From Glamping to the Real Thing

My experience camping in Belgium is limited. Four years living in this country, maybe 3 or 4 trips, and for a long time, I didn't fully understand why they left me unsatisfied.

There are plenty of camping sites, but the ones I visited early on felt more like glamping than camping. Fully equipped kitchens, hot showers, toilets, Wi-Fi, every amenity you can think of. Don't get me wrong, being comfortable is nice and a toilet is genuinely practical. But the feeling of being truly away from society wasn't there. The moment I got back to my tent, I was back to reality. I wanted to see trees, not buildings.

I had dreamed of wild camping, but early research killed that idea fast, it's not allowed in Belgium, or most of Europe. So I stuck to the rules and accepted the glamping sites for what they were.

Then I Found BIVAK

Everything changed when I discovered Bivak zones.

Still completely legal, still following the rules, but nothing like the sites I'd been to before. A designated spot to pitch your tent, with almost nothing else around. No buildings. Just you and nature. Sometimes a basic organic toilet nearby, always a fire pit, and clean flat ground. That's it.

It sounds incredibly basic, and that's exactly the point. That's what I had been looking for the whole time. And the best part? It's free. Even if I had to pay, I would still go.

Leaving No Trace

Bivak zones only work if people respect them. Some spots in the Netherlands were shut down because campers left a mess, locals got tired of cleaning up after careless visitors. That's why leaving no trace matters so much. If we want this kind of camping to stay legal and available, we have to earn it.

The Bivak Zones of Belgium

Belgium has a dedicated website where you can find and book Bivak zones. No payment required, but reserving in advance is smart, some spots only allow 3 tents at a time.

bivakzone.be — full list of Bivak zones

I've only visited 2 so far, but I'm planning to visit them all.

Flemish Brabant

  • Meetshoven Aarschot
  • The Meerdaal Railway
  • Steenberg Meerdaal
  • The Vinne Zoutleeuw
  • Dragon Drieslinter
  • Troostemberg Winge
  • Schelfheide Rummen
  • Konijnenberg Rillaar

West Flanders

  • Disveld (Doomkerke)

Antwerp

  • Molenheide Poppel
  • Root Hoogstraten
  • Arcadia Mice
  • Hoge Vijvers Arendonk

East Flanders

  • 5 × Meetjesland
  • Stropersbos Stekene
  • Wereldboom Horebeke
  • Nellekensbos Meerbeke
  • Stinnekesaan Meldert

Limburg

  • 5 × Haspengouw
  • Kiewit Lage Kempen
  • 4 × NP Hoge Kempen
  • The Warande Achel

Ardennes

  • 13 × GR124 Traversée PN Entre Sambre et Meuse
  • 3 × Lesse & Lomme
  • 2 × PN Deux Ourthes
  • Traqueurs Nassogne

Namur Condroz

  • 6 × Land Art Trails

Hertogenwald

  • Soor
  • Gileppe
  • La Bergerie