Canoeing and hiking in the ancient Gauja valley
FavoritesThere are several hundred kilometres of river to be explored in Latvia. During the spring floods, when the bird-cherry blossoms, in the summer and during the golden autumn, each river offers new and exciting adventures. There are beautiful sandstone cliffs alongside many of the rivers.
With English speaking guide.
The programme:
- The exciting day starts with a 1.5 hour transfer from Riga to Janaramja bridge (at Cesis)
- Canoeing trip from Janaramis to Cesis 10 km, about 3 hours
- After Janaramja or the Ramnieku wire cable bridge Gauja river flows calmly and Latvia’s most monolithic cliff wall rises 700 m long on the Gauja river bank at Erglu.
- Two course lunch at the river bank in the Zagarkalns camp site.
- Further on take a hike on the 4 km Cirulisu nature trail (2 hours) where you will see the primeval valley with its 140 m long and 10 m high sandstone mirror cliffs. At the foot of the cliffs several sources flow out and the Gauja old river washes under, while the cliffs are reflected in the clear water as in a mirror.
- Later we will reach Dzidravots, the source, which is very powerful and especially clean.
- After some time we will see the remains from the first sledge track in the Baltics, which was built by the sportsmen themselves as long ago as 1968. It worked only when it was cold enough outside to have natural ice.
Before the elevated rise of the bank of the Gauja valley is Ligavas (Bride) cave, where legend tells that a man hid his bride from the armies of Ivan the Terrible during the Tatar war. The hike ends at the top of the Zagarkalns skiing hill. - Transfer back to Riga.
For more information and to make a booking please contact us by e-mail or call +371 6 7288 494.