Time schedule (preliminary):

Departure from Bremen, Conference Center: 6.45

Walk from Harlesiel to Baltrum: 9.45 - 12.45

Fish sandwiches & beverages can be purchased on the island Baltrum

Return to Harlesiel by ship: 16.15 - 17:30

Stop at Neuharlingersiel: 17.30 - 18.30

Return to Bremen: ca. 21.00

Price per person: 90 € (includes breakfast in the bus)


Organizers: Jürgen Köster ( ) & Jürgen Rullkötter

The excursion will take you to the coast of the southern North Sea, a unique landscape with one of the largest intertidal systems worldwide. The landscape developed after the last deglaciation in the course of the rising sea level during the Holocene.

Highlight and main objective of the Wadden Sea excursion is a walk across the tidal flats. We will start from the dyke and the salt marshes near Harlesiel, walk on mainly sandy intertidal flats with some muddy sections, cross small tidal creeks and reach the barrier island of Baltrum after approx. 3 hours. On our tour we will provide you information on the macroscopic flora and fauna, and also on sedimentology, biogeochemistry, and microbiology of this highly dynamic environment.

After our return to the mainland by ship in the late afternoon, we will head for Bremen, with a one hour stop-over in the picturesque harbor village of Neuharlingersiel.
The excursion area is part of the Wadden Sea National Park of Lower Saxony, the second largest national park in Germany. Since June 2009 the Dutch-German Wadden Sea is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and has been recognized as one of the last remaining natural, large-scale, intertidal ecosystems where natural processes continue to function largely undisturbed.

Baltrum is the smallest of the inhabited East Frisian islands with about 500 residents only. There are neither motorized vehicles nor street names on the island. We will have ample time to take lunch in the “Strandcafe” (not included), to go to the beach for swimming or relaxing, to visit the exposition in the “Gezeitenhaus”, or to stroll through the dune area and the two small villages.

The excursion is suitable for everybody who is able to undertake a 3 hours walk. It is mandatory to wear thick socks or surf shoes (eventually old, thin sport shoes with socks). Rubber boots are neither necessary nor suitable. It is highly recommended to take a wind breaker, shower-gear and sun protection. We advise to bring some extra clothing and shoes. We will provide a lunch packages and drinks before we walk to Baltrum.