Condé Nast TravelerSep 3
The 17 Most Beautiful National Parks in the World, From Yellowstone to the Serengeti
These diverse landscapes serve as a beautiful reminder of why our planet is worth protecting.
Sand dunes striped with turquoise and emerald lagoons
16 sights in this story
- Lençóis Maranhenses National ParkSightSand dunes striped with turquoise and emerald lagoons
- Elsewhere
- Banff National ParkSightBanff, CanadaStaggering views of the Rockies and glacial blue lakes
- Plitvice Lakes National ParkSightPlitvice Lakes, CroatiaSixteen interconnected lakes cascade through the forest
- Iguazú National ParkSightPuerto Iguazú, ArgentinaProtects the Argentine side of the enormous Iguazú Falls
- Cabo Pulmo National ParkSightCabo Pulmo, MexicoCoastal wonderland with quiet beaches and rock formations
- Namib-Naukluft National ParkSightSesriem, NamibiaBurnt-orange sand dunes, white salt pans, eerie skeleton trees
- Tsingy de Bemaraha National ParkSightMorondava, MadagascarFamous for its forest of limestone needles jutting into the sky
- Serengeti National ParkZooSerengeti, TanzaniaThe Great Migration is one of Earth’s greatest natural shows
- Vatnajökull National ParkSightSkaftafell, IcelandEponymous glacier and accompanying ice caves dominate the scene
- Las Salinas de Torrevieja National ParkSightTorrevieja, SpainSalt lagoon gets its hue from red-pigment-releasing microorganisms
- Valley of Flowers National ParkSightJoshimath, IndiaTransforms into a huge natural garden with wildflowers
- Göreme National ParkSightGöreme, TurkeyDefined by Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys, best viewed from above
- Kelimutu National ParkSightMoni, IndonesiaThree lakes shift colors at the whims of minerals and gases
- Zhangjiajie National Forest ParkSightZhangjiajie, ChinaThousands of jagged sandstone peaks rise dramatically over treetops
- Fiordland National ParkSightTe Anau, New ZealandShowcases mountains, rainforests, waterfalls, and deep glacial fjords
- Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National ParkSightYulara, AustraliaSandstone monolith rising from an otherwise flat and open desert