Parks of Lithuania

Lithuanian national parks together with Vilnius, Kaunas and the towns of the Baltic seaside make up the basis of a tourist attraction of this Baltic country. The first national park appeared in Lithuania in 1974 in the region of Ignalinskie lakes. Since those times the republic looks after the preservation of its natural heritage more actively. As a result nowadays there are about 300 different parks, reserves which offer a tourist various variants of rest: hunting, fishing, diving, cycle routs, water sport and a simple rest for soul and pleasure.

Four national parks are considered to be the center of eco - tourism in Lithuania. They are: the Curonian Spit, Zhemaitiyskiy, Aukshtaitskiy and Dzukiyskiy parks. Each of them represents not only a separate natural landscape of this or that part of Lithuania but it also acquaints a tourist with the culture of different Lithuanian ethnic: dzuki, zhemaity, aukshtaity.

The Curonian Spit (Kurshu Neria) is the only national park in Lithuania which is situated on the Baltic seaside. It attracts people to its marine landscapes, dunes the part of which is under the state protection and transparent pine forests. Being added to the UNESCO into the list of the World heritage the park The Curonian Spit except for many other things is a unique ethnographic place where the part of fishing settlements with well preserved traditional Lithuanian household goods has been kept. Being the best resort in Lithuania Neringa is situated on the territory of the park.

A national park in Zhemaitia with the ruins of the castles, picturesque landscapes and Plokstinskiy reserve of a wild nature makes up a combination of historical and natural sights. There are campsites and rural farmsteads on the shores of picturesque lakes far from the civilization. All these places are at tourists’ service.

Dzukiyskiy park is the biggest one in Lithuania. It covers the territory of 55 000 hectares. The park is named to the honesty of the ethnic living on its territory – the dzuki tribe. There’s an opportunity for bike and boat excursions, an agricultural tourism in miniature is developed on a high level.

Aukshtaitskiy national park is the oldest in Lithuania. It’s famous first of all for its variety of picturesque lakes in the region of the town Ignalina. There are about more than 120 lakes, many of them are connected by the channels what in its turn makes this park attractive for water excursions. Such picturesque villages as Ginuchai, Palushe and others are really worth mentioning. In each of them there’s its own unique sight no matter whether it’s a water mill or a stone church.