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30 Wild and Beautiful Places in Europe

Published 8 May 2018, 21:15 BST
Cheile Bicazului-Hăşmaş National Park, Romania

Cheile Bicazului-Hăşmaş National Park, Romania: The Bicaz Gorges offer a unique view of the Ceahlau Mountains.

Photograph by Cornelia Dörr, Wild Wonders of Europe

Pissouri, Cyprus: The location known as 'Aphrodite's Rock' in Cyprus has rare geological characteristics related to the interaction of the tectonic plates.

Photograph by Peter Lilja, Wild Wonders of Europe

Crna Poda Natural Reserve, Montenegro: Black pines stand in the early light of Crna Poda Natural Reserve in Montenegro.

Photograph by Milan Radisics, Wild Wonders of Europe

Oulanka National Park, Finland: A vast boreal forest of Scotch pines, spruces, and silver birches, Oulanka contains a striking biodiversity despite its northerly location near the Arctic Circle.

Photograph by Staffan Widstrand, Wild Wonders of Europe

Hornstrandir, Iceland: Free to roam and hunt without human intrusion, the elusive Arctic fox is a protected species in Hornstrandir Nature Reserve of Iceland's West Fjords.

Photograph by Orsolya Haarberg, Wild Wonders of Europe

Aiguilles Rouges, France: The magnificent Aiguilles Rouges, named for their reddish colour in early morning light, lie to the north-west of the Mont Blanc massif in the French Prealps.

Photograph by Frank Krahmer, Wild Wonders of Europe

Durmitor National Park, Montenegro: Durmitor National Park contains the enormous Durmitor Massif and three breathtaking canyons, including that of the wild Tara River, which is home to Europe’s deepest gorge at 1,300 metres.

Photograph by Milán Radisics, Wild Wonders of Europe

Bodø, Norway: Existing for more than 2,000 years, the Saltstraumen whirlpool near Bodø is the world's strongest whirlpool.

Photograph by Magnus Lundgren, Wild Wonders of Europe

Oulanka National Park, Finland: The landscape of Oulanka National Park is made up of pine forests, river valleys with sandy banks, and white water rapids.

Photograph by Sven Zacek, Wild Wonders of Europe

Lake Kerkíni, Greece: Dalmatian pelicans – the largest of the pelican family – splash in Lake Kerkíni in Northern Greece.

Photograph by Phototgraph by Jari Peltomaki, Wild Wonders of Europe

High in the Pennine Alps, the Matterhorn Glacier is more than 1.5 miles at its base.

Photograph by Verena Popp-Hackner, Wild Wonders of Europe

Riisitunturi National Park, Finland: In Finland's Lapland province, Riisitunturi National Park is covered with spruce trees under a thick coating of frost, creating a photogenic white forest.

Photograph by Sven Zacek, Wild Wonders of Europe

Meteora, Greece: Home to nomadic Greek Orthodox monks for centuries, these peaks also contain a complex of more than 20 monasteries.

Photograph by Milan Radisics, Wild Wonders of Europe

Piatra Craiului National Park, Romania: Famous for its forests and Zarnesti Gorge, the park contains one of Romania's highest mountain ranges and plenty of wildlife like deer, chamois, wolves, and lynx.

Photograph by Cornelia Dorr, Wild Wonders of Europe

Plitvice National Park, Croatia: Gradinsko lake got its name after 'gradina', meaning 'old fortified town' in Croatian, which once rose on the hill near this lake in Plitvice National Park.

Photograph by Maurizio Biancarelli, Wild Wonders of Europe

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia: Hundreds of waterfalls link 16 lakes in Plitvice Lakes National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Photograph by Maurizio Biancarelli, Wild Wonders of Europe

Antikythera, Greece: On the Aegean Sea, between Crete and Antikythera island, the Greek island of Antikythera provides a stop-over for migratory birds, including the largest breeding colony of Eleonora's falcon in the world. It's also home to a large population of wild goats.

Photograph by Stefani Unterthiner, Wild Wonders of Europe

Alonissos, Greece: Almonds, grapes, figs, and olives grow on the Greek island of Alonnisos.

Photograph by Stefano Unterthiner, Wild Wonders of Europe

Dyrehaven, Denmark: More than 2,000 free range deer inhabit the forests of Dyrehaven, which literally means 'the deer park', which was once used for hunting by the Danish royalty and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Photograph by Florian Moellers, Wild Wonders of Europe

Langanes Peninsula, Iceland: Gannet colonies nest in the sea cliffs of Iceland’s Langanes peninsula, a prime birdwatching spot.

Photograph by Orsolya Haarberg, Wild Wonders of Europe

Durmitor National Park, Montenegro: The Tara River slices through Durmitor National Park in Montenegro, forming the Tara river canyon, which has the deepest gorge in Europe.

Photograph by Milan Radisics, Wild Wonders of Europe

Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy: Named after Gran Paradiso mountain, which is located in the park, this natural refuge in Italy is contiguous with the French Vanoise National Park.

Photograph by Erlend Haarberg, Wild Wonders of Europe

About four-fifths of the global population of Eleonora's falcons nest in Greece.

Photograph by Stefano Unterthiner, Wild Wonders of Europe

Plitvice National Park, Croatia: Proscansko Lake is the highest lake and the second-largest of the 16-lake system that makes up Plitvice National Park.

Photograph by Maurizio Biancarelli, Wild Wonders of Europe

Svalbard, Norway: The Norwegian islands of Svalbard are home to more polar bears than people.

Photograph by Mireille de la Lez, Wild Wonders of Europe

Sierra de Gredos, Spain: A nimble and majestic animal, the Iberian ibex easily seen on excursions above 1600 metres in Sierra de Gredos.

Photograph by Staffan Widstrand, Wild Wonders of Europe

Durmitor National Park, Montenegro: Prutas Peak stands the tallest in Durmitor National Park.

Photograph by Milán Radisics, Wild Wonders of Europe

Svalbard, Norway: Sunbathing here on the rugged coast of Svalbard, Norway, the walrus is the largest seal species in the Arctic and the second-largest on a global scale (only male elephant seals outgrow them).

Photograph by Mireille de la Lez, Wild Wonders of Europe

Plitvice National Park, Croatia: The vast majority of the water in Plitvice comes from two main river sources: the Crna Rijeka (shown here) and the Bijela Rijeka.

Photograph by Maurizio Biancarelli, Wild Wonders of Europe
Photograph by Tom Schandy, Wild Wonders of Europe
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