Category Geography

The annual migration of western white-bearded wildebeests is one of the most spectacular wildlife events. At the onset of autumn, more than 1.5 million wildebeests embark on their journey along with gazelles and zebras along the Serengeti-Masai Mara ecosystem and cross the Kenya-Tanzania border twice. These animals migrate in search of water and fresh grazing grounds.

Serengeti National Park is known across the globe for the abundance of wildlife and rich biodiversity.

The most popular animals among the tourists are known as the ‘big five’ – lion, African leopard, African bush elephant, eastern black rhinoceros and African buffalo. The Park also has a rich bird life; there are more than 500 species of birds in Serengeti.

The reptiles in the park include the Nile crocodile, leopard tortoise and African python.

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Chimpanzees are the main wildlife attraction at Mahale. The Mahale Mountains National Park is located on the banks of Lake Tanganyika. The forests around the mountains are rich in wildlife.

Around 700 chimpanzees live here. In fact, the chimpanzees at Mahale are among the best studied in the world. These animals are used to the presence of humans observing them. It is one of the only two protected areas for chimpanzees in the country. Also, it is the only place where chimpanzees and lions co-exist.

The mountain rise steeply from the lakeshore and is filled with thick forests full of monkeys and birds. The monkey species include red monkeys and red-tailed monkeys. There are other animals too like ungulates, bushbucks and antelopes.

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Triglav National Park is the only national park in Slovenia. The highest peak of the Julian Alps, Mount Triglav lies right in the middle of the Park. The Park takes its name from Mount Triglav.

Triglav National Park is rich in medical plants. Almost 62 per cent of the Park is filled with 37 species that have various medicinal properties. They have been extensively studied by various ecologists. In order to conserve them, some of these plants are banned from being collected or used.

There are two major rivers in Triglav-Sava River and Soca River. There are many waterfalls in these rivers and their tributaries. Apart from this, there are several glacial lakes as well.

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Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park is Spain’s first protected area; it is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. The vegetation in Ordesa varies according to the elevation of the specific region. At a height of 1,500-1,700 metres, there are extensive forests of beeches, Abies alba, pines, oaks, and a lesser extent of birches, ashes, and willows. Mountain pines dominate the area upto a height of 2000 metres.

Bucardo, a variety of wild goat was the most important species of Ordesa. Despite the conservation efforts, the species became extinct in 2000. There are other species such as the alpine marmot, boar and the Pyrenean desman. Ordesa is also home to birds like the golden eagle, the bearded vulture, the griffon vulture, hawks, and the royal owl.

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Peneda-Geres National Park is the only national park in Portugal. The Park was established to protect the soil, water, flora, fauna, and landscape of the place.

The Park is a jumble of oak forests, bogs, green valleys, and granite heights that are at least 300 million years old. Europe has a very few number of wolf packs and Peneda-Geres is home to some of them. It is also home to others, salamanders, 147 different species of birds and fifteen species of bats which are endangered. Most of the birds found here are migratory.

Wild ponies and Garrano ponies are native to the Park since a very long time. However in the mid-twentieth century, they were nearly wiped out due to extensive domestication. The Portuguese government began to rebuild the herds in the 1940s.

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If you are going to visit Sarek, be ready to see at least a hundred glaciers and several mountains that are at least 2000 metres tall. Six of Sweden’s highest mountains are in Sarek.

Sarek National Park has a unique geology that can be attributed to glacial activity. The meltwater from the glaciers flow through the valleys and form the world’s most famous alpine delta, the Rapa river delta. The continuous movement of the ice sheets produces rock dust. It is then carried away by the meltwater that later forms the deltas. The ice sheet has also sculpted large U-shaped valleys.

The Sami people came to Sarek thousands of years ago. They were hunter gatherers who hunted reindeer which were a source of meat and milk for them. Sami settlement can still be found within Sarek.

Picture Credit : Google