Glamping rental Kallenkote - 1 glamping

Kallenkote: The Tiny Dutch Village You Never Knew You Needed

Tucked away on the border of Overijssel and Drenthe, Kallenkote is one of those rare places that most travellers have never heard of, and that is exactly what makes it so special. This small ribbon village (known in Dutch as a lintdorp) sits along the Steenwijker Aa river and has only around 300 residents. First recorded on maps around the year 1200 under the name Collencoten, it offers an authenticity that larger tourist destinations simply cannot match. If you are looking for a peaceful, off-the-beaten-path holiday base in the Netherlands, booking a rental in Kallenkote puts you right at the heart of something genuinely unexpected.

Where Exactly Is Kallenkote?

Kallenkote is situated in the municipality of Steenwijkerland, in the northeastern part of the Netherlands. Its coordinates place it at approximately 52.79\u00b0N, 6.17\u00b0E, right on the border where the sandy soils of Drenthe meet the peat landscapes of Overijssel. The nearest city is Steenwijk, only about 3.5 kilometres to the west, which offers a railway station on the Arnhem-Leeuwarden line. Amsterdam is roughly 120 kilometres to the southwest, making Kallenkote reachable in under two hours by car. International guests flying into Schiphol Airport can combine a trip here with a scenic drive through the Dutch countryside.

Why Kallenkote Makes the Perfect Holiday Base

There are plenty of reasons why choosing a rental in Kallenkote is an inspired decision for your next holiday or weekend escape:

• You are within minutes of Weerribben-Wieden National Park, the largest continuous lowland bog in northwestern Europe, covering over 10,000 hectares of wetlands, reed beds, lakes, and moor forests.
• The world-famous village of Giethoorn, often called the Venice of the Netherlands, is just a short bike ride or drive away.
• You can explore 5,000-year-old prehistoric dolmens (hunebedden) near Havelte, barely a few kilometres from your doorstep.
• The historic fortress city of Steenwijk, with its centuries-old city walls and charming market square, is a quick trip down the road.
• Kallenkote offers genuine tranquility. With its tiny population and rural character, the pace of life here is refreshingly slow, perfect for recharging.
• The area sits at a fascinating geographical crossroads between sand and peat, Overijssel and Drenthe, water and forest, offering incredibly varied landscapes in a very small radius.

Highlights You Might Not Expect

The Smallest Church in the Netherlands

Kallenkote is home to the Kallenkerkje, built in 2014 at De Maargies Hoeve, a multifunctional farm. What makes this tiny chapel remarkable is that it is not tied to any single religion. Inside, you will find a Bible, a Quran, a Buddha statue, and a Jewish menorah side by side. It was built by local farmer Lu Nijk together with people participating in daytime activity programmes on his farm. It is a touching, one-of-a-kind symbol of inclusion.

Taman Indonesia: A Tropical Surprise

Right in the village sits Dierenpark Taman Indonesia, the first and only Indonesian zoological park in the Netherlands. It houses over 50 bird species and various small Asian mammals, alongside cultural exhibitions about Indonesia. The on-site eatery serves Indonesian dishes made with spices grown in their own tropical spice garden. It is a wonderfully unexpected slice of Southeast Asia in the Dutch countryside.

A Wartime History Worth Remembering

Despite its peaceful appearance, Kallenkote has a poignant wartime past. In February 1944, a German fighter shot down a British bomber over Kallenkote, killing all seven crew members, who are now buried at the village's General Cemetery. On 13 October 1944, six local men were executed without trial by Nazi forces. The Herdenkingsmonument 1944, a memorial on the heath, honours these six men of Kallenkote. It is a sombre but important reminder of the village's resilience.

The Gateway Between Two Provinces

Kallenkote connects the Weerribben-Wieden wetlands with the hinterland of Drenthe. This means you can cycle from lush peatlands and reed-filled waterways in the morning to sandy heathlands with purple heather and ancient forests in the afternoon, all starting from the same small village.

Top Things to Do Near Kallenkote

1. Paddle Through Weerribben-Wieden by Canoe or SUP

   Rather than just walking through the national park, get on the water. Rent a canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard and navigate the maze of channels, reed beds, and hidden lakes. The park is home to otters, kingfishers, bitterns, and black terns. Follow one of the marked canoe routes, such as the 7 km Canoe Route from Ossenzijl, for an unforgettable experience among the wetlands.

2. Walk the Hunebedroute on the Havelterberg

   Just a few kilometres from Kallenkote, the Havelterberg offers a walking trail past two prehistoric dolmens, D53 and D54, dating back to between 3,400 and 3,100 BC. D53 is the third-largest dolmen in the Netherlands. The trail takes you across heathlands and through forests, with a viewing platform on top of the hill. It is a place where Ice Age geology and Neolithic history come together in a single hike.

3. Explore Blokzijl's Hidden Harbour

   Most visitors to this region head straight for Giethoorn, but the tiny former Zuiderzee port of Blokzijl deserves your attention. Founded in the 1580s as a peat trading post, its 17th-century monumental houses still ring the picturesque harbour. There is a charming round church (Grote Kerk) and a quirky old cannon on the harbour quay that was once used not for defence but as a storm warning device. Blokzijl is far less crowded than Giethoorn and arguably just as beautiful.

4. Cycle the Weerribben-Wieden Network

   The cycling network in this region stretches for hundreds of kilometres, using a junction-based system (knooppunten) that lets you design your own route. From Kallenkote, you can ride through landscapes that shift from open meadows to dense reed fields to forested hills. Stop at villages like Kalenberg and Ossenzijl along the way, where you can take a break at a waterside terrace or visit a working drainage windmill.

5. Visit Steenwijk's Fortress Walls and Villa Rams Woerthe

   Steenwijk is a fortress city with a history stretching back to the Middle Ages. It received city rights in 1327 and played a central role in the Eighty Years' War. Today, you can walk along the well-preserved fortifications and visit the City Museum, which displays cannonballs extracted from the old ramparts. On the edge of the historic centre, do not miss Villa Rams Woerthe, a striking Art Nouveau property from 1899 that is considered one of the finest of its kind in the Netherlands.

Practical Tips for Your Stay

• The nearest railway station is Steenwijk, about 4 km from Kallenkote, on the Arnhem-Leeuwarden line. From there, local buses and bicycles can get you around the region easily.
• Cycling is the ideal way to explore. The terrain is mostly flat and the cycling infrastructure is excellent, as you would expect in the Netherlands.
• Bring binoculars if you enjoy birdwatching. The Weerribben-Wieden is one of the best birding areas in the country, with dedicated observation hides equipped with viewing equipment.
• The best months to visit are April through October. Spring brings wildflowers and nesting birds, summer is ideal for water activities, and autumn paints the heathlands in stunning purple and gold.
• If you plan to visit Giethoorn, try going in the early morning or later in the evening when the day-trip crowds have left. The village draws around one million visitors per year, so timing matters.

A Village That Connects It All

What makes Kallenkote truly special as a holiday destination is not any single attraction, but the way it sits quietly at the intersection of so many remarkable things. Prehistoric burial sites, Europe's largest lowland bog, a car-free fairytale village, a tropical Indonesian zoo, fortress cities, and centuries of layered history are all within easy reach. And at the end of the day, you return to one of the most peaceful spots in the Netherlands, where the only sounds are birdsong and the gentle rustling of reeds along the Steenwijker Aa. Book a rental in Kallenkote and let this surprising little village become your gateway to one of the most underrated corners of the Netherlands.