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Snowleopard's Dutch Sights, Belgian Delights & German Ratites

Discussion in 'Europe - General' started by snowleopard, 2 Aug 2018.

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  1. snowleopard

    snowleopard Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    I've been dreaming of a European zoo trip throughout my entire life and the tentative plan is for me to spend 22 days away from home in the summer of 2019. After 8 'Snowleopard Road Trips' across Canada and the United States, as well as a summer in Australia in 2007, I've racked up visits to exactly 421 different zoos and aquariums in my lifetime. It's time to tackle Europe!

    I actually spent 3 weeks between Switzerland and Italy in 2003, seeing a ton of fabulous attractions but only a couple of zoos. So, for my big foray in 2019, the plan is not to drive from country to country, but instead to have a narrow, specific focus. On my first 4 zoo-themed road trips (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012) I criss-crossed America and traveled vast distances. On the last 4 zoo-themed road trips I've been very specific in my geographical location, first focusing on the north-west half of the USA (2014), then the south-west half (Texas was a prominent destination in 2015), then an entire trek in California (2017) and this summer I was mainly split between Michigan and Wisconsin (2018). My dream, depending on finances and the approval from my wife and 4 kids, would be to travel to Europe every few years and do something similar although we'll see how all of this works out as everything is tentative at the moment.

    I've always imagined myself jetting off to the Netherlands as I love the very idea of that nation, the layout of the picturesque country, the fabulous soccer teams that I've cheered for at World Cups and of course the world-class zoos. Spending months intently planning and organizing a trip to the land of windmills and tulips has been a joy and naturally a few days in Belgium, due to its close proximity, was a decision that I made very early on in the scheduling process. I'm already so excited and yet there is a year-long wait until my next big zoo trip.

    The days of driving halfway across the USA and seeing first the biggest and best zoos in the nation, then the mid-sized zoos, and then finally the wreckage of the zoological world has ended. No more nights in the minivan, no more roadside 'sanctuaries' run by good-natured yet clueless senior citizens, no more Confederate flags in Arkansas or Wisconsin hellholes on Bambi kiddie trains. A European jaunt might possibly cost double my usual bare-bones, $3,000 summer trips. Going to Europe will mean a $1,200 round-trip flight from Vancouver to Amsterdam, probably $1,500 on a car rental as I'll need a vehicle to get all around the countryside, then zoo admission prices are much higher, food is more expensive, and the exchange rate via Canadian dollars will hit my bank account hard. Go to Google and check out the Euro/Canadian exchange rate...gulp! A fantastic 2019 Dutch/Belgian zoo tour will probably be in the $6,000-$7,000 range and therefore during 2020 and even 2021 I will be staying home and not going anywhere.

    After much internal debate, I've posted my full itinerary below but first I will make mention of the fact that 10 of the zoos receive between 800,000 to 1.8 million annual visitors. The Netherlands has the famous, historic, architecturally stunning Artis Royal Zoo in Amsterdam, the much-lauded Burgers' Zoo in Arnhem and the modern Diergaarde Blijdorp in Rotterdam. Belgium has a historic classic of its own in the shape of Zoo Antwerp and then the 'Omaha of Europe' as represented by the rapidly-expanding Pairi Daiza in Brugelette. I feel confident that via my research on ZooChat, through reading history books and discussing zoos with esteemed zoo nerds, that those 5 zoos are all candidates to make a 'Top 20 European Zoos' list. They all appear to be superb and amongst the best of their kind on the continent.

    In hindsight I can see that I was a bit hyperbolic in declaring that I'd be visiting 10 world-class zoos on my next big trip but in truth I probably wasn't too far off the mark. Apart from those big 5 that I discussed above, there are significant other collections that I'm excited to visit. Planckendael Zoo in Mechelen, Belgium, has made great strides in the past decade and with a million annual visitors it has even surpassed the attendance numbers of its sister park in Antwerp. Then there is Safaripark Beekse Bergen in Hilvarenbeek, the Netherlands, regarded as one of the premier safari park/walk-around zoos in Europe. Dierenpark Amersfoort and Ouwehands Dierenpark are a couple of other extremely popular Dutch zoos and the latter is one of the few establishments with Giant Pandas anywhere on the continent. Lastly, there is the brand-new zoo known as Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen, apparently not as impressive as the old Emmen Zoo but still worth seeing for a Canadian seeking zoological adventures. That completes the list of 10 notable, extremely popular zoos that all receive between 800,000 to 1.8 million annual visitors.

