Having explored many pristine and wild places over the last 20 years, we really felt like doing a project about the beauty of nature and wild places, but this time in our own adventurous backyard of Benelux.
During the whole of 2015, we will be exploring the most beautiful natural and wild places in Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg), filming and/or photographing our hikes and treks, camping, canoeing and kayak trips.
In very densely populated countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, nature, wild places and fauna and flora are not taken for granted.
Sometimes these well hidden natural places are tough to find, but they are there, and they are brave and vivid, surviving within the surrounding concrete of cities and industries. Maybe that’s why we should cherish them even more.
Our goal is to show people from Benelux that you don’t need to go to the North Pole or climb Everest to be an explorer.
Just go outdoors and start by discovering the natural treasures nearby. For people from the rest of the world, we want to show you that the Benelux countries have some truly stunning scenery you might wish to visit – you could be in paradise!
Over the course of the year the ‘results’ will be shared through the Inuksuk website and on social media.For this project we count on YOU. If you know of interesting, beautiful and/or wild places within the Benelux boundaries, and you can show them to us during an outdoor activity, please contact us and we will organise a visit.
The results of the Wild & Adventurous BENELUX Expedition 2015 will be presented in the form of a photo album and a video documentary.
Bert & Kiki
DIARY
DAY 27 – November 5, 2015
- Hohes Venn
- Flirting with the German border
- Team, Dirk Michiels, Bert
DAY 26 – November 3, 2015
- Vallée de la Hoëgne
- Team, Jurand, Nacho, Kiki, Bert
DAY 25 – October 11,2015
- Hautes Fagnes
- Team: Dirk Michiels, Olivier Zajusz, Bert
DAY 24 – September 20, 2015
- De Teut – Zonhoven (B)
- Team: Nacho, Bert
DAY 23 – September 13, 2015
- Hohes Venn (B)
- Kutenhart – Kinktenhart
- Team: Dirk Michiels, Bert
DAY 22 – July 21, 2015
- Helle River – Hautes Fagnes (B) aka “The muddiest walk of Belgium”
- Team: Maykol García, Olivier Zajusz, Dirk Michiels, Guillermo, Bert
DAY 21 – July 19, 2015
- De Maat Nautuurreservaat – Mol – Rauw (B)
- First day on the expedition with our Spanish friends Mer and Maykol.
- Thank you André Bertels for your passion and guiding.
- Team: Olivier Zajusz, Mer Ceruzzi, Maykol García, Susan and Pol, Nacho, Guillermo, Kiki, Bert
DAY 20 – June 28, 2015
- De Mechelse Heide – Nationaal Park Hoge Kempen (B)
- This was the first visit of the National Park, afer Bert’s training sessions in the park, preparing for the Atacama Crossing 2010. See the video.
- Team: Bert
DAY 19 – May 23, 2015:
- De Veluwe (N)
- Lots and lots of wild life: fox, boar, deer, …
- Team: Nacho, Kiki, Dirk, Bert
- Thank your from our hearts Berno Klomp for being the best possible guide!.
DAY 18 – May 17, 2015
- Drowned land of Saeftinghe – Het verdronken land van Saeftinghe (N)
- Team: Kris Van Ingelghem, Olivier Dubrulle, Kiki, Bert
DAY 17 – May 14, 2015
- Baraque de Fraiture (B)
- Lots of wildlife (deer and fox)
- Team: Dirk, Bert
DAY 16 – May 9, 2015
- River Lesse (B)
- River descent – Houyet-Anseremme (21km)
- Team: Nacho, Dirk, Bert
DAY 15 – April 25, 2015
- Esch-sur-Alzette (L)
- First Expedition day at the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg,
- dogsledding with Musher Raphael Fiegen
- Team: Raphael Fiegen, Kiki, Bert
DAY 14 – April 19, 2015
- Nadrin (B) Le Hérou
- Hiking and climbing initiation by Mattias Deny – Hiking.be
- Info: http://www.hiking.be/le-herou/
- Team: Olivier Zajusz, Mattias Deny, Vanessa Hermans, Dirk Michiels, Bert Poffé.
DAYS 11,12 and 13 – April 15, 16 and 17, 2015
- Camping MAKA, Bertrix (B)
- Base camp Camping MAKA – www.campingmaka.be
- first river exploration of the expedition: Semois
- seen: beaver, musk rat; deer, kingfisher
Team, Nacho, Guillermo, Kiki, Bert
DAY 10 – April 12, 2015
- The Sonian Forest (B)
- First exploration of Het Zoniënwoud, LaForêt de Soignes, a 4,421-hectare (10,920-acre) forest that lies at the south-eastern edge of Brussels, Belgium, at only about 10 km from the center of Brussels.
- Team: Mirko Fioni, Bert
DAY 9 – April 6, 2015
- Lac des deux Ourthes (B) – near La Roche
- Hike proposed by www.hiking.be
- Surprised by the 0°C in the morning.
- Total distance: 13444 m – Max elevation: 362 m – Min elevation: 271 m –
- Total climbing: 798 m – Total descent: -798 m
- Team: Nacho, Kiki, Bert
DAY 8 – March 22, 2015
- Vresse-sur-Semois (B)
- Exploring an unknown area, close to our beloved Bohan
- Team: Dirk Michiels, Olivier Zajusz, Bert
DAY 7 – March 7, 2015
- Bilzen (B)
- Dog sledding with European Champion 2013 – World Champion 2014 – Vice-World Champion 2015 Stefan Goris in the woods of Limburg.
- check out Stefan’s website: http://www.r2run.be/
- Team: Stefan Goris, Lucas Hendrix, Bert
DAY 6 – March 1, 2015
- Ninglinspo / Liege (B)
- Suny day with some clouds, highest temp about + 8° C
- Surprise destination, prepared by Dirk Michiels
- very steep hike up and downhill along the Ninglinspo river
- Team: Dirk Michiels and Bert
DAY 5 – February 15, 2015
- Meerdaalwoud (B)
- a +10°C deer stalking day in the woods with a strong spring is in the air feeling
- Team: Bert
DAY 4 – February 8, 2015
- Hautes Fagnes, Baraque Michel (B)
- +45 cm of snow, gusty winds, around -1°C
- Team:Dirk Michiels, Olivier Zajusz, Bert
DAY 3 – February 1, 2015
- Hautes Fagnes, Baraque Michel (B)
- +40 cm of snow, snowing all day long, around -1°C
- Great fun with the family
- Team: Guillermo Poffé, Ignacio Poffé, Kiki, Bert
DAY 2 – January 25, 2015
- Hautes Fagnes, Baraque Michel (B)
- 15 cm of snow, gray and very misty, around 0°C
- Team: Dirk Michiels, Olivier Zajusz, BertDAY 1
- January 18, 2015: Hautes Fagnes, Baraque Michel (B)
- first leg of our Wild & Adventurous BENELUX Expedition 2015 – sunny and frosty weather – highest temp – 1°C
- Team: Kiki, Bert
