Excursions with the MS "NORDFRIESLAND"

To familiarise yourself with the rich biodiversity of marine life in the Wadden Sea, a small trawl net is set in a shallow tidal flat and pulled by the ship for a while.

The eagerly awaited catch is immediately placed in a saltwater basin and explained to both children and adults by a ranger from the Wadden Sea Protection Station. Various fish such as plaice, stone pickerel, sea scorpions, crabs and shrimps as well as hermit crabs, whelks, starfish and sea urchins can be seen. Interesting facts about the natural wonder of ebb and flow and the North Frisian island and Hallig world round off the information for the passengers.

The boat trip to the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site around the North Sea island of Pellworm takes approx. 2.5 hours.

Unforgettable holiday fun in July and August for children between the ages of 4 and 11 years: the hearty Pellworm pirate trip with Captain One-Eye and his crew!

When the pirate flag is hoisted on the MS "NORDFRIESLAND", the pirates board the ship, where some great surprises await the little pirates and their parents. Of course, this also includes the right pirate outfit, provided by Captain One-Eye and his crew. After all, you're not a real pirate without an eye patch, for example.

Captain One-Eye fulfils the secret wish of many a pirate: everyone gets to steer the ship themselves. And as proof of this achievement, everyone receives a pirate's licence at the end - with the name of each pirate ship's captain, of course.

The gruesomely beautiful pirate trip lasts approx. 1.5 hours. A parent must accompany you on the pirate ride. Due to the limited number of participants, it is essential that you register at least one day in advance, stating the names of all participants.

Pirate trip prices

• * ATTENTION: Due to the current situation, we reserve the right to add a diesel surcharge.
• Prices valid from 01.01.2022
• Timely registration is essential due to limited number of participants.
• Please be there at least 20 minutes before departure.
• **Parents with their own children up to 14 years of age

The Hallig Süderoog is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is located approx. 6 km south-west of the North Sea island of Pellworm in protection zone 1 of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park. Nele and Holger have been living on the 60-hectare Hallig since September 2013. They are employees of the State Agency for Coastal Defence, National Park and Marine Conservation and also leaseholders of a large part of the area.

In addition to coastal protection, their tasks naturally also include nature conservation and the maintenance of the Hallig buildings. Holger and Nele also run an organic farm with old livestock breeds. In September 2015, they were awarded the "Ark Farm" seal of approval by the Society for the Preservation of Old and Endangered Domestic Animal Breeds (GEH). Since November 2017, they have had offspring and now have a whole family living on Hallig Süderoog. They live there all year round and are the only permanent residents of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park.

Hallig Süderoog has belonged to the state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1971. Before that, the Hallig was privately owned by the Paulsen family. Hermann Neuton Paulsen made his home known as the "Hallig of the boys" by founding an international boys' holiday camp in 1927. Young people between the ages of 10 and 15 from different social classes and countries came together here for three weeks. They took an active part in the rural life of the Hallig, learnt about the Wadden Sea and experienced international understanding in a light-hearted way.

Hermann Neuton Paulsen died in 1951 and his Swedish wife Gunvor Paulsen took over the running of the holiday camp for a few years with the help of various administrators. However, essential modernisation and repair measures - especially after the storm surge of 1962 - were beyond the Paulsen family's financial means. And so Hallig Süderoog was sold to the state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Since then, an employee of the coastal defence service has lived there and is in charge of conservation and management. Around two thirds of the salt marshes are extensively grazed by sheep and cattle in order to maximise the biodiversity of plants and microorganisms. The special Hallig landscape is also an important breeding and resting place for many bird species. Migrating geese, terns and huge flocks of wading birds can be observed here.

From May to October, the Hallig Süderoog can be visited, for example as part of a mudflat hike, guided by the Wadden Sea Protection Station or the well-known postman Knud Knudsen, as well as with the JADA MS "NORDFRIESLAND".

On the Hallig, visitors can look forward to the warm hospitality of Nele and Holger, who will tell them about the exciting history of the Hallig Süderoog and its present-day life during a short guided tour of the terp. The Frisian pesel, the storm surge room and the Hermann Neuton Paulsen memorial site will be visited. In order to continue financing the ark, a Hallig fee of €10 per adult is charged; children are admitted free of charge. The Hallig fee is collected on site.

Nele and Holger write extensively about their little island on their website and also provide information about daily events on Facebook.

The excursion to Hallig Süderoog takes about 4.5 hours. This includes about 1 hour on the island.

The 56-hectare Hallig Südfall is an important bird breeding and resting area and is a nature reserve. It is located between the islands of Nordstrand and Pellworm and is inhabited from March to November. Visitors only have access to the Hallig as part of an authorised guided tour, as the birds are the main attraction in the salt marsh landscape of Südfall, which is criss-crossed by tidal creeks.

