Often misrepresented as Holland, the Netherlands is a constituent country with most regions in Europe and three territories in the Caribbean. At just 41,543 square kilometers (10.2 million acres) with 17.3 million people, the Netherlands is just a small country but is popular for so many things. It's the capital city of Amsterdam, alone, is already popular for so many things: amazing canals, the Vondelpark, coffee shops that sell marijuana, and the Red Light District.
The Dutch are also known for their various snack items aside from the pot brownies in Amsterdam. Dutch has some famous cheese, two of the most famous kinds were named after the towns they were created in, which are Gouda cheese from the town of Gouda in South Holland, and Edam cheese from the town of Edam in North Holland. Dutch licorice candies are also sought-after. One of the most famous beer brands in the world, Heineken, was also founded in the Netherlands.
Some of the most famous artists in the world were from the Netherlands, which explains why the country’s artworks are also among the best in the world. Among the most famous Dutch artists in the world are Rembrandt, Vincent Van Gogh, and Johannes Vermeer. It makes sense that they created the best paintings in the world because there are so many beautiful things in the Netherlands including the flowers. It is the leading exporter of flowers in the world. Tulips are the nation’s signature flowers but it is also known for its Dutch roses, hydrangeas, daffodils, and hyacinths.
With so much beauty packed in this small country, some of them needed to be protected. The country has some 21 national parks. Here are the 10 parks tourists should visit to truly experience nature and beauty at their best.
1. Dunes of Texel National Park
This park certainly provides a different topography for a country known for its meadows, heathlands, wetlands, and forests. Located on Texel Island in North Holland, the park has a dune system from which it got its name, as well as some coastal plains. The park is divided into 16 areas, each one providing its special beauty that will serve as an attraction among tourists.
The Hors is where the dunes are formed. There are newer dunes formed all the time. At the older dunes, vegetation thrives like the marram grass. In the areas where dunes are moist, visitors will see beautiful and colorful Centaurium, Dactylorhiza, and Parnassia. There is also a spot called the Kreeftenpolder, which is a dune valley formed because of a sandbar that was separated from the coastal valley.
At the De Bollekamer, Highland cattle are often found grazing. De Muy is a popular area for great cormorants and spoonbills. De Slufter is a vast dune valley with a connection to the North Sea with a thriving salt marsh vegetation. Other birds commonly found in the different habitats in the park are different species of goose, dunlin, eider, knot, oystercatcher, pweeit, pied avocet, scoter, and shelduck wigeon, among many others.
There are also mammals in the park-like hares, hedgehogs, stoats, and rabbits. In the surrounding waters, there are common and gray seals as well as porpoises.
2. Dwingelderveld National Park
Founded in 1991 in the province of Drenthe, this park is the largest wet heathland in Western Europe. It was also designated as Natura 2000, which is a network of nature protection areas in the European Union.
The park is mostly known for its abundance of flowers. It has a large heathland with four heath habitats depending on the bountiful flowers: Andromeda polifolia, Calluna vulgaris, Empetrum nigrum (black crowberry), and Erica tetralix. While the black crowberry is more popular for its fruit, it is also a flowering plant. There are also several orchid species in the park. With an abundance of flowers comes an abundance of butterflies—some of them are rare. The park also has some Dutch juniper thickets.
For grazing purposes, there are cows and sheep in the park, which also has 60 kilometers of hiking trails. There are also some 40 kilometers of cycling paths. Bicycles are among the most popular things in the Netherlands. According to statistics, there are more bicycles in the country than the actual population. That’s because tourists are encouraged to rent a bike to tour most of the parts in the country. For those who drop by this park, a bike will come in handy.
3. Lauwersmeer National Park
Named after its lake, historical accounts state that the Lauwersmeer Lake used to the Lauwers Sea, which was part of the Wadden Sea. Eventually, the sea was enclosed when a dam was created as flood protection. The Lauwers Sea was separated from the Wadden Sea, which traverses the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. When the Lauwers Sea was enclosed, it lost its seawater properties and became a freshwater lake. Authorities decided to establish the area as a park to protect the young lake.
As a park with a large body of water, it is popular among aquatic birds like the barnacle goose, bearded reedling, Eurasian spoonbill, Eurasian wigeon, Montagu’s harrier, and tundra swan. There are over 100 species of birds that thrive in different habitats of the park including the bluethroat. During the migration season, there are around 30,000 barnacle geese in the park. Grazers in the park’s heathland are the Highland cattle and Konic horses. Some foxes have also been spotted in the park.
The park also received a label of Dark Sky Park since 2016. There is a common park saying: Half of the park is after dark. That is true for all parks that have this label. It means that a park is an exciting place for stargazing.
