5 Coolest National Parks in the Netherlands
Have you discovered the natural beauties of the Netherlands yet? If not, what are you waiting for!
Thanks to its natural diversity, Dutch landscapes offer amazing views to look at and feel grateful for Mother Nature. What better way to enjoy being alive than visiting a beautiful park and taking a deep breath in. The next time you are in search of a peaceful and refreshing place to go to in the Netherlands, take a look at these 5 national parks; you will thank us later.
Schiermonnikoog National Park
This special park is the perfect combination of everything: polder, forest, dunes, beach, mudflat, and salt marsh! As you are walking around, accompanied by a blast of North Sea air, you will be fascinated at how well these different sceneries get along with each other. Plus, this national park contains a huge diversity of food, which makes it the ideal place to eat and breed for many different kinds of birds; from magpies to curlews, from redshanks to oystercatchers. You might even run into some adorable rabbits and hares during your walk!
Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park
Though this park may not be the perfect representative of a Dutch landscape with its more than 26 “mountains”, it is still a must-visit point. The hills go up to around 25 meters, which is not too challenging for most people, but if you know anything about the Netherlands, you probably know that mountains are not that common here. This area is actually a moraine, which can be defined as the material left behind a moving glacier, and it was formed around 150.000-200.000 years ago back in the penultimate ice age. It is the perfect park to hike and bike around!
De Biesbosch National Park
Here comes the meeting point of many rivers: De Biesbosch! This unique freshwater delta contains 80 km2 of steams and small rivers that are perfect to canoe through. Some waterfowl will be guiding you around the water, and you might even run into some beavers. Those rodents are considered the special animal of De Biesbosch with more than 100 dams they have built in the area. How cool!
Hoge Veluwe National Park
This park was formed as a cultural heritage by the couple Anton and Helene Kröller-Müller back in 1909. However, during the economic crisis in 1935, the park got transferred into a national park and then the government built a museum with all the art collection that is now called the Kröller-Müller Museum. Next to its cultural treasure, this area is also the home of a wide range of different plants and animals. So don’t be surprised if a red deer or moor frog wants to join you on your journey.
Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park
Last but definitely not least, we present you Utrechtse Heuvelrug, containing the second biggest forest in the Netherlands. As a result of the Saalian Glaciation 150.000 years ago, low sand hills are now covering this area. This unbroken environmental location is the perfect place to empty your head and take a moment to relax. Its biodiversity including foxes, woodpeckers, birds, and many more is the cherry on top!
Photo credits: Hoge Veluwe, wandel.nl.