    I'm also very excited to visit Apenheul Primate Park in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, with its 35+ primate species and famous gorilla feeding presentation. Then there is Dolfinarium Harderwijk, which is one of Europe's largest marine mammal parks, and a whole host of smaller, privately-owned Dutch and Belgian zoos. I've even found room for a couple of Sea Life Aquariums, which I will no doubt tour in 45 minutes and they probably look the same as the ones I've seen in the USA. Ha! I'll feel like I'm back home in North America.

    I'm indebted to @lintworm for helping me plan this exciting journey and while he would not want to do a similar-style trip, he does realize the 'Snowleopard' desire to visit as many zoos as possible within a time period of 3 weeks. He gave me some great advice about how much time I'd need in each zoo, or when to add or cut zoos on certain days. Most of the big zoos are ones that I plan to take slowly and enjoy thoroughly, so they each get their own full day. On the days when I'm at Rotterdam and Beekse Bergen, I've got a second, much smaller zoo scheduled for the evening but if those two big zoos are taking up all of my time then I have no problem skipping the smaller attractions. I'm not going to rush through the main course in order to eat what could be a sour-tasting dessert. I've even got 3-4 butterfly/invertebrate facilities that I can visit or skip depending on time constraints but I've included them for now.

    In wrapping up this long introduction and analysis, I would like to request some guidance in terms of what people think of my itinerary, sleeping options at motels, advice in terms of parking when going to Amsterdam, Antwerp or other major cities, etc. I will definitely rent a vehicle so that I can easily get around to all of the smaller zoos in the countryside, but having a car will also present itself with its own set of challenges. The big cities are not always car-friendly, but I really do want to get out and explore all the regions, including the Dutch Provinces of Friesland in the north and Zeeland in the south-west. I'd appreciate comments on my itinerary but please ensure that it is constructive criticism as I'm well aware of the fact that some individuals will think that visiting approximately 50 zoos in 3 weeks without once setting foot inside a museum or an art gallery is slightly bonkers. For those that have followed me on all of my 8 huge zoo trips and know of my 421 different zoos that I've visited...then this Dutch/Belgian trip will likely hold no surprises. Here you go:

    42 Dutch zoos and 10 Belgian zoos = 52 zoos on the trip

    Netherlands/Belgium 2019 Zoo Trip

    Day 1 - Monday: Flight from Vancouver, Canada, to Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

    Day 2 - Tuesday: (1 zoo) Artis Royal Zoo (Amsterdam, NL) + drive 1 hour

    Day 3 - Wednesday: (4 zoos) Landgoed Hoenderdaell (Anna Paulowna, NL) 9-11:30 + drive 30 min. + Blanckendaell Park (Tuitjenhorn, NL) 12-2 + drive 15 min. + Vlindertuin Vlindorado (Waarland, NL) 2:30-3:30 + drive 30 min. + Bergen aan Zee Aquarium (Bergen aan Zee, NL) 4-5 + drive 1 hour

    Day 4 - Thursday: (5 zoos) Vogelpark Avifauna (Alphen aan den Rijn, NL) 9-11:30 + drive 15 min. + Stichting Schildpaddencentrum (Foundation Turtle Center) (Alphen aan den Rijn, NL) 12-1 + drive 30 min. + Vlinders aan de Vliet (Leidschendam, NL) 1:30-2:30 + drive 20 min. + Avonturia de Vogelkelder (The Hague, NL) 3-3:45 + drive 15 min. + Sea Life Scheveningen (The Hague, NL) 4-5 + drive 30 min.

    Day 5 - Friday: (2 zoos) Diergaarde Blijdorp (Rotterdam, NL) 9-5 + drive 15 min. + Familiepark Plaswijckpark (Rotterdam, NL) 5:30-7 + drive 1.5 hours

    Day 6 - Saturday: (4 zoos) Deltapark Neeltje Jans Aquarium (Neeltje Jans, NL) 10-11 + drive 45 min. + Berkenhof Tropical Zoo (Kwadendamme, NL) 12-1:30 + drive 30 min. + Reptielen Zoo Iguana (Vlissingen, NL) 2-3:30 + drive 15 min. + Het Arsenaal Aquarium (Vlissingen, NL) 4-5:30 + drive 1.5 hours

    Day 7 - Sunday: (4 zoos) Aquarium de la Mer du Nord (Ostend, BE) 10-11 + drive 30 min. + Serpentarium Blankenberge (Blankenberge, BE) 11:30-1 + drive 10 min. + Sea Life Blankenberge (Blankenberge, BE) 1:30-2:30 + drive 30 min. + Boudewijn Seapark (Bruges, BE) 3-5 + drive 1.5 hours

    Day 8 - Monday: (1 zoo) Zoo Antwerp (Antwerp, BE) + drive 45 min.

