Other natural areas

The Bauska Nature Park runs for several dozen kilometres along the Lielupe River and its tributaries – the Mūsa and the Mēmele. This is a protected territory. The shores of these rivers contain some of the largest dolomite cliffs in Zemgale. These are protected both as biotopes and as geological monuments. The rivers are important places for river lampreys and vimbas to spawn. Tourists will be attracted by the cultural landscape of the area, as well as the cultural monuments such as the Bauska castle, the Jumpravmuiža park, the Mežotne castle hill, Vīna Hill, the Mežotne castle, etc. The rivers are used for water tourism.

This territory is meant to protect the large hillocks and lakes of the Augšzeme highlands – Lake Svente, Lake Medums, Lake Ilga and others, with their islands, landscapes and species. The nature park which has been established around Lake Svente and Lake Medums is part of this territory, and there are several areas that are restricted for environmental reasons – Lake Bardinskis, Lake Skujine, and the islands of Lake Medums and Lake Svente. There is a viewing tower on Egļukalns Hill, along with downhill ski routes.

This territory was established so as to preserve the natural and cultural landscape of the most distinct part of the Alūksne highlands – a landscape which is made up of the highest hillocks in the area – Dēliņkalns Hill, Dieva Hill, Saules Hill, the Drusku castle hill, and the Kornetu-Peļļu sub-glacial river bed (one of the most significant terrain differences in Latvia). There are lakes, too – Lake Pilskalns, Lake Dzērve, Lake Ieva, Lake Raipals, etc. There are also significant biotopes – hillside and gully forests, various kinds of swamps and meadows, damp forests, etc., all with their own species of flora and fauna. There are nature trails and tracks for cross-country and downhill skiing in the area. There are three restricted natural areas in the territory – Korneti-Peļļi, the Avotu forest, and Dēliņkalns Hill.

This is a shallow lagoon-type lake which, along with the area around it, is a wetland of international importance. The presence of 271 species of birds has been found in the area, including 43 birds which are listed in the Latvian Red Book and 15 that are listed in the European Red Book. The nature park includes the Nida swamp and the part of the sea which is alongside the park - newly estabilshed sea protected area "Nida - Pērkone". Between Lake Pape and the Baltic Sea we find Latvia’s oldest bird ringing station, where rings are attached not only to birds, but also to bats. Lake Pape is the first territory in Latvia where livestock adapted to life in the wild have been released for the proper management of the lake’s flood-land meadows. First there were wild horses (“Konik” horses), then aurochs and the European bison. Visitors can use bird and nature observation towers, nature trails, etc. The Ķoņi village is a unique example of a seaside fishing village. Pape is popular among bird-watchers, and the park’s visitors centre is found in the “Nature House” of the Worldwide Fund for Nature.

This territory is meant to protect the “green zone” of Rīga. Most of the park is covered with pine forest and dunes with shrubs on them, but Lake Beberbeķi is found at the southern end of the park. The area around the lake has been improved.

The Dviete Wetlands Nature Park contains a unique natural territory – the ancient Dviete River valley with the Lake Skuķi and the Lake Dviete and the surrounding wetland meadows. During flooding season, these wetlands store up waters from the Daugava River. They absorb a lot of floodwater at first and then slowly return it, thus reducing the level of floods in the Daugava River valley. This process is the reason for the unique ecosystem which exists in this area. It is an important location for plants and birds both during migration and nesting season. The river valley is important for birds during migration and nesting. In 2006, wild cows were released into the meadows. There is also work to improve the tourist infrastructure in the area.

Viens no lielākajiem cilvēka veidotajiem Latvijasparkiem (70 ha), kas izstiepies no Liepājas ostas līdz Dienvidu fortam > 3 km garumā. Tā izveidi uzsāka jau 1870. g. pēc pilsētas mēra K. Ūliha iniciatīvas, uzbūvējot kūrmāju un strūklaku. 19. - 20. gs. mijā ap Dzintaru un Liepu ielām parādījās greznu villu un savrupmāju apbūve. Viena no skaistākajām ir jūgendstilā celtā savrupmāja Liepu ielā 27, kurā atrodas Krievijas ģenerālkonsultāts. Ēkai ir slēgta uzeja, balkoni, pildrežģa konstrukcijas un kārniņu jumts (arhitekti G. Jenike un P. M. Berči). Jūrmalas parks visās sezonās ir iecienīta pastaigu un dažādu aktivitāšu norises vieta. Te meklējams stadions „Daugava”, tenisa korti, koncertestrāde “Pūt, vējiņi!”, vasaras kafejnīcas, minigolfa laukums, bērnu rotaļu laukums, skeitparks. Šeit meklējamas lielākās Latvijas bungas – vides dizaina objekts.

