National Parks around the world have become an all-in-one vacation destination for everyone from families and couples to adventure travelers and thrill seekers. They are a great alternative to the typical tourist destinations and provide an incredible look into the natural beauty on this planet.
So, with 2012 around the corner, you should make your new years resolution be to skip the double-decker city bus tours and venture out into one of these amazing national parks.
Arches National Park – Moab, Utah
Southern Utah’s big kid playground, Moab, is one of North America’s best kept national park secrets. Everyone here’s about Yosemite and Grand Canyon, but there is nothing more exciting than mountain biking or 4-wheeling around the incredible red rock in Moab. The Arches National Park is known for preserving over 2000 natural sandstone arches, including the famous, Delicate Arch.
Tayrona National Park – Santa Marta, Colombia
Tayrona National Park (Parque Tayrona) is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Colombia and also one of the most well-known National Parks in all of South America. Known for it’s beautiful Caribbean coastline that extend out from the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, it’s a sweaty, 45-minute bus ride away from central Santa Marta.
Peak District National Park – Derbyshire, England
 As of 2010, Peak District National Park is the 5th largest National Park in England and Wales, however with an estimated 22 million visitors per year, the Peak District is thought to be the second most-visited national park in the world. Peak District Holidays are popular because of all the activities like hiking, biking, rock climbing, fishing and hang gliding. Also, the national park and surrounding region provide a wide variety of accommodations such as camping and beautiful Peak District cottages.
Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park – Honshu, Japan
The Peak District National Park is considered second on the annual visitor list only behind the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park aka the Mt. Fuji National Park. More than 100 million tourists visit the park, which is actually a collection of dispersed tourist sites that sprawl across the region. The park consists of the most popular Mt. Fuji area, the Hakone area, Izu Peninsula and Izu islands.
What National Parks are you visiting this year?
