The Netherlands & Belgium: Birds, Art and Architecture
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Overview
Highlights
- May is a delightful month to be in Holland and Belgium; mild and pleasant during the day, fine evenings. The start of the breeding season for birds, and excellent birding in well-established network of nature reserves and national parks
- Historically important cities and towns, with mix of old and modern architecture; world-renowned museums and acclaimed art galleries; sculpture gardens and collections of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh
What's this trip about?
Details
Travel Themes
Destinations
Attractions
Activities
Trip includes
- All accommodation
- All meals
- Ground transportation
- Guides (6 - 12 participants with 2 guides)
- Park, conservation and entrance fees
Itinerary
Upon arrival at Schiphol (Amsterdam airport) we take a shuttle bus to a nearby hotel, where we can relax and freshen up. In the evening we will meet at 6:30 in the lobby for dinner. Night near Schiphol Airport
Our first full day will be at a relaxed pace. In the morning we board our vehicle and make the short drive to Het Keukenhof, the most spectacular spring flower garden in the world. Covering some 79 acres (32 hectares), the Keukenhof Tulip Gardens is the world’s larges...
After breakfast we head south to Brugge in Flanders. Our route will take us past The Hague and Rotterdam, across the islands of Zeeland and through the Westerschelde Tunnel. We will make a few stops at waterbodies, scanning for shorebirds, gulls and terns and we will ...
In the morning we visit Het Zwin, a nature preserve on the coast near the Dutch border. We should get great looks at shorebirds, possibly harriers and Mediterranean Gull. The afternoon will be spent in Brugge, a beautifully-preserved medieval town, where we will also take a boat ride. There will be ample free time for museum visits.
Night near Brugge.
After breakfast we leave Brugge and drive east. We’ll make a stop at De Braakman, a former arm of the sea, now a nature preserve. Marsh and waterbirds should abound. We continue via Antwerpen, for a walking tour of the Market Square with its 1352 cathedral and gabled guild halls.
Then we drive to the Arnhem vicinity and overnight.
In the morning is set aside for exploring National Park De Hoge Veluwe, with its mature deciduous and mixed forests. We may see Honey Buzzard, Eurasian Hobby, Wryneck, Black Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Crested and Coal Tits, Common Redstart, Pied Flycatcher...
Heading north, our route will take us via Apeldoorn and Zwolle to the Beulaker Wijde and Giethoorn area. Extensive marshlands harbour Purple Heron, Water Rail, Great Reed Warbler, Icterine Warbler and more. The picturesque town of Giethoorn, where we will have lunch a...
Today we bird in the Lauwersmeer and Waddenzee area in the extreme north of The Netherlands. The tidal flats, freshwater lakes, marshes and meadows are full of birds: Common Shelduck, harriers, numerous shorebirds, Bearded Reedling, larks, pipits, wagtails and more. W...
In the morning we visit Groningen Museum, a modern structure with ever-changing exhibitions, built in a canal. Afterwards we drive via Leeuwarden and the Afsluitdijk to the province of North Holland. The Afsluitdijk was completed in the 1930s to protect the north of T...
Our days will be spent exploring Amsterdam, including a canal boat trip, a visit to the Rijksmuseum, and a full day of birding at Oostvaarders Plassen, a nature preserve northwest of the city in a reclaimed polder. This area is justly famous for its wildlife. Red Deer...
Our tour ends today after breakfast.
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Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Eagle-Eye Tours.
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
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Tour Operator
Our tours are diverse! We span the globe offering tours that range from being very focused on birds to those of a more general nature that also include lots of local cultural interests. All our guides are not only expert birders but also are appreciative of all nature. Many of our tours spend considerable time looking closely at mammals, plants or butterflies. It is not necessary for you to be an experienced birder; all you need is enthusiasm and our guides will be happy to help you along!
