Walking

Activities on this tour are cycling, walking and canoeing.

If you enjoy an active lifestyle then this tour is the perfect way to enjoy the heritage hidden in the Gauja National Park, from several different perspectives. Cycling starts at Strenči and passses two local breweries at Brenguļi and Valmiermuiža with nice cafes and good beer. From Valmiera the route goes through beautiful forest to Cēsis with its charming medieval Old Town. Canoeing takes place from Cēsis to Līgatne, which is one of the nicest parts of the Gauja river with its sandstone banks, remote farmsteads and old fashioned water-powered ferry. Ligatne historic centre is connected with the development of its paper mill. Here you can also visit local wine and handicraft producers located in one of the artificial caves typical of the area. Walking the Ligatne Nature trails to see local wild animals in a forest setting. Cycling the surprisingly hilly, winding roads of Sigulda, you'll see Turaida and Sigulda medieval castles, Gutmana Cave and other picturesque views.

This section of the seacoast of Vidzeme is of outstanding scenic beauty with a lot of rocky capes and boulders in the sea alternating with small, sandy coves where the small streams and rivulets, which dry out in summer, flow into. Occasionally, the beach is completely covered with the gray backs of stones. In Zvejniekciems you need to make a detour around the estuary of the Aģe River and the Skulte port. In some places, small patches of reeds appear, while near Tūja you will see the first sandstone outcrops. Some part of the route can be covered via the beach or via a trail meandering through the dune forest with old pines. At the end of the route, you can see the unique lamprey fishing method - Svētupes nēģu tacis.

The Baltic Sea littoral on the West coast of Kurzeme is called the Great Wave Sea. The seacoast is mainly sandy. While the Great Wave Sea section is the least populated coastal area in Latvia, at the same time, the third biggest city in Latvia, Liepāja, is also located there. Steep bluffs rise before your eyes on the seacoast between Pāvilosta and Sārnate. The villages are quiet and sparsely populated. At the beginning of the route, you can see the Soviet military heritage in Liepāja Karosta Prison, taste smoked local fish in Pāvilosta and then enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the entire route to the seacoast from Užava lighthouse. The route closes in the port city of Ventspils, where there are various entertainment and sightseeing places, especially for families with children.
 

The Baltic Coastal Hiking Route goes through Nõva Nature reserve where you will have exceptional views of the white and grey dunes. The beaches are popular for fishing and kite-surfing. In Dirhami you can spend some time in a cafe and from its terrace you will have a beautiful view of the sea and the port. Along the way you can also see ancient Swedish hamlets with a different cultural environment and landscape, as well as shallow lakes that have been separated from the sea. 

This section of the Forest Trail leads through the entire Gauja National Park and gives an opportunity to see all the most beautiful places and sights of this national park of more than 100 km. Gauja National Park is the oldest and largest national park in Latvia. The ancient valley of the River Gauja is the deepest river valley in the Baltic states. The banks of the River Gauja reveal colourful sandstone outcrops, which are reflected in the water. The sights are most wonderful in springtime, when bird cherry trees are in full bloom, and in autumn, as the trees turn red and yellow. The ancient valley of the River Gauja has a distinctive terrain relief that can fluctuate by up to 80 m. The largest part of the road leads through forest paths, along the river, and exits the woods in Līgatne and Sigulda.

Almost half of the park is covered by forest. Gauja National Park is known for the great diversity of specially protected forests, featuring herbaceous spruce forests, slope and ravine forests, as well as mixed broadleaf forests.

The Forest Trail leads through smaller paths, arching around Vangaži Lutheran Church and the Werewolf Pine. On its way to the Hunting Palace, it passes the garden created by opera singer Anna Ludiņa and then follows the Hunting trail. The first side ravines with the pronounced relief of the ancient valley of the River Gauja can be seen here. One of them is located by Inčukalns Velnala (Devil’s Cave), surrounded by small river channels of the old Gauja. From there, the Forest Trail continues through meadows and crosses the Murjāņi–Valmiera motorway, where the recreation park “Rāmkalni” is located. In this park, there is a café, shop and active leisure centre with a sledge track.

