Wadden Sea Weeks: island hopping on a UNESCO sea
The Wadden Sea has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009. It is a tidal sea of sandbanks, channels and islands, home to more than 10,000 species of plants and animals. Twice a day the water drains away and the sea floor lies open.
No two Wadden weeks are the same. The sea can be mirror-flat one day and whipped up by wind the next, and the channels between the sandbanks run hard with the tide. That is why the exact route is set just before departure, from the weather forecast and the tide tables. The aim is always the same: visit three of the five inhabited islands and, when conditions allow, let Josefien dry out on a sandbank.
Drying out — droogvallen in Dutch — is the moment most guests remember. At high tide the ship is run gently aground. As the ebb drains the water away she comes to rest on the seabed, and you climb down the ladder to walk on the bottom of the sea. A few hours later the flood returns, the ship floats free and the voyage continues.
The itinerary
There is no fixed day-by-day plan for this voyage. The route is decided shortly before departure, based on wind and tides. The trip starts and ends in Harlingen, and the goal is to visit three Wadden Islands and to dry out on a sandbank if conditions allow. On the islands you explore by bike or on foot.
Departures
- 15 – 22 June 2027€1,460 p.p.
- 23 – 30 June 2027€1,460 p.p.
Prices are per person in a double cabin. E-bike rental: €100 for the week. Availability is confirmed by Ship Josefien when you enquire.
Check availability on schipjosefien.nl →What's included
- Double cabin with private shower and toilet
- Made-up beds, towels, shampoo and soap
- Breakfast and a packed lunch for the road
- Three-course dinner on board (on most routes one evening is left free to eat ashore)
- Touring bicycle with gears, pannier, helmet, safety vest and phone holder
- Cycling routes on paper and on your phone
- Unlimited coffee, tea and chilled water on board
About this route
- What is drying out (droogvallen) on the Wadden Sea?
- At high tide the ship is run aground on a sandbank on purpose. When the ebb drains the water away she sits dry on the seabed and you can step off and walk on the sea floor. When the flood tide returns the ship floats again and sails on. It happens when weather and tides allow.
- Which Wadden Islands do you visit?
- The aim is to visit three of the five inhabited Dutch Wadden Islands. Which three depends on wind and tides, so the route is set shortly before departure.
- Is the Wadden Sea voyage a cycling holiday?
- It is more of a sailing and island trip than the other routes. A bicycle is included and the islands are ideal for cycling and walking, but the distances are shorter and the days are shaped by the tide.
- Where does the Wadden Sea voyage start?
- In the harbour town of Harlingen on the Frisian coast, which is also where the trip ends eight days later.