Biesbosch National Park Boat Cruise from Drimmelen

Biesbosch National Park

The Biesbosch is a vast wetland of creeks, islands, willow forests and reed beds where the rivers Rhine and Meuse meet before reaching the sea. It was born from disaster: in 1421 the St Elizabeth flood broke the dykes and drowned the polders here, and over the following centuries the tides shaped a maze of channels and sandbanks. Protected as a national park since 1994, it is one of the largest freshwater tidal areas in Europe.

Since the closure of the Haringvliet estuary in 1970 the tidal range has become much smaller, and the old cultivated willow fields have grown into wild riverside forest. A Biesbosch boat tour is the best way to see the park, because many parts can only be reached by water and the views from the deck show its scale.

Drimmelen, gateway to the Biesbosch

Drimmelen is a small harbour village on the southern bank of the Amer river, at the edge of the national park. Its large marina, full of yachts and small boats, and the jetty where the cruise boats moor make it one of the main entry points to the Biesbosch from the south. Many visitors ask how to get to Drimmelen: it is easiest by car, about an hour from Amsterdam or Rotterdam and close to Breda.

Before boarding, show your booking at the box office to receive your ticket for the boat. The cruise leaves at 12:00, so you can combine it with a walk along the dykes or lunch in the village. Bring some cash for snacks and drinks sold on board.

Creeks, willow forests and reed beds

Once the boat leaves the Amer, it turns into the creeks of the park, where the water is calm and the banks are lined with tall reeds and dense willow forest. These willows were once planted and cut by hand for baskets, fences and dyke work, and the old cultivated plots, called grienden, are still visible in places, now overgrown and wild.

The captain explains the history of the reed cutters and fishermen who once lived and worked in the Biesbosch, and how the landscape changes through the seasons: fresh green in spring, lush in summer, golden in autumn and bare and open in winter, when the heated cabin keeps you comfortable.

Wildlife of the Biesbosch: beavers and birds

The Biesbosch is famous for its beavers. They were reintroduced here in 1988 after having disappeared from the Netherlands, and today hundreds of them live in the park, building lodges along the banks. They are shy and most active at dusk, so a sighting is never guaranteed, but you will often see gnawed trees and lodges from the boat.

Birdlife is rich all year: grey herons, great cormorants, kingfishers and many kinds of ducks and geese, and since 2006 the white-tailed eagle has nested in the park. The open deck at the back of the boat is the best place for wildlife photos, so bring binoculars if you have them.