Ilperveld Visitor Center - Landsmeer

If you look south, you can see the outline of Amsterdam in the distance. Turn around and look north, and the varied landscape of vast ditches, small rivers, peat meadows and reclaimed land is your reward. The Ilperveld is a pristine nature reserve of vast still waters with hundreds of islands of quaking bog. Here and there cows, sheep and goats graze the land at their leisure. In the banks with a rich diversity of plant species you will encounter godwit, lapwing, wigeon, curlew and bittern. Take the Ilper trail behind the visitor center to get to the bird-watching hut. From there you can often view and photograph the birds up close. The tow ferry will take you to the research site of Omhoog met het Veen.

The Ilperveld is best explored from the water. Join a boating excursion or rent a canoe, whisper punt or rowboat from the visitor center. Boats can be rented from April through September.