On this route you will mainly see pine forests of various ages, as well as the botanical plantation with 80 tree and 120 shrub species. By the end of the section, the landscape features sandstone outcrops – Devonian sedimentary rocks and habitats protected in Latvia.

The Forest Trail follows small roads and trails through the woods. Along the route you will see the Ērģeļu Cliffs, where the observation terrace provides a great view of the impressive 700 m wide sandstone cliff and the beautiful natural landscape in the ancient River Gauja valley. One of the most beautiful places on the banks of the River Gauja is at “Caunītes” tourist lodging, where you will end the first day of the route. Further on the trail leads through pine forests and wetlands, across and around hills and slopes. One of the most beautiful views of the River Gauja opens from Sietiņiezis Rock, a 15 m high sandstone cliff where a circular 1.5 km trail has been constructed. Coming to Valmiera, you will reach the so-called “Dzelzītis” bridge (a narrow-gauge railway bridge) and continue walking along the River Gauja to Valmiera Centre. Sites of interest in Valmiera: St. Simon’s Church, ruins of the Livonian Castle and Valmiera Museum. There is also an adventure park “Sajūtu Parks” (“Park of Senses”), where you can walk on the barefoot trail, the tree-top trail and enjoy other activities.

After passing through Sigulda, the Forest Trail follows the River Vējupīte to Paradīzes Hill, where a steep staircase leads down into the ancient valley of the River Gauja and the ravine of the River Vējupīte. It continues to wind down smaller paths through meadows, crossing small rivers whose banks reveal sandstone outcrops. The last six kilometres of this section follow a smaller path down the Līgatne Nature Trails. You can see local wildlife animals and birds on this 5.5 km long trail. Further on the Forest Trail moves up the hills of the ancient valley of the River Gauja, before descending back down into the deep ravine of the River Līgatne, where the village of the former Līgatne paper mill is located. You can explore this attractive small village, visit the Līgatne spoon factory, winery and Līgatne caves. There is also the Līgatne Net Park with 4-7 m high net labyrinths among the treetops.

This part of the Forest Trail and Gauja National Park is characterised by a gradual transition from diverse, deciduous forests (ash, grey alder, oak, birch, linden) to coniferous stands.

This section of the Baltic Coastal Hiking Route is suitable to hardy hikers who like to travel across uninhabited places. In many places, reeds, floodplains with pastures and wetlands stretch across the Estonian seacoast, which is why the itinerary often leads you along forest and country roads. In the second half of summer you can pick the mushrooms and berries in the coastal forests. Pärnu is a popular resort city with many cafés, live music, SPAs, hotels and a beautiful Old Town.

One of the most beautiful sections of the Baltic Coastal Hiking Route in Matsalu National Park, which leads through the agricultural lands and coastal meadows located near Matsalu Bay, where thousands of migrating cranes and geese gather in autumn. There are excellent birdwatching sites with towers near Haeska village (coastal meadows, shallow coves, small islets, cattle pastures) and at Cape Puise (coastal meadows with pastures, shoals). The most panoramic views of the sea and strings of islands can be seen in the surroundings of Põgari-Sassi and Puise nina

This is the longest of the Forest Trail tours, where you will hike on many beautiful forest nature trails in Latvia and Estonia. These nature trails are part of the Forest Trail and this tour is suitable for self-drive tourists, who wish to hike different sizes of trails and get an impression of the forest diversity in both countries. You have the possibility to see the northern coniferous forests with spruces and pines, broadleaf forests, wet floodplain forests and picturesque forests growing on slopes and ravines. You will also see the most interesting tourist sights in Latvia and Estonia, which are close to the Forest Trail. In Latvia you will visit Sigulda, the historic Ligatne papermill village, medieval Cesis, the River Amata valley, which is located in Gauja National Park. Then you will drive to the less populated eastern part of Latvia – the Northern Gauja protected landscape area, Aluksne Town and hike in the Korneti-Peļļi subglacial depression, one of the most impressive ravines in Latvia. You can climb to Drusku castle mound – the highest and steepest of all the castle mounds in Latvia, When entering Estonia, you will see the highest point of the Baltics – Suur Munamagi Hill, where the observation tower is built. Further on the tour will lead you to the River Piusa valley, Obinitsa, with the culture of Seto people. You will hike in the historic Varska resort town, which is very close to the Russian border. Then you will reach Tartu and Lake Peipsi, which is the 5th biggest lake in Europe. You will hike in the Kurtna landscape reserve, see the Ontika limestone cliff, Valaste waterfall – the highest in Estonia. Finally you will hike in one of the beautiful wooded areas in Estonia – Lahemaa National Park. The tour ends in Tallinn, where you can enjoy the medieval Old Town and many other attractions.

