Secrets of Gardens of West Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt & Walking Tour

Secrets of Gardens of West starts at the Speeltuin van West on the Tom Schreursweg and heads out along the paths of the Osdorperbinnenpolder Noord. The route crosses the four historic polders that make up Gardens of West, each with a character of its own, and climbs the Polderheuvel, the mound where dance and cultural festivals are held. Every stop comes with an explanation of what you are looking at and how it fits a stretch of countryside kept green on the edge of Amsterdam. In practice it plays as a self-guided scavenger hunt and walking tour through Gardens of West in one.

The route suits families, couples, groups of friends and colleagues who would rather cross a polder at their own pace than walk behind a guide. One to four people play as a team on a single phone, and larger groups split into several teams that take the polders in their own order. Playing alone works too. No guide walks in front of you and no start time is fixed, so you can set off while the birds are still the loudest thing around.

How to play

Getting ready before your first task at the Speeltuin van West takes only a few minutes.

1. Book the Exploration Game
2. Check the instructions email
3. Download the Loquiz app
4. Start playing whenever you like

Along the way you solve puzzles, work out riddles and take on photo tasks, and a few of them are more creative: imitate the call of a bittern, settle a dance-off or design your own eco-friendly kavel. Because every question comes from what stands in front of you, you pick up stories about the wildlife, about circular farming and about the ammunition store that once stood out here, instead of walking past them.

With more than one team out at the same time the game turns into a friendly competition, decided by the leaderboard once everyone is back. Work groups use it for teambuilding afternoons as well. There is no time limit, so you can sit down for a while and finish the rest of your route through Gardens of West afterwards.