Nationaal Park Bosland

Belgium · Europe · Visited 29 October 2025 · Established 2023

After the disappointment of Hoge Kempen, Bosland the following day was a welcome step up. It's not going to redefine what you expect from a national park, but it has enough character and clever features tucked into its forests to make it a genuinely enjoyable visit.

Bosland covers over 6,500 hectares of forest, heathland, inland dunes, and stream valleys. It sits at the heart of the largest continuous natural area in Flanders, and borders Kamp Beverlo, the biggest military domain in the region, which together create an impressive unbroken stretch of green.

The surprises

What sets Bosland apart are the features hidden within it. The headline attraction is Fietsen door de Bomen (Cycling through the Trees), a 700-metre elevated cycle bridge that spirals gradually upward in a double circle until you're riding 10 metres above the ground, at treetop level. The structure is built from steel pillars designed to mirror the straight trunks of the surrounding pine trees. It's free, accessible to walkers and joggers too, and genuinely impressive. Belgium does these experiential cycling installations well, but this one feels the most immersive.

Then there's the observation tower at the Lommel Sahara, a 30-metre lookout over a surreal landscape of white sand dunes, clear blue lakes, and surrounding heathland left behind by former sand extraction. It looks nothing like the rest of Belgium, and the panoramic views from the top are worth the climb.

The wildlife

Bosland promotes its "Big Five" (wolf, eagle owl, fox, roe deer, and wild boar) and its "Magnificent Seven" (European nightjar, spring fire spider, smooth snake, field fritillary butterfly, skylark, natterjack toad, and kingfisher). I managed three of the Big Five on my visit: deer, fox, and wild boar, all spotted from the trails without much effort. The wolf is the park's headline resident but you would be extremely lucky to encounter one. Bosland is home to the only wolf pack in Flanders. I was desperate to see the fire spider but did not prevail.

Who it's for

Bosland is a solid day out, particularly if you combine the cycling bridge and the Lommel Sahara viewpoint with a longer walk through the forest. It's marketed as Flanders' most child-friendly forest, and there are playgrounds, geocaching trails, and treasure hunts scattered throughout, so it works well for families too. It won't blow you away, but it's a park that's thought carefully about how visitors experience it, and the hidden features dotted through the forest give it a sense of discovery that the more straightforward walking parks lack.