Bestowed the honour of a national monument since 1936 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and finally declared a national park in 1994, the 800,000-acre Joshua Tree National Park is truly a special place. Here, three ecosystems coexist in harmony – that of the Colorado Desert, home to the “jumping” cholla cactus and occupying the southern and eastern regions of the park; the Mojave Desert, which is the habitat of the Joshua Tree itself and stretches across the northern region of the park; and the Little San Bernardino Mountains, where the California juniper and pinyon pine reside, making up the western region of the park. Apart from plant species, there are several local animal species that visitors can keep a look out for, such as the round-tailed ground squirrel and the kangaroo rats. Head down to the Joshua Tree National Park in California for a desert experience like no other.