Ruben Smit

The stately wader and national bird tells the story of how to survive on its journey around the world on its way to its breeding grounds in the Netherlands.

The Wadden area as you have never seen before.

A man canoes through the the Rhine

At the heart of one of the most densely populated areas of Europe, in a country where every square meter of land has been meticulously shaped by man, lie the Oostvaardersplassen – a unique experiment in letting nature run its course. In just 40 years, 6,000 hectares of newly formed polder has been transformed into one of Europe’s most dynamic and productive wetlands – home to some of Europe’s rarest birds such as the magnificent white tailed eagle, which hadn’t been seen in the Netherlands since the Middle Ages.