1 De Rug
Lauwersoog, GR

For a relatively small country, the Netherlands boasts a rich variety of nature. The largest national park is De Hoge Veluwe, which is best explored on one of its thousand free-to-use white bikes. The Wadden Sea is the largest coastal tidal wetland in Europe and on the World Heritage List. You can walk across the sea floor with a guided tour. However, the beaches of Zeeland, the hills of Limburg, the Brabant Sahara (Loonse and Drunense Dunes), Venice of the Lowlands (Weerribben-Wieden) and other nature reserves will also take your breath away.

Weerribben
Emmeloord, OV

In this unique swampland in the province of Overijssel, the Dutch have worked both with and against the waters for centuries to create this unique landscape and water villages. The unique reed beds present a different picture in every season, and animal lovers will find much to please them in these wetlands as well. Rare animals like otters and black terns live here, as well as great cormorants and egrets. Weerribben-Wieden is a cultural landscape that was created in the 14th century through peat cutting. This peat was highly valuable as a fuel when dried, and was cut from the areas known as weren. The peat was then laid out to dry on long strips of lands, known as ribben, thus creating these unique wetlands.

Weerribben
Emmeloord, OV

The best way to explore National Park Weerribben-Wieden is on the water’s surface. Electric boats, rowboats and canoes can be rented in Giethoorn and other places in Weerribben-Wieden to sail through this gorgeous area in peace and quiet. You will see many kinds of waterfowl and insects, and with a bit of luck you may even spot an otter among the vegetation in the water and on the banks.

De Noordster
Dwingeloo, DR

Nowhere else in Western Europe will you find such a large wet heathland as in the province of Drenthe. Within the 3,700 acres of Dwingelderveld National Park the moors and lakes are interspersed with forests and shifting sands. Besides the Calluna and Erica heather, this area is the habitat for many rare plants, birds, butterflies and almost all Dutch reptiles.Sweet-smelling forests, blooming heathlands and sand drifts. You can find all this and more in Dwingelderveld National Park. This large natur reserve includes the Dwingelose Heide and Kraloëerheid, the biggest single humid heathland in Northwest Europe.

37 Zuidlaarderweg
Tynaarlo, DR

The Drentsche Aa is the last stream of the Netherlands that has, for centuries, freely meandered through the landscape. Follow the Drentsche Aa and you will pass through a valley landscape full of woods, heathlands, sand dunes and hayfields. In this region, you will also encounter various cultural and historical monuments including dolmens, prehistoric burial mounds and ancient Saxon farms.

De Biesbosch National Park is a unique freshwater delta comprising about 8,000 hectares of small rivers and streams. This nature reserve offers great opportunities for walking, cycling and even canoeing. Discover De Biesbosch!

National Park De Biesbosch is one of the few freshwater tidal areas in the world. It’s a fantastic place to walk, cycle or canoe through a labyrinth of rivers and creeks. It’s also very special for bird enthusiasts, due to the many kinds of waterfowl that forage there. The most special animal in De Biesbosch is the beaver. At present, these rodents have already built over a hundred dams in the wetlands of De Biesbosch. On top of that, hundreds of different kinds of birds breed there, including about 20 couples of kingfishers. The wild-tailed eagle and osprey are permanent residents, too, and they are spotted in this area throughout the year. In short, De Biesbosch fully deserves to be called a water paradise.

Appelscha, FR

The National Park Drents-Friese Wold covers more than 6,000 hectares and is the largest forest in the Netherlands after Hoge Veluwe National Park. Forests alternate with heathlands and shifting sands, lakes, swamps and grassland. There are lookout towers at two spots, so you have a beautiful view over the natural park. In Doldersummerveld you can look out over the heathlands, and in Aekingerzand you will see the plains of drifting sand.

Discover the Veluwe and its beautiful nature reserves, such as De Hoge Veluwe National Park and Veluwezoom National Park, famous museums such as the Kröller-Müller and Het Loo palace, pleasant towns, excellent restaurants and many zoos and animal parks. The Veluwe will never cease to delight you.

De Hoge Veluwe National Park is one of the largest continuous nature reserves in Holland, measuring in at 5,400 hectares, or 13,343 acres. Hike or cycle through this beautiful natural landscape on a white bike, free of charge, or visit the Kröller-Müller Museum, with its sculpture garden and largest private Van Gogh collection in the world.

92 Ruijslaan
De Koog, NH

Within the Dunes of Texel, there are several special nature areas, such as the sandbank the Hors, the Texel forests and the Slufter. The latter is a dune valley in direct contact with the North Sea. The creeks in this area fill up at high tide and empty at low tide. The Slufter has a particular vegetation and is an important breeding ground for many bird species. For comprehensive information about the special nature of the Wadden, you should definitely visit Ecomare. Ecomare is a nature museum, a seal sanctuary, a sea aquarium, a bird sanctuary. This is the place to ask any questions you have about the nature of the Wadden. The center also provides hiking maps and excursions for all ages.

1 De Rug
Lauwersoog, GR

With the title Dark Sky Park, Lauwersmeer National Park is one of the world’s darkest places. Here, you can experience nature in the dark. There are 41 of these parks around the world, protecting the darkness to ensure minimum impact on nature. Many animals depend on the darkness that is supposed to reign during the night. Truly dark places are becoming increasingly rare however, due to increasing lighting at night in the West.

1 De Rug
Lauwersoog, GR

Before 1969, this area still had an open connection to the sea. For fear of flooding, a dam was built, turning this salt marsh area into panoramic freshwater wetlands with reeds, forests and large bodies of water. The open water, grasslands, broad-leaved forests, orchid fields, shallow ponds and thick reed bushes make Lauwersmeer into a natural habitat for birds.