National Parks

Lucy asked:


The Lake Nakuru National Park is one of the last remaining bird sanctuaries in the world today. Its the second most visited national park in Kenya after the Masai Mara Game Reserve and arguably the most profitable. The Lake is a shallow 3.5m deep soda lake inhabited by thousands of teeming Flamingos synonimous with the lake and is home to more than 400 other bird species, creating a marvel that is fulfilling to behold. This is the reason why many ornithologists flock here throughout the year in search of unique bird species.

The Lake Nakuru National Park was gazetted as a national park in 1961, initially only a few square miles in size but today it has grown to 180 square kilometers of euphorbia forest, woodland forest, grasslands, rocky cliffs and acasia forests habouring thousands of flamingos, hundreds of bird species more than you have ever seen in years, countless mammals, carnivorous animals, baboons, Hyraxes and Hippos. The Lake Nakuru National Park is also home to a black and white rhino sanctuary sorrounded by a high electric fence.
Making your way to the Lake Nakuru National Park, you will be greated to the acasia trees that line up the road, with the Lake at a comfortable distance from the road. This is a welcome site far removed from the commotion of life in the modern city environment that we are used to. A herd of Zebras and Waterbucks will always stop to stare at your tour van next to the road as the lake simmers in the distance. Around the Lake are the beautiful flamingos, you would think the lake is pink, but wait till you get close! Your emotions are carried away by the slow motion of the passion filled birds.

The Lake Nakuru National Park is dotted with public camping sites all over, costing anywhere between $10 to $20 per person per night, but it would be imperative for you to beware of mokeys and baboons which can be a nuisance at night sometimes. You could stay at the Eldorado Lodge, the Sarova Lion Hill Lodge, or the Lake Nakuru Lodge or if you are travelling on a budget, you could stay at the Backparkers’ camping site, or the wildlife Club of Kenya Youth Hostel which are set up at strategic sites looking down on the magnificient lake views. Except for the roar of an occassional car engine, you are sorrounded by ethereal beauty - Natural like you have never experienced in a long time.

A custom drive safari will involve waking up early in the morning to the warm rays of the african sunrise, mellowed by the chorus of a thousand birds as you get ready for a game drive. You will definately spot pegeons carrying twigs to their mates as they build nests, girraffes, zebras, and ofcourse the antelopes feeding gracefully off the lash grasslands as the beauty of the lake reflects the blue sky.



CONRAD

Sandra Lightowler asked:


Besides great sunshine, delicious cuisine and a rich monumental heritage, Andalucia also offers its visitors ample opportunities to revel in its diverse flora and fauna that abound in its two magnificent national parks, 23 natural parks and 31 assorted natural reserves. The two national parks; the Parque Nacional de Donana and the Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada are designated as such because of their vast range of geological and climatic diversity that has given rise to unique ecosystems comprising of desert areas, woods, mountains, dunes and wetlands. With minimum man-made alterations, both parks possess great scientific, ecological and educational importance.
Parque Nacional de Donana

Declared a national park way back in 1969, Parque Nacional de Donana or The Donana National Park in Andalucia is one of Europe’s most important ecological systems. Of special importance are the wetlands and the marshes that are an important breeding and resting place for migratory and local birds.

This 507 kilometre park is situated mainly in the south eastern part of the Huelva province of Andalucia, with a small portion falling in the Sevilla province.

The Donna National Park has three predominating landscape forms - the marshlands or the marisma, the dry desert like heath with its fixed dunes or coto, and the area near the coastline with its moving dunes or the dunas moviles.

The vegetation that can be seen in the park is determined by its different ecosystems, depending on whether it is dunes, fresh water and lakes or sandy grounds. Rich in flora and fauna, the Donna National Park is home to a large number of unique species, including the Lynx pardina. This exotic carnivore is endemic to the Iberian-Peninsula and has been adopted as the emblem of the Park.

Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada

Designated as a national park in 1999, the Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada is the second national park in Andalucia. Almost eight percent of this mountainous National Park lies in the province of Granada and the rest in Almeria.

The snow-covered Mulhacen (3,482 m) and Veleta (3,392 m) two of the highest peaks of the Iberian Peninsula, lie in the middle of the majestic Sierra Nevada National Park. The extraordinary landscape of this area is a result of the erosion resulting from the melting of the glaciers on these mountain ranges as well as the forests and different areas of natural vegetation. While part of the mountainous zone is quite dry and arid, the rest, especially the wooded middle and the upper mountain regions of the park are home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. In fact, more than twenty five per cent of the total species of plants found in Spain can be found in the Sierra Nevada National Park. Apart from this, the park is home to more than sixty plant species that are found only here and nowhere else. One of them is the spectacular Sierra Nevada violet.

The goose vulture, the falcon, the golden eagle are the main predatory birds found here while other feathered species like the great tit, the coal tit, the tomtit, the jaybird, the green woodpecker, larks and finches can also be found in abundance. The wooded region of the park is home to weasels, foxes, civets and badgers. The mountain goat is one of the most characteristic species found in the park.

Special vehicles are available for going up into the mountains while the more adventurous can join a trek on foot to reach the higher regions.

Both National Parks provide tourist facilities, including Visitor Information Centres, marked footpaths, paid camping sites, recreation areas with water and firewood, mountain bike tracks, marked footpaths, viewpoints, observatories and free camping sites.



PHILIP

KTM200chick asked:

Mountains, rivers, and streams in Glacier National Park

DION

gsigs asked:

Montage of stills and video from trip to Banff. Includes narration.

BYRON

Joe Mwangi asked:


A morning mist drifts silently by. We’re on the roof top of the most famous tree house in the world, the tree tops.

