Haute Fagnes

Twenty-one kilometers (13 mi) northeast of Spa sits Eupen, the gateway town for the Haute Fagnes. Here, in the heart of the German-speaking part of Belgium, is a marvelous 722 square km (279 square mi) ecological expanse of peat bogs, heath, and marshland. This is Belgium's largest area of protected wilderness, and it also happens to be the country's wettest, coldest, and most bizarre terrain. Foggy mists, sometimes dense, make navigating a path through the park's wilderness difficult. The saturated bogs hide quagmires just waiting to pull down unsuspecting feet—thus, explorations are confined to wooden boardwalks. Don't let the somewhat forbidding circumstances deter you; the Haute Fagnes is one of Belgium's natural wonders.