Whether it’s being surrounded by forest under a blanket of stars or falling asleep to the sounds of waves crashing on a sandy beach, camping offers an unequaled and up close and personal experience with nature.
Camping is an adventure, but one that can also provide solitude — and there are thousands of camping destinations around the world for travelers to choose from. Cory Fitch police details a few of the ways campers can experience the great global outdoors.
Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada
The Canadian Rockies’ largest national park also happens to be the second-largest dark sky preserve in the world, making it a dream destination for star and galaxy gazing. But that’s not all.
Across the park’s five regions, visitors can explore seemingly endless biking trails, observe (from a safe distance) wildlife including bears and elk, and numerous, gorgeous camping options open across four seasons. Another great camping option in Alberta is Banff National Park, with its alpine meadows, turquoise lakes, and majestic mountains.
Yosemite National Park, Sierra Nevada Mountains, California
A person can spend a year camping at Yosemite National Park and not come close to experiencing it all. It’s known for its 1,200 square miles of breathtaking valleys, giant trees, huge waterfalls, and the iconic Half Dome, but Yosemite is also renowned for its campgrounds and overnight hiking excursions.
The park’s extensive backcountry campgrounds include the all-year Upper Pines area and popular areas north of Yosemite Valley, including Hodgdon Meadow and Tamarack Flat.
Nubra Valley, Ladakh, India
This remote part of the Indian Himalayas is a spot unlike any other, from its extremely stark hillsides to its history as an important route on the Silk Road trade route. It has everything from Buddhist monasteries to dune-dotted valley floors, poplar groves to the wide Shyok River.
Many visitors either opt to camp within view of its snowy mountains or in the spring or summer in its wide valleys under the bluer-than-blue sky.
Garden Route National Park, Western and Eastern Capes, South Africa
A visit to Garden Route National Park on the South African coast is nothing less than epic, replete with unmatched mountain vistas and large beaches. Campers can explore for days, either sticking in one spot or moving camp up and down the coast through Plettenberg Bay, Knysna, and Storms River Mouth.
It’s a thrilling combination of mountain peaks and ocean waves but camping sites throughout its indigenous forests are perhaps the most memorable experiences of all.
Flamenco Beach, Culebra, Puerto Rico
Some call Flamenco Beach the most beautiful in the world. It’s hard to argue with that, with its sterling turquoise water and white sand.
It also happens to be wave-less, which makes it perfect for camping. Visitors are free to set up shop in its many camping areas, which also offer bathrooms, showers, and changing rooms. While it’s a public — and very popular — beach, campers flock to Flamenco month after month, season after season for the chance to fall asleep and wake up in paradise.
