No 10499
River
River Latvia, Vidzeme

The Brasla River valley

The Brasla River flows through a lovely valley that is approximately 300 m wide and up to 30 m deep. It is near the Inčukalns-Valka highway. The river has among the most beautiful rapids in the country, with mighty cliffs (the Brasla cliffs) that can be seen at nearly every curve in the river (except along the lowest reaches of the river). During the winter, various unusual frozen waterfalls can be seen in some of the cliffs, including the Krauļukalns cliff and the Jāņavārti cliff. On the left bank of the Brasla, opposite the Brasla fish farm, there are the Aņīte cliffs -- a series of sandstone cliffs that are 1 km long. The cliffs are between 2 and 35 m in height, and the sandstone cliffs are separated by ravines. On the right bank of the Brasla, there are major cliffs such as the Vāršavu cliff, the Kraukļukalns cliff, the Jāņavārti cliff, the Slūnu cliff, the Virtaka cliff and the Buļi cliff. How can you best learn about them? Boat down the river from the aforementioned highway or even from Straupe, which is further upstream. An alternative is hiking down the right bank of the river, though please take into account that the terrain is fairly extreme, and you are going to have to think about what to do when you arrive at the place where the Brasla River flows into the Gauja.