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One of the highest dunes in Latvia, located between Bernāti and Jūrmalciems villages. It is 37m high and offers a magnificent view of the sea and natural pine forests. The highest dunes in Latvia stand to the South of Jūrmalciems village: the Pūsēnu hill, the Ķupu hill, the Mietragkalns or Tiesas hill, the Pāļu hill, the Garais hill, the Ātrais hill, the Lāvas hill. The Pūsēnu dune is the highest of these dunes which are all called hills by the local people. The Pūsēnu hill developed between 1785 to 1835 when shifting sand became extremely dangerous. Several homesteads were buried in sand, among them „Pūsēni”, where a forester’s family lived. The family is said to have moved to Bārta. The dune was named after the buried homestead.

Jēkabs Janševskis, a Latvian writer, wrote in his book „Nīca”: “In olden times, large pine trees were growing in the dunes on the coast of Nīca and they stood steady and firm. But i Swedish times (around 1650), the Swedes built a large kiln for charcoal and tar. Pine wood and stumps provided an excellent material for this. Once a big fire rose, and the charcoal kiln burned down as well as the whole pine forest. The remaining stumps and bare trunks in the vast burnout could not hold the storm-driven sand; it flew further and further burying not only the burned-out forest, but also the nearest fields. In wintertime, when the vast, low marshy grasslands were covered with ice, jets of sand drifted further over its surface, and soon most of the grasslands and large meadows turned into sandy heath-land and dunes.”

To reconstruct Liepāja, severely damaged during WWII, a silicate brick factory was built in the town. The main raw material was white sand and it was taken from the Bernātu forest. In the 1960-ies they started to dig off the Green Dune and the White Dune, later also the Pūsēnu hill. The excavators used to work day and night, in three shifts. The work stopped at around 1980, as there was no more sand suitable for production of brick.

A trail is set up to facilitate walking in the Pūsēnu Dune in the Bernātu Nature Park.

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This is one of the highest points among the hillocks of the Selonian area of Zemgale – Borīškalns Hill. From the tower, you will see Lake Sauka, as well as the forests and farmland which surround it. The “Kalna Ļūdāni” farm is nearby, and its owner uses his livestock to help to maintain the surrounding landscape.
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Nepilnus 3 km garā taka iepazīstina ar dziļo Imulas ieleju – Abavas kreisā krasta pieteku. Īpaši iespaidīga ieleja izskatās bezlapu periodā, kad ir apjaušami tās izmēri un formas. Viens no takas iespaidīgākajiem objektiem ir Buses jeb Matkules pilskalns. Apskatāmi citi objekti – Baznīckalns, Bedrīšakmens, Ķauķa kalns ar avotiņu. Atrodas dabas parkā „Abavas senleja”.

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The wooden tower was built and stands 28 metres high. It is at the top of the highest hillock of the Northern Courlandian Highlands – Kamparkalns Hill (175 metres above sea level). The tower offers one of the loveliest views in the region of the hillocks of Talsi. On a clear day, you can see all the way to the Bay of Rīga and Talsi.

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The park was established to protect the Venta River valley and the landscapes that are around its tributaries. On the west bank of the Venta, at Papilė, there is a cliff from the Jurassic period which is unique in the Baltic States, has been known since 1925, and has layers in which more than 300 forms of life have been identified over the course of time.
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One of the most attractive and informative nature trails in the environs of Rīga. It leads the visitor around the 17-metre Ragakāpa dune, which is most interesting. People can learn about the habitats of the dune areas and the plants and animals of the area. Some of the pine trees are as much as 100 years old and more. The trail is 2km long in each direction and will take some two hours to traverse. This is part of the Ragakāpa nature park.
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The viewing tower is in a seaside meadow near Mērsrags. It is an unusual type of biotope in Latvia and is located to the North of the Mērsrags port. The tower offers a good view of reed-filled meadows, areas where wild cattle have grazed, and an amazing wealth of different kinds of plants.

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The Sunset trail starts in the centre of Saulkrasti town and takes you to the White Dune. Saulkrasti town with its municipal rural territory, occupies a 17km long stretch of coastal land to the North from the river Lilaste and the lake Lilaste.

