USEFUL INFORMATION FOR VISITORS IN THE PAPE
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
Call the general emergency number 112.
To help authorities locate you more easily, provide the WGS coordinates: 56°10’28.8″N 21°00’50.6″E
FISHING
To purchase a fishing permit online, visit: Fishing Permit
You can also obtain a fishing permit at the post office in the town of Rucava, 9 kilometers from Pape, located at Rucava Elementary School, Rucava, Rucava Parish, Rucava Municipality, LV-3477. A three-month fishing permit for most waters in Latvia costs 7.11 EUR, and an annual permit costs 14.23 EUR. Permits are also available at the gas station in the town of Nica, Latvia.
PAPE NATURE PARK
Visit: Pape Nature Park or PDF Pape
Discover interesting viewpoints in Pape Nature Park, including the Baltic Sea coastline with dunes, Lake Pape, Nida Bog, various nature trails, and wild horses and aurochs grazing in the floodplains. The core of the park is Lake Pape, a coastal lagoon lake, and Nida Bog with its associated territories.
WILD HORSES AND AUROCHS
Before humans began to actively engage in agriculture, wild horses (tarpans), as well as aurochs and bison, were a common part of nature in Europe. These large herbivores, feeding on grass, shrubs, reeds, and tree bark, ensure the existence of biologically diverse meadows, essential for thousands of other plant and animal species. In Pape, you can observe how the return of these once-lost species revives the natural rhythm. Tours and walks through the pastures are only available with a guide!
WALK ALONG THE NATURE TRAIL
The 9 km Nature Processes Trail passes through five ecosystems: lake, meadow, forest, bog, and dune. The Lake Trail offers a 32 km challenge for walking or mountain biking around Lake Pape. On the Orchid Trail, you can observe colorful wild orchid species near the aurochs and wild horses, especially rare in Latvia.
PAPE – A BIRD WATCHING PARADISE
Since 1966, Pape has operated a bird watching station where migratory birds are ringed and recorded. In autumn and spring, thousands of migratory birds and bats use the strip between Lake Pape and the sea as their migration route. Over 200 bird species migrate along the Pape coast each autumn.
FISHING VILLAGES
Within the park area, there are the villages of Pape and Pape-Kuoni with fishermen’s homesteads, where the rich cultural and historical heritage is still alive, and the ancient village structure is preserved.