This is a professional livestock farming tour to visit farms that breed cows, sheep, goats and pigs.  During the introductory day, participants will tour the Latvian capital city of Rīga, which is on the UNESCO List of World Heritage, and meet with representatives of the Latvian Agriculture Ministry and agricultural NGOs.  The next morning it’s off to Kurzeme to visit a farm that breeds meat cattle.  The second farm on the list specialises in the breeding of purebred and mixed breed cattle for siring, fattening and meat production.  It sells piglets and offers pork, grains, potatoes and beekeeping products.  In the evening we will visit Kuldīga to see Europe’s widest waterfall on the Venta River.  The next morning we will travel to Vidzeme, where the first farm specialises in livestock breeding and intensive farming, while the second specialises in dairy farming and the production of grains and grasses.  We will visit the ruins of the Koknese castle, which stands along the banks of the legendary Daugava River.  In the evening, we will visit one of the largest goat farms in Latvia, with some 160 purebred goats (Alpine, Anglo, German White Noble), as well as hogs for breeding.  Several types of cheese will be available for tasting.  The next morning, we will visit one of Latvia’s largest sheep farms.  The biological farm has about 250 head of sheep.  The second farm grows grain and grasses and engages in dairy farming and livestock breeding.  We will visit the Medieval castle in Cēsis, which was the residents of the masters of the Livonian Order and one of the most fortified fortresses in the territory of the Baltic States.  At the conclusion of the day, we will go to Ungurmuiža Estate, which is one of the most outstanding examples of 18th century Baroque wood construction in Latvia.

The owners began to grow watermelons in 1997, using types that are appropriate for the climate in Latvia. Of particular interest are watermelons which have a yellow interior. The largest watermelon that the farm produced weighed 11 kg. During the season, you can purchase watermelons and hear advice from the owners.

The craftspeople produce interesting clay cups with text, drawings and animal figurines inside them. You can take a tour, watch the specialists at work, and engrave your own texts on dishware. You can also use gypsum moulds to create small animals, work with a potter’s wheel, purchase souvenirs, and order products for yourself.

Viitna Tavern is one of the few 19th C tavern and post station buildings preserved in Estonia to date. Originally landlords and other rich folk had their rooms and a horse stable in the building’s left wing; today it is a canteen and Estonian handicraft shop. The right wing was for peasant folk chambers and a stable; today it houses a restaurant featuring national dishes on its menu.

Our tour leader will meet you at the Riga airport. Depending of the flight time we' ll have an excursion of Riga Old Town and the Central Market listed in UNESCO World Heritage list. Next day we visit potatoes grower near Iecava and successful local multi-sectoral agricultural enterprise at Tervete which combines horse breeding, brewery, crop growing, dairy farm and bio energy production. Also we will visit one of the biggest medical herb growers and producers of the herbal teas. After full day of professional visits, we' ll taste Latvian traditional food and beer in a traditional tavern in Riga. Then we will visit two cattle growers at Sigulda and Cesis area, climb up the tower of Turaida Castle for a great panoramic view and walk charming streets of Cesis Old Town. Afterwards we will visit ecological sheep farm near Valka and stay overnight at the Koni Mill where wool is still processed traditional way, warm blankets and beautiful bed linen made.
Across the border in Estonia we will visit crop growers in Valga area. We will meet Estonian Farmers Union and have a short sightseeing in Tartu and then head to Tallinn. Sightseeing tour in picturesque Tallinn Old Town. Then we will visit diary farm at Saku and finish with a trip to the Lahemaa National Park.

The castle hill is an island in the reservoir of the Pļaviņas hydroelectric power plant, and it can be accessed by boat.  The ancient Selonian castle hill was settled several times between the 6th and the 12th century.  This was the political and military centre of the Selonian region.  In 1373, the Livonian Order built a stone castle on the hill, as it did on many other ancient hillocks.  The castle was sacked in 1704 during the Great Northern War.  Remnants of a square tower, a guard room and the 12 m embankment that once protected the castle are all that survive.  Approximately 300 m to the North of the Sēlpils castle hill is Oliņkalns hill, which is underwater.

Getliņu ekoloģiskais poligons ir Latvijā unikāls piemērs ekoloģiski saderīgu darbības virzienu ieviešanai. Tā energobloka saražotais siltums tiek izmantots siltumnīcu apsildei, kas nodrošina ideālu vidi lauksaimnieciskai ražošanai (puķes un tomāti - lielaugļu tomāti, tumšsarkanie tomāti, aveņkrāsas ķekartomāti) gada aukstajos mēnešos. Poligona teritoriju (zālāju) nogana ar aitu ganāmpulka palīdzību.

This is a unique exhibition of woven chairs, chair-making instruments, photographs, and other objects related to chair-making traditions from the late 18^th to the mid-20^th century. Ceramicist Īrisa Vainovska will talk about the pottery arts, offering decorative plates, interesting wind pipes and souvenirs.