This is a lovely place in Sigulda which has been painted (as the word "gleznotāji", which means "painters" suggests) and photographed for centuries. This is basically not a hill at all, it's just the place where the shore of the ancient Gauja River valley is split by the mighty Vējupīte ravine. You will have an excellent view of the Turaida Castle and the river valley. There are leisure facilities and a viewing platform there. You can ride to Paradīze hill via an electric car.

The word grīnis in Latvian refers to a very unusual type of forest – pine trees growing on sandy soil. There are two types of this environment – the heather type and the grass type. This is the result of long-lasting interaction between nature and humankind, and such sites are found in just a few places along the shores of the Baltic Sea in Latvia. A very rare plant which grows in the area – cross-leaved heath – was the main reason why a nature reserve was established here in 1936. An abandoned former rail line between Ventspils and Liepāja crosses the reserve from the North to the South. Visits to the reserve are strictly prohibited.

This is a segment of the shore of the Bay of Rīga that is around 40 km long and features the valleys of three major rivers – the Lielupe, Daugava and Gauja river.  There are dune formations, biotopes, seashore meadows and forested seashore dunes which are an important recreational resource.

Atrodas nepilnus 2 km austrumos no Aglonas, Aglonas – Dagdas ceļa malā. Tā ieceres autors ir Ēriks Delpers, kurš 2006. g. uzsāka vietas labiekārtošanu, izveidojot brīvdabas skulptūru dārzu un stādījumus. Kristus Karaļa kalns šobrīd atrodas izveides procesā, taču neskatoties uz to – objekts, ko ir vērts redzēt!

This is an open territory which is 3.5 km long and 2 km wide.  It is located on the left bank of the Lielupe River between the village of Pavasari and the Odiņi homestead.  The polder was established during the Soviet era to obtain farmland, and back then it was used very intensively.  Today, it is slowly becoming overgrown, and despite this, this is one of the most important locations in Europe for corn-crakes.  A gravel road crosses the polder from the North to the South, and this is an excellent place to hear the songs of the corn-crake.

Der Gauja Nationalpark, 1973 gegründet, war Lettlands erster Nationalpark und hat eine reiche Tradition an Umweltschutz und Tourismus. In der Tat, der GNP ist einer der beliebtesten Ziele in Lettland. Die wichtigste “Pulsader” des Parks ist das Gauja Urstromtal, das entstand, als die Eiszeitgletscher verschwanden. Das Tal ist 95 km lang, mit vielen Nebenflüssen, zum Teil in tiefen Schluchten mit massiven Sandsteinfelsen aus dem Devon. Der tiefste Abschnitt des Flusstals befindet sich mit 85m Tiefe bei Sigulda.

Das Territorium hat eine große Artenvielfalt – mehr als 900 Arten insgesamt. Die Gauja ist Lettlands beliebtester Fluss für Wassertourismus und man kann viele touristische Unterkünfte an seinen Ufern finden. Der Gauja Nationalpark ist einer der in Form von Naturpfaden und Tourismusrouten bestausgebauten geschützten Territorien in Lettland. Naturpfade in Līgatne verlaufen entlang von Wildgehegen – dem größten und komplettesten Objekt dieser Art in den baltischen Staaten. Der Park weist auch Kulturdenkmäler von gesamtbaltischer Bedeutung auf – das Turaida Museums Reservat, die mittelalterliche Altstadt von Cēsis mit seiner berühmten Burgruine und der Johanniskirche, die Wasserburg in Āraiši usw. Besucherzentren gibt es in Sigulda, entlang des Līgatne - Naturpfades und auf dem Zvārtes - Felsen. Die Verwaltung des GNP baut zur Zeit ein neues und modernes Besucherzentrum in Sigulda.

The Little Sigulda of Pilskalne is a place for longer or shorter hikes. Here you will find a number of trails – the Sprīdītis trail (1.6 km, featuring wooden sculptures of characters from fairy tales by Anna Brigadere), the Forest landscape educational trail (3.8 km), and the Highland landscape trail (8 km in each direction). The trails are in a sub-glacial depression with a number of little lakes and swamps that are connected by streams. This is a restricted environmental area aimed at protecting the landscape and its treasures. At the beginning of the trails (near Pilskalne) there is the Melnaiskalns (Rāmavas) castle hill, which is around 30 m high.

