Kaņieris Lake Reed Plank-way
The reed plankway was set up in the summer of 2013. It starts at the Rieksti peninsula near the juniper stand of Lake Kaņieris and the birdwatching tower, and it leads through the reeds of Lake Kaņieris to Andersala. It is approximately 600 m long. The trail is set up on pontoons and allow exploring otherwise inaccessible and mysterious world of reeds. The taller the reeds, the better the walker can imagine what it is like to be a bird and live among reeds.
The trail concludes on the bank of Andrejsala islet, and at this time it does not continue on the island, which is very muddy; we recommend walking the trail there and back along the same route.
Between Lapmežciems and Antiņciems, Lapmežciems parish, Engure region.
A heavily overgrown Lake Kaņieris is a lagoon-type lake and is a protected nature object located in Ķemeri National Park. The lake is one of the richest in Latvia in bird and plant diversity, therefore it is favoured by anglers and ornithologists. There are 14 islands on the lake, which are particularly loved by water birds as good resting spots during migration. More than 200 bird species have been identified at Lake Kaņieris overall. The richest diversity can be seen during the spring season and in early autumn.
The suggested starting route point is at the sign to Bird watching tower (Putnu vērošanas tornis) at the road Lapmežciems-Antiņciems. The tower allows to enjoy some truly spectacular views over the lake. Afterwards the trail continues to the wooden boardwalk, which is installed on pontoons and links two islands, allowing to observe the beauty of the lake landscape with dry legs. The boardwalk is swinging a little here and there, as around half of its length consists of floating constructions. The length of the boardwalk is 600 m and it allows to see the hard to reach reeds thicket, which is truly impressive. The wooden boardwalk stretches through the reed maze, sometimes shaping a kind of a reed tunnel and sometimes opening the view to the lake again. Be careful here, as some of the planks may be broken.
At the end of the boardwalk, there are additional wooden planks laid down recently, prolonging the route through the forest along the shore of the lake leading, first, to the boat base and after – along the gravel road to the starting point of the trail.
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