Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park

The most northeasterly park of the German Wadden Sea UNESCO World Heritage Site (the largest unbroken area of mudflats in the world) is the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park. It encompasses a magnificent landscape of untouched beaches, sand dunes, tidal flats, salt marshes and marsh islands while providing a haven for rare plant and wildlife species. This national park and UNESCO biosphere reserve extends from the German-Danish maritime border to the Elbe Estuary and is the largest national park in Germany.

The Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park is home to common and grey seals, porpoises and rare-white tailed eagles, together with a huge diversity of starfish, mollusks and mud-dwelling organisms. A walk across the coastal mudflats is a fascinating way to experience its unique beauty and biodiversity (particularly at low tide) or you can embark on a guided boat trip through the surrounding waters from the harbors at Büsum, Nordstrand, Dagebüll and Schlüttsiel.

Of particular significance in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park are the meadows of eelgrass, with more than 20% of the area covered with this marine plant. It’s an important source of food for a variety of fish and bird species and due to changing conditions in other parts of the Wadden Sea, the eelgrass meadows in Schleswig-Holstein provide a vital habitat.

The area of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park between the islands of Sylt and Amrun is also important for the calving and nursing of harbor porpoises. Around 6,000 individuals having been recorded in their waters - a number that cannot be matched anywhere else in the world!