12 awesome pictures from Earth's best national parks

Vatnajokull National Park is located in Iceland. It's famous for its glacial ice, waterfalls, deep valleys, and active volcanoes.The Vatnajokull Glacier is the second-largest glacier outside of the Arctic. The park provides activities like skiing trips, riding a snowmobile, and jeep safaris. Visitors can also enjoy sailing trips between icebergs.

Jiuzhaigou National Park is located in the Sichuan province of Central China. It’s called the “Valley of Nine Villages”, as nine ancient Tibetan villages were located there many years ago. The park is known for its multi-storied waterfalls, mountains, and hundreds of lakes, which are clear and turquoise.

Goreme National Park is located in central Turkey. This beautiful park is made up of sharp rock formations. The rock formations are the result of thousands of years of water and wind erosion. People have lived here since the 4th century. They have created underground tunnels and villages which were used to hide from Arab invaders.

Galápagos National Park is located about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) off the coast of Ecuador. It was established in 1959, and now it's the oldest park in the country. This park is the home to animals and plants that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Even penguins live there! Galapagos has its own species of tortoises, lizards, and sea lions.

Yellowstone National Park is located in Wyoming. It was established on March 1, 1872. This national park is famous for hundreds of geysers like “Old Faithful” and thousands of mud hot springs. Gray wolves, black bears, and grizzly bears live in the park.

Serengeti National Park is located in northern Tanzania. Serengeti means "endless plain." This national park is known for such animals as antelopes, zebras, and gazelles.