    Day 9 - Tuesday: (1 zoo) Planckendael Zoo (Mechelen, BE) + drive 1.5 hours

    Day 10 - Wednesday: (1 zoo) Pairi Daiza (Brugelette, BE) + drive 2 hours

    Day 11 – Thursday: (3 zoos) Le Monde Sauvage (Wild Safari World Park) (Aywaille, BE) 10-12 + drive 30 min. + Liege Aquarium-Museum (Liege, BE) 12:30-2:30 + drive 1.5 hours + Olmense Zoo (Olmen, BE) 4-6 + drive 1.5 hours

    Day 12 - Friday: (3 zoos) GaiaZOO (Kerkrade, NL) 10-2 + drive 15 min. + Mondo Verde (Landgraaf, NL) 2:30-4:30 + drive 30 min. + Kasteelpark Born (Born, NL) 5-6 + drive 1 hour

    Day 13 - Saturday: (2 zoos) Safaripark Beekse Bergen (Hilvarenbeek, NL) 10-4 + drive 30 min. + Reptile House de Aarde (Breda, NL) 4:30-6 + drive 1 hour

    Day 14 - Sunday: (4 zoos) BestZOO (Best, NL) 9:30-11 + drive 20 min. + Zoo Veldhoven (Veldhoven, NL) 11:30-1:30 + 45 min. + Vlindersafari (Gemert, NL) 2:30-3 + drive 30 min. + Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Nuenen, NL) 3:30-5:30 + drive 45 min.

    Day 15 - Monday: (3 zoos) ZooParc Overloon (Overloon, NL) 9:30-11:30 + drive 30 min. + Dierenpark ZieZoo (Volkel, NL) 12-2 + drive 1 hour + De Paay (Beesd, NL) 3-5 + drive 30 min.

    Day 16 - Tuesday: (2 zoos) Ouwehands Dierenpark (Rhenen, NL) 10-3 + drive 1 hour + Dierenpark de Oliemeulen (Tilburg, NL) 4-6 + drive 1.5 hours

    Day 17 - Wednesday: (1 zoo) Burgers' Zoo (Arnhem, NL) + drive 45 min.

    Day 18 - Thursday: (2 zoos) Apenheul Primate Park (Apeldoorn, NL) 9-2 + drive 45 min. + Dolfinarium Harderwijk (Harderwijk, NL) 3-6 + drive 1 hour

    Day 19 - Friday: (3 zoos) Vlinderparadijs Papiliorama (Havelte, NL) 9-10 + drive 1 hour + Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Emmen, NL) 11-3 + drive 30 min. + Zoo Bizar (Orvelte, NL) 3:30-5 + drive 1 hour

    Day 20 - Saturday: (4 zoos) Orchideeenhoeve (Luttelgeest, NL) 9-10 + drive 45 min. + Dierenpark Taman Indonesia (Kallenkote, NL) 11-12:30 + drive 30 min. + Vogelpark Ruinen (Ruinen, NL) 1-2:30 + drive 1 hour + AquaZoo Friesland (Leeuwarden, NL) 3:30-6 + drive 1.5 hours

    Day 21 - Sunday: (2 zoos) Dierenpark Amersfoort (Amersfoort, NL) 9-3 + drive 1 hour + Natuurpark Lelystad (Lelystad, NL) 4-6 + drive 1 hour to Amsterdam Airport

    Day 22 - Monday: Flight from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to Vancouver, Canada.
     
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  2. korhoen

    korhoen Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Wow, that is quite an impressive itinerary!:) For the most part I don't see anything wrong with your time schedule, but I can't really comment on the smaller zoos as I have yet to visit most of those. You might however find that 2.5 hours at Avifauna is a little tight, especially if you also visit the bird show (which is quite impressive). Contrary to this, I think 5 hours at Ouwehands and 6 hours at Amersfoort are generous for those zoos. I think 3-4 hours will do it for Ouwehands and 4-5 hours for Amersfoort.
     
