Varena region – Lithuania’s Pan park

Deep in the South East of Lithuania lies the Varena region, famous for its old traditional villages, forests rich in mushrooms and berries and rivers offering adventurous kayaking routes. Writes Ieva Zamaraite

Both Dzukijos National Park and Cepkeliai State Reserve hold PAN park status, showcasing the destination’s efforts to develop balanced and nature friendly tourism.

Visitors can explore the natural surroundings in an environmentally friendly way such as by foot, bicycle or kayak. The destination offers various routes throughout the region for all these exciting ways to explore.

Walking is especially suitable for visiting the sensitive area of Cepkeliai State Reserve, and the company of a professional local guide is highly recommended to fully understand the unique landscape and its flora and fauna.

If you prefer to take a bike – recommended routes start at the Dzukijos National Park visitors centre in a village of Marcinkonys from where one can set on a trip to discover not only natural, but also archaic cultural wonders of the region.

But probably most popular type of traveling through this region is by water. There are plenty of bigger and smaller rivers for different types of kayaking enthusiasts – the beginners as well those more experienced looking for something more thrilling.

And on the water, there are also many places to stop for a quick picnic, a trip in a forest for some delicious berries or for a visit of the biggest ethnographic village in Lithuania, local Crafts centre or local cheese makers.

In this region visitors can take advantage of offers from a variety of small local businesses. Certified "Protected Area Products" are available from local agro producers, craftsmen and tourism service providers whose activities comply with the purposes of protected areas and adhere to environmentally responsible behavior.

Right in the heart of Dzukijos National park, in the ethnographic village of Marcinkonys, Ruta Sakaliene welcomes tourists in her traditional homestead (http://www.sakalai.lt). Besides many traditional crafts experiences offered by the hosts, the biggest attraction here is tasting local culinary produce. Tourists can learn about, and of course enjoy, the local regional cuisine, such as mushroom soup made with delicious locally picked mushrooms, mushroom pastries, buckwheat pie, and the famous traditional black bread. This is certainly a place to experience local culture through taste and smell, where all the food is fresh, local and made in a traditional way!

Other certified homesteads also offer tourists accommodation in the calm, green and traditional environment, such as the homestead of Arturas Svirnelis which is situated on the shore of one of the kayaker’s most beloved rivers in the village of Zervynos. Besides offering stays in his environmentally-certified homestead, Arturas (the host) also offers tourists the opportunity to rent one of his kayaks and actually experience the surprising route of the river Ula.

No real Lithuanian countryside experience is complete without a traditional smoke sauna loved by locals and offered to guests – before or after kayaking! 

Another certified homestead "Silas" (http://www.sodybasilas.lt ) offers tourists not only sauna, boats, workshops of traditional crafts, but also the opportunity of engage in local activities, such as fishing, mushroom, berry and herb picking.

Besides homesteads, tourists are also invited to visit certified traditional craftsmen and local farms. One of the craftsmen is the ceramics artist Dziugas Petraitis whose house is full of his art, such as traditional jugs, pots, and candlesticks as well as many other artifacts. Dziugas shows his guests not only finished products, but also demonstrates his ceramics process, turning pieces of clay into pots and telling  stories of how these were used in the past.

Tourists can also visit "Panara" herbs farm in the middle of the forest, where ecological infusions, herbal mixes, ethereal oils are produced.

So a trip in Varena region brings not only the experience of its nature, but also the local lifestyle and culture which formed while living in these natural surroundings. More information on this southern east Lithuanian destination can be found here: http://www.gamtosritmu.lt

Ieva Zamaraite