Saturday 30 April 2011

10 Most Beautiful National Parks in New Zealand

1. Fiordland National Park
Fiordland National Park (established in 1952) is a vast, remote wilderness and the heart of Te Wāhipounamu - South West New Zealand World Heritage Area which was recognised by UNESCO in 1990 as an area of outstanding natural value. The park gains renowned as the home of Mitre Peak and the Fiords of Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound. Also well know are the Great Walks (the Milford Track, Routeburn Track, and Kepler Tracks). Southwest New Zealand is one of the great wilderness areas of the Southern Hemisphere. It is an area where snow-capped mountains, rivers of ice, deep lakes, unbroken forests and tussock grasslands produce a landscape of exceptional beauty. Some of the best examples of animals and plants, which were once found on the ancient super-continent of Gondwana, still exist here. The park spans an area of 12,500 km² is the largest National Park in New Zealand and administered by the Department of Conservation.

Monday 25 April 2011

10 Most Popular Tourist Attractions in South Korea

1. Gyeongbokgung Palace
Built in 1394 under orders of King Taejo, the first king and founder of the Joseon Dynasty. The Gyeongbokgung Palace houses the National Folk Museum and the National Palace Museum of Korea. The palace is composed of several buildings including the Gangnyeongjeon (Gangnyeongjeon Hall), which was used as the king's main sleeping and living quarters. It is arguably the most beautiful of its four sister palaces, which are all in Seoul. The Gyeongbokgung Palace was originally a massive complex of 330 buildings and 5,792 rooms. Many of the buildings were destroyed during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-1945). Since 1989, the Korean government is in the process of rebuilding the structures that were destroyed.

Sunday 17 April 2011

10 Best Destinations in Bhutan

1. Phuentsholing
The frontier town, it is a thriving commercial centre, situated directly at the base of Himalayan foothills. It is a fascinating place where different ethnic groups mingle prominently Indian, Bhutanese and Nepalese. Being the border town, Phuentsholing serves as the convenient entry/exit point for Bhutan and also the important link to visit the Indian state of West Bengal, Sikkim and Assam.

Monday 11 April 2011

10 Most Spectacular National Parks in China

1. Jiuzhai Valley-Huanglong National Park 九寨沟-黄龙
Jiuzhai Valley is locally known as Jiuzhaigou (Chinese for “Nine Village Valley”). It is a National Park located in the Min Shan mountain range, Northern Sichuan in South Western China. It is also best known for its fabled blue and green lakes, spectacular waterfalls, narrow conic karst land forms and its unique wildlife. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992; the park joined the Man and Biosphere Conservation Network in 1997 and has also received IUCN, Green Globe and ISO 14,001 accreditation.

Huanglong is a scenic and historic area in Songpan County North-West of Sichuan. Located in the southern part of the Minshan mountain range, 150 km North-West of Chengdu, this beautiful National Park features with colorful pools formed by calcite deposits, diverse forest ecosystems, snow-capped peaks, waterfalls and hot springs. Huanglong is also home to many endangered species including Giant Panda and Sichuan Golden Snub-nosed Monkey. Being a special nature reserve of the world, Huanglong Scenic Area was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1992.

Tuesday 5 April 2011

10 Largest National Parks in Australia

1. Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park is situated between the Wildman and East Alligator rivers, 200 km east of Darwin, Northern Territory. The largest National Park in Australia, covers an area of 19,804 km². One of the World Heritage Site that is a unique archaeological and ethnological reserve which has been inhabited continuously for 50,000 years covering almost the entire catchment of a major tropical monsoonal river system. It is a unique example of a complex of ecosystems, including tidal flats, floodplains, lowlands and plateaux, and provides a habitat for a wide range of rare and endemic species of plants and animals. In addition an immense range of cave paintings, rock carvings and archaeological sites record the skills and way of life of the region's inhabitants, from the hunter-gatherers of prehistoric times to the present Aboriginal inhabitants still living there provide an outstanding record of human interaction with the environment over tens of thousands of years.