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  3. lintworm

    lintworm Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I already told you your schedule is absolutely bonkers.

    I hope to meet you next year and good luck with further preparations ;)
     
  4. Brum

    Brum Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I'm just going to post the same thing as I have in the PM I sent you... :p

    A few unexpected zoos on there, and also at least 2 aquariums I've never heard of, as well as a bloody Sea Life Centre or two. Have you not had enough of the McMerlins yet? And I say this as someone who has been to many Merlin attractions, several on multiple occasions! I'm clearly a glutton for punishment! :p

    It's a great itinerary though, and somehow I knew Pairi Daiza, Burger's and Rotterdam were going to be on there. I also noticed you've allocated a full day each for Antwerp and Artis; that's not the snowleopard style we've come to expect. Surely they're half day zoos at best? ;)
     
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  5. CGSwans

    CGSwans Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Just to clarify, are you planning to change hotels every night? The Benelux region is so small that you might do better to have a series of ‘home bases’ from which to head to zoos - and there’s nothing to say you can’t drive ( :( , but I’ll hold my peace!) off aimlessly in the evenings to see the countryside. For instance, most of the major zoos in the Netherlands are within an hour’s drive of Utrecht, so you could save yourself the constant hassle of checking in and out, plus you might get a cheaper room by booking for longer.

    I have no knowledge of the butterfly parks, but Dutch zoos have probably the best three I’ve ever seen at Burgers, Artis and Blijdorp. You could skip the standalone ones and still get your fill of excellent flutter-by exhibits.

    You don’t need to go to any galleries or whatever in Amsterdam, but if you can tolerate the eau de cannabis in the air, it’s a gorgeous city to go for a nice long walk through. You’ve allowed all day at Artis but I think that’s generous, so you’ll have plenty of time to wander without compromising your zoo itinerary.

    My other advice is to be flexible about whether you start/finish in Amsterdam or Brussels, as it doubles your opportunities for cheap flights to pop up.
     
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  6. Pleistohorse

    Pleistohorse Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Sounds exciting. About 15 years ago I visited many of the Zoos you are planning to your. I’d like to make a recommendation though. Consider bypassing Vlindersafari and Dierenrijk and drive from Veldhoven to Sittard. Right over the German border you’ll find Wildpark Gangelt. I’ve sung the praises of this little zoo on many threads...I’ll do so here as well.

    Wildpark Gangelt specializes in European native species (and a couple of well established exotics). The row of raptors is nothing special, but the paddocks of native hoofstock in large herds, from Wild Boar to Wisent are very nice (Riendeer and Musk Ox are pretty much the only “native” wild ungulates not exhibited). Wild cats, Lynx, Wolves, and Martens are some of the predators on show.

    All of that and you’ll enjoy a pleasant walk through the woods and get a taste of one of Europe’s Zoological Highlights...the Wildpark. I don’t think you’ll regret the change to your agenda.
     
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  7. snowleopard

    snowleopard Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Of course I'm excited to tour 42 Dutch zoos and 10 Belgian zoos and all of them will be interesting, but the 3-4 butterfly-type places on my itinerary are really just there as zoological "filler" (to use a music album statement) and the ONLY time that I actively am visiting a facility in order to add something new to my all-time zoo totals. Butterfly-type 'zoos' with various invertebrate displays are great, but butterflies on their own are the least interesting part of a zoo in my opinion. If I run out of time on the trip then the butterfly zoos will be the first to be skipped.

    Now this is something that a friend of mine mentioned this morning... @sooty mangabey to be exact. He also suggested the city of Utrecht as a type of 'home base' and it is this kind of information that I was earnestly seeking. My journey, as currently plotted, sees me begin in Amsterdam and do a loop from the northwest corner of the Netherlands, head south through Belgium, then come back up so the entire 22-day jaunt is a rough sort of circle. But having at least a couple of 'home bases', while possibly adding driving time, means that it will be less of a hassle checking in and out of motels. Youth hostels are not appealing as I'm 42 years old, not exactly a "youth" these days, and to quote Danny Glover: "I'm too old for this ****". That leaves options such as sleeping in my rental car (free but not exactly glamorous) or getting a BNB with a kitchen where I can store healthy Dutch snacks. Hmmmm...

