Not to be confused with other national parks in the Wadden Sea region.

Wadden Sea landscape

Wadden Sea National Park (Danish: Nationalpark Vadehavet) is in South Jutland of Denmark. It's listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Understand

Because of its unique biodiversity and intact intertidal ecosystem, since 2014 it has constituted the Danish part of the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site.

History

It became a Danish national park in 2010. The Wadden Sea National Park is by far the largest of Denmark's national parks outside of Greenland. It covers the Danish part of the Wadden Sea from Ho Bugt to the German border, and includes the islands of Fanø, Mandø and Rømø, as well as Skallingen, the Varde Å valley, and many of the marshlands of Tjæreborgmarsken, Ribemarsken, Margrethekogen and De Ydre Diger in Tøndermarsken.

Landscape

97% of the national park is part of Natura 2000, divided into several projects: a bird sanctuary, a wildlife sanctuary, and Ramsar wetlands of international importance. The areas comprise biomes like the low-lying flat coast, tidal channels, tidal flats, stream mouths, beach meadows, sandplains and dunes.

Flora and fauna

The Wadden Sea is internationally known as a resting place for millions of migratory birds, and more than 10 million of them pass through the Wadden Sea twice a year. Large flocks of European starlings can be found which fly in formations known as the sort sol. The Wadden Sea also has large numbers of breeding birds, fish, and invertebrates such as starfish and blue mussels. It provides habitat for more than 500 species of plants and animals.

See

• 1 Vadehavscentret. Visitor center for the Wadden Sea National Park area. Experience the Wadden Sea through the eyes of the migratory birds who depends on these vast tidal zones. kr 140, kr 50 for kids. (updated Sep 2023)

Buy, eat, drink, and sleep

See listings in the Fanø and Rømø articles.