Tessenderlo, Tongerlo and Vorst

Gerhagen is a nature reserve of 945 ha., in the Belgian municipality of Tessenderlo. You will find wild plants such as white and brown beak sedge, small sundew, round-leaved sundew and marsh bird's-foot trefoil. Breeding birds are nightjar and woodlark, while the shrike is a frequent winter guest. There is a visitor centre that provides information about nature in general, and about Gerhagen in particular. The route also takes you along the 'Pearl of the Kempen' where the Laak valleys show their most beautiful side. The Laak valleys are a collection of different nature reserves and where the Kleine and Grote Laak meet lies the Trichelbroek nature reserve. The swamp forests, pools, canals and ponds have a great attraction for cormorants, grebes and various species of ducks. In this marsh area, more than fifty grey herons nest on the edge of the pond every year. The marshy fields of the Grote Laak were once created as a result of the earlier peat extraction and mining of iron ore.