    Thanks! The schedule works great although some zoo enthusiasts think that spending more than a week going to various zoos is too much. For me it's not a problem at all and I visited 81 zoos in the summer of 2015...now that was crazy! Plus I was travelling throughout Texas with zero air conditioning in my car and I spent much of the time with my tongue hanging out of my mouth and my head out the window like a labrador retriever. :p If I'm going to go on a 10-hour flight to a faraway nation then I'm going to see as many zoos as humanly possible and I'd actually add even more on if the establishments had extended summer hours late into the evening. What else am I going to do at night? Type up reports for fellow zoo nerds? Ha!

    Questions for anyone:

    If there is somewhere else that I can add to Day 16 (Ouwehands + Oliemeulen) then I'd love to consider it.

    Are there any Dutch or Belgian zoos that I'm missing that should definitely be added to my schedule?
     
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  8. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    If you did a little shuffling of plans as a result of travelling from central hubs rather than staying in a new location every night, it might be worth trying to do Artis on a weekend to allow you to visit the nearby Artisklas on the same day; this collection is only open on weekends but given how comprehensive you seem to want the trip to be, it's worth a crack ;)
     
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  9. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    Zoo admission prices in the Netherlands and Belgium are actually no higher, generally speaking, than those at many of the major North American collections you are familiar with - and often rather lower.

    For comparison, and with all prices converted into Canadian Dollars, a random selection of major North American collections, and the five "big" collections in the Low Countries which you highlight......

    SAN DIEGO ZOO - $70.31
    SAN DIEGO SAFARI PARK - $70.31
    BRONX ZOO - $48.11
    OMAHA - $28.58
    TORONTO - $29.00

    ----

    ANTWERP - $37.72
    ROTTERDAM - $34.70
    ARTIS - $31.68
    BURGERS - $33.94
    PAIRI DAIZA - $48.28
     
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  10. snowleopard

    snowleopard Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    If I do visit all 52 zoos on my itinerary then it will be an expensive part of my trip. I added up the totals and it will come to exactly 782 Euros. Divided by 52 and that equals approximately 15 Euros per zoo and while that seems reasonable the whole thing adds up to $1,176 Canadian because I'll be visiting so many zoos. Now I'll add that into my previous calculations from the last 4 zoo trips:

    In 2014 I spent $403 U.S. on entrance fees, which averaged $20 per day at 65 zoos.

    In 2015 I spent $1,072 U.S. on entrance fees, which averaged $45 per day at 81 zoos.

    In 2017 I spent $479 U.S. on entrance fees, which averaged $28 per day at 44 zoos.

    In 2018 I spent $441 U.S. on entrance fees, which averaged $28 per day at 50 zoos.

    In 2019 I'll spend $906 U.S. ($1,176 CAD) on entrance fees, which will average $41 per day at 52 zoos.

    So, @TeaLovingDave you are correct that entrance fees won't be quite as high as expected, although that number will rise as it is quite common for zoos to increase their admission fees as the years go by. I might end up paying close to $43-45 per day a year from now, and that will be expensive but by no means outlandish.

    So, with maybe $1,200 on airfare, $1,500 on a car rental (unless I make changes to my itinerary to avoid having a rental car on every day) and $1,200 on entrance fees that brings me up to $3,900 CAD and I've still got to figure out food, fuel and motels. If I can average $35 per day in meals and snacks then that would total $770 CAD for the 22-day trip. Maybe another $35 per day in fuel and another $770 CAD. What about $85 per day in Canadian dollars for motels? It seems a bit low but I'm hoping for deals.

    Airfare: $1,200
    Car Rental: $1,500
    Entrance Fees: $1,200
    Food: $770
    Fuel: $770
    Motels: $1,785 ($85 per night for 21 nights)

    TOTAL: $7,225 CAD

    Yikes! My last two zoo trips averaged $3,000 CAD and so a Dutch/Belgian trip, as things stand right now, will be well over double my average. However, in the past, sleeping in a minivan on 75% of the nights meant free accommodation and unless I rent a van and do the same thing in Europe then I'm not going to be able to have substantial savings in that category. My wife is on board with this whole trip and I've got the green-light to proceed, but it will mean that the following summer (2020) there will definitely not be a 'Snowleopard Road Trip' and I'm fine with that.

