I was invited to discover the New Bear Forest in “The Domain of the Caves of Han’ that was build to open on the first of July.
As an animal lover, I was excited to be invited for this event and I looked forward to having an amazing time!
The Domain started with three new bear cubs. Well, they were not entirely cubs per say.
They were youngsters from other parks in Denmark and Sweden and introduced into this brand new two hectares’ bear forest.
Introducing The Domain of the caves of Han
The Domain of the Caves of Han is located in Han-Sur-Lesse, Belgium, somewhere close to Rochefort.
It’s basically a Domain that consists of a limestone cave where you can learn about stalagmites & stalactites, a wildlife park , and Parcours speleo.
Since July 2018, visitors could enjoy a spectacular audiovisual show ‘origin’ in the cave.
The show uses video mapping and laser technology to make history come to life.
The experience is so thrilling that it could get you glued and make you spend an entire day exploring the beauty and wonder of the place.
You can also spend the night in the trees at the wildlife park. Therefore you can discover the variety of animals that abound in the park.
Fun fact: This domain is the only place in Belgium, where you can discover the European Big 5
How to get around
You’d need to hop on a train to get around this bear forest, as there are lots of attractive sites to see and most of them are located far apart.
Going to the wildlife park, you’d alight from the train and hop on a safari bus that’ll drive you around the different paths.
Alternatively, if you’re up to it. you may decide to go on foot to get a more detailed view of the animals.
The train stops near the entrance of the cave. But there is always a tour guide to direct you on how to navigate around the cave.
New Bear Forest
So you may ask. What’s so special about the Bear forest? Well, the big deal is that this bear forest is brand new and all the facilities are in a perfectly functional state.
There is a sleeping area for the animals, a practice room for the vet, a quarantine zone and technical space for the other biggest mammal in the park- the Bison.
With its ultramodern infrastructures, the domain efficiently utilizes numerous protection and reintroduction programs, which serves to make the lives of these animals better. Hence provide more fun and safety for the tourists.
This robust two hectares’ space now provides enough room for the bears Bjorn, Olof and Jojo to play and even swim in a more natural habitat. And admittedly, it’s so darn cute to watch them have fun with each other.
Free time around the domain
Luckily I was with Sheila from the blog Fashion Vitamins Antwerp, if your into fashion and life style go check out site!
Sheila and I have been friends for many years and have attended so many events together.
After the introduction of the new Bear forest we still had some free time and got to explore a bit more of the domain.
We took the time to explore the wild life park hiking route.
There is a hike of 2.5 or 5.5 km. Not that bad right? After a short train ride, we started our 2.5km hike. Along the way, you’d get a beautiful view of several animals from very picturesque viewpoints.
The parks have about 20 species of animals such as the wolf, the brown bear and wild boar. Moreover, most animals like the red deer and the wild forest reindeer live semi-free. How amazing is that!
We wish we had more time to discover the caves as well. Now that one more reason to revisit the Domain of the Caves of Han!
The Domain is the ideal destination for a fun day trip or even weekend trip with the whole family. It’s educational, exiting, beautiful and a perfect relaxation spot. That’s why people keep coming back so often.
Enjoy your time here!
Deborah
