You can also contact us by clicking here.On our first night at the Beekse Bergen Safari Resort, we all stopped dead in their tracks. The kids are wearing the khaki safari hats from the welcome packs left on their wooden bunk beds, and we are relaxing on the veranda of our hotel room, with panoramic views of the “savannah”.
On this 10-day holiday, we can observe our neighbours from a high vantage point: Nubian Giraffes (also known as Nubian giraffes), white rhinos (also known as white rhinoceros), antelopes, zebras, and ostriches. They are all intermixed on the plains just metres away. The light is fading and a heatwave is enhancing the African theme of Beekse Bergen. Our impromptu quiz on animals, using our brochure in the room, was interrupted by a low, menacing noise.
In a few seconds, context can override common sense. The thunder that we think we are hearing is the roaring of a pack of lions living just behind our accommodation. We all fall silent, absorbing one of the primal sounds of nature.
It may seem like an unusual place for a safari – close to the modest city of Tilburg and 20 miles west of industrial Eindhoven – but this is a safari holiday Netherlands-style, where you don’t have to fly to Africa to get close to our planet’s most impressive mammals.
The 120-hectare resort is a group of interconnected sites, comprising a hotel, lodges, chalets and cottages overlooking several open plains full of wildlife; the safari park, which guests can explore on foot through a connecting gate from the resort; a lakeside resort with a beach, more lodges and a campsite for all budgets; and the Speelland theme park – with indoor and outdoor rides, slides and games.
The resort has strong conservation credentials, with many species that are designated “vulnerable” or “extinct in the wild” protected here as part of a Europe-wide network of more than 300 zoos, aquariums and parks, including Chester Zoo in the UK. All the animals in Beekse Bergen are either born there or were moved from another zoo.
The Dutch have a particular, tailored approach to family holidays, designing thoughtfully for children but without compromising on aesthetic and luxurious touches for adults, and Beekse Bergen is no exception – it’s a hit with our seven-and 11-year-olds, and us parents, too. In one room you can find custom-made bunk beds, while in another a picture window allows you to enjoy the view of animals from the bath.
For anyone staying, there is free unlimited access to the enormous safari park by car, bus or – our favourite – walking trails. Unlike a single costly trip to a regular zoo, we can make repeat visits to enjoy as many of the 100-plus animal species as we can, and at our own pace.
Highlights of our trip include the Amur (Siberian tiger), the ring-tailed Lemurs who screamed close to us, the blustering Rhinos fighting over food and the graceful African elephants.
Small “ferry” boats with guided tours (in Dutch) take passengers from zone to zone, via lakes where we get a rare sighting of two iridescent kingfishers – a personal highlight among the more spectacular beasts. A battered map with ballpoint pen ticks at the end of our trip is proof that two children were bursting with memories.
We love watching the birds of prey, with vultures and eagles flying low over our heads, catching the food we throw for them. We stumble upon the seals eating and laugh as they wriggle out of the water and onto the sand.
For an extra €17.50 (£15) per person, there is also the option of a 45-minute “game drive” with a guide – ours is the excellent Eva – to get up close and personal, away from the main car trails. Our 7-year-old daughter snaps pictures over and over as we meet Jim the alpha male and his harem.
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You can easily spend a whole week here exploring the entire complex. Check out the safari park and the indoor pool, then hire bikes to ride to the playgrounds. Evenings are for indoor bowling, eating at one of multiple restaurants or relaxing back in the lodge.
We visit the Speelland theme park a couple of times – a brilliantly wholesome outdoor and indoor activity centre with fairground-style rides, pedalos in the lake, go-karts and bouncy castles.
Visit Tilburg (25 minutes on a bicycle; 15 minutes by car) to get takeaway pizza and grocery shopping, and spend the day browsing shops and markets. We also have lunch at a Dutch pancake house. There’s also time for a day trip to Amsterdam (less than 90 minutes by train from Tilburg), where we wander over the canal bridges, meander along beautiful streets with vintage antique stores and hop on and off the tram. She decides to move to Amsterdam so that she can bike to work each day.
Our stay at the park was split between the resort and the hotel. Our first few days are in one of the hotel’s Savanne rooms, geared to guests who want to eat at the resort’s many à la carte, buffet or fine dining restaurants.
Then we move to the Savanne Lodge at the “top”, with a great view of the Masai Mara plain. These detached lodges have full kitchens and are ideal for families who want to self-cater. Some have saunas. The small grocery store on the site is not very convenient. Tilburg offers a wide range of supermarkets.
We recommend that you budget for the extra cost of eating out at breakfast, lunch and/or dinner when staying in the hotel. While the veranda view of the plain from our first hotel room is spectacular, the additional cost of eating out makes the self-catering lodge much more affordable.
Is there an age when our fascination with animals begins to fade, and then is reignited by a parent? I would say for any child pre-secondary school – before the self-conscious cynicism and underwhelmed eye-rolls kick in – Beekse Bergen is a remarkable family holiday, especially for those interested in the natural world.
“A safari to the Netherlands?” your friends will ask, intrigued and maybe a little sceptical: “How does that work?” Dutch family vacations are always a success.
The trip was organized by Little Clogs Holidays You can also find out more about the following: Beekse Bergen safari resort. A seven-night lodge stay Two adults and two children starts at €1,731 (£1,500), including tourist taxes
