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Lommel Sahara – Cycling through the Trees loop from Lommel

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Lommel Sahara – Cycling through the Trees loop from Lommel

Moderate

4.6

(131)

760

riders

Lommel Sahara – Cycling through the Trees loop from Lommel

02:21

41.6km

70m

Cycling

Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: July 22, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Nationaal Park Bosland

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

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5.91 km

Lommel Sahara

Highlight • Natural Monument

This nature reserve with many opportunities for walking and cycling was created by human activities. For example, the lake was created by sand extraction between 1920 and 1925 and the exhalation of the former Lommel-Werkplaatsen zinc factory caused all green plants to disappear between 1902 and 1940. The result was 350 hectares of arid landscape covered in white sand.
To prevent further expansion, coniferous forestation was established after the Second World War. The process of complete silting up was prevented with the help of hedges of deadwood (so-called 'mutsaards'). As a result, the sand area was reduced in size to the current 193 hectares. Today the area is known for its countless water birds and the exotic feral black swans.
The Poudreries Réunies de Belgique explosives factory previously had its testing site on the Sahara. Remnants of this can be found, such as a shelter, the place where employees hid while testing grenades. There is also the ruins of an extermination pit, a structure with a diameter of about 10 meters in which unnecessary ammunition was demolished. As well as the original concrete safety pyramids, which had to stop shrapnel and cannonballs.
(Wikipedia)

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8.34 km

Canal Pathway

Highlight • Cycleway

Go hard

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11.2 km

Beverlo Canal

Highlight • River

The Bocholt-Herentals Canal (also known as the Kempen Canal or the Maas-Scheldt Canal) is a canal in Belgium that connects the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal in Bocholt with the Albert Canal in Herentals, over a distance of approximately 57 kilometers. It is one of the seven Kempen canals between the Meuse and Scheldt rivers.

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16.0 km

Lift bridge at the canal to Beverlo

Highlight • Bridge

Partly because of the film Groenten uit Balen, the structure is about the most famous factory bridge in the Kempen and perhaps even in Flanders.

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18.3 km

Beverlo Canal

Highlight • River

The canal to Beverlo is a connection on the Bocholt-Herentals canal. With a length of 15 km, this is just a small canal that connects to the dock of the Kamp van Beverlo

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27.2 km

Cycling Through The Trees

Highlight (Segment) • Cycleway

'Fietsen door de bomen' in National Park Bosland is located at junction 272 of the cycle network in nature reserve Pijnven, which is itself part of the dense forest landscape of National Park Bosland.

The poles supporting the cycle path symbolize the straight trunks of the pine trees in the forest where it is located. This ensures that the construction blends beautifully into the surroundings. The forests of Pijnven consist mainly of conifers that were planted decades ago for timber production for mining. However, with the closure of the Limburg coal mines, these trees were never felled.

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28.6 km

Cycling through the Trees

Highlight • Cycleway

Architectural splendor in the middle of the woods! Very nice experience to cycle between the tops of the trees!

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33.9 km

German War Cemetery Lommel

Highlight • Historical Site

The German Military Cemetery is the largest Western European cemetery from WWII. Here 39,111 German soldiers were given their final resting place. Walk along the endless rows of graves, discover their stories and reflect. You can strengthen your inner self afterwards in the brasserie with terrace: Hof Ten Vrede.

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34.5 km

Kattenbosserbergen

Forest

41.6 km

End point

Bus stop

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

19.4 km

15.2 km

6.29 km

587 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

22.2 km

18.1 km

637 m

607 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Monday 10 August

26°C

11°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 15.0 km/h

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Comments

August 3, 2025,Von Bosland Lommel nach Vlinderwandeling Kattenbos

A very nice tour. About 12 km along the canal. As always, cycling through the trees 🌳 is worth seeing.

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March 28, 2024,Fietsen door de Bomen – Lommelse Sahara Runde von Leopoldsburg

After the bankruptcy today with Heinz and friends, I had to get my frustration off my chest.

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Lommel Sahara – Cycling through the Trees loop from Lommel

02:22h

41.6km

40m

Lommel Sahara – Cycling through the Trees loop from Lommel

Lommel Sahara

Canal Pathway

Beverlo Canal

Lift bridge at the canal to Beverlo

Beverlo Canal

Cycling Through The Trees

Cycling through the Trees

German War Cemetery Lommel

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