Hellooo my tropical sunlights 🌴
In this new series of guides, I will share for each country of this beautiful blue planet my unofficial and personal selection of the 7 wonders, things to do, rare gems, activities that are out of the ordinary, crazy and unusual experiences!
For this first episode, I will start with my dear country: Belgium 🇧🇪
Tropically Yours.
1) The Belgian Folklore
Belgium is the country of the party. Everything is a good reason to party and to celebrate life in the end!
The Carnival of Binche is probably the most famous and the most important gathering of this kind in the country. Every good Belgian must make his pilgrimage at least once in his life to the land of the Gilles.
Every good Belgian should visit all the folklore places of the country and drink a good mug for the occasion.
Every Belgian town and village has its own big event. The Napoleonic marches of the area between Sambre and Meuse such as the Sainte Rolende or the Saint Roch, the Doudou of Mons, the Meyboom, the ducasse of Ath, the Simpelourd to name but a few will always illuminate or disturb your life for a while!
Once again there is an endless list of folklore and traditions of this kind in the flat country. I can already see those concerned exclaiming: Heeeee Tropic you forgot the polichinelles of Fosse la ville, the Carnival of my hometown, the shrimp festival of Oostduinkerke,... I know, I know but that's HOW it is!
So I advise everyone on this planet who will visit Belgium to include one or more of these events in their roadbook!
The student folklore is also a special experience that is worth the detour.
2) Packrafting on the Belgian rivers
The South of Belgium has beautiful little rivers and valleys. One of the coolest ways to experience this nature is to go on a packraft trip. This is a sort of biathlon of hiking and paddling in a packraft which is a small inflatable kayak that fits in a backpack. Basically, you hike and as soon as you cross a river you inflate your boat and you navigate on the water until you find a new area that you want to hike.
My 3 favorite rivers and areas for this activity are
1) The valley of Semois: this region dug by the laces of the Semois is really very beautiful. The Rochehaut ladder walk, the Giant's Tomb, Bouillon and its castle, the bridge of claies are for me the jewels of the region.
2) The Lesse and Dinant: this is my favorite region in Belgium. The region of Dinant is shaped by the Meuse and the Lesse which draw steep cliffs superb to climb and beautiful rivers to navigate. The region also has superb castles and citadels. The citadel of Dinant, the splendid castle of Walzin built on a cliff side, the castle of Freyr admirable from the cliffs of the same name on the Meuse, the castle of Vêves with the allure of sleeping beauty are just mamamiaaaa.
Your packraft adventure in the region should also include the Furfooz park and the Chaleux needles.
3) Les 2 ourthes : Finally the 2 ourthes park is great for packraft. Trails on the crests of the Heroux rock to the Nisramont lake with the appearance of Canada when autumn is coming. The 2 ourthes will stay in your little heart fed with Ardennes sausage after the walk.
3) The Hautes Fagnes
Welcome to the roof of the country. The Hautes Fagnes region, from its impressive 694m, is a must in Belgium and offers an arsenal of activities.
In the Hautes Fagnes you can :
‑ Parachute jumping in one of the best centers in Europe: Skydive Spa
‑ You can make beautiful hikes in unique landscapes. The park of the Eifel Fagnes, the Bieley Rock, the tour of the Robertville lake, the Reinhardstein castle and the Bayehon waterfall, the Coo waterfalls are some of my favorite places to walk around.
‑ You can ski in winter and ride a mountain bike in summer
‑ You can watch the most beautiful Formula 1 race at the Spa‑Francorchamps circuit
Here is a nice overview of what I like to do in this region!
4) Charleroi the industrial Belgium
Charleroi has long been known as the ugliest city in Europe. But Charleroi is my city and we know how to have a lot of fun. Charleroi has been the industrial and mining cradle of Belgium and has greatly contributed to the development of the country's wealth. Charleroi is a phoenix and I invite you to follow me on an expedition to the heart of its ashes.
Indeed, the city is marked and shaped by its industrial and mining past. Slag heaps as mountains and old dilapidated factories everywhere.
First of all, my favorite activity in Charleroi is SKIING ON TERRILS (Coal dump mountain). Put on your old skis, climb a slag heap and go down the slopes of rocks and coals. A bit extreme, a bit dangerous but a real pleasure! The best Terril for this unusual practice is the terril du Boubier.
Charleroi is great for Urbex lovers. The city is home to some gems of the genre. I advise you to visit the old Electrabel power plant and the cooling tower next to it, the couillet pool or the abandoned mines and its slag heaps.
The Boucle Noire is a very cool hike that will take you up and down the slag heaps and through the blast furnaces. You can also take your Stand Up Paddle and paddle on the sambre and the canals through the industrial scenery.
Train surfing or barge surfing are also among my favorite activities in the industrial atmosphere of Charleroi. Sneak aboard a barge or a freight train and see where it takes you.
In short, there is always a way to have fun even in the ugliest of cities, which in the end becomes extremely charming when you know how to appreciate it.
5) The Trappist beer pilgrimage
How to talk about Belgium without mentioning beer and in particular Trappist beers. The country has 6 (more than 5 without Achel) beers out of 10 in the world with this label, a guarantee of excellence.
One of the best ways to taste these jewels is to go directly to their source, in their respective abbeys. I suggest you some hiking, biking or road trip itineraries to live a quality Trappist experience! (Be careful, alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health and you have to choose between drinking and driving (mdrr)).
Rochefort ‑ Orval ‑ Chimay by foot or by bike : 250km
For the most courageous this hike will take 2 weeks on foot or a big weekend by bike. The route will take you through the 3 trappist abbeys of Wallonia. You can taste a multitude of exceptional beers. The route also takes you through some beautiful regions of the country. Don't hesitate to stop by Han sur Lesse on the side of Rochefort, in the Semois valley during the visit of Orval and the lakes of the Eau d'Heure or the Viroin valley in the surroundings of Chimay.
The Ultimate Trappist Trip : 600km
If you want to do the ultimate trappist trip then I encourage you to collect your 6 badges of the 6 Belgian trappists. By bike for the sporty, by car or by motorcycle for the epicureans. This route will take you through the 6 trappist abbeys of the country. You will have the opportunity to taste the best beer in the world, the Westvleteren. Just like the route above, this road trip will take you through some beautiful regions. I insist that you take the time to visit West Flanders and its military points of interest such as Tyne Cot, the death gut, Dixmuide,... and why not extend your route by the Belgian coast!
A great way to visit the country !
6) The Flemish cities
For this point I will make it short. The Flemish architecture is particularly beautiful and the Flemish cities are for me the most beautiful in Belgium.
Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp all have something to satisfy your eyes and your desires. A small city trip in each of these cities is worth the detour. Small mention for Veurne, Lier and Malinnes.
7) The Belgian Music Scene
Belgium is known all over the world for its festivals and music scene, especially in electronic and techno music.
Tommorowland is of course the big player in this game and one of the best festivals in the world. But Belgium has as many festivals as there are days in the year.
Rochwerchter, les Ardentes, Pukkelpop, Dour, the Rampage, Exhale also attract tens of thousands of festival‑goers every year and you should strongly consider going to these festivals to get your groove on!
Belgian clubs are also famous all over the world. I prefer techno clubs and you can find something to rock at Fuse, Spirito, Ampere, Kompass and other boom boom boom delicacies.
Alexandre Hubin