On 7 and 8 September, the Nature Conservation Agency (the agency) invites active walkers, lovers of cultural history and other interested visitors to the traditional Travellers' Days in Slītere National Park. This time participants can look forward to a wide range of organised hikes of varying lengths and themes, led by knowledgeable guides. In addition, at a time that suits them, visitors will be able to explore several dozen sights individually, enjoy the narrow-gauge railway cycling route and stop for a meal thanks to the Home Cafés offering.
“In Slītere National Park, magnificent natural riches are interwoven with a distinctive cultural heritage – the Livonian Coast and the small fishing villages where ancient fishing traditions are still preserved. All of this can be discovered at a great variety of events this weekend during the Slītere National Park Travellers' Days,” says Ritvars Rekmanis, representative of the Slītere National Park Nature Centre.
The hikes are organised in three thematic groups. Six hikes of varying difficulty, between 3 and 13 km long, are devoted to exploring nature. On these, participants will be able to walk the surroundings of Dūmele, Kolka and Dundaga, learn about the inhabitants and plants of the beach and the bog, and gain an understanding of the nature conservation tasks involved in preserving the Livonian Coast.
Mushrooming enthusiasts will be able to discover the vast kingdom of fungi on three different hikes in the forests of Slītere National Park, in the urban environment of Dundaga and around the Šlītere lighthouse, since 560 different fungal species have been recorded in this national park, including slime moulds, which are not fungi at all.
For those who enjoy cultural history, meanwhile, we offer the chance to explore the history of the fishing industry in Kolka, an ancient Curonian settlement and cult site at Puiškalns, or to discover, over a cup of good coffee, the traces of human economic activity at the former Pitrags smokehouse.
Visitors to the Travellers' Days will also be able to broaden their knowledge at free nature education sessions on 7 and 8 September at the Ozola namiņš by the Šlītere lighthouse, where practical activities and nature games will introduce various Latvian ecosystems, the diversity of nature in meadows, invasive plant and animal species, and the natural assets of Slītere National Park.
Further information about what is on offer at the Slītere National Park Travellers' Days and how to register can be found on the agency's website in the section Slītere National Park Travellers' Days. Several events require advance registration and the number of participants is limited.
For independent exploration, we recommend visiting various natural sites and well-appointed routes. For example, the Rīgzemji great oak, the Šlītere lighthouse, the Šlītere Insect, Ēvaži, Priežu and Pēterezers nature trails, the Boat Cemetery at Mazirbe, the Livonian Community House and many other noteworthy places that offer an insight into the unique natural and cultural assets of Slītere National Park.
Travellers' appetites, meanwhile, will be taken care of by the participants in the Home Cafés, as alongside the Travellers' Days the “Home Café Days 2024” event will also be taking place in Kurzeme, with this year's theme being a Journey of Flavours on the Livonian Coast and around Dundaga. A wide range of options is available at www.majaskafejnicas.lv in the “Destinations” section.
To plan additional activities and routes out in nature, the agency recommends using the “Dabas tūrisms” mobile app. The site features 700 different nature tourism destinations – nature trails, sights, boating routes and birdwatching points. This makes it convenient and useful for every walker in nature.
Slītere National Park is one of the oldest specially protected nature territories in Latvia. The national park boasts outstanding landscape diversity, little-disturbed forests and a rich array of plants and animals. Natural rarities such as common yew and Baltic ivy grow here, and wolves, lynx, elk and many rare invertebrates live here.