Spot the Kennemer Big 5

European bison, Scottish Highlanders, wild horses, deer and seals: you can cross them all off at National Park Zuid-Kennemerland.

So jump on your bike or walk through this stunning nature reserve that stretches from Zandvoort to IJmuiden.

You can stroll along stunning stately homes and over forested dunes, desolate dunes and the North Sea Beach.

From beautiful stately homes, dune forests and lakes to desolate dunes and of course the North-Sea Beach: Nationaal Park Zuid-Kennemerland has everything required to be to be called the most stunning nature reserve in the Netherlands. A good place to start exploring the dunes is Parnassia aan Zee. From here, it’s just a brief walk to the Vogelmeer, where you can spot birds such as ospreys and nightingales. Scottish Highlanders use the lake as a waterhole.

Hey, did you know?

The forested dunes at the edge of Zuid-Kennemerland conceal nine stately homes. They were built by wealthy Amsterdam merchants during the Dutch Golden Age as a place to escape the ‘stinking city’. One of the most striking and water-rich of these estates is Elswout.