The Greatest National Parks in the Southern Hemisphere

What It Covers

Host Gary Arndt covers seven personally visited national parks across the Southern Hemisphere — spanning Australia, New Zealand, Ecuador, Argentina, South Africa, and Namibia — highlighting each park's defining features, wildlife, and practical visitor logistics.

Key Questions Answered

• •Kakadu National Park (Australia): Located 240 km east of Darwin, covering 20,000 sq km, Kakadu contains thousands of Aboriginal rock art sites dating back 60,000 years alongside saltwater crocodiles and 280 bird species. The park can be explored thoroughly in approximately two days.
• •Galapagos Islands (Ecuador): Situated 1,000 km off Ecuador's coast, the park offers two distinct visit styles — live-aboard multi-island cruises or cheaper land-based day trips departing from Puerto Ayora. Wildlife including marine iguanas and giant tortoises shows no fear of humans due to isolated evolution.
• •Los Glaciares (Argentina): The Perito Moreno Glacier periodically dams Lake Argentino, builds pressure, forms an ice arch, then collapses violently — a cycle broadcast live on Argentine television. Visiting during or near a collapse event offers a rare, documented natural spectacle worth timing a trip around.
• •Namib-Naukluft (Namibia): One of Earth's oldest deserts features sand dunes exceeding 300 meters. Self-navigation is impractical due to absent roads; guided ground tours or aerial flyovers from Swakopmund or Walvis Bay are the two recommended access methods, both yielding distinct perspectives of the landscape.