Where oh Where Wednesday: Lommelse Sahara

Just about 30 minutes away from where we live we can visit the Sahara. Not the Sahara which one would find in the north of Africa, but the “Lommelse Sahara”. This is an area that has become a tourist attraction and national park due to man-made activities. First of all a pool was created due to the mining of pebbles (which is done quite a bit along the river where we live as well. Added to this, a Zink factory caused all of the trees to die, having an area of white sand behind. This was all before the 2nd World War. 

The history of this area, including an explosives factory which contributed to what it looks like today, in the end has created what many in the country have called one of the most beautiful areas of Flanders. These days it is a go-to place for hikers, bikers and youth clubs who love the nature that has been created. 

I still remember as a kid when we visited the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado. We drove for hours to get behind the mountains (we lived on the Front Range in Colorado Springs) and approach an other-worldly pile of white sand in the middle of dark mountains. 

This otherworldly element is exactly what one experiences by this Belgian Sahara. Lommel is still Belgium, where we expect to see trees, grass and some heather. But sand dunes aren’t what anyone expects. This is what makes the Lommel Sahara such an amazing place to visit.