16 natural parks in europe to visit once in a lifetime
#1 - Plitvice National Park (Croatia)
Plitvice Nature Park is one of the most beautiful we have ever seen. A park known for its lakes, with different shades of blue, which vary according to the daylight. The best time to be in the park is from 4.30 pm when there are not many tourists, it is a very quiet time and where you can enjoy nature.
The park has 3 trails with different intensities and time. There is also a boat that takes you to the other bank of the park.
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#2 -Beustita Ravine National Park (Romenia)
We made the trip to this park exclusively to see the Bigar Waterfall. It is unique in the way the water falls through the mossy stone, being one of the main attractions of the Romanian West and it is normal on a weekday to be full of tourists.
To reach this waterfall it is necessary to do some tens of kilometers by secondary roads until you reach the waterfall that is curiously right next to the road, the entrance is free although to enter the protected area adjacent to the waterfall you have to pay a symbolic value to enter .
This waterfall is exactly between the equator and the North Pole line, which is nonetheless curious.
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#3 -Tatra National Park (Slovakia / Poland)
This park is located in the Tatra Mountains. These form a mountain range between Poland and Slovakia, and this is where the highest point of the Carpathians is located (Europe’s second longest mountain range after the Alps).
Its biodiversity is unique in rhis part of Europe, with bears, wolves and bobcats inhabiting the forest.
We were in Krakow when we rented a motorcycle and headed towards Zakopane – the nearest town and known as the starting point for winter sports, climbing and hiking in the Tatra. There is also a cable car and funicular, which offer stunning mountain views.
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#4 -Vikos Gorge National Park (Greece)
We traveled to this park to see the deepest canyon in the world, Vikos Gorge, surrounded by nature and wildlife.
There is a natural viewpoint, which can be reached by car and have a breathtaking view, without having to make a great walk or physical effort.
The viewpoint is on a dead end road and is called “Oxya Viewpoint”, when you reach the end of the road, it’s time to get out of the car and walk a small path on a stone path. The park’s residents include some bears, wild horses, vultures, eagles.
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#5 -Sintra-Cascais natural park (Portugal)
One of our favorite places in Portugal, the Sintra-Cascais natural park, offers a great diversity of things to do and where we have already spent great moments exploring together.
The Sintra Mountains are stunning with its Pena Palace and Moorish Castle (among many other fabulous monuments), as well as the route to Cabo da Roca, passing by several beautiful beaches.
Sintra is great for breathing fresh air, walking trails, picnics, being in contact with nature and taking a walk through the blue lagoon, a very peaceful place.
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#6 -Lake District National Park (England)
Lake District is one of the UK’s 13 natural parks, located in northern England, almost on the Scottish border and this is where all English land is located 900 meters above sea level.
We arrived at this park by campervan, so our first concern was to find a place to stay overnight – without having to pay, which seemed safe to us and preferably near one of the lakes.
The first place we stopped was near a lake called “Windermere”, it is one of the most sought after lakes and probably the most touristy, where all the corners were concessioned and we could not stay.
The park offers many experiences for nature lovers, you can do great hiking, mountain climbing and climbing, as well as nautical activities.
We climbed a mountain called Helvellyn and it was amazing. It was about 20 km and 7 hours always walking.
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#7 - Serra da Estrela Natural Park (Portugal)
This park is located in the interior of Portugal, at a very high altitude (1000-2000m). It is one of the places with the most snowfall, rain, granite and dew. Here are species of flora and fauna unique in the country, in animals the wolf, the boar, the otter and the fox stand out.
For activities we can highlight the hiking, skiing and river beaches in the summer season, such as Loriga, a fantastic place in a unique setting.
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# 8 - Cairngorms National Park (Scotland)
Scotland is a wonderful country to travel. We travelled by camper in the country and they are scenery after scenery .. lakes, mountains and more lakes and mountains.
Our favorite natural park was Cairngorms National Park – “love at first sight”. We came to a small town and resort called Aviemore and went to the information point, trying to figure out the best place to stop and get some hiking brochures and trails to do. We stayed at Loch Morlich, a lake with some trails around it.
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#9 - Krka National PARK (Croatia)
Krka is another must see for anyone visiting Croatia. The park is not as untouched as Plitvice’s, but it is also well worth a visit, especially if you visit it in summer because it is possible to swim in one of the waterfalls. You can stroll along the walkways while watching the fish in the clear waters of the rivers that flow towards the waterfall.
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#10 - Cinque Terre National Park (Italy)
The Cinque Terre is located in Italy and belongs to the province of La Spezia. The Cinque Terre are 5 very beautiful and characteristic lands, in hills by the sea, they are Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and RioMaggiore. This region of the Italian Riviera is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We highlight Manarola, which for us was undoubtedly the most beautiful. It is a very welcoming and enveloping land, with very colorful houses overlapping each other. It stands on a hill by the sea and is embraced by vineyards, with paths between them, which we can walk.
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#11 - Triglav National Park (Slovenia)
This is the only national park in Slovenia. Mount Triglav is the highest peak in the Julian Alps and is roughly in the middle of the park. Lake Bled and Bohinj are located in this park.
At Bled you can walk on footwalks around the lake and take boat trips to the island, which has a beautiful church and is a point of attraction for the lake.
Bohinj Lake is more suitable for adventurers and lovers of extreme activities. It has a nautical school where you can rent canoes, kayaks and do guided activities. There are also walking routes and cycling routes that you can do to observe the surrounding environment.
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#12 - Ojcow National Park (Poland)
Ojcow National Park is situated 25 km from Krakow, Poland. We rented a motorcycle in town and went to visit him. It is known for its large rock formations, caves and bats. A very beautiful area.
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#13- Beacon Beacons National Park (Wales)
Beacon Beacons was the only natural park we visited in Wales and was the area we liked the most in the country. The park is very nice, a green area with many hills and a mysterious climate. We were also in a very beautiful waterfall, which fell a few meters high.
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#14 - Cotswold National Park (England)
This national park is located in central south England and is known for its characteristic hills, with typical English villages, very calm and peaceful. Below we share some of the places we passed the Cotswold National Park.
Cotswold Wildlife Park (51 ° 46’25.4 ″ N 1 ° 39’14.3 ″ W) is a park full of animals ranging from giraffes, rhinos, muds, bats… The price is £ 15 per adult.
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#15 – Poloniny National Park (Slovakia/Poland)
We spent three nights in Slovakia and although we did not visit the capital or any major cities, we saw much of the north and northeast of the country. Two of the nights we were in the nature park, Poloniny. We saw on the park signs that there were bison, wolf and bears in the wild and we did some hiking to try to find them, but to no avail.
The park is very green and wooded, very good for walking the trails and breathing fresh air.
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#16 -Peneda Gerês National Park ( Portugal )
The Penêda Gerês natural park is intended for nature lovers. Located in the north of Portugal, next to the Spanish border, it is well known for its varied waterfalls, each with a trail to go and the most varied shades of blue and green.
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