If you've ever wanted to go backpacking in Poland, and who hasn't, consider the country's 22 National Parks that are protected areas for animal life.

Poland's Bialowieski National Park was prized as a hunting reserve of Polish kings and Russian tsars. Designated as a national park in 1921, the area is a haven for herds of European bison, the continent's largest animal. Marked trails in the primeval woodlands reveal the rare tarpan wild horses, deer and elk amidst the colorful collage of plant species, trees and brushwood.

The Baltic Sea bordering on the north and a network of lakes create a scenic background for the shifting sand dunes that characterize Poland's Slowenski National Park.

National Parks of Poland provides detailed descriptions of each of the many areas.

If you feel bogged down in boredom, the peatlands in Ireland may perk up your spirits. Outdoor Ireland's Wild Boglands tells us that while other countries have depleted their peat as fuel, Erin has turned its "turf" into a network of nature reserves.

Besides links to boglands in counties Kildare, Offaly, Laois, Galway and Mayo, National Parks of Ireland does justice to the country's enchanting landscape. The red deed found in Glenveagh's protected area, the heather moss ferns of Killarney's park and The Burren's limestone slab rock garden, plus migratory stops for birds in 71 National Nature Reserves, are surely worth a trip across the sea.

The Aussies were pioneers in land preservation, setting aside more than 5 percent of the continent as parks, reserves, refuges and marine areas. Australia National Parks elaborates on the Great Barrier Reef stretching 1,400 miles along the Eastern Shore.

The truly adventurous will appreciate the remote mountains, eucalyptus forests and temperate rainforests in the untamed parklands of Tasmania, located off Australia's southern coast. Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Services Visitor's Guide introduces a listing of individual park areas. Prominent among them is Asbestos Range National Park, which is the place to meet the Forester kangaroo, Bennetts wallaby and common wombat. And, if you're good, you might be rewarded by a glimpse of the Tasmanian devil.

India's Ranthambor National Park is home to the tiger, leopard, striped hyena, jackal, caracal and jungle cat, not to mention the sloth bear, wild boar, mongoose and other exotic creatures. Named for an 11^th-century fort that still exists, the park is located in western Rajasthan where the Aravali and Vindhya ranges meet. An eclectic terrain in Ranthambor, where you might encounter the marsh crocodile, flows from rock formations to lakes, streams and forest and a stretch of savannah.

For a virtual voyage to the world's most famous wildlife preserve, sign on with the TerraQuest Ecuador expedition to the Galapagos. A checklist of species showcases the blue-footed booby, the magnificent frigatebird, penguins, tortoise and iguanas.

GORP's Parks of the Galapagos has the goods on the history of the islands that began with Darwin's "The Voyage of the Beagle" (1845). See GORP's Description of the Islands for details and a map.

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