Aukštaitija National Park: Lithuania’s beautiful nature
This post is about Aukštaitija National Park in Lithuania. This remote area of forests and lakes in the Northeastern part of the country became the first National Park in Lithuania in 1974.
Although Aukštaitija National Park is popular among local tourists, it is still an off the beaten path destination for foreign travellers. The lack of public transport and its remote location protects its natural beauty from mass tourism
Why visit Aukštaitija National Park?
At the moment Lithuania has 5 National Parks, but Aukštaitija National Park remains the most beautiful.
Aukštaitija National Park is a land of hills, forests and lakes with the occasional village of colourful wooden homes. There are more than a 100 lakes that are surrounded by vast pine forests. The landscapes reminded me a lot of my road trip through Swedish Lapland.
Aukštaitija National Park is famous for its incredible biodiversity and is home to a large number of rare animals and birds including deer, elk, fox, wild boar and golden eagles.
Aukštaitija National Park is a heaven for anyone that loves the outdoors and nature. There are plenty of hiking trails and in summer you can go kayaking or canoeing on the lakes.
Lithuania is inspired by Scandinavia’s free access to nature. Lithuania’s national parks do not charge any entrance fees. You are free to wander in nature and pick berries and mushrooms as you like.
There is little public transport in Aukštaitija National Park, but even without your own car it is well worth a visit. For independent budget travellers it is best to base yourself in Paluse.
Paluse is a small town scenically located on lake Lusiai and is the starting point for a number of hiking trails throughout Aukštaitija National Park.
Places to visit in Aukštaitija National Park
Lake Tauragnas
Lake Tauragnas is one of the deepest lakes in Lithuania. In summer locals come here to swim or to go fishing. On the southern shore you will find the Taurapilis hillfort. This was once home to the old Tauragnai castle. The castle was burned down by the Livonian order in 1433.
Locals also believe there was once a church, but it disappeared inside the hill. On Saint John’s day the hill fort opens up for a few seconds at midnight. Those with good eyes might be able to see the derelict church.
The Taurapilis mound is well worth a visit, but more for the views over the lake than anything else.
How to get there: own car
Museum of Ancient Beekeeping
Aukštaitija National Park has lots of different species of plants. Some of them attract bees. As a result beekeeping and honey making is an age-old tradition in Aukštaitija National Park.
The museum of ancient beekeeping in Stripeikiai shows both the traditional and more modern ways of making honey. When I visited in winter it was unfortunately closed.
The village Stripeikiai is also very picturesque. Apparently it is one of the oldest villages in Aukštaitija National Park and it has lots of charming wooden homes.
How to get there: own car
Šiliniškės observation tower
The Šiliniškės observation tower is not for those with a fear of heights like me. If you dare climb all those steps I am sure that the view over Aukštaitija National Park is amazing.
How to get there: own car
Ginuciai Watermill
Ginuciai is another nice little village in Aukštaitija National Park. It is mostly famous for its traditional watermill from the 19th century.
There is also a small restaurant and museum and makes for a great lunch stop if you explore the park by car
How to get there: by car or hike from Paluse
Ginuciai castle hill
Not far from Ginuciai village is another large mound. Like the Taurapilis mound it was once home to a castle, but is now completely covered by the forest.
Nothing of the castle remains and it looks like a normal hill. However, It does offer spectacular views from the top over lake Linkmenas and lake Ukojas. A stairway helps you to climb to the top.
How to get there: by car or hike from Paluse
Ladakalnis hill
Just south of the Ginuciai castle hill is Ladakalnis hill. This hill offers the best views as you can see 6 lakes. Ūkojas, Linkmenas, Pakasas, Asėkas, Alksnaitis and Alksnas.
Ladakalnis hill was a holy place. In pagan times it was probably a place where people offered sacrifices to the goddess Lada. Up to this day it is a custom for people to bring stones and put them near the oak that grows on top of the hill.
How to get there: by car or hike from Paluse
Linkmenys church
Linkmenys is one of the larger towns in Aukštaitija National Park. It is not the most beautiful town, but it is worth a quick visit for its 19th century church
How to get there: by car
Bird village and farm
Not far from Linkmenys is a bird village and farm. In winter the farm was not open although you could walk around the farm and see some of its animals.
In summer there seems to be more activities here and it is a nice place to visit for families with children
How to get there: by car
Paluse and lake Lusiai
Paluse is a small town with a few guesthouses and restaurants. It is one of the few places in Aukštaitija National Park that you can reach by public transport.
