Wadden Week – Summer cruise on the Dutch Wadden Sea

Departure
25 August 2025 20:00
Return
31 August 2025 15:00
Days
7
Sailing area
Wadden Sea, IJsselmeer
Port of departure
Stavoren (NL)
Port of arrival
Stavoren (NL)

Welcome to the Nil Desperandum. On this trip, you have the opportunity to explore the Dutch Wadden Sea on this more than 100-year-old traditional sailing ship. Here, you will experience the elements as in almost no other area. The tides and currents constantly challenge us to set the right course. An active sailing trip is guaranteed every day. Experience the mudflats while sailing on the Nil Desperandum and then explore the islands by bike or on foot. The perfect mix to get to know this unique area from different perspectives!

The Wadden Sea was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2009. It is home to more than 10,000 rare plant and animal species. The area has five inhabited islands, some of which we will visit during this trip. The islands share the salty air, beautiful nature and their friendly inhabitants, yet each island has its own charm and special atmosphere:

Today, Texel is still a real fisherman’s island and the locals like to show that. In the immediate vicinity of the port, you will find many fish shops and smokehouses, a nice museum and, of course, many wool products from the world-famous Texel sheep. If you really want to see something of this big island, you can rent a bike directly from the harbour. Vlieland, the smallest island, has beautiful nature to offer. Here you will find peace and quiet, beaches and dunes, a unique sky and wide views over the North Sea and the Wadden Sea. Terschelling is bursting with life! Every walk through the woods and dunes leads you back to the cosy village. Cafés, bars and restaurants line up here and everything has its own charm. Just cosy! Unfortunately, time always flies by…

Weather permitting, you can also fall dry with the Nil Desperandum. To do this, the ship is anchored on a sandbank after high tide. The water then flows away with the ebb until the ship finally lies dry on the seabed. You can then disembark and take a short walk across the mudflats. Don’t miss this unique experience!

Important: The exact route always depends on wind, weather and tides and is therefore not fixed in advance.

Nil Desperandum

Read more about this ship

Frequently asked questions

We still handle your bookings personally and therefore do not have an automatic booking system. This way, we can enable you to reserve individual places for a few days without any obligation. This allows you, for example, to arrange your holiday without someone stealing your place from under your nose. For this reason, we cannot keep track of the exact number of free places on a daily basis. However, we regularly check the availability of our sailing holidays. Therefore, you can generally assume that plenty of free places are still available on all trips that are not marked as ‘fully booked’ or ‘Last Minute’. Call us or use our booking form if you want to know the exact number of places available.

If you are travelling alone and have not booked a private cabin, you will be accommodated in a shared cabin. Shared cabins are normally divided by gender. Only on the Belle Amie and Seatrips Yachts do they sometimes have mixed cabins.

Yes, vegetarians and allergies/intolerances can be catered for on most ships. However, there is only one menu per day on the programme. Therefore, please let us know during your booking if you have any special dietary requirements.

In principle, all our trips are suitable for both experienced and novice sailors. The professional crew on board will teach you everything you need to know. In some cases (e.g. on Atlantic crossings) initial sailing experience may be an advantage/requirement. In this case, this will be clearly indicated in the cruise description.

Prices

DescriptionPrice
Double cabin
Adult€ 755 p.p.
Child
Single cabin
Adult€ 990 p.p.
Child

Included in price

 Accommodation on board the Nil Desperandum
Fitted sheet and pillow with cover
Full board
Port charges and tourist tax
Engine hours
Insolvency insurance (VZR Garant guarantee fund)
Final cleaning

Not included in price

Travel to/from the port of departure
Duvet & towels
Drinks (available on board at fair prices)
Travel / cancellation insurance