Latvia’s newest national park (2007) is in the “land of the blue lakes” – the region of Latgale. One of the goals of establishing a national park was to preserve the natural treasures of the region. Lake Rāzna, which is the second largest in Latvia, is there, as is Lake Ežezers, which has more island than any other lake in Latvia. There are other bodies of water, as well as typical landscapes of hillocks and a unique cultural environment. One of the most popular destinations in the park is Mākoņkalns Hill, which offers a lovely view of Lake Rāzna. Administrators of the newly established park are working on the tourist infrastructure – trails, routes, etc. Perhaps visitors would be advised to postpone their trip to the Rāzna National Park for awhile.

The Krustkalni Nature Reserve was established in 1977, and the diversity of plants in the region is based both on the terrain – the Madona-Trepe embankment, a series of hillocks with low areas among them, swamps and small lakes – and on the biotope – natural meadows, forest glades, places where underground streams bubble up to the surface, and vast areas of forest with very old stands of trees. Some 800 types of plants have been defined in the reserve. It can be toured only in the company of a guide from reserve headquarters, and one must apply in advance. Visitors can visit the Krāku streams, Lake Svēte-Dreimaņi, and other sites.

The Amata is one of Latvia's swiftest river, and water tourists congregate there each spring to engage in extreme activities. From the Rīga-Veclaicene highway, the Amata flows into a deep valley, with an average drop of more than 3 m/km or, downriver, as much as 8-10 m/km. Water tourists usually use the segment of the river between Melturi and the Zvārte cliff or the Veclauči bridge that spans the Līgatne-Kārļi road. Please remember that the Amata is not a friendly river for beginners. After lengthy rainfall, the river can be navigable during other times of the year, as well. The surrounding valley is attractive because of impressive sandstone and dolomite cliffs, among which the best known are the Vizuļi cliff (which can be the site of beautiful frozen waterfalls in winter), the Ainavu cliff, the Ķaubju cliff, the Dzilna cliff, the Zvārte cliff, and the Lustūzis cliff. Between Melturi and Veclauči, there is the Amata geological trail, which is marked with orange paint on tree trunks. There are three segments to the trail – from Melturi to the Kārļi fish farm, from the fish farm to the Zvārte cliff (both segments can be extreme!), and from the Zvārte cliff to the Veclauči bridge. You can hike the trail at any time except when there is deep snow. The most impressive views will be found when the trees are bare. If you boat down the river, you will not have time to look at or photograph the cliffs, because all of your attention will be focused on the river itself and the obstacles therein.

This nature park is one of the richest and most unusual nature parks in Latvia in terms of its natural resources, the surrounding environment, the landscapes, the biological diversity of the area, and the cultural monuments which are found there. The main treasure there is the little-changed Daugava River valley, where there are eight major curves in the river at a length of four to eight kilometres. There are also the gullies of river tributaries. Outstanding views can be found on the steep shores of the Daugava River valley, particularly the Slutiški and Ververi cliffs and the Elerne gravel hill. There are some 20 archaeological monuments on the shores of the valley -- ancient castle hills at Najene, Markova, Vecračina, etc., countless churches -- the Juzefova, Sprukti, Borovka, Elerne, Sīķele, Kaplava and other churches, the Rozališki, Lielborne and other baronia estates, and the unique village of Slutiški, which is home to the Old Believers. There are interesting nature trails and bicycling trails in the area. Horseback riding is available, and there is a viewing tower along with other elements for tourists. Boating down the Daugava River is an interesting way to spend time.

The Kaļķupe River valley was established as the Pilsupe River (formed by Kaļķupe River and Mazupe River) crossed the Blue hills of Šlītere to the South of Vīdale and Kaļķi. The distinct river valley has a branched network of gullies in which Devonian sandstone has been uncovered and can be seen in some locations. Puiškalns Hill (located at confluence of Kaļķupe River and Mazupe River), which was used as a castle hill and as a sacred location long in the past, is one of the most distinctive parts of the area. It is a popular tourist destination in the Talsi District. Hillside forests, various kinds of meadows and a wide range of plants are also of value in the local environment.