Grazing Giraffe Taken at Longleat Safari Park, UK by Alan Hern

1. Woburn Abbey Deer Park

Many different types of deer live together at this deer park, including the shy and retiring Musa deer, the Sika, Axis, Chital Deer, and Barasingha. Muntjac and Chinese Water Deer are more aloof and you may see these miniature friends hoofing around solo. The 11th Duke of Bedford founded the Deer Park as he wished to preserve many species on his estate. Today you can visit the 3,000 acre estate and see the deer on foot as you roam through.

2. Otters! Nationwide…except Kent

Otters are now back in healthy numbers after spending the last decade on the brink of extinction. There’s only one place you can’t see an otter in the wild: Kent! Thanks to the work of bodies like the Sussex Wildlife Trust, otter numbers have returned to healthy levels in most of the country.

3. Golden Eagle, Scottish Highlands

Golden eagles are not a common sight in the UK but there are a couple of places you can see them. This massive and impressive bird of prey traditionally homes in the open moorlands and wild mountains of Scotland. Eagles are incredibly loyal to their traditional nesting sites and don’t like to have their territories or routines disturbed. Consequently, it’s hard to conserve eagles without the right habitat.

4. Dragonflies and damselflies

Dungeness RSPB Reserve is a great place to see British birds and of course, beautiful jewel-like dragonflies. Dungeness is made up of miles of shingle, particularly across the beach area. Altogether there are 40 species of dragon and damselflies in the UK. The sound of a dragonfly buzzing over a pond is one of the most familiar sounds of British summertime.

5. Longleat Safari Park

See all of nature’s charismatic megafauna at this famous and much loved wildlife park in the South West of England (between Bristol, Glastonbury and Southampton). You can see giraffes, lions, elephants and cheetahs all gambolling around the grounds of Longleat manor. Longleat is an 18th century house in 900 acres of manicured parklands, providing a grand setting for corporate events and weddings.

Be careful when out trekking in the UK. Although we have adders and vipers (venomous snakes native to the UK) , we don’t have anything too dangerous lurking in our wilds. That will take care of those clinical negligence claims you’re thinking about filing when you’re flailing about in A&E).

Remember to plan ahead if you’re going somewhere remote and bring a fully charged camera with you, or a notepad, or whatever you use to collect your data or make memories!

Doreen Cruise loves nature conservation and social media – sometimes together!

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by overdrive_cz

Malá Fatra is located in the northern part of the country. Its tourist centre is Terchová village. Accommodation is offered mostly by private owners in their home areas or cottages. The prices are around €10 per night. There are also several hotels with prices around €35 per night. In every village around the park you can find local restaurants offering delicious meals for little money.

Charming small waterfalls and gorges in Vrátna Valley

One of the most interesting trips that can be undertaken in a national park, is a visit to two waterfalls. One of them is Šútovský waterfall which is set at the river Sut in Šútovská dolina valley. The stream is more than 2 meters wide and falls to 38 meters deep gorge.

Another one, which is one of the rarest Slovak falls, is 10 meters high Klacký waterfall, declared a national natural monument. There is stunning countryside around with wild rapids and a giant pots (holes carved by water).

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Petrusia1

Gorges in Vrátna valley and Terchová valley are popular hiking attractions thanks to a beautiful scenery of rocky formations but also to local folklore festivities. They are held here every year in honor of Juraj Jánošík, a native of Terchová village.

You can also visit Crystal cave in Malý Rozsutec or climb to the highest peak of Malá Fatra – Veľký Kriváň (1709 m). If you get tired you can relax in nearby thermal park Meander Park in Oravice featuring geothermal water with temperature ranging from 35 to 37°C, or in another thermal park Bešeňová.

If you wish to learn more about famous Juraj Jánošík you can visit museum in Terchová or another popular open air museum in the village Nová Bystrica – Vychylovce. It documents the local folk architecture and life in the past. An interesting exhibition is the historic forest railways from the early 20th century.

Malá Fatra National Park with the equally interesting surroundings is simply the perfect place for a nice and cheap holiday. If you want to save some money in these hectic days and enjoy great nature at the same time, come to Slovakia.

View Malá Fatra National Park – one of the most visited national parks in Slovakia in a larger map

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