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THE BALTIC COUNTRIES – GREEN JEWELS OF EUROPE
Post-congress tour
Period: June 29 – July 5
*Dates and schedules are subject to change.
**Guaranteed tour
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
Discover the serene and understated beauty of the Baltics! The Baltic post-congress tour will take you to buzzing capitals and remote seaside villages with pristine beaches, let you meet unique communities and get acquainted with the local traditions whose roots reach out far into the pre-Christian era. The itinerary also includes a visit to a forest museum and experimental station in Estonia, as well as several research sites in Latvia and Lithuania, and is topped with a stopover at an exclusive village, where traditional construction style has been re-invented to fit luxurious living.
Tallinn – the capital of Estonia >
Lahemaa National Park >
Overnight stay in SPA hotel >
Onion Route >
Dinner and beer tasting in Valmiermuiža >
Traditional style dinner in Riga – the capital of Latvia >
Optional Sunrise SUP ride >
Hill of Crosses >
Curonian Spit >
Klaipeda >
FORESTRY HIGHLIGHTS IN THE BALTIC COUNTRIES
Sagadi Forest museum and dendropark, Estonia >
Järvselja Experimental Station – go on a forest walk with an expert, Estonia >
Latvian forest exploration tour: Research forests Mežole, Village Amatciems, Research site Aģe, Latvia >
Latvijas Finieris production site, Latvia >
LAFLORA, Latvia >
Tallinn – the capital of Estonia
Start the tour by exploring Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It boasts vibrant culture, historical architecture, gourmet restaurants and interactive museums. Tallinn is situated on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea and its Old Town is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe.
Tallinn city sighseeing tour will take you on a walk through the picturesque streets of the old town and the city tour by coach will take you further to see the Kadriorg park, Song Festival grounds and resort part Pirita.
Lahemaa National Park
Lahemaa National Park serves as an authentic insight of natural and cultural landscapes in Estonia. Located on the northern coast of Estonia, Lahemaa is perfect for hiking and being in the nature. The dazzling array of stony and sandy seashores, picturesque bogs, cliffs and pine forests, rivers that cut into the limestone cliffs as well as erratic rocks from the last Ice Age offer an insight into the natural variety this small country has to offer.
You will stop at scenic Käsmu peninsula for a typical fisherman’s lunch, prepared according to ancient village traditions, and learn about “Captains’ Village” unusual history.
Overnight stay in SPA hotel
Estonia is well known for good quality SPA hotels. The history of spas in Estonia expands over more than two centuries. At the beginning salt and herb baths were offered, making Tallinn the first resort town in the Russian Empire. Estonia has a long history as a health vacationing destinations and nowadays offering many luxurious relaxation ways for body and soul.
Onion Route
Today we are heading towards Lake Peipus to learn about the people living on its shores and their unique culture. Kolkja village is part of the Onion Route, a chain of villages on the shore of the Lake Peipus, inhabited both by Russians and Estonians living side by side, and is famous for its rich cultural diversity, being a mixture of the Estonian peasant culture and Russian Old Believers traditions.
Meet Konstantin, a local onion farmer and find out about his ancient onion growing secrets and why onions are so important in this area. Along with his stories we will enjoy a traditional Old Believers tea ceremony and onion pies, made by Kostja’s wife.
Dinner and beer tasting in Valmiermuiža
Uppon arrival in Latvia you will have dinner and beer tasting at craft brewery Valmiermuiža, housed on the grounds of a former hunting manor, and once owned by the duke of Prussia.
Traditional style dinner in Riga – the capital of Latvia
Riga’s unique architecture has gained international recognition and has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997. The Old Town still has its irregular shape of a fortified medieval town where the buildings are packed together much closer than elsewhere in the city.
On the way to traditional style dinner in Old Town, short guided city tour will take you through the maze of cobbled streets.
Optional Sunrise SUP ride
Early morning opportunity to watch sunrise on a SUP board in a forest lake. Watching the moment at which nature awakens, is an inspiration and emotion for the whole day. You’ll be finishing the tour when everyone else is just waking up!
*Optional, only for the ones that like early morning in nature while the rest of group is still sleeping.
Hill of Crosses
Visit one of the most spectacular places in Lithuania. The Hill of Crosses near Šiauliai is a small hill covered with thousands of wooden crosses and is a must-visit location for pilgrims but for locals it is also a symbol of faith, hope, and freedom, reflecting Lithuania’s historical and cultural traditions.
