Lomography

Knokke - Het Zuin nature reserve
written by jelga on October 13th, 2008 , 4 comments (0 votes)

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If you are in Belgium, have already visited all the tourist “musts” and still have an extra day or two to spend in the country, you might consider to go on a cycling or hiking tour to the Knokke-Heist area. It is one of the most interesting destinations in the Belgian coast with its 12 kms of sandy beaches and 3500 hectares of polders and dunes, with signposted walking and cycle routes, not to forget Het Zwin, a surprising nature reserve and bird sanctuary that stretches from the end of Het Zoute over the Belgian-Dutch border.

You can easily get to Knokke by train from Brussels and other Belgian and Dutch cities. When you buy your ticket, you can already book one of the 55 bikes the national railway company (SNCB) has for rent at the station. From the station, head directly towards the coast for a bike ride up and down smooth dunes by the somewhat nostalgic North Sea landscapes. I advice you to take some food with you, to picnic in one of the beautiful sandy beaches. Even though it never gets too crowded, Knokke is quite a popular beach resort among Belgians, so the best time to go there is in the low season, May being probably the best option to see birds, although July and August are also quite spectacular since the ground is completely covered by purple flowers (the Zwinnenblom). After a day of sun and outdoor activities, you might want to go “Mother Siska” to recover with a typical heart designed waffle. If you are a butterfly lover (or are doing some doubles ;) you can go on a photo safari at the “Vlindertuin”, a Butterfly farm near the reservation area.

http://bezoekers.knokke-heist.be/product/1568/default.aspx?vs=0en&id=1272

http://www.vlindertuin-knokke.be/

http://bezoekers.knokke-heist.be/Nature/Beach/2331/default_bez.aspx?vs=0en&id=841