4. Loonse en Drunense Duinen National Park
This park in North Brabant is the Netherlands’ small desert. It is also the largest sand drift in western Europe. The dunes were formed over 10,000 years ago. Unlike most deserts people know, though, this one has thriving plant life. The spot also called Brabant Sahara has some 30 square kilometers (7,413 acres) of shifting sands.
The vast landscape is perfect for hiking, cycling, and horseback riding. The park is also outlined with a thriving forest.
5. Mein Weg National Park
This is a transboundary protected area between the Dutch and German with the Netherlands territory located in Limburg. This park has so many natural layers from hilly lands, three plateaus to lily-covered swamps.
With such varied landscapes, hikers can choose many paths including the easy trail, moderate and the more strenuous ones that go over the hills. Of course, reaching the hills mean getting a better viewpoint of the park that involves a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery. Like most Dutch national parks, there are thriving flowering plants in the park that make hiking and other strenuous activities less strenuous. Among the plants one can see in the park are the bell heather, bog asphodel, bog myrtle, marsh gentian, and sundew.
Among the animals, tourists will spot in the park are the rare common adders, blindworms, boars, deer, different species of frogs, and wild horses.
6. Nieuw Land National Park
This is the youngest national park in the Netherlands and is distinguished to be the largest man-made one in the world at 290 square kilometers (71,660 acres). It is not as large as most national parks in the world, but most national parks were naturally established and protected. But this park incorporated natural reserves: Lepelaarplassen, Marker Wadden, Oostvaarderplassen, and Trintelzand. These have the natural elements to become land reserves but they were “wetted” to become marsh areas. The government is currently working on strengthening the physical connections of these areas so that they become one large park with the inclusion of Nieuw Land.
Nieuw Land, for its part, was already a bird reserve before its establishment as a park. Over a dozen species of birds nest in the area. The wetting of the earlier-mentioned reserves only serves to protect the aquatic birds in the area. With such a large marshland, more birds are expected to stay in the park especially during migrating season.
7. Oosterschelde National Park
The Eastern Scheldt or known in Dutch as Oosterschelde used to be an estuary of the province of Zeeland. The entire area has been designated as a national park since 2002. The sea life is rich in this park, which is why it is great for scuba diving. A lot of marine life in the area is unique to the region.
This is the largest national park in the Netherlands at 370 square kilometers (91,429 acres). The shore length is almost one-third of the whole park. There are so many layers of the park aside from its stunning waters. There are also mudflats, shoals, and meadows with it's signature Dutch characteristic of beautiful and colorful flora. Tourists may also hike and bike in the park, which is also popular for its wide variety of birds.
8. Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park
This is the lone national park located in Utrecht. It is characterized by floodplains, forests, heathlands, grasslands, and shifting sands. This park also represents the second largest forest in the Netherlands and has a thriving population of beech and oak trees.
Among the more common animal residents of the park are the European pine martens. There are also various bats, some amphibians and reptiles. Because of the thriving flowering plants in a lot of the park habitats, there are also a good number of butterflies that live in the park. Dragonflies are also common in the vast fields. Birds like the black woodpecker, bluethroat, raven, and the rare little bittern also abound in the park.
The beautifully hued marsh gentian, while rare, is common in the park. The same goes for the carnivorous plant sundew.
There are various trails in the park for hiking ranging from easy to strenuous. Of course, since cycling is a favorite Dutch pastime, there are various biking trails in the park as well. Horseback riding is also common and some camping is encouraged.
9. Veluwezoom National Park
Located in the province of Gelderland, this is the oldest park in the Netherlands having been established in 1930. It is located at the southern edge of the forested Veluwe hills. The landscape can be characterized as push moraine. The heath part of the park is a popular grazing area for Highland cattle. But in the forest area, visitors might spot some badgers, red deer, and wild boars. There are also some pine martens but they are rarely seen.
The park is a great place to do some hiking. Various terrains in the park await the tourists visiting from across the globe. There are forests, of course, but there are also some moss-covered ponds, open fields, meadows, and an area of felled trees where dragonflies abound. Most hikes are on soil but some parts have boardwalks—these areas usually are great viewpoints of the park. There is also an observation deck in the park.
But the best part of the park should be the purple meadows, which are most vibrant during the summer months. The view is just spectacular and very Holland.
10. Weerribben-Wieden National Park
This park in Overijssel has the largest bog in northwestern Europe. The park was established in 1982 but only with the De Weerribben section. De Wieden didn’t become part of the park until 2009. Before it became a national park, the area was also an important natural area for peat production. The production, though, was stopped during the Second World War following which, the area was utilized for cane production.
Among the famous plant species in the park are the water soldier, an aquatic plant, and the carnivorous plant sundew. Among the most common animals found in the park are otters, birds like the black tern, dragonflies like the green hawker, butterflies like the large copper, and the northern pike fish.
The park’s bodies of water like lakes, ponds, and canals are great for paddling. There are also electric boats for those who don’t want to paddle. It is also a popular place for hiking.