Curonian Spit
On a full day tour to Curonian Spit discover its unique landscape, dunes and beaches, the peculiarities of flora and fauna along with the cultural and architectural heritage of the fishermens’ villages. Spend time with forestry experts to learn about old growth pine forest, Pinus mugo stands conversion to native Pinus sylvestris stands, alien Robinia pseudoacacia, as well as fire disturbance. Learn about cormorant disturbance by visiting the dead forest, the largest nesting place for Grey Heron and Cormorant in the Baltics. Approximately 6500 birds are nesting in the withered pine branches. It is suggested to bring an umbrella.
The local guide will introduce you to the unusual history of the area and together you will explore the Hill of Witches in Joudkrante, a trail in the pine forest surrounded with legends and wooden sculptures by Lithuanian artists, visit the sundial on top of the highest dune to enjoy the desert-like scenery, take a relaxed stroll through the biggest ethnographic fisherman’s village Nida and learn more about amber and why it has the nickname “Baltic gold”.
Klaipeda
Before departure, take the opportunity to explore Klaipeda. The Old Town tour will take you through the network of streets, formed in the 17th century, along the old warehouses on the Dane riverside and residential buildings dating back to the 18th-19th centuries. Visit the symbols of the town, the monument of Anna von Tharau on the Theatre square, and the ship Meridian, anchored in the Dane river.
Lunch on own. Afternoon at leisure. Individual departures.
Sagadi Forest museum and dendropark
The forest has always held a very special place in the heart of the Estonians: it has been feared and respected, worshipped and cursed. As a keeper of this heritage, the Sagadi Forest museum not only displays ancient and modern day uses of the forest, forestry tools, hunting trophies, mushrooms, insects, and introduces the various aspects of forests and forestry, including areas associated with hunting, timber use and nature conservation, but also helps the visitors get an overview of the relations between region’s flora, fauna and its surroundings, as well as point out things that one might not necessarily notice in the forest on their own.
Järvselja Experimental Station – go on a forest walk with an expert
Located in the oldest nature reserve of Estonia, it is a place of forestry education, practical training of students and versatile forestry research and establishment of permanent protected areas. The Järvselja foundation also aims at preservation of the forest area and the biological diversity of forests, as well as the sustainable management of forests with the planning of uniform, continuous and long-term use. Go on a forest walk with an expert!
Latvian forest exploration tour
Start the day with a Latvian forest exploration tour in a company of a local expert.
In Research Forests Mežole learn about: old-growth broadleaved and coniferous forests, forest restauration, biodiveristy measures in managed forests, GHG exchange, climate-smart forestry measures with emphasize on forest on organic soils. Demonstration of tree wind stability tests. Long-term post-fire changes of forest ecosystem.
Close to Cēsis is the village Amatciems, a unique project in Latvia that was developed to realise the desire to live in a well-maintained, poped infrastructure and visual aesthetics creates the image of a premiicturesque property, surrounded by forest and water. The houses are mostly timber framed or log buildings, and their location in each specific property is very carefully considered. The balance between the environment, develum class village, proving the harmony between man and nature. Next to private dwelling houses, the village also offers accommodation for rent and a SPA hotel. Visit one of the houses and learn more about the concept of the village and timber house construction.
Demonstration and Research site Aģe – assessment and balance between forest and water ecosystem services in managmenet of riparian zone: social, economic and ecological considerations based on monitoring.
Latvijas Finieris production site
We will visit LATVIJAS FINIERIS – the company that is the world’s leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of birch plywood products and related services. The company invests in science and product development using innovative solutions and bases its future on renewable resources and modern technologies.
In addition to the production of high-quality plywood products, the company also pays attention to the processing of by-products of wood production and manages all forests and land owned by the company. Two years ago, in close collaboration, with the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Latvijas Finieris opened an industrial birch bark extraction laboratory – Betulin Lab. It symbolizes the goals included in the European Green Deal, the development of the bio-economy and the potential of opportunities in the forest sector.
LAFLORA
We will visit peat extraction and processing company LAFLORA. In Drabiņi peat bog the exciting process of horticultural peat production can be seen. The company’s operations are based on the concept of responsible peatlands management and therefore you will be able to learn about the plans for sustainable use of the nearby Kaigu bog after the peat extraction is finished.