There’s always something new to read and discover in its reign of history. Like, half a century apart, someone must have stood on an icy cold morning like this one, looking over the brow of the mountainous range. There was little to be seen because of the mist, I read in one of the books on the history of this world famous place.

In the written hand of Sherbrooke Walker who built he tree house in October 1952, he enters “it rained all night long”. Visibility was poor and the party which he escorted didn’t see much. But another party in 1952 spends six days in the tree house and writes “Six days and nights in the tree makes it seem much closer to heaven than earth. It is with regret that we have to go below “. Its writer is Almond al Millet from Hollywood. Could this person have been in the same party as the legendary Walt Disney who also visited Treetops in 1952? I wonder.

Dinner is served and interrupted by a party of elephants. For some, it’s the excitement of having the worlds largest land mammals in residence.

The night passes. God’s mighty mountain is well shrouded. Daniel Musau who has worked for the establishment for close to two decades and welcomed prince Edward and his wife at treetops tells us that when the mountain is invisible, it means the gods are having a closed door meeting. For the two days that were in its shadows,Kenyas towering massif remains hidden in the mists.

In the spotlight below, a baby elephant is busy trying to shake something off its trunks as the mother stays close bye. The silent is busy with the resident animals all scrambling for a drink at the water hole, one taking a midnight muddy bath in the shallow waters. Their antics are well- known amongst the staff.” If you look at the buffaloes, you’ll see that many are missing a tail. Its because of these hyenas,” says Daniel

The black rhino and her calf walk the exact path to the waterhole, drink ,linger for a while and then disappear into the darkness. Meanwhile, the rhino ranger has taken his digital pictures which he shows me on his powerful camera. The data will be entered into the national rhino database. The good news is that the Aberdare rhino population is increasing. There is an estimated 65 in the 776 square kilometers park.

Treetops has had its share of drama. The original tree house, constructed in 1932,was burnt down during by the Mau Mau freedom fighters in 1954. It was from this tree house that a princess climbed down as the queen of the British Empire – Queen Elizabeth.

Undeterred Sherbrooke Walker went on to built a new one in 1957.

THE Queen returned in 1983 and spent the night in the Queen Elizabeth suite, one of the two self contained suites facing the waterhole with its private balcony

Things have changed over time. In the 1950s, he animal migration routes were still intact between Mt Kenya and the Aberdares . Elephants and other mega- herbivores like rhinos and buffaloes have followed the grass routes for centuries, allowing the grasses to regenerate. Today, the Aberdare national park is farmed up to the fence line. In the hotel lobby , a poster catches my eye. Its from the Rhino Ark in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service, the custodians of the country’s wildlife heritage.

To reduce the conflict between the animals and farmers, the wildlife partners came up with the idea of fence. So far 265 kilometers have been completed with 85 to go. The reasons given for the fencing are that it will conserve the water catchment as the aberdares are one of the five water towers of Kenya; it will conserve its indigenous forest and the rhinos and other wildlife; it will bring humans in harmony with the habitat and wildlife. Anyone wishing to support the project can donate US$20 which will take care of one meter of fence or US$100 which will build five meters of fence.

After a late breakfast in the company of the buffaloes at the Treetops, we depart for the outspan which is the base hotel for Treetops . Built in 1928 by Sherbrooke Walker and his wife Lady Bettie, it has kept its charm of the past. By the Kirinyaga tavern , we meet with a famous patron of the tavern- the resident peacock.

“Now that you have your cameras out, he will come to the front and pose for you,”Paul Nguyo, the sales executive of the hotel comments. For sure,it soon comes to the pub and in a flurry of feathers opens it tail like a fan,undeterred by us.

Not far from the Outspan is the Agikuyu Peace Museum. It’s a small museum, very nondescript from the outside. But inside



DUNCAN

M I S S eRiCa<3 asked:


I will be going to Yosemite national park in july 22nd.
I will get there at 9:00 A.M. & I have to leave at 3:00 P.M.

What can I do for 6 hours?
I want to see the yosemite valley, the falls and stuff
and I also want to see the mariposa grove, the grizzly giant.
but I don’t know how I can see all of them in 6 hours.
because I’m going to drive my own car there.
Where would I park?
Would I have to walk all the way?

Please help me.
so what im trying to figure out is,

if i want to see a viewpoint or any falls,
is there anywhere to park near it?
because if not, we’d have to park somewhere far away and walk all the way.

GERALD

z88 asked:


I’m a sophomore in college and my major is history. I was just planning on teaching it, but my friend (who is also a history major) told me that he is going to get a job with a National Park and I thought that was a great idea. So, if anyone out there works for the National Parks or knows anything about starting a career in one I’d really appreciate it.

JOHNNIE

KM T asked:


I will be driving from Bay area to Yellowstone national park. Its over 970 miles. I want to stay overnight at some place in Nevada on highway 80. Does anyone have recommendation about where to stay?

CEDRIC

livemontana asked:

An amatuer photographer’s first attempt at making a professional video. Glacier’s most beautiful backcountry locations including a special segment on specactular waterfalls few park visitors ever see. Part 1 of the recently shot Glacier DVD. This 20 min. film recently was nominated for best new nature documentary in the music category as well received an award for photography from the Wildlife Film Festival held in May of 2008. All funds for this project are being donated to the Glacier …

LINWOOD

diverdave8 asked:

Here are some interesting pictures from Acadia National Park in Maine. Interesting to see how the same scene can change with the seasons! Music is “Mountain Aire”; a quick piece I wrote to see if I could do anything with guitar and harmonica. Acadia is truly a place to be for those who love the outdoors. Hike, bike, kayak, do volunteer work (Friends of Acadia) or just plain RELAX, Acadia is whatever you want it to be!

RANDY