Licu - Langu cliffs

Small Liepa village, located between Cesis and Valmiera towns, could be named as the "capital of cliffs in Latvia". There is not only the easily approachable, well known and interesting cliffs of Liela Ellite (Lielā Ellīte) but a few kilometers further also probably most diverse, unusual and one of the most impressive looking cliffs in Latvia - Licu-Langu cliffs.

MAIN FACTS
LOCATION	Latvia, Priekuli county
HEIGHT	30 M
LENGTH	1000 M
CLIFF TYPE	Sandstone
AGE	300 MIO YEARS
RATING (8,2/10)

A walk in the forest

Most cliffs in Latvia are exposed right at the river banks but Licu-Langu cliffs hides inside the forest, about half kilometer away from the Gauja river. In order to reach Licu-Langu cliffs, one has to take about 2 km walk from car parking place in Liepa village. At first the path leads alongside the industrial area of Lode brick factory - this area is interesting and worth-to-see for itself due to unusually colored soil of it's quarry. Then one has to walk through the forest, following the signs, later going downhill (steps are installed there). Below there is a nature trail which leads alongside the cliffs - they're not only in one place but stretched in about a kilometer long distance. This is a beautiful place for active leisure in nature. It requires some physical strength but at the same time it's not too hard - the place has became quite popular and it's not a wild walk anymore, the path is built and it's walkable for an average tourist.

Photographer's dream

Visually Licu-Langu cliffs, as it seems, could fit to everyone's taste. For those whom the scale is the most important thing, they offