Baltic coast of Kurzeme & Šlītere National Park

Landscapes of Baltic Sea development & coastal heritage of nature and culture

Half day tour, 270 km. Bus tour combined with walking: 4 hours in the bus & 4 hours walking & sightseeing. Level of difficulty: medium. Hiking along elaborated trails: sporty shoes recommended. Lunch-packet for picnic lunch together with local snacks included.

12:00 Departure from Jūrmala.

  • Short sea-side stops at Mērsrags, Kaltene and Ēvaži (in Slītere National Park[1]) with easy hikes and scenic views of diversity of the Baltic Sea
  • Visiting of Cape Kolka where Baltic Sea and Gulf of Riga meets
  • Tasting of traditional local snacks: sklandurausis[2] (with the status of Traditional Speciality Guaranteed) and smoked fish
  • Visiting of Šlītere Lighthouse and nature trail along the ancient coastline of Baltic Ice Lake
  • On the way information / discussion about management of visitors in coastal areas and along the long-distance coastal hiking trail[3]

20:00 Return back to Jūrmala with possibility to have a +1hour transfer to the international airport or Riga city centre.

[1] https://www.latvia.travel/en/sight/slitere-national-park

[2] https://latvianeats.com/sklandrausis/

[3] https://baltictrails.eu/en/coastal?lang=en

Foto: Mārcis Gaujenietis

Bog trail and dunes of Kemeri National Park

Active hiking and cycling tour in vicinity of the conference venue with contrasts between urban and wilderness.

Half day tour: short bus transfer, boardwalk of 3,5km[1] and cycling tour from Ķemeri train station to Jūrmala (Dubulti) – of about 25 kilometres. Level of difficulty: moderate. Hiking along elaborated boardwalk trails and MTB-type cycling tour along streets and cycling trails of Jūrmala city. Sporty shoes and raincoat (instead of umbrella in case of rain) recommended. Lunch-packet for picnic lunch together with coffee break included.

[1] https://www.latvia.travel/en/sight/great-kemeri-bog-boardwalk

12:00 Departure from Jūrmala.

  • 3,5km hiking on boardwalk in open landscape of raised bog with observation platform
  • visiting of historic Kemeri resort village and park with coffee break, picnic
  • Cycling of 25 km along dunes and villas of Jūrmala city
  • On the way information / discussion about management of visitors’ in Ķemeri National Park and implementation of European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Nature Areas by EUROPARC Federation

~18:00 Return back to Jūrmala with possibility to have a +1hour transfer to the international airport or Riga centre.

 

Foto: Artis Veigurs

River landscapes and heritage of Gauja National Park

Gauja primeval valley landscape[1] with rich heritage of nature and culture

Half day tour, 150 km. Bus tour combined with walking: 3,5 hours in the bus & 4 hours walking & sightseeing, level of difficulty: easy to medium. Hiking along elaborated trails but in hilly landscape – sporty shoes recommended. Lunch-packet for picnic lunch with coffee break included.

[1] https://kulturaskanons.lv/en/archive/gaujas-senielejas-ainava/

12:00 Departure from Jūrmala.

·       80km driving to Sigulda & Turaida passing through Riga City

·       visiting of Sigulda Castle ruins followed by coffee break & picnic.

·       2 hours hiking in the Gauja river valley, forests, scenic areas and Devonian sandstone cliffs along the river

·       Visiting of Turaida museum reserve[1]

·       On the way information / discussion about management of visitors’ in Gauja National Park and elaboration of nature conservation management plan including visitor flow management; networking of tourism entrepreneurs within the framework of regional tourism cluster

~19:30 Return back to Rīga city centre with possibility to have a +30min transfer to the international airport or 1hour return back to Jūrmala.

[1] https://www.latvia.travel/en/sight/turaida-museum-reserve

Foto: Kristaps Ungurs: Reinis Hofmanis

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

Deadline for registration of field trips 7.09.2022.

Field Trips Cancellation Policy

If a registrant is unable to attend an event for any reason they may substitute, by arrangement with the registrar, someone else to attend in their place.

Where the registrant is unable to attend, and is not in a position to transfer his/her place to another person or to another event, then the following refund arrangements apply:

Registrations cancelled before 1.09.2022. are eligible for a 50% refund of the registration fees paid.

Registrations cancelled after 1.09.2022. are no longer eligible for a refund and 100% participation fee must be paid.