Tag archives for Parks
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Let our African animal adventure begin!
Etosha National Park or “Great White Place of Dry Water” is a world renowned game reserve; it is also where we spent our next epic week! Fun fact… Etosha covers an area of 22,912km.
A lioness
Within minutes of entering the park we spotted an oryx catching some shade under a tree, from then on the excitement continued. At our first campsite there was a beautiful watering hole filled with all kinds of game; zebra, springbok, kudu, dik-dik, oryx, wildebeest and my favorites… a family of giraffe coming for dinner and a drink. There were four of them so they reminded me of our family. As the sky started to turn purple we watched a lone elephant come for a bath and a drink. Did you know that over 12,000 elephants now live in Namibia thanks to the help of animal conservationists?
Just as the sun was waking up the next morning we left for a sunrise drive.
Coming across the savannah were different kinds of antelope, zebra and then the most amazing of all, can you guess what it was? It was a lioness and her two fully grown cubs. They had just killed a zebra for breakfast and they were gorging themselves on his tender organs. You could hear them tearing his flesh to pieces with their razor sharp teeth. It wasn’t a pretty sight. They couldn’t have been any closer; if I stuck my hand out the window I could nearly touch them. They definitely are not vegetarians like me!
After a yummy breakfast and a successful hunt they were tuckered out so they said goodbye and were on their way. We couldn’t have started the day with anything more incredible.
An African elephant
The watering hole at our next peaceful amazing campsite was beautifully natural and also full of wildlife. Our best sighting was of four rhino coming for an evening splash. They are so prehistoric looking with their wrinkly skin and crusty horn. I had never seen a rhino before so it was extra special.
Our next radiant morning was unbelievable; we saw another elephant, a group of three giraffe just a few feet from our car and last and certainly most amazing a leopard pacing in the bush. That made four of the big five. What is the big five? The big five is denoted as the hardest animals to hunt on foot. We aren’t hunters but seeing those animals was pretty special. We had seen lion, leopard, elephant, and rhino all we need now is a cape buffalo.
Each of our evenings in Estosha was spent by the campfire cooking dinner, gazing at the brilliant sky and sharing stories about the animals and our adventures with my family. We were really lucky to have seen SO many beautiful animals.
Namibia is an extraordinary country full of natural beauty and wonder!
A giraffe
Posted by Celebrate America’s parks on May 19! Kids all over the country will be visiting parks this Saturday. Are you planning to visit a park with your family this weekend? Check out the National Kids to Parks Day website to find an event near you and register to participate. As the National Park Trust mascot Buddy Bison says, “Explore outdoors, the parks are yours!”
Did you visit a park for National Kids to Parks Day last year?
Do you have a favorite national park or state park?
Ask your parents to sign up at the official National Kids to Parks website.
(AD) Check out the National Geographic Kids National Parks Guide U.S.A.
(AD) Tell your parents about the National Geographic National Parks book and app.
See pictures of U.S. national parks on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Jim Neumann, My Shot
Celebrate America’s parks on May 19! Kids nationwide are gearing up for the second annual National Kids to Parks Day. “National Kids to Parks Day encourages children across America to get out and play. This simple idea of playing in a park can potentially give millions of kids the reason to get active and get outside just as families prepare for summer,” said Grace Lee, executive director of the National Park Trust.
Visit the National Kids to Parks Day website to find an event near you and register to participate. As the National Park Trust mascot Buddy Bison says, “Explore outdoors, the parks are yours!”
Ask your parents to sign up at the official National Kids to Parks website.
(AD) Check out the National Geographic Kids National Parks Guide U.S.A.
(AD) Tell your parents about the National Geographic National Parks book and app.
See pictures of U.S. national parks on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Joel Ocay, My Shot
Leaving our hotel in Paraguay at 2:00 am wasn’t super fun but we arrived at the immigration office just five hours later. While we waited for our boat over to Iguazu Falls, Argentina we stared at the beautiful river from shore. The sunrise and the morning mist were truly magical. This is where Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil all join together.
When our ferry arrived we all hopped on very excited to see some of the largest waterfalls in the world. Tomorrow we would go to the park, but first we had to get our Brazilian visas. We left the consulate office with our passports stamped, explored the town and found a tourist office. After hearing about all the activities we decided that The Great Adventure boat ride was by far the best even though we were told “YOU WILL GET SOAKED”. The next morning we suited up, put on our life jackets and boarded the 9:00 o’clock boat. We traveled down the river for a while, as we got close to the falls our jaws all dropped in awe.
Ranthambhor: The Land of the Tiger
Do you know how many tigers there are in India? Take a guess… Ok this is the answer… there are about 1,000 in India and about 3,000 in the world. A century ago there were 40,000 tigers just in India and about 80,500 tigers in the world! It is really sad, the numbers have declined because people have been hunting them. Many animal protection groups throughout the world are trying to put an end to this.
I was really lucky, out of the 1,000 that remain in India I got to see one 15 year old mama tiger in Ranthambhor National Park. She was only a few feet away from us. We were some of the only visitors that got to see a tiger this time of the year.
Did you know that kids living in the U.S. spend 50% less time outdoors than kids did 20 years ago? Forests are great places to have outdoor adventures, spend time with your family, and learn about nature. You never know what you’ll discover. Grab your parents and tell them you want to go on an outdoor adventure this weekend.
National Get Outdoors Day is on June 11. What will you do outside to celebrate?
Visit the Discover the Forest website to find a forest or park near you.
Getting outdoors doesn’t have to mean a long trip. Find out how to go camping in your own backyard on National Geographic Kids.
Image courtesy USDA Forest Service and The Ad Council
Do you like to explore? Kids living in the U.S. spend 50% less time outdoors than kids did 20 years ago. Forests are great places to have outdoor adventures and learn about nature. You’ll never know what you’ll discover. Grab your parents and tell them you want to go on an outdoor adventure this weekend. Visit the Discover the Forest site to get inspired and print out a book full of cool stuff to do featuring Shrek!
Why does Shrek like visiting the forest? Watch the new Discover the Forest video on YouTube to find out!!
Visit Discover the Forest to find a forest or park near you.
You can go on a camping trip in your backyard! Find out how on National Geographic Kids.
Have you ever wanted to explore a new place and just be yourself? Forests are a great place for outdoors adventure! The Discover the Forest website helps you find a park or forest near you. Once you’ve picked a spot, you can print out a book of ideas, learn to use a compass, and match animal tracks. Go exploring!
Watch the Discover the Forest video from the Forest Service.
Visit Discover the Forest to find a park near you.
What’s it like to be a conservationist? Meet Mike Fay.
Learn how to take a camping trip in your backyard on National Geographic Kids.