    On a side note, I have not even included souvenirs in my totals as they are 'bonus expenses' in my world. This past summer I bought myself, my wife and my 4 kids all a zoo hat and a second gift. Everyone got a hat and another present, such as my Detroit Zoo hat and the Lee G. Simmons autobiography. Well, 6 hats added up to $150 CAD and then 6 more presents surpassed $150 CAD and so each road trip is easily another $300 CAD in souvenirs. But...souvenirs don't count, right? :)
     
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  11. Arizona Docent

    Arizona Docent Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Well I was way off when I guessed Germany and Czech Republic. I would have thought for sure Berlin (x2) and Prague would be your top priorities. You are going to Belgium and Bruges is high on my wish list, for the architecture and not for any zoo. I have gone to Europe five times - every other year for the past decade - but on the last couple trips the number of zoo days has decreased dramatically. I have three different ideas for a tentative trip next year, all of which would likely include only one zoo the entire trip.

    As for transportation I have relied mostly on trains with a few one or two day car rentals to get to zoos that were unreachable by train. (Last trip - Austria - was car free). I am not familiar with the circuit you are taking but if it is possible to do the small zoos by car for half the trip and the big zoos by train for the other half, that would be ideal.
     
  12. PicanBird

    PicanBird Well-Known Member

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    When's the big tour happening?
     
  13. Jurek7

    Jurek7 Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Book hotels or pensions in small villages between cities if you have a car. You will save lots on accomodation and parking, and time stuck in traffic jams, and they are typically much friendlier and better than budget hotels in large European tourist cities (which are often quite run down and creepy).

    Caution, the Netherlands is a land of traffic jams. Especially around Amsterdam and Rotterdam there is traffic jam every day and some of your driving times are very optimistic.

    There are no border checks on motorways in Western Europe anymore. I would not bother with multiple tiny zoos on days 3,6,7,11,20, which even few Dutch zoo enthusiasts ever visited. I would move for several days to German Ruhr area, which is close by. From Burgersvzoo to Duisburg zoo there is only 103 km driving. There are several first-class zoos within 1-2 hours drive from each other: Duisburg, Krefeld, Wuppertal, Gelsenkirchen, Dortmund and also Cologne. Unless your priority is to maximize number of zoos, not maximizing animal species, exhibits or experiences.
     
    Last edited: 5 Aug 2018
  14. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    I think you may have forgotten who you are talking about if you need to ask that! ;) :p
     
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  15. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Great idea and great choises snowleopard and I hope to meet you at at least one of these collections next year !
    If you even want to visit 4 more collections :
    On day 1 you easily could add Artisklas at Haarlem
    On day 6 it should be very possible to add Faunapark Flakkee - Nieuwe Tonge
    and on your last day you can add Stichting AAP and Almere Jungle, both at Almere and almost next to eachother.
    All four are small - and cheap - collections both surtainly worth a ( short ) visit !
     
  16. CGSwans

    CGSwans Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Whether it’s the ‘right call’ is obviously up to SL, though I certainly think it’s the right recommendation. At the very least, SL, think about redirecting one of these days of anonymous minor collections towards Duisburg, if the dolphin is still alive by the time of your visit. He very likely won’t be around if you were to wait for a 2022 or 2023 attempt.
     
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  17. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    As I already noted, he will only be able to do this if he swaps his Artis day to a weekend.
     
  18. jwer

    jwer Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Concerning ticket prices, if you have a rough idea when you’re here people should be able to help with discounts...

    Almost every Zoo in Holland does some kind of discount if you search for it (coupons, pre-order, etc..).

    Itinerary looks fine and I don’t think there’s much else in Holland you cold squeze in...
     
  19. Stefan Verhoeven

    Stefan Verhoeven Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    The Netherlands
    As suggested by Jurek7, I would consider the option to visit the German Ruhr area. Many (good) zoos in a small area, there are 9 within an hour drive radius.

    Also, I would plan the day 16 visit to De Oliemeulen in between the two visits of day 13, because you will almost pass that one if you drive from Beekse Bergen to De Aarde. Or if you don't have the time, skip De Aarde and go to De Oliemeulen. And then put Ouwehands on dat 17 after Burgers (for Ouwehands you planned too much time if I compare it to other zoos) and then you have day 16 for the German Ruhr area
     
  20. Stefan Verhoeven

    Stefan Verhoeven Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    5 Aug 2018
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    172
    Location:
    The Netherlands
    Something I forgot: big parts of the Netherlands (especially Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam) and Belgium the areas around Antwerpen and Brussels (and also German Ruhr area) are famous for their traffic jams. If you could plan it, try to visit these areas in the weekends or leave very early in the morning!
     
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