From Ignalina there are a couple of buses per day to Paluse. It is a nice small town that has a scenic location on the shores of lake Lusiai. It is also the starting point of a number of hikes in Aukštaitija. This is a great place to base yourself to see the park.
How to get there: by bus from Ignalina
Gaveikenai
Gaveikenai is a small village in Aukštaitija with beautiful traditional wooden homes. One of them is also a watermill, but a more modern one than the watermill in Ginuciai.
The village is located in between Paluse and Ignalina and makes for a nice short hike from both of them
Ignalina
Ignalina is the largest town in Aukštaitija National Park. It has both train and bus connections with Vilnius and is therefore the first place you reach. Personally I found Paluse more scenic. But, Ignalina is like a small city and as a result the facilities were better. Therefore Ignalina is also a good option to base yourself.
Hiking in Aukštaitija National Park
Lake Ilgis trail
Lake Ilgis near Ignalina is a very small lake. There is a short hiking trail of about 4 kilometers that runs around the lake. The Lake Ilgis trail goes through the forest so the views on the lake are a bit obscured, but it is a nice hike nevertheless.
Ignalina to Paluse
There are buses between Ignalina and Paluse, but it is also possible to hike. There are trails along lake Pavlovinis and Paulakinis and then through Gaveikenai to Meironys where you walk down to Paluse on the shores of lake Lusiai.
The hike is about 8 kilometers one way.
Paluse to Ginuciai
One of the most beautiful hikes in Aukštaitija National Park is from Paluse to Ginuciai. The hike is 16 kilometers one way and passes by Ladakalnis hill, Ginuciai mound and ends at the Ginuciai water mill.
One can stay the night at Ginuciai and then hike back the next day
Šiliniškės Ridge route
The Šiliniškės trail follows the Šiliniškės Ridge from Ladakalnis hill to Stripeikiai. It is a 15 kilometer hike one way and passes by Ladakalnis hill, Ginuciai mound, the Šiliniškės observation tower and the beekeeping museum in Stripeikiai
It is possible to connect the Paluse to Ginuciai hike with the Šiliniškės Ridge trail in a multiple day hike staying the nights in Ginuciai and Stripeikiai.
Aukštaitija National Park travel tips
Where to sleep in Aukštaitija National Park
Ignalina: in Ignalina I can recommend hotel Zuvedra. The rooms are a bit outdated, but it has good facilities. There is also a restaurant with great food.
Paluse: There are not many places to stay in Paluse. Karolio Sodyba has a central location with good reviews.
Ginuciai: Ginuciai is a small place with few facilities. Sodyba Gervina is a good place to spend the night if you are hiking from Paluse to Ginuciai and back.
Where to eat in Aukštaitija National Park
The best places to eat in Aukštaitija National Park are in Ignalina. Both Hotel Zuvedra and Romnesa Ignalina offer great Lithuanian food. Romnesa has a bakery too where they make Sakotis (lithuanian spit cake). Some of the other local specialities are potato pillows (svilpikai) in a mushroom sauce and dumplings.
When it is hunting season you may be lucky to see wild boar and deer on the menu.
How to get to Aukštaitija National Park
Unfortunately, public transport in Aukštaitija National Park is limited. The most accessible town is Ignalina. There are frequent buses and trains from Vilnius to Ignalina. From Ignalina there are buses that go to Paluse.
For the bus times and buying bus tickets online you can check autobusubilietai.lt
For the train times and buying train tickets online you can check traukiniobilietas.lt
How to get around
The best way to truly explore Aukštaitija National Park is by having your own car. In my opinion it is worth the money to hire a car for a day or two.
That said, it is doable with public transport as well. If you love hiking it is very well possible to see the major sights when hiking from Paluse to Ginuciai (16 kilometers) and the Šiliniškės Ridge trail (15 kilometers).
Because there are no buses back on the end of the trail it does require a multiple day hike.
When to visit Aukštaitija National Park
I visited Aukštaitija National Park in winter. A very beautiful time when the lakes are frozen and everything is covered in a white layer of snow. It is an easy to spot wildlife as well. We saw deer, fox and wild boar and many more animal tracks in the snow.
Autumn would be another beautiful time to visit the area. The autumn colours are amazing and you can gather mushrooms in the forest. Summer is probably the most popular time to visit. Locals come to hike the forests and swim in the lakes.
What to bring
What to bring to Aukštaitija depends a bit on the season. In winter bring enough warm clothes as it can be very cold. Summer brings lots of mosquitoes, so bring mosquito repellent.
In any case bring sturdy shoes and sunscreen. Even in winter the sun can be very strong. The trails are not difficult, but sturdy shoes will help.
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