Lohjansaari island is in the middle of the largest fresh water lake in southern Finland. Due to its fertile soil and warm micro climate, the area hosts several arboreta. You can visit apple orchards or spend the night at Martinpiha destination and enjoy a truly rural experience with the friendly local people.

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 church was built between 1640 and 1642 as a mark of respect for the king of Poland.  It was commissioned by Duke Jacob Kettler and has a confessional bench with allegoric paintings (1691), as well as three altars decorated with Rococo carvings.  There is a 16th century sculpture of the Madonna and her child.  Contact the church for a tour.

Materials of archaeological excavations show that the Ogre river banks were inhabited by the Livs. Ogre as a larger populated area and a major resort developed after the construction of Riga-Daugavpils railway in 1861. Until the World War I about 300 cottages offered their services in Ogre, most of them were destroyed during the war. The next "major" event took place 1965 when one of the largest knitwear plants in Europe was built in Ogre, which was staffed by guest workers from Vietnam and countries. Today, Ogre has still not recovered its glory of a resort, but has become a rather exclusive site of mostly low-rise residential buildings.

Kolka Evangelical Lutheran Church. A story has survived of one Danish trader saved in a shipwreck at Kolkasrags who in gratitude built a church in Kolka. The church had changed its location for three times in Kolka. The foundation of the church visible nowadays and built of boulders was laid by Karl Ludwig Ferdinand von der Osten-Zaken, the former owner of the Dundaga estate. It was built instead of the wooden church (or close to it) which was heavily damaged during the Crimean War. The first construction works were started in 1885 by the construction foreman Otto Sievert (Architect: T. Zeiler). In the Soviet time, the church was vandalized and it was used as a warehouse. It is worth to see the modern- style altarpiece
(a donation of the artist Helen Heinrihson) which does not have a counterpart in any other church. Before in its place there was placed a cross.
Kolka Orthodox Church. Data on the Liv turning to orthodoxy are provided by a document found in the tower of the Kolka Orthodox Church (see also below) during restoration works (the nineties of the last century) that was placed there during building of the church in 1885. It says that the Liv turning to orthodoxy or the so-called emperor's faith "has nothing to do with the religious belief but it is a means to get the earthly benefits or pleasures." In 1885, the orthodox congregation purchased land from baron Osten-Zaken. In 1890, a church, priest's house and school building were built on it. All the buildings have survived until now. The church has its own congregation and worships are held once a month. Information is found that Kolka is the only Liv coastal village where in the nineties of the 19th century there was built an orthodox church. The church bell is place "occupied" in 1936. In the Soviet time, the Church was used as a chapel but nowadays it performs its original role.

The tour combines the most beautiful southern parts of the Forest Trail in Lithuania and Latvia. The route starts in Druskininkai, Lithuania, and for the next day you will walk through forests of the Dzūkija National Park. After getting to Vilnius and Kurtuvėnai Regional Park, two sections of the Forest Trail will take you from Dengtiltis to Šaukėnai. Since it is among the most forested areas of Central Lithuania, the Kurtuvėnai Regional Park with its glaciated valleys is a wonderland of forests, waters and wetlands. The Forest Trail will run along small forest paths, tourist trails, beautiful tree alleys and wetlands. Next you will take public transportation to reach the Žemaitija National Park, where you will taketwo sections of the Forest Trail from the pilgrimage town of Žemaičių Kalvarija along the lakes of Plateliai, Ilgis and Beržoras to the town of Plateliai. It is one of the most beautiful towns of Samogitia taking pride in its manor park and the viewing platform on Lake Plateliai. Žemaitija National Park takes pride in its old pine and fir forests, as well as mixed forests.
Next, you will drive through Klaipėda and Liepāja to reach Kuldīga in Latvia. The trip starts in Kuldīga – a jewel among the old towns in Kurzeme. The town centre is home to historic buildings dating back to the 17th – 19th century, Venta waterfall, the old bridge over the river Venta, gourmet restaurants and a local farmer’s store in the centre of the town. 

From there on the Forest Trail takes you along the riverside promenade in Kuldīga, continues through the nature park “Abavas senleja” from Renda to the wine and cider town Sabile and Kandava. The section along the Abava River Valley Nature Park is the most diverse river valley in Kurzeme in terms of landscapes and terrain. The final section of the tour takes you to the Ķemeri National Park, which is an important place for the protection of wetlands. As to the town – Ķemeri – it is the former balneological and sulphur springs resort.

The tour ends on the seaside – the village of Bigauņciems, from where you can easily get to Rīga. Optionally, one can take a detour along the Lake Sloka trail with its bird-watching tower or pay a visit to the “Forest House” – the visitor’s centre of the Ķemeri National Park.

Located in the Mežotne Castle, the saloon offers fine and tasty dishes and beverages. Tours of the ornate castle are available, and the location has one of the loveliest English-style landscape parks in Latvia.

Latvian cuisine: Potato pancakes, rolled marinated herring, trout with potatoes in their jackets, blood sausage with lingonberry sauce, grey peas with bacon, stacked rye bread with cranberry jam and whipped cream.

Special foods: “Bauska Thaler” – pork in the form of a thaler with a sauce made with Bauska beer.