A hike Bārta-Ķīburi

Distance: ~16km

Route type: Linear, available in both directions

Start: Barta or Kiburi

Duration: 4 - 7 hours

Availability: With foot

Surface: Gravel roads, off-road, unmarked forest trails ~4km

Getting there: The most convenient way to get to the start is by intercity bus, driving to the "Bārta" or "Ķiburi" stop.

Route description:

This route leads along both dirt and gravel roads and scenic forest paths, along the Barta river and the Ķiburu stream. There are three places where you will have to cross a ditch or a small stream, but as we know, difficulty creates adventure. We recommend starting the route from Barta. The section along the Barta river starts at the recreation base "Ods" and leads all the way to the Dūkupju waterfall. The path along the bank of the Barta river is partially marked and will lead through the former recreation base "Neptūns". Another haunt of this route is the Ķiburu stream, which is hidden deep in the forest and will reveal its secrets only to brave travelers. The Kīburu stream will really surprise you with its views and it seems like a completely different, yet "unexplored" forest that hugs it like a warm blanket.

Rest areas are marked on the map:

(1) Rest base "ODS"

(3) Resting place at Dūkupju waterfall

Sights:

(11) Barta Museum - exists since 1985. It was created with the aim of studying and reflecting the history of the village of Barta and the kolkhoz. It was created thanks to the bearded man, local researcher, journalist and poet, Jēkab Rūsiņas (1917-1994), who was already retired at the time. Since 2004, the Barta Museum has been operating as an accredited museum. In accordance with its mission, the museum collects, preserves and studies sources characterizing the cultural history of Barta. Between 2004 and 2009, the number of objects in the museum collection increased from 597 to 1323 objects. http://www.bartasmuzejs.lv/ +371 28687254

(12) Vīle Bridge - as we see it today, is not quite the same as the one built by the Germans in 1916. The first bridge was made of wood. During the construction of the railway, several sawmills were created near the future line, where the necessary materials were sawn on the spot, including the new bridge. The entire bridge structure rested on four wooden piers in the Barta River. 600 mm narrow railway tracks are laid on top of it.

(13) Dūkupju waterfall - height ~2.2 meters. In this place, 10,000 years ago, there was a layer of ice about a kilometer thick. As the glacier moved, it carried with it rocks and minerals from the area it moved over. Later, as the ice gradually melts and its movement slows down, the rock material it displaced settles on the earth's surface. This is how moraines, or glacial sediments, were created, which currently cover a very large territory of Latvia. After the retreat of the glacier, Latvian rivers first encountered this rock and formed countless waterfalls that fell over the moraine. Today, such natural formations are a real rarity and can only be found in the Baltics.