The Ooijpolder and the Millingerwaard lie within National Landscape De Gelderse Poort, where the Waal continually reshapes the river landscape. In the Ooijpolder, you cycle through an open polder area of more than two thousand hectares, formed by centuries of flooding that left behind fertile layers of sand and clay. That same river power once brought disruption, with high water levels that changed lives and at times even swept away entire villages.

The Millingerwaard is one of the oldest nature restoration areas along the Waal and clearly shows how quickly a river landscape can recover. Where agriculture still dominated until the 1990s, there is now a living mosaic of floodplain forests, marshes, lakes and flower-rich grasslands. Konik horses and Galloway cattle roam the area, while beavers leave their traces along the water’s edge. Surrounding it is a high sandy natural levee that has developed into a distinctive river dune, offering beautiful views across the floodplains.