The White Dune stands on the right side of river Inčupe mouth. It is covered by old pine forest. The white, 18m high sand outcrop in olden times served as a landmark for fishermen. The White Dune formed as winds carried the sand from the beach over clay sediments of the Baltic Ice Lake. Some 150-200 years ago, the dune had been drifting as witnessed by several layers of soil buried within it. Local fishermen and farmers at Bātciems initiated afforestation of the drifting dunes. At that time, the 30m high dunes which are now covered with forest, were bare, shifting and even buried a farmstead. To speed up afforestation, mountain pines were planted. The White Dune was partly washed away in heavy storm in 1969, and 4-6m high precipice formed. Now the wind and sand have levelled out the dune surface, it has been fixed with willow-twigs or grown with forest where the largest pines are more than 170-190 years old. The pines are notable with their large trunks and branches, the scars obtained during their lifetime and the typical “crocodile skin” – the bark forms rhombuses resembling those of the reptile’s scales. Scots Pine (Pinus Silvestris) is one of the most common tree species in Latvia. It grows in dry, meagre sandy soil in dunes as well as in marsh. However, it does not stand overshadowing. Forest fires help pines to get rid of competitors as pine endures fire better than other trees because of its thick bark and high crown. The wood exudes resin and burned wounds close soon. Fire cleans space for seedlings of young pines. Pines can live 300-350 years.

Ground cover in dune forests is very sensitive. If the sparse vegetation is destroyed, not only the natural biodiversity and landscape is damaged, but also the dangerous shifting dunes can possibly “wake up”.

Embryonic dunes, White (yellow) dunes, Grey dunes and Wooded dunes are EU protected biotopes. Grey Dunes are protected by Latvian law as well.
A wooden trail with watching platform is built to protect the White Dune and to facilitate the sightseeing. In winter, a skiing trail in the vicinity of the White Dune is arranged.

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One of the few places in Latvia where there are so many well-organised pathways. The region is known for castle hills, the location where the great Latvian author Anna Brigadere (1861-1933) lived and worked, the storybook character figures that are scattered around that area, a great forest, an arboretum, a museum of history, a viewing tower, landscapes, etc. This has been recognised as the most family-friendly place in the country.
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The tower on the eastern shore of Lake Engure (next to the meadow for wild cattle, accessible from the side of Bērzciems) offers a view of the reeds, small islands, Great Island, cows and horses of the north-eastern part of the lake. The tower on the northern shore of the lake (accessible from the side of Mērsrags) offers a look at the boating facility and the very overgrown northern part of the lake. The tower at the north-western shore of the lake (accessible from the side of Ķūļciems) shows the Apaļrova island (a footpath), stands of juniper, the boating facility, and the mosaic-like landscape of the lake itself.
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The Tērvete Nature Park is located in an area which is not particularly typical of the Zemgale region – the distinct Tērvete River valley. Along its banks there are vast forests which have been nicely adapted to leisure activities. There are natural treasures, as well as an outstanding cultural and historical heritage in the area. The Tērvete Nature Park is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Zemgale. People are interested in the Park of Old Pines, the lovely pine forest, the Sprīdīši arboretum, the Tērvete, Klosterkalns and Svētkalns castle hills, the memorial museum “Sprīdīši” which commemorates the great Latvian author Anna Brigadere, various attractions for children, lovely landscapes, a dense network of pathways, etc. The nature park was nominated as the most family-friendly location in Latvia in 2004.

