Holiday apartment in Exloo: heathland, sheep flock and family experiences

Exloo combines open heathland, forest landscapes and living traditions with experiences for different age groups. The character of the village becomes particularly vivid when the shepherd leads his flock from the sheepfold to the heathland every day from April to September. Visitors may watch or walk along for part of the route. Choosing a holiday apartment in Exloo allows you to shape your holiday around your own interests: nature observation, activity, history and shared family experiences.

Heathland, forest and trails for active days

The Exloo Forestry area showcases several types of landscape within a compact area: dense coniferous and deciduous forests alternate with heathland and shifting sands. The signposted Tijdreisroute Leewal also runs through precisely these landscapes. The 7.5-kilometre route leads between Exloo and Odoorn through forests, heathland and shifting sands. A continuous cycle route also runs via Borger, Exloo, Valthe and Emmen. This allows you to vary your daily plans between walking and cycling without focusing on just one type of holiday activity.

Experience sheep and regional history

The Schaapskudde Exloo, with around 250 Drenthe Heath sheep, is part of Exloo's distinctive identity. This rare native breed is considered the oldest sheep breed on the mainland of Western Europe. The Exloo Expo provides insights into the flock's origins, the shepherd's working methods, the surrounding area, the issue of wolves and the livestock guardian dogs. Exloo Expo is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00 from 1 April to 1 October.

The village landscape and the historic cultural landscape also contain several notable sites. The elevated Brink on Hoofdstraat is the best-preserved brink in the village of Exloo. The small megalithic tomb D30 stands on the Bodenpad towards Ees. It originally had four capstones, of which three remain today; pottery fragments and prehistoric tools were found in the tomb. The cultural history museum Bebinghehoes is housed in a 1722 hall farmhouse. The sheepfold and coach house next to Bebinghehoes are also part of the farm museum.

Family experiences and living traditions

For families, Kabouterland in Exloo offers a large playground as well as a zoo. The Hunzebos is also home to the approximately two-kilometre-long Sabeltandtijgerspoor, an adventure play route for children featuring climbing, jumping, swinging and balancing. The Exloo Trials are held annually in summer as a sheepdog trial on the open heathland. Oogstdag takes place every year in July or August, depending on weather conditions. On a field near the village, grain is harvested in the traditional way using historic machinery.

Choose Exloo as your holiday destination

The many different experiences make Exloo an interesting choice if you want to combine nature, activity, village history and activities for children when choosing your holiday apartment. At Eko-Tours, participants may drive the Eko-Explorers© or other electric vehicles themselves; rules and agreements apply, including those concerning driving licences and age. The range therefore extends from peaceful landscape impressions and historic sites to active pursuits. You can consequently choose your accommodation in Exloo based on the combination of activities you want for your holiday days.

For additional destinations to include in your travel plans, you can also discover Valthermond, Borger, Eesergroen, Odoornerveen, Drouwen, Ees, Odoorn and Tweede Exloërmond.

For the main travel overview: Borger-Odoorn.