Onions, fish, villages that stretch out for several kilometres where the buildings are lined along the main street, ornate Old Believers' churches, small harbours with fishing boats and wooden houses, each painted in a different colour! Cafés, shops and a view of Lake Peipus, which looks more like a sea than a lake. This could be the description of this tour. This tour is a very interesting part of the Forest Trail, which will give you an opportunity to see and enjoy the Lake Peipsi region, the culture and lifestyle of local people as well as the nature.

The tour will start in Tartu – Estonia’s second biggest city. You will go by bus from Tartu to Varnja where you will start to hike. During the tour you can visit Kostja’s onion farm, where the host welcomes guests and presents onion cultivation. It is also worth visiting the Chicory Museum in Kolkja to get acquainted with the history of chicory cultivation in row villages near Lake Peipus.  You will also see Alatskivi Castle. In Avinurme we suggest visiting the Avinurme wooden handicraft centre and get acquainted with the local woodcraft, spend quality time in woodworking workshops and taste or even prepare yourself a selection of Estonian traditional foods. At the end of the tour you will return to Tartu by bus.

Poems are dedicated to trees in the garden sourrounding the memorial house of Edvarts Virza, a Latvian poet and writer who wrote a legendary novel about the lives of Latvian farmers. The beautiful 18th century Mazmežotne castle is renovated by a grain farmer’s family. The Rundāle castle is known as Latvia’s true jewel of Baroque and Rococo architecture featuring also a rose garden with over 2200 varieties of roses. At Brukna manor you will see a vegetable garden that is arranged as a Renaissance park, a rose garden and a vineyard. Pick your own blackcurrant berries at Bāniši berry farm. A beautiful landscape garden is open for visitors at Gundegas house.  200 year old oaks adorn the Vārkavas Park.  Riekstiņi is an authentic single-family Selonian farm with a specific spirit and ambience. At Kaldabruņa you will visit an art gallery housed in a hay-shed together with a hay museum. Grape selection and cultivation was the great passion of Pauls Sukatnieks, and his memorial garden is worth visiting during the harvesting time. Dvietes Manor is proud of its 19th century landscape park and a stone bridge. Daugavpils, the 2nd largest city of Latvia, is famous for the renovated  19th century Daugavpils Fortress housing museums. Sēlija tree nursery offers a tour of their apple orchard, apple storage and production facilities. Enjoy a glass of apple juice and stories of vinemakers. Berķenele is the memorial house of Rainis, the distinguished Latvian author and social activist.The Rokiškis Regional Museum and Manor is one of the most important cultural centres of the Aukštaitija region. The Liudvika and Stanislovas Didžiulis Homestead Museum garden features traditional Lithuanian apple tree cultivars, flowers and herbs. The A. Baranauskas and A. Vienuolis-Žukauskas Memorial Museum presents culture, literature, history, agrarian culture, and technical history in the Anykščiai region. Traditional Lithuanian flower garden can also be seen at the Bronė Buivydaitė Memorial Museum. In Anykščiai you can enjoy the Treetop Walkway and Labyrinth Park, and take a train ride on Aukštaitija’s narrow-gauge railway. In Traupis Botanical Garden you will find everything from perennial flower collections and rock garden to a flower clock and decorative pool with aquatic plants. The interior of the Taujėnai Manor house was decorated extensively with the Radziwiłł family’s portraits, sculptures, hunting trophies, and antique weapons. Take a walk around the Ukmergė Old Town and enjoy the view from the old fire tower. Survilai Homestead offers a barefoot trail walking on pine cones, swamp, peat, clay, gravel, polished glass, pine-tree needles, straw. The Vytautas Magnus University Kaunas Botanical Garden exposes the Lithuanian Heritage flower garden plants according to their botanical classification. At Tadas Ivanauskas Homestead at Obelynė Park you will see a collection of 300 species and forms of plants, including some of the oldest trees on the planet – the ginkgo biloba and the dawn redwood. In Kaunas you will see the Oldest Apple Tree in Lithuania – almost 360 years old, 8 metres tall, with a girth of 285cm at a height of 1.3m. The tour ends in Kaunas, Lithuania's 2nd largest city that was the capital of the country from 1920 until 1939.

