Although most tourists rarely venture out this far, the wildlife reserve and national park at Ķemeri is one of Latvia’s most impressive natural treasures. Its ancient raised bogs, swamps, forests and lakes were created roughly 8,000 years ago when the sea retreated to its current position.
The park is home to a wide range of fauna including rare birds like the black stork not to mention moose, deer, elk, foxes, wolves and wild cattle and horses which were reintroduced into this unique ecosystem with some help from the World Wildlife Fund. Nearly 900 varieties of flora can also be observed in the park including certain plants that are found nowhere else in the country. Although recent conservation efforts have protected the park from the modern world, several types of flora, once abundant in the area, haven’t been seen in over 20 years and are believed to have been relegated to the pages of history.
A vast network of wooden boardwalks and nature paths traverse the park making for a pleasant walk or a rigorous 12km hike depending on your level of physical fitness and desire to experience nature in its nearly virgin state.
Unfortunately, the park is undergoing a major restructuring and the information centre responsible for guided tours on foot and by boat is closed.
Sadly, the ‘Dumbrāja’ nature boardwalk is closed for repairs, but if you bring your bike you can follow the bicycle path through the forest and swamp back to the beach at Jaunķemeri. Alternatively, you can walk in the opposite direction upon arriving at the Ķemeri train station, make a right on the A10/E22 and make your first left by the Ķemeri cemetery to begin the 3km walk to the main nature trail which snakes through the Great Ķemeri swamp for another 3km.
Photo courtesy of the Jūrmala Tourist Information Centre.