Photo: Juris Smaļinskis.
 

Hiking route "Along the Coast"

"Along the Coast" brochure available in English, German, Russian and Latvian!

The territory of the Slītere National Park has a sandy beach that is around 40 kilometres long and is appropriate for short hikes or ones that take several days. There are no insurmountable obstacles for people on foot between Melnsils and Sīkrags. When planning your route, remember that the average distance which one can cover on foot in one hour is between four (moderate pace) and six (rapid pace) kilometres.

Plan a circular route which leads back to the point of origin. To make the route more interesting, you can walk along the Kolka-Mazirbe-Sīkrags route in the Slītere National Park. It passes through small Liv villages and lovely pine forests with lots of natural elements including impressive dunes. Remember that this is a longer route than the one which runs along the seashore. For instance, the distance between Košrags and Vaide is 7.5 km along the seashore, while the bike route is around 9 km long. Add the 2 km from the sea to the aforementioned villages, and the overall route will be around 18 kilometres in length. The village centres are as far as one kilometre from the sea.

Hikers can also have other options:

• correlate your route with the bus that travels between Mazirbe and Kolka so that you can return by bus (more about public transport), just remember that it will take some time to get to the bus stop;
• in some cases you can find accommodations owned by someone who will pick you up at the end of your route;
• break up into two groups and go in opposite directions, exchanging car keys at the middle if you have left cars at both ends;
• if bikes can be rented at your final destination, then you can return to your starting point by bike.

Here are a few hiking routes:

• Mazirbe-Vaide
• Vaide-Kolkasrags
• Sīkrags-Kolkasrags (two days, spending the night at Košrags or Vaide)
• Melnsils-Kolka

Hiking route "The Kolkasrags Circle"

"The Kolkasrags Circle" brochure available in English, German, Russian and Latvian!

This route is meant for hikers who want a bit more than just a stroll from the car park to a popular destination. This is an interesting way to look at the Kolkarsags promontory (the Cape of Kolka) from different viewpoints. Kolka is the only Liv village in which intensive fish processing and other business activities were preserved even after the imposition of the Soviet regime in Latvia. The population of Kolka increased even as the population of other local villages decreased. The name of Kolka and of Kolkasrags are closely intertwined. It has to be added that during the Soviet occupation, the free movement of people at Kolkasrags was restricted.

Season: year-round.
Length: ~3 km.
Time: 1-2 h.
Difficulty: easy.
Road cover: forest roads, beach, paved and gravel roads.
Beginning and end: Kolkasrags car park.
Route: Kolkasrags visitor centre – Kolkasrags – the Kolkasrags Pine trail – firing range – Kolkasrags visitor centre.
Alternatives: you can go in the opposite direction on the route, you can also continue on to the Ūši campsite, walking along the beach or one of the forest roads (another 3 km).
Distance from Rīga: 150 km.
Note: Bring this information sheet with you when you go on the route. During the spring and autumn dress warmly, and bring binoculars for bird watching with you.

Hiking route "Learn about Mazirbe"

"Learn about Mazirbe" brochure available in English, German, Russian and Latvian!

This is a route for active hikers, and it covers Mazirbe and its surroundings. Here you will find information about the Liv people and their culture. The Liv nation has lived on the shores of the sea in this region for many centuries. Mazirbe was first mentioned in documents in 1387, and it was once the largest Liv village on the Kurzeme shoreline. Even recently it was an important centre for fishing and shipping. Today we know of Mazirbe as the site of the Liv People’s Hall and the annual Liv festival that is held in the village.

Season: year-round.
Length: 7-10 km.
Time: 2-3 h.
Difficulty: easy.
Road cover: mostly paved and gravel roads.
Beginning and end: Mazirbe church.
Route: Mazirbe church – Mērakmeņi – Liv People’s Hall – Boat Cemetery – Baltic Sea shoreline – Mazirbe church.
Markings: some parts of the route will be marked by colours on the trees.
Alternatives: you can start at the Liv People’s Hall. You can follow the marked bike route Kolka-Mazirbe-Sīkrags, or you can follow the seashore to Kolka (~20 km), spending the night in one of the seashore villages.
Distance from Rīga: 170 km.
Note: Bring this information sheet with you when you go on the route.

Have a nice hike :)

(stairway to heaven)