This outing combines fine dining at one of the most beautiful estates in Latvia with an outdoor experience at a cranberry plantation tasting cranberry-based products.

The Bīriņi Castle complex is part of Latvia’s national architectural heritage. The Neo-Gothic main castle building is surrounded by a picturesque park and buildings including the stables and the water tower, which showcase the country’s industrial heritage. The castle hotel is a very popular venue for wedding celebrations.

The cranberry plantation in Laugas swamp at Gundegas Farm was started in 1989 as a research farm. Cranberries are well known for their refreshing taste and medicinal qualities. They are used both for culinary purposes and in traditional medicine. Today six types of cranberries are grown in Latvia. The cranberry plantation offers the opportunity for guests to ‘pick-your-own’ during the harvest in September.

The Saltupju sacred stream is 1.3 km to the Northwest of the centre of Aknīste, near the small valley of the Dienvidsusēja River. The stream has been known as a source for medical treatments since antiquity. It is said that streams which flow to the East always have medicinal water, particularly on Easter morning for those who rinse their eyes in it. The water contains iron compounds, which is seen in the brown sediment (the result of iron bacteria). Alongside the stream is a stone with a small indentation, and it is thought to have been a cult stone long ago. A sacred linden tree grows at the edge of the valley. The stream can be seen with good reason as one of the most outstanding streams in all of Latvia.

The craftswomen produce clay dishes, vases, candlesticks, chandeliers, garden ceramics and small objects. Clay dishes with wooden handles are interesting. The women will offer you a tour of their workshop, a chance to see them at work or to try out your own skills at the potter’s wheel, as well as to purchase objects which have already been manufactured.

The potter uses the black (smoke) technique to create his artworks, and he uses clay from Latgale. He uses no industrial equipment in his work, and the kiln is fired with firewood. You can watch as he creates dishware on a foot-powered potter’s wheel and talks about the firing process. You can work with clay and purchase finished products.

Prepared blood sausages both traditional and more modern. The farms offer sausage-making demonstrations for various interest groups. Farm sausages are special with the prize won at the Riga Food exhibition - People's Taste.

Open at any time by prior arrangement.

"Pūpoli" is located on the coast of the Gulf of Riga, 50 metres from the sea. Visitors have the opportunity to observe the preparation and smoking of fluke, vimba, bream, perch and other fish, as well as to purchase and taste them.

The Grey Dune of Pāvilosta nature reserve covers 42 hectares of land and has been designated to protect Latvia’s widest dune (1.5 km parallel the seacoast, and 812m in the direction from the sea to inland) and the biotopes and species found there. A two-storied watching platform is built to savour the scenery.

 In Soviet time, local fishermen used to dry seaweed in dunes for production of agar, and thus rich vegetation developed in the dune. The Gray Dune is part of a unique landscape with the sea view, the traditional architecture of Pāvilosta fishing town, and biotopes, including protected, which border the nature reserve: pine forest, embryonic dunes, white dunes, and wet beech where once can find springs. Biotope 2130, “Fixed dunes with herbaceous vegetation (grey dunes)” is found here. At present, pines are taking over the biotope, therefore some maintenance activities are required. The Grey Dune is most beautiful in the second half of July and in August when the blossoming Breckland Thyme (Thymus serpyllum) and Narrowleaf Hawkweed (Hieracium umbellatum) colour the dune in shades of yellow and violet. The most typical species here are Pasqueflower (Pulsatilla pretense), Grey Hair-grass(Corynephorus canescens), Blue Hair Grass (Koeleria glauca), Sand Pink (Dianthus arenarius).

The Gray Dune earned wide recognition when a group of enthusiasts actively campaigned for six years to achieve the status of the nature reserve. Guna Grimsta, a group representative remembers that they organised events and activities throughout Latvia involving large part of the society, prominent personalities, church parishes, NGOs, school youth and university students. The activists were writing letters, making videos, doing research articles, composing music, collecting signatures and submitting proposals to achieve official status of the Grey Dune as an especially protected nature site. They organised seminars, concerts, art plenaires and exhibitions, educational excursions, joint-work, musical church services, meetings with high officials and their on-site visits to the Gray Dune.

In 2006 the group received the title „Proudness of Latvia” awarded by the national TV3 broadcasting company and daily paper „Diena”.
The nature reserve „Gray Dune of Pāvilosta” was established in October 30, 2007. It is the most recent Natura2000 site in Latvia.