Lithuania’s captivating natural wonders, including pristine lakes, enchanting forests, and massive sand dunes, offer a myriad of stunning landscapes for nature enthusiasts this summer.

Have you considered Lithuania for your next adventure?

As the summer season reaches
its peak, Lithuania’s treasure trove of natural wonders are bound to captivate
the hearts of visitors and locals alike. From over 3,000 pristine lakes, 90 kilometers of the Baltic Sea shoreline, and
enchanting forests that blanket over 30% of the country, this Baltic gem offers a myriad
of stunning landscapes for nature enthusiasts to immerse themselves in. Here
are five nature spots not to miss during your Lithuanian summer adventure.

Silence
of the dunes. Neringa is a top seaside location for every Lithuanian
summer, mostly characterized by its massive moving sand dunes. Due to efforts
to manage nature long ago, pine woods now dominate the area, yet parts of the
historic dunes still remain entirely untouched.

On the 1.1 km walk of the Nagliai Nature Reserve, visitors may come to the peculiar natural
phenomenon known as dead sand dunes. A few centuries ago, powerful winds formed
a strange landscape of hollows and washouts that exposed the soil of a
long-dead forest that was buried in the sand. The Curonian Spit — a
UNESCO-listed peninsula with a carefully protected ecology — is capped
with unlimited vistas. Nida’s Parnidis Dune is one of its most beautiful sites. At 52 m, it
is one of Europe’s tallest dunes and provides a beautiful view of infinite
sandy beaches that mingle with aromatic pine trees.

A
therapeutic walk among junipers. The 1.3-kilometer-long Arlaviškių — or Juniper Valley — nature trail, located just outside Kaunas, Lithuania’s second-largest city, welcomes
visitors to appreciate the wonderful vista of the expanded Nemunas river,
Dabinta Island, and the picturesque surrounding outcrops.

The trail’s uniqueness is more readily apparent now that it has been
renovated: naturally grown on a steep slope, with patches of steppe grassland
between the juniper trees and in other parts of the reserve that are home to
rare plants, mushrooms, springs with forming tuffs, and even hanging wetlands.
Furthermore, the air here is particularly pure due to essential oils secreted
by junipers. According to some folk medicine practitioners, the aireven has a therapeutic
value.

Treetops
at a touching distance. The Treetop Walking Path in Anykščiai was the first trail in the Baltic
States and in the whole of Eastern Europe where it was possible to walk at
treetop level. At the end of the trail there is an observation tower, the
height of the observation deck is 34 m.

This unique architectural structure is one of the most visited tourist
attractions in Lithuania, as no other location offers the chance to walk among
the tops of trees at an altitude of over 20 meters. From this height, the
winding Šventoji River Valley unfurls in all its undisturbed beauty, with
romantic peaks of the highest church towers — St. Matthew’s — in Lithuania,
popping up from the sea of green.

An
ever-evolving landscape. Biržai’s surroundings are full of surprises. It is a one-of-a-kind land
where the earth’s surface affects the landscape, with land collapsing in the
most literal sense. This occurs when groundwater washes away gypsum deposits in
the earth.

Above this special landscape and the local karst lakes looms the Kirkilai Observation Tower, which has a distinctive form — resembling a
canoe or a sinking boat. The height of the tower is almost 32 meters, meaning
visitors can take in the full-breadth of the surrounding landscape. In summer,
under certain conditions, the lakes take on different colors — becoming painted
with various shades of green and blue.

Mysteries
of Lithuania’s pagan heritage. The Dūkštai Oak Grove Nature Trail meanders through one of
the oldest and largest natural oak forests in Lithuania. Among the undergrowth
of 200-year-old oak trees there are several species of rare and endangered
animals, plants, fungi, and lichens that call the grove home.

As these trees were worshiped as gods several hundred years ago, wooden
statues made in their honor can be discovered by those who wander through the
area. Adding to the mystic energy of the park is the Airėnai Stone, with runes
etched onto it whose meanings are still a mystery to mankind.