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The most important aspects of this park are a shallow lagoon-type lake – Lake Pape, with its flood land meadows, the shore of the Baltic Sea, the Nida swamp, and the more than 270 different types of birds that have been spotted here. The oldest bird ringing station in Latvia (est. 1966) is found between Lake Pape and the Baltic Sea. Birds and bats are caught and ringed there. Lake Pape is the first place in Latvia where so-called “wild” horses (the “Konik” breed) were released with the aim of managing the flood land meadows.
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This park is located along the shores of the Tērvete River Valley. It is a vast forested area which has been adapted successfully for travellers. In 2004, it was nominated as the most family - friendly destination in the land. There is a web of trails for one-day hikes. Viewing tower on the shore of the Tērvete River, views also from the Tērvete castle hill and Zviedru (Swedish) Hill.
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The key treasure in this park is that it has a lake that is one of the most intensive sites for birdwatchers in all of Latvia. It also features outstanding flora and the shallow waters of the Bay of Rīga. Recommended: Hike along the seashore from Mērsrags to Engure (20 km). See wild domestic animals (horses and cows) on the eastern shore of Lake Engure. There’s a bird-watching tower on the NW shore of the lake (approach from Kūļciems, where you can see domestic animals adapted to life in the wild, including the Blue Cows of Latvia). A bird-watching tower can be found at a place called Jomiņa near Mērsrags, where the seashore meadow is an uncommon biotope
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The trail climbs up and down along the bluffs of lower River Pilsupe and reveals a fascinating sight of three white dune exposures (the largest is called the White Dune). The trail is 900m long, and the White Dune is ca 20m high. It has formed ca 6000 years ago, in the period of the Littorina Sea which is a foregoer of the Baltic Sea. Here the first Stone Age settlement on the North Western coast of Latvia has been found in 1934 by geologist S. Burhards. In the sand, some 500m from the sea, he found some pottery fragments, a sandstone hone, a piece of flint, parts of bones and an amber bead. He handed the findings over to the National Museum of History. In October 1934, the site was checked by archaeologist E. Šturms, who found the archaeological layer, typical for such settlements, in the landslides of the Pilsupe riverbanks. In 1936 he started larger excavations to continue by 1938. Totally seven, chronologically different settlements were detected and many artefacts found, including fragments of the so called Sārnate and pit-comb pottery, as well as some pieces of corded pottery. Based on these findings, the settlement is dated back to the beginning or middle of the 3rd millenary B.C., and it has been inhabited till the beginning of the 2nd millenary B.C. Especially remarkable are three clay figures in human shape which have probably been used for some religious cult purposes.

Since 1993, archaeologist Ilzes Loze has discovered several pit-comb ware culture settlements in large area around Pūrciems village. They are known in research literature as „the Ģipka settlements”.

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No ģeogrāfiskā un kultūrvēsturiskā viedokļa interesanta teritorija Latgales augstienes Rāznavas paugurainē, kuras nozīmīgākie resursi ir dažāda veida biotopi, ainavas, reljefs un Šķaunes ezers. Istras pauguraines dabas parkā nav ar tūrismu saistīti labiekārtojumi, bet šo teritoriju var apskatīt arī „no malas”, braucot pa grantēto ceļu no Soboļinas uz Osinovku, kas iet līdztekus parka ziemeļu robežai (skats uz Šķaunes ezeru).
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1,8 km garā taka atrodas neparastā vietā – uz Cirīša ezera salas. Tās galvenās vērtības ir augu valsts un dzeņveidīgo putnu daudzveidība. Viens no apskates objektiem ir Upurkalns – sens pilskalns. Taka labiekārtota, izveidoti informācijas stendi, atpūtas vieta. Lai nokļūtu uz salas, no vietējiem jānomā laiva, vai jādodas ar savējo. Atrodas dabas parkā „Cirīša ezers”.

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One of the most important locations for migrating water birds in terms of rest and feeding in Latvia is the Svēte flood-land, which overflows in the spring time, along with the Svēte polder. It has been calculated that when circumstances are good, tens of thousands of birds can be seen in the area – swans, geese, corn-crakes, pintails, predatory birds, plover-type birds, etc.

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This park is found in the Otepää highlands and offers an outstanding example of how the terrain of a protected natural territory can be used for recreation, sports and active leisure. The infrastructure of the park is perfect for such activities and is of a high level of quality.
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The Mežotne castle hill is on the left bank of the Lielupe River and opposite the Mežotne Castle. This was one of the largest Semigalian fortified castle hills during the 9th to the 13th century, and an ancient town alongside the hill covered 13 ha of land. The castle hill has been improved. A pontoon bridge across the Lielupe allows hikers and bikers to reach the castle (between May and October). Vīna Hill is approximately 500 m to the South of the castle hill, and a wooden pathway leads to it.