The World’s 10 Best Parks and Preserves

"The steaming sands of Namib Naukluft National Park are the most perfect stretch of desolate desert – even photographs of the windswept ridges elicit thirst."

"In a country so incredibly large, it comes as no surprise that everything at Banff National Park is supersized: foxes are foxier, bears are grizzlier and moose could be mistaken for furry school buses."

"Over the last few decades, several places in Australia’s legendary outback have become the top spots on many tourists’ to-do lists – Alice Springs, the Blue Mountains, even Uluru."

"The Grand Canyon’s endless vistas of gorges and chasms are a favourite locale for geologists: the delicate history of the earth is locked in these myriad shelves of colourful rock."

"Welcome to Jurassic Park – you can almost hear the theme song playing in surround sound while you venture between the soaring limestone karsts."

"The biggest national park in the world, measuring roughly twice the size of France, is an unspoilt hinterland home to the polar bears and walruses that cavort between crystalline icebergs."

"Home to a series of chutes so beloved that two nations have claimed them, Iguazu Falls National Park is a photographer’s dream."

"Just when you thought that nothing could be more beautiful than Saba’s jagged volcanic landscape, a trip below the ocean’s surface reveals a colourful kingdom of neon coral that teems with fat reef sharks, sea turtles and slippery fish."

"After 10 seconds at Tongariro National Park, it’s easy to understand why the region was chosen as the backdrop for Peter Jackson’s epic Lord of the Rings trilogy."

"Our top 10 list would be incomplete without this old favourite – Darwin’s legendary stomping ground. The far-flung archipelago, a testament to evolutionary theory, features 19 large islands formed by soaring volcanoes."