Experience the Wadden Sea - walking across the living seabed!
- Hiking on the Engelsmanplaat (E. Schuiling)
Low and high tide alternate every six hours in the Wadden Sea, bringing about stunning changes to the landscape almost every minute of the day. You can experience this the whole year round. During low tide, it is possible to walk far out onto the mudflats - and in some areas even from the mainland to one of the islands or Halligen. You're actually walking on the living seabed! The best and safest way to experience the true magic of the place is under the leadership of an experienced guide.
Walking on the mudflats, you will hear only the sound of wind and the calls of the birds. Here you can see for yourself how the constant interaction between wind, water and waves has shaped the landscape since the last Ice Age - and how it continues to do so.
A skein of geese cackle in the air. A wader cautiously picks its way on the newly-exposed seabed looking for worms and shells. The salty air and mud-rich waters fill your senses. Cockles and worms under your feet cause movement in the water and sand. Prawns flash by your ankles and you can see flatfishes close by in the shallow water. Air bubbles created by algae burst at the water's surface. Legions of small crabs, cockles, mussels, starfishes and hermit crabs are exposed by the retreating sea. You even have the privilege of watching seals sunbathing on a sand bank - but keep an appropriate distance!
- Shells and Lobster (H. Achterof)
- Cockle Shell (T. de Man)
