Cycling around the Oostvaardersplassen

A trip around the Oostvaardersplassen means undisturbed enjoyment of'wilderness\\\' in all its glory. This cycle route leads you through swamps and areas with willows and elder trees that you can see as savannas with a little imagination. You can spot marsh birds from the bird hides and you can also watch large grazers from the viewpoints around the area.

Cycling below sea level
This route starts in the lowest part of the polder, no less than four meters below sea level. In this open swamp area you will find all kinds of plants and animals that live here without human interference. From the starting point you cycle along the Hollandse Hout, a forest area on the bottom of the former Zuiderzee. A little further on, the cycle path ends at the Lage Vaart. Here you see a high hump on the left that you can climb to enjoy a wide view over the flat polder land.

Natural grazing
Via the Praamweg viaduct you can then look out over the drier part of the Oostvaardersplassen. About three thousand red deer, Konik horses and Heck cattle graze the open area here. This ensures that a large variety of plants and animals can live here. In addition to the grazers, you will probably also see many birds in the vicinity of the Oostvaardersplassen.

Bird watching around the Oostvaardersplassen
Ornithologists from all over the world come to the Oostvaardersplassen to spot special birds here. For example, the imposing white-tailed eagle has been breeding in this area for a few years. In the summer you often see dozens of spoonbills resting at the Oostvaardersplassen and in the winter tens of thousands of greylag geese keep to this area, it is estimated that this is more than eighty percent of the global population of geese. Opposite the Buizerdweg exit, to the right of the dike is the access path to the Grauwe Gans, the most visited bird hide in the Netherlands.