The Cairngorms are within the Cairngorms National Park and are home to five of the six highest mountains in Scotland. The area is sparsely populated due to the extreme nature of the climate, holding some of the longest-lying snow patches in Scotland. Snow patches can remain on the hills until August or September. A funicular railway opened here in late 2001, running from a base station at 637 metres up to the Ptarmigan Centre, situated at 1097 metres, 150 metres from the summit of Cairn Gorm (1247 m).

The Highland Wildlife Park is a 260-acre safari park and zoo near Kingussie, Highland, Scotland, located within the Cairngorms National Park. The park is run by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland that altered the theme of the park in 2007 from native species of the Highlands, to species from tundra and mountainous habitats around the world.