1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Wadden Sea - Relaxing in tune with nature

June 4, 2012

In 2009, UNESCO placed the mudflats of Germany's North Sea coast, and the adjacent Dutch Wadden Sea Conservation Area on its World Heritage list. This unique eco-system fascinates millions of tourists every year.

https://p.dw.com/p/155vs
Wadden Sea
Wadden Sea
Juist
Juist

This coastal formation stretches for as much as 35 kilometers between the shoreline and the sea.  It has been shaped by the ebb and flow of the tides.  A highlight of a trip to the mud flats is a guided hiking tour, for example to the Hallig Norderoog, where sandworms, mussels and shrimp can be observed in their natural habitat as part of a complete ecological cycle.  The Multimar center in Tönning is the information center for the Wadden Sea National Park.  A highlight here is watching a diver feed the shoals of fish in the big aquarium. 

Juist is one of the East Frisian islands. Only at high tide can the ferries enter the harbor.  It's an important lesson visitors can learn from the mudflats right at the start: bring plenty of time and flow with the rhythm of nature.  Anyway, cars are banned from the island, which families and North Sea holiday makers may appreciate most of all.