WWF Tour Sylt: Listland - heathland, mud & moving dunes

The Listlandtour in the north of the island offers on approximately 10 km length a various view of the protected nature and landscapes of Sylt. Passing mudflats and salt marshes along the Royal Harbour you will reach the western beach, where a lookout dune offers a wonderful panoramic view. With a little luck you can watch porpoises in the sea from the beach! A planked path leads through the dune landscape with heathland and views of the unique shifting sand dunes back to List. On the way there are numerous opportunities for bird watching.

The tour can also be done in 2 stages (from List along the mudflats to the western beach or from the western beach through the dunes to List) and in the opposite direction.

North of Sylt the nature experience continues: Discover the Danish neighboring island Rømø on your next tour! Take the ferry from List to Havneby and start the tour "Along the beach from Havneby to Lakolk" directly at the harbour.

Start your hike at the Adventure Center "Forces of Nature" in List. If you don't know the center yet, come back for a visit!

Follow the promenade, which after a few meters turns into a sand path and leads you towards "Mövenbergdeich". Along the sand path you will pass the wood-clad Alfred Wegner Institute, a research institute for marine and polar research that has been exploring the Wadden Sea for about 100 years.

The path continues over a fortified dike with a view of the Königshafen - a natural tidal flat bay - and there you will see several sand bendings and the overgrown Uthörn peninsula. With the right equipment in your luggage you will have one of the best opportunities for bird watching on Sylt.

You continue walking to the end of the dike and keep right there. Passing the youth hostel on the left, you will see the salt marshes at the end of the Königshafen on the right.

Continue directly behind the control house for the "Elbow" along the paved path up to the first lookout point. Toll is only paid here if you arrive by car. On foot and by bicycle you can also explore the elbow free of charge from here. However, its circumnavigation is a tour in itself and should not be underestimated.

At the top of the viewpoint you can enjoy a fantastic view over the King's Harbor, the western beach, the entire elbow and the surrounding dune landscape. From here it goes down to the beach. Remember to take your spa card with you! If you are a day guest on the island, you can buy a day guest card (de) at the beach crossing.

Walk south, enjoy the salty breeze and look out for beach finds at the water's edge! After the detour to the beach, take the next dune crossing and follow the road to the east.

As an alternative to the beach excursion, you can walk directly from the viewing dune along the road to the parking lot Weststrand. From April to October you can take the bus line 1 (de) ("Strandverkehr") to Westerland or change at the bus stop "Westerheide/Blidsel" to get back to List.

Another alternative is to walk a longer distance south along the beach and use one of the dune crossings from the height of Süderheidetal/Westerheide to get to the road. From there you can take the bus to Westerland or List.

But on the route described here, turn left at the parking lot Weststrand onto Mövenbergstraße and follow the road back to the youth hostel. Cross the hostel grounds and follow the path to the left, which soon turns into a sand path and leads you into the Lister dune landscape. The sand and later plank path offers a great opportunity to experience the dunes up close without disturbing the sensitive vegetation. A detour of the boardwalk leads on the right hand side over some steps to a viewing platform. From here you have a magnificent view of the unique shifting sand dunes.

At the end of the boardwalk you meet Mövenbergstraße again. Follow the map through the town until you get back to the adventure center or take the next bus in the direction of Westerland at the stop "Mövenbergstraße" (summer timetable) or Kurverwaltung/Alte Schule (all year round).