Hasberger Silberseestollen, © Natur- und Geopark TERRA.vita — © Natur- und Geopark TERRA.vita

Nature Parks

Discover, experience and get active – people and nature closely interlinked

In Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) more than 10 natural landscapes are designated as nature parks.
In these areas, the flora and fauna are not the only focus. Nature parks are protected areas that invite people to explore, experience and get active. The link between people and nature is strong here. The motto is “protection through use”. In line with this, the nature parks are characterised by environmentally-friendly use of the land and by an extensive range of tourist services.

The options for visitors to Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony)’s nature parks are therefore very diverse. Alongside experiences in the great outdoors, each region also has plenty of culture and history to discover.

Cycling across the heaths, pulling on your hiking boots in the Weser Uplands hills, a gentle stroll at Steinhuder Meer, understanding the history of the Earth at Geopark TERRA.vita, a trip on the Moorbahn railway and much more… the nature parks in Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) have plenty to offer.

Bird migration, © Naturpark Steinhuder Meer, Region Hannover/ Bernd Wolter — © Naturpark Steinhuder Meer, Region Hannover/ Bernd Wolter

Lake Steinhude Nature Park

The nature park is named after its beating heart: the 30 km2 Lake Steinhude. The mystical allure of the water combined with the chance to swim, surf or set sail attracts numerous visitors to Lake Steinhude.

Header Klima & Luft, © HAHNENKLEE tourismus marketing gmbh — © HAHNENKLEE tourismus marketing gmbh

Harz Mountains Nature Park

The Harz Mountains nature park stretches from Goslar, with its UNESCO-protected evidence of centuries of cultural history related to mining and the wood industry, to the karst landscape of the southern Harz mountains.

Totengrund in the morning, © Lüneburger Heide GmbH/ Markus Tiemann — © Lüneburger Heide GmbH/ Markus Tiemann

Lüneburg Heath and Südheide Nature Parks

The largest heathland region in Central Europe is located in the Lüneburg Heath in Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony).

Hiking on the Weserbergland Route, © Weserbergland Tourismus e.V. / Markus Gloger — © Weserbergland Tourismus e.V. / Markus Gloger

Weser Uplands and Solling Vogler Nature Park

The region Weser Uplands is located in the South of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony).

Nature Park Münden, © Naturpark Münden/ Peter Heitmann — © Naturpark Münden/ Peter Heitmann

Münden Nature Park

The nature park is characterised by wooded mountains and river valleys. Around the confluence of the Werra and Fulda rivers, the landscape has been formed over the centuries and has carved itself deep into the red sandstone. Highlights include the diversity of orchids.

View into the Markmorgen adventure quarry with early evening lighting, © NP Elm-Lappwald / Jürgen Kattenstroth — © NP Elm-Lappwald / Jürgen Kattenstroth

Elm-Lappwald Nature Park

The rolling landscape to the east of Brunswick is characterised by fertile loess hollows and mountain ranges with diverse forested areas. Here, you can find the Elm mountain range, with the largest high beech forest in North Germany.

Rundling Satemin, © Marketingbüro Wendland.Elbe — © Marketingbüro Wendland.Elbe

Elbe and Wendland Nature Park

Ancient woodland, meadows and pastures, heathland and babbling brooks, the hilltops of the Elbhöhen, Göhrde state forest and the hilly landscape of the Drawehn – that is how much variety the Elbhöhen-Wendland nature park at the easternmost tip of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) has to offer.

Canoeing on the Dümmer, © DümmerWeserLand-Touristik/ Oliver Lange — © DümmerWeserLand-Touristik/ Oliver Lange

Dümmer Nature Park

The Dümmer nature park extends over the two federal states of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) and North Rhine-Westphalia and covers 1,122 km².

Natur- und Geopark TERRA.vita, © Natur- und Geopark TERRA.vita — © Natur- und Geopark TERRA.vita

Nature and Geopark TERRA.vita

The nature and geopark offers a particularly good view of 300 million years of very eventful earth history, geological phenomena and their effects on the landscape. Within a small area, you can experience a highly varied North German natural and cultural landscape.

Hümmling, © Emsland Touristik — © Emsland Touristik

Hümmling Nature Park

Rolling hills, extensive forests, valuable cultural heritage - the Hümmling Nature Park in Emsland has all this, embedded in the North German plain, criss-crossed by small waterways and interspersed with evidence of the megalithic culture during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages.

Cyclists, © Emsland Touristik / Marcus Gloger — © Emsland Touristik / Marcus Gloger

Nature Park Moor-Veenland

Not a lake, but not dry land either: a moor is a unique, almost exotic habitat. It sounds different, it smells different and it looks completely different from all other landscapes in Europe.

Wildeshauser Geest Nature Park

The largest nature park in Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) offers a rolling landscape where species-rich mixed forests alternate with farmland, meadows and pastures. Heathlands and moors are also typical of the Geest nature park, and await your discovery.

Nature Parks

Where are the Nature Parks?