanavank Monastery stands on a peninsula that was once an island. Soviet irrigation lowered the water and joined it to the shore. The lake is about 1,900 metres above sea level. It is the largest freshwater lake in the Caucasus. Pebble beaches fill with swimmers in July and August.
National Park in Japan
Daisetsuzan National Park
Japan's largest national park, in Hokkaido
Sulphur 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 colour reaches these slopes before anywhere else in the country, often by mid September. Brown bears roam the high meadows.
National Park in Indonesia
Komodo National Park
Dragons, Pristine Reefs and Wild Beauty
Rangers lead every walk carrying a long forked stick to keep dragons back. Komodo dragons are the largest lizards on earth at up to three metres. Hike up Padar Island for a view over three curved bays. Manta rays glide through strong currents at Manta Point. Pink Beach has sand tinted by red coral.
National Park in Nepal
Chitwan National Park
Wild Rhinos and Jungle Adventures
Hot and flat, this lowland jungle is a world away from Nepal's snowy peaks. Dugout canoes drift down the Rapti River past gharial crocodiles on the banks. One horned rhinos graze the riverside grass. It became Nepal's first national park in 1973. Evenings in Sauraha bring a stick dance by the local Tharu people.
National Park in India
Kaziranga National Park
Land of Rhinos and Wild Grasslands
Elephant grass rustles taller than a jeep as a rhino pushes through. This floodplain is on the Brahmaputra River in Assam. It has about two thirds of all greater one horned rhinos on earth. Wild water buffalo wallow in shallow pools nearby. Visits run from November to April after the monsoon floods drain.
National Park in India
Bandhavgarh National Park
Tiger territory in ancient forests
The Tala zone has open meadows below a ruined hilltop fort. Jeeps roll in at first light while mist hangs in the sal trees. This park has one of the highest tiger densities in India. Sightings often happen right on the dirt track. Langur monkeys bark a warning when a big cat walks past.
National Park in Thailand
Khao Sok National Park
Ancient Jungle and Emerald Lake Paradise
Halfway between Thailand's two coasts is a rainforest full of limestone cliffs. Cheow Lan Lake winds between the cliffs for many kilometres. Spend a night in a floating raft house on the water. Gibbons call across the lake at dawn. The forest also has the Rafflesia, one of the largest flowers on earth.
National Park in India
Kanha National Park
Tiger paradise in magical wilderness
In the 1970s the barasingha, a swamp deer with wide antlers, almost vanished. Rangers brought it back from just a few dozen animals. Herds now graze open meadows shared with tigers and wild dogs. Watch the sun set over the hills from Bamni Dadar. Jeeps enter through the Kanha and Mukki gates at dawn.
National Park in Indonesia
Tanjung Puting National Park
Orangutan paradise in Borneo jungle
The dry months from June to September make river trips easiest. Wooden houseboats called klotoks chug up the Sekonyer River in Borneo. Rangers lay out bananas at feeding platforms each afternoon. Wild orangutans swing in from the trees to eat. Camp Leakey, a research camp set up in 1971, still studies them.
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