The 1.1 km trail of the Nagliai Nature Reserve will lead you through a mysterious natural phenomenon – dead sand dunes. This is where four former Curonian Spit villages were buried in the sand a few centuries ago. Strong winds here create a unique landscape – hollows and washouts, revealing the soil of an ages-old forest buried in the sand.

With the growing flow of visitors on the educational trail of the Nagliai Nature Reserve, from April 15 the regulation of the flow of visitors by economic means is started – i.e. anyone wishing to visit the trail during the opening hours of the trail will need to purchase a ticket. In April, visits are paid only on weekends and public holidays, and from 1 May. until the end of the summer season – all days of the week.

In order to distribute the flows more evenly and make it possible to enjoy the landscapes of the Nagliai Nature Reserve for longer hours, the hours of visiting the trail will be adjusted to the sun. We invite you to visit the nature trail of the reserve in the morning or in the evening, when the sun paints the dunes in completely different shades than at noon. This will help avoid congestion in the parking lot and make the visit more enjoyable.

In solidarity with the Ukraine undergoing war aggression, the Curonian Spit National Park Authority is recruiting Ukrainian citizens staying in Neringa at the ticket office this year. Communication will be in English, Ukrainian, Russian.

Working hours in 2022:

April 15 – 18 / 22 – 24 d. / 29 – 30: 10:30 – 18:00

May 1 – 31: 9:00 – 19:00

June 1 – 16: 9:00 – 20:00

June 17 – 14: August 9:00 – 21:00

August 15 – 31: 9:00 – 20:00

September 1 – 18: 9:00 – 19:00

September 19 – 9 October: 9:00 – 18:00

Ticket price for visiting the educational trail *, **:

FOR ADULTS – 5.00 Eur;

FOR STUDENTS who have submitted a student certificate – 2.00 Eur.

* payment for the ticket is made by bank card. Cash payment – only in exceptional cases when there is no technological possibility to make a payment.

** Companies providing tourism services have the opportunity to pay for groups by transfer once a month. For conditions of cooperation, please contact knnp@nerija.lt

Visiting the cognitive trail free of charge is provided for:

– the head of the group of the tourism service provider (agency) or the person accompanying the group on the Cognitive Trail;

– persons under 18 years of age who have presented a document proving the person’s age;

– students who have presented a student card;

– disabled persons who have presented a certificate of disability;

– Persons who have declared their place of residence in the municipality of Neringa and in the Smiltyne part of Klaipėda, who have submitted a document proving the declared place of residence;

– Ukrainian citizens presenting a document proving their nationality.

Along the 1.1 km long educational trail, you will see white dunes reminiscent of desert landscapes and overgrown with sandy plants. You will also get acquainted with the rare species of animals and plants listed in the Lithuanian Red Data Book, you will learn what horrible secrets the sand dunes keep. The trail stretches through the Nagliai (Agila) dune, which was formed from the 17th century during the sandstorm. Climbing on the 50 m high dune ridge will open an impressive panorama of the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon.

The high flow of visitors is particularly detrimental to the sensitive habitats of the sand dunes, due to the intensive visitation of the dunes. Over the last ten years, the dunes have fallen by as much as 10 m. The only way to give the guests of the Curonian Spit access to the values ​​of the reserve without harming them is to regulate the flows during the period of intensive visits. Since 2015 this is done by economic means.

FAQ

Why are there so many rules in the reserve? Reserve is a protected area established to nurture natural territorial complexes, to ensure the natural course of natural processes. The purpose of the Nagliai Nature Reserve is to protect a unique natural complex of the landscape area with a large ridge of blown gray dunes, the horns of the Agila and Lydumas capes, wooded floodplains of the coastal area, other natural objects and species of plants and animals listed in the Lithuanian Red Data Book. It is a house of nature, where man is only a guest. Wild animals do not comfort our homes, so we will behave here as respectfully as guests. Let’s not forget to take away what we brought.

Can I cross the marked trail for at least a short time? Irresponsible behavior can lead to irreversible changes in the landscape. After the plants erupt, the wind blows away the sand, and after each descent down a steeper slope, a large amount of sand falls. Thus the dunes descend, the relief leveles.

Can I walk where I do not see protected species and terrain? No. The nature around us is much more alive than it may seem at first glance, and the most fragile and sensitive part of it is invisible.

Information prepared by: Curonian Spit National Park Authority.