1275 is considered as a year of foundation of Daugavpils. This is the time when the Master of Livonian Order Ernst von Ratceburgs built Dinaburg castle at the Naujene hill fort. It suffered several Lithuanian and Russian invasion until in 1577 the castle was destroyed by Russian troops under the command of Ivan the Terrible. After this event Dinaburg was restored 17 km further on the right bank of the river, where now the town of Daugavpils is located. From 1810-1833a new fortress was built. In 1826 started the building of what is now the historic centre of the town. During the World War I the major industrial companies with workers were evacuated to Russia. During first Latvian Republic, the cultural life in Daugavpils flourished. Most part of the town was destroyed during World War II – in the July of 1944. Nowadays the town is the second largest town in Latvia and is an important economical centre of Latgale historic region. Restoration of Daugavpils Fortress was launched recently; this project can be considered as a unique on the European scale.

Маршрут, для прохождения которого не требуется специальная подготовка, если его проходить летом. Абава – это река с самой впечатляющей древней долиной в Курземе. Она есть и остается «классикой» Курземе. На Абаве несколько выраженных стремнин, обычно в местах, где в ее русле и по берегам появляются небольшие обнажения доломитовых пород. На участке между Веги и Рендой падение реки уменьшается и она становится более спокойной.
Абава на участке от Кандавы до Сабиле является одной из редких рек Латвии, на берегах которых доступен очень многообразный спектр услуг, связанных с туризмом. Перед тем, как сесть в лодку, по меньшей мере несколько часов стоит посвятить осмотру Кандавы.

Информация о маршруте от Latvijas Lauku forums​​

Muižas ēka tikusi restaurēta, taču tā celta 1732. gadā. Muižas kompleksu veido – kungu māja, bijušās skolas ēka, pārvaldnieka māja, klēts, saimniecības ēka, kā arī tējas namiņš, kas atrodas senajā ozolu parkā, no kura takas tālāk aizvijas uz Meža parku. Ungurmuižas  iekštelpās ir grezni zīmējumi (grenadieri, ziedu motīvi, zīmētas tapetes, drapēri, ainas no barona karagājieniem un ceļojumiem) kuru autors ir Limbažu gleznotājs Georgs Dītrihs Hinšs. Ungurmuižā par seno auru rūpējas katrs gleznojums, zīmējums un katrs nostūris.

The brewery of Uzava offers group excursions where you are told about the history of the place and the brewing process. It is possible to buy different sorts of beer and beer-related souvenirs in the nearby shop.

The restaurant is at the edge of the Vidzeme Highway (A2). It is a lovely log building with a straw roof and an antique interior. Dishes are based on ancient traditions merged with the requirements of modern clients.

Latvian cuisine: Cold soup, dumpling soup, grey peas with bacon, wheat grain porridge, lampreys in mustard sauce, pike-perch grilled on coals, roast pig’s ear, roast pork leg, chicken livers in a creamy sauce, stacked rye bread, cottage cheese dessert with cranberry sauce.

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.

Viena no slepenākajām vietām kādreizējā Padomju Latvijā - bunkuri ir bijušais raķešu vadības punkts un patvertne. Bunkurus izveidoja 1950. un 1960. gadu mijā Padomju armijas vajadzībām. Par atrašanos šajā teritorijā draudēja bargs sods. Celtnes izveidošanai ar milzīgām 16- riteņu kravas automašīnām tika atvesti lieli dzelzbetona bloki. Pēc trīs bunkuru izveidošanas, papildus nostiprināšanai un nosiltināšanai tos apbēra ar granti. Celtne sastāv no 2 x 3 sekcijām, kas pievienotas vidējam gaitenim.

Blakus ēkā atradās skola, kad 1946. gadā tā daļēji bija izdegusi, tika noslēgts līgums ar Padomju armijas garnizonu par telpu īri. Tā Valkas pilsētas centrā radās militārais centrs un Valka kļuva par Padomju Savienībai svarīgu kodolbruņojuma objektu.

Objekts pieejams tikai no ārpuses!