On an excursion on the passenger ship MS "NORDFRIESLAND", passengers have the opportunity to get to know this bird paradise, where thousands of migratory birds rest and many seabird species breed, such as Arctic terns, little ringed plovers, black-headed gulls and oystercatchers.

The legendary village of Rungholt, which sank in 1362, is located in the immediate vicinity of Hallig Südfall. In 1921, local historian Andreas Busch from Nordstrand discovered plough tracks, dykes and sluices from the former Rungholt in the mudflats near Südfall. Anyone travelling to and from Pellworm by ferry today can say, as Detlev von Liliencron once did: "Today I sailed over Rungholt...".

Gunda and Gonne Erichsen, the two inhabitants of the Hallig, prepare a sumptuous barbecue buffet for their visitors on the MS "NORDFRIESLAND" in the summer and serve kale in the autumn months. The cost of this is not included in the fare and is paid directly to the Erichsen family. Gunda Erichsen also tells you lots of interesting facts and information about the Hallig Südfall. The visit to Südfall takes about 1.5 hours.

Hallig Nordstrandischmoor, popularly known as Lüttmoor, is the youngest of the Hallig islands and, with a size of approx. 170 hectares, is a remnant of the old island of Strand, which sank in the Great Storm Surge of 1634.

Until then, Nordstrandischmoor belonged to the 220 square kilometre marsh island of Strand, just like today's North Sea island of Pellworm and the Nordstrand peninsula. The Hallig was only colonised after the storm surge. Until then, Nordstrandischmoor was only used for peat extraction.

In spring and autumn, migratory birds stop off here in the North Frisian Wadden Sea and on the North Sea's Hallig islands to feed and recharge their batteries, while the blooming of the Hallig lilac in late summer creates a unique natural spectacle on Nordstrandischmoor. The Halligflieder - also known as Bondestave - is a protected species and may not be picked.

A 3.5 kilometre long causeway, which leads to Beltringharder Koog on the mainland and is only passable at low tide, connects the Hallig Nordstrandischmoor with the mainland. It was built back in 1926. There are currently 25 Hallig people living on four terps. Each family has its own lorry, a wagon that runs on rails to transport people and everything else that is needed on the Hallig.

Centuries ago, the school yard was given the name Amalienwarft by a schoolmaster. The primary and secondary school and the teacher's residence of Nordstrandischmoor are located here. The school is also used as a church. On public holidays, for example, the classroom becomes a church hall. At Christmas or Easter, the pastor in charge comes over from Nordstrand and gathers the Hallig congregation for a service.

The old Hallig cemetery is located near the school yard. The burial ground is surrounded by a moat and measures approximately 15 metres square. The last burial took place in 1926. Today, the Hallig people from "Lüttmoor" are buried in the Odenbüll cemetery on Nordstrand.

A small jetty at the south-eastern tip is the port of call for the JADAs on their tours of the island and Hallig world of the North Sea. A fairway is regularly dredged so that these tours can take place. Nevertheless, the jetty is tide-dependent and mooring is only possible at high tide. Day visitors can then explore the Hallig "Lüttmoor" for 1.5 hours.

The Halligkrog is the port of call for day visitors who, for example, are travelling from the North Sea island of Pellworm on the MS "NORDFRIESLAND" for a short visit to the Hallig. The boat trip to the Hallig Nordstrandischmoor takes about 3.5 hours, the stay on the Hallig is about 1.5 hours.

With 9 inhabitants, Hallig Gröde is one of the smallest communities in Germany. Over the course of time, it has grown together with Hallig Appelland and now covers an area of approx. 277 hectares.

There is no regular mainland connection to Hallig Gröde. However, the liner "Seeadler" with Captain Heinrich von Holdt sails to the Hallig from Schlüttsiel almost daily, but only by arrangement with the inhabitants in the winter months.

Life on the Hallig is determined by the tides and the weather. Food is ordered once a week from a merchant on the mainland, and the Hallig can only be reached by boat during the short high tide period. This remoteness sets Hallig Gröde apart from most of the other Hallig islands in the North Sea, which are connected to the mainland in various ways.

The MS "NORDFRIESLAND" can only call at the Hallig at very specific times, and the stay for passengers is limited to approx. 1.5 hours. Then the ship has to leave again to beat the low tide.

Life on Hallig Gröde takes place on two terps, the artificially raised mounds: four farms share the small area on Knudswarft, while the neighbouring Kirchwarft is home to the idyllic 18th century Hallig church of St. Margarethen and the smallest school in the country with the main school and a teacher's flat under one roof. The school is currently closed due to a lack of school-age children.

An institution and popular meeting place for Hallig residents and guests is "Monikas Kiosk", where people like to meet for an entertaining chat or a snack before returning to the North Sea island of Pellworm on the MS "NORDFRIESLAND".

The boat trip to the Hallig Gröde takes approx. 5 hours, including a stay on the Hallig of approx. 1.5 hours.