A typical day with Eagle-Eye Tours
Our land tours typically start early, after breakfast at our hotel, to be out when birding is best. Sometimes we are out before breakfast for a quick search for a target bird or mammal. We head out by foot, car or boat to a choice area, maybe forest or maybe a wetland, taking in the sights and sounds of the morning. We move along as a small group, making every effort to ensure that the everyone gets to see the beautiful tanager, or majestic grizzly bear through the spotting scope. We might stop for that important cup of locally grown coffee before heading further down the road to where we saw that great bird building a nest last year. Lunches are most often in the field, usually at a very good birding spot, with a cold drink or a cup of coffee. We have a chance to share stories and reflect on the morning adventure. After lunch we carry on in an area, maybe returning to the hotel in mid-afternoon for a rest, then a shorter excursion to explore another area. Over our evening meal, we meet as a group to record and discuss what we saw and review the plans for the coming day. Some evenings we may head back out for a night tour to experience the nocturnal world of owls, potoos, frogs and much more.
Expedition Cruises
Our expedition cruises are an intimate and wonderful way to learn about and experience remote parts of the world. These small ships have the ability to land virtually anywhere using zodiacs, providing excellent opportunities for exploration. Staff onboard typically cover birds and other wildlife, geology, history, local culture, photography, archaeology, and more. We usually have one or two shore landings per day that may visit a wildlife highlight, a local community, a historical site, or just an interesting looking area that we think deserves some exploration. Add in a couple of lectures, fine dining, and some live music in the evening and you have a full day on an unforgettable voyage of discovery. Voyage with us to these seldom visited and remarkable places!
About our featured birds and mammals
These are the great and often very unique species that we will be looking for. We cannot guarantee that we will see them, only that there is a good chance of seeing them. Beyond these exciting species, we are always on the look out for other surprises-you just never know what we may see!
Tour group size
We believe that small groups are essential for a high quality and enjoyable experience. Unless otherwise noted, our land tour groups have a single leader with 4 to 8 people and two leaders with 9 to 12 people.
About our accommodation and transportation
Typically, our land tours stay in modern, comfortable hotels, but this varies somewhat depending on the tour. On most tours, we stay in beautiful lodges in the forest with trails out the back door. These amazing settings are often a highlight of the tour. In other cases, in order to get to the best locations for birding or wildlife viewing, we may be far away from a modern hotel and the ‘best room in town’ may be more basic. In a few cases, we even stay in tents for the full wilderness experience! For each tour, we have identified the level of accommodation in the tour summary and on the detailed itinerary. If you have any questions about accommodation on a tour, please feel free to ask and we can give you more specifics.
When traveling between birding locations, typically we travel in comfortable vans or buses, often with local drivers who are familiar with the roads and destinations. Usually, there is only one vehicle, as the sizes of our groups are typically small, but occasionally there will be two vehicles that keep in contact with each other by radio. In some tours, we use airplane flights to cover large distances and in a few cases we travel by boat, often with fantastic scenery and wildlife watching along the way!
About our prices
We will make every effort to charge the prices quoted in our catalog or detailed itineraries, but fluctuations in major currencies may force us to change tour prices at any time before departure. Current prices are listed on our website and reflect payment by cash/cheque. Prices for payment by credit card are higher, please contact us for these prices. Nearly all fees are quoted in US and Canadian dollars and can be paid in either currency. Contact us for payment in other currencies. Single rooms, as available, will be provided upon request for an additional fee. For participants traveling alone but wishing to share a room, Eagle-Eye Tours will arrange for a roommate, if possible. If a roommate is not available, the single supplement will be charged.
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Logistics
What's excluded
- Flight to and from start/end location
- Travel Insurance
- Items of a personal nature
Notification of cancellation must be received in writing. Unless otherwise noted, the following policy applies: if cancellation is received up to 120 days prior to departure, full deposit and any payment, less a $100 (USD and CAD) will be refunded. If cancellation is received between 60 and 119 days prior to departure, 50% of the tour fee is not refundable. Thereafter, all deposits and payments are not refunded. Refunds cannot be made to participants who do not complete the tour for any reason.
The Netherlands and Belgium are modern countries, with an excellent infrastructure and good hotels. Language is no problem; just about everyone speaks English. Our days will alternate between birding forays and city visits; some of the outings will be optional. Although there may be a few long days, in general the pace will be relaxed and the walking moderate; Runners or hiking shoes will be fine for the walks.
Spring weather can be variable, but temperatures should generally be moderate. Some rain is likely. Biting insects or poisonous plants are not an issue.
Your guide will have a scope and field guide(s).
In the evenings we will go over the day’s list and we will discuss plans for the next day.
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