This grand hiking tour is provided for experienced hikers wishing to walk along a large part of the coasts of Latvia and Estonia, gain a detailed impression about the diverse coastal landscape, nature, birds and animals of the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Coastal Hiking Route sometimes runs through sandy beaches, sometimes along sections of beach covered in stones and pebbles. Sometimes the trail goes through coastal forests or stops at a fishermen’s village. There are many floodplain meadows, lagoons and shallow bays on the Estonian side, so sometimes the path goes along coastal trails and roads. In the end section of the route you will feel Estonia’s Nordic nature more. Part of the route runs along a sparsely populated seashore where you can be alone with yourself, but you will also be able to visit the most prominent cities. You will visit both capitals: Rīga and Tallinn. Enjoy the hospitality of the resort towns of Jūrmala, Pärnu and Haapsalu. During the hike, you will also get acquainted with the regions of small ethnic cultures: the Livonians in Latvia and the inhabitants of Kihnu in Estonia.

Diese Tour zeigt die besten Pfade und Sehenswürdigkeiten des Nationalparks Gauja. Die Wanderungen sind so organisiert, dass der Reisende ständig in Bewegung ist. Die “Arterie” des Parks ist das Urstromtal des Flusses Gauja mit vielen Nebenflüssen und Schluchten in den massiven Sandsteinfelsen aus der Devonperiode. Die Wanderung beginnt an einer der ältesten Kirchen in Lettland, führt dem Fluss entlang und endet an der Bobbahn von Sigulda. Auf Ihnen warten malerische Aussichten auf den Fluss, die Felsen und Naturpfade. Der Naturpfad des Flusses Amata schlängelt sich durch unberührte Wälder und bietet die Möglichkeit, die Ikone der lettischen Naturlandschaft – den Felsen von Zvarte – zu besichtigen.
In Cesis erkunden Sie die kleinen Straßen, steigen auf den Turm der Kirche des Heiligen Johannes und besuchen die Ruinen der mittelalterlichen Burg, bevor Sie sich zu dem Naturpfad von Cirulisi begeben, um die geologische Geschichte der Gegend zu erforschen. Das Landgut Ungurmuiza ist das einzige erhaltene barocke Landgut aus Holz in den baltischen Staaten. Ein kleiner Pfad schlängelt sich zwischen den alten Eichen des Landgutes.
In dem Park befinden sich einige Sehenswürdigkeiten kultureller Bedeutung: das Museum-Schutzgebiet von Turaida, das Landgut Krimulda und das historische Zentrum von Ligatne.

Diese Tour ist nur für erfahrene Wanderer geeignet. Die Reiseroute umkreist die Suurupi-Halbinsel, in deren dichten Wälder das militärische Erbe verschiedener historischer Epochen verborgen ist. Der Baltische Küstenwanderweg schlängelt sich durch dicht bewachsene und steinige Strände, Birkenhaine, dann weiter entlang ehemaliger Pionierlagern und den von Sandsteinfelsen beschützten Buchten mit spitzen Erdzungen. Am Ende der Route ragt eine der eindrucksvollsten Freilegungen der estnischen Küste empor – die Felsen von Rannamõisa. Von den Felsen aus eröffnet sich ein herrlicher Blick auf die Kakumäe-Bucht und die Türme der Altstadt von Tallinn.