Ecotourism

Words: Zanete Andersone
Photos: Andrew Lilley

Latvia is the middle of the three Baltic states, lying south of Finland and east of Denmark. This small country with its area of 64,600 sq.km and 2.4 million people is a home to a wide variety of habitats hosting many of the rarest European species, such as the Black Stork, Lady Slipper's Orchid, European Beaver, Lesser-Spotted Eagle, Lynx and Wolf.

The Environment

Fifty years under the Soviet regime has been at least been favourable in one respect - Latvia's wildlife flourished greatly to the expense of collective farms, providing additional food resources to herbivores and, consequently, to carnivores. The overall economic inefficiency of the communist system turned out to be good for the nature.

If before Word War Two the forested area was only 25% of the country, with the large carnivore populations close to extinction, then by the end of the 20th Century the forest cover increased up to 44%, which together with some 10% of bogs and mires gives about a half of the country's territory to wildlife.

And thanks to that, there are so many rarities in Latvia. Nowadays Latvia is rapidly reaching the level of other European countries and expects to become a member of the EU next year. Only 12 years of renovated independence has completely changed country' s economy and this growth is now a new challenge to nature conservation. However, with some care, Latvia should be able to avoid those mistakes made by many western European countries and maintain its nature values at their present level instead of starting to conserve them long after since they've been destroyed.

Latvia is a country of contrasts. Go to the capital, Riga, and you won't be able to tell the difference from other European capitals (apart from the fact maybe that the proportion of beautiful women seem to be much higher than elsewhere!). But go 70-100 km into the country and you'll find pastoral scenes reminding you of rural areas in western Europe at least half a century ago. The further east you go (towards the border with Russia and Belarus), the more you get the feeling of coming to the past. Horses working on the fields or pulling carts are not uncommon and manual work is still very usual in agriculture.

Holidaying

If you are seeking a holiday destination where to relax from your stressful everyday life, then Latvia's countryside is the best place. You can enjoy simple pleasures like listening to the grasshoppers on a hot summer day while laying on you back in a flowery meadow, eating wild fruits or going fishing, canoeing in numerous rivers and lakes, riding a horse or having a traditional sauna in the evening.

What to See and Do

There are four traditional regions in Latvia, each of them having something special. (Riga comes as a separate thing for it's where almost half of the country's population lives).

Kurzeme - The western region where the remaining Livi (Livs) can be found, a nation related to Finns that once populated half of Latvia. Highlights include:

The pine-covered coast of the Baltic Sea where you can pick amber on endless sandy beaches or take a swim
Slitere National Park with the Cape Kolka where the Riga Gulf meets the open sea
Kuldiga town, once a capital of the Kurland Duke
Lake Pape - a haven for birdwatchers and a home to free-ranging konik horse

Zemgale - The most agricultural regions in Latvia, found in the south.

Kemeri National Park - only 40 km from the capital, this wetlands and forests area is a home to black storks, lesser-spotted eagles, white backed woodpeckers and corncrake. Several hundred European beavers live in the area, and wolves and lynxes predate on roe deer, red deer, moose and wild boar.
Rundale Palace - a beautiful place built by Rastrelli, the same architect who built all the famous palaces in St Petersburgh
Tervete Nature Park - a prime pine forest with footpaths and wood-carved statues of fairy-tales characters.

Vidzeme - the northern region where one can encounter a bear close to the Estonian border.

Gauja National Park, also called 'the Latvian Switzerland' for its hilly (compared to the generally flat country) landscape, is the ancient river valley of Gauja with a castle, caves in sandstone cliffs and countless footpaths. Ligatne wildlife park with its collection of Latvian mammal fauna is also worth a visit.
North Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve - this huge area contains the best salmon rivers in Latvia and a few ski slopes in winter
Pebble beaches on the coast of the Riga Gulf

Latgale - a mixture of different cultures (Latvian, Russian, Polish, Belorussian), this eastern region has got a local dialect.

Teici Nature Reserve - the biggest bog in Latvia
Aglona - the Catholic centre of Latvia with a beautifully renovated cathedral
Lake District - around Aglona and Kraslava, a hilly landscape where you can see several lakes from almost every hill.

When to Go

Spring - The best season for bird-watchers. All of more than 300 Latvia's bird species come alive and make the forest sound like a crowded party. April till May is the best time when everything is green and in flower, but the army of mosquitoes hasn't arrived yet! What to do: bird-watching, canoeing, rafting (early spring), windsurfing, fishing/angling, horse-riding.

Summer - If you like hot weather, this is the season for you as it can be over +30C with water temperatures in the sea, lakes and rivers more than +20C (water quality is very good). Mid July to August have fewer mosquitoes than June.

What to do: beach activities (500 km of sandy beaches provide a perfect opportunity for sun-bathing, swimming, windsurfing etc.), canoeing, fishing, berry- and mushroom-picking; 23-24 June is the Mid-Summer Festival, a very special pagan festivity more valued by Latvians than Christmas. It involves bonfires, lots of beer and home-made cheese, flower and oak-leaf crowns and the mysterious 'looking-for-fern's-flower', done in couples.

Autumn - Really, the season to be avoided, except for September to the beginning of October, when the leaves turn yellow and red. What to do: go to the Gauja National Park - its broad-leaved forests are spectacular when changing colour, mushroom- and cranberry-picking, hunting, bird-watching (autumn migration), amber-picking after strong autumn storms.

Winter - If you like snow, then this is the best season for you. There is snow usually from the end of December to March, but in the last decade the climate has become unstable, therefore, warmer and/or snowless periods are not uncommon.

Winter temperatures range from -30 to +5C but usually they are slightly below zero, down to -10C. What to do: cross-country skiing, downhill skiing if you are a novice (for those used to skiing in the Alps 100-200 m long slopes won't be enough fun), ice-fishing, snow-tracking of animals, having a sauna.

Of course, you can do museums, art galleries and pubs (Latvian 'Aldaris' beer is known to be very good) all year round.