De Biesbosch National Park is a freshwater tidal area.
With a sunny week ahead, I can recommend you to pay a visit to the Brabantse Biesbosch. More than 2 million people enjoy the Biesbosch every year. These include walkers, cyclists and water sports enthusiasts. Due to the drought, the water levels of the major rivers will drop even further. Not only the Meuse and the Rhine face problems, the IJssel also has a low water level.
The water in the Biesbosch is subsiding and that does not go unnoticed. Due to little rainfall, many creeks and streams in the nature reserve are bone dry. The water has given way to huge sandbanks. Sailing on the Biesbosch is still possible, but in more and more places you have to be careful not to get stuck on the sandbanks and the planting can bring the propeller to a halt. If that happens and you have to get out of the boat to push, watch out for reeds and algae. De Biesbosch National Park is a freshwater tidal area. There are only a few of them in the world. In the Biesbosch there is therefore an ebb and flow, which is unique in a freshwater area.
The Biesbosch is an adventurous maze of rivers, with islands with willow forests and capricious creeks with crystal clear water. You can walk and cycle along the edges of the area. But the wet, rugged nature of this swamp is best experienced from the water, in a small boat or canoe. Bicycles can be rented at the Biesbosch Center Dordrecht. Addresses of other landlords are available at VVV Dordrecht and Drimmelen.
electric sloops
Electric boating is a sustainable choice. The electric sloops, also called whisper boats, are easy to handle, so you don't have to be an experienced skipper. No noise, no emissions and no strange smells. Electric boating is good for you and especially for nature. Most tour boats in the Biesbosch are electric. In many places in the Biesbosch you can also rent a whisper boat yourself. The price from €115,00 per half day.
You can spend the night on your own boat in De Biesbosch. You can anchor in one place for a maximum of three nights. In some places you can moor for a maximum of three hours between sunrise and sunset. In all cases, you may not leave your boat unattended anywhere.
Since January 1, 2021, the new Biesbosch Ordinance applies, a collaboration between the municipalities of Altena, Drimmelen, Dordrecht and Staatsbosbeheer. The aim is unambiguous regulations that apply to the entire Biesbosch. Not only to protect nature and landscape, but also for recreational use. For more information:
blue-green algae
If you want to cool off in natural water in the coming days, you should watch out for blue-green algae. Blue-green algae can sometimes be seen as a green or blue layer on the water surface, but it can also, according to Rijkswaterstaat, sitting in the water without being visible. Contact with blue-green algae can cause skin irritations, but also headaches and intestinal and stomach problems. Excessive growth of blue-green algae is a sign that water quality and the nature that depends on it is not doing well. Some blue-green algae are poisonous and cause a lot of nuisance in the summer. They can greatly reduce swimming pleasure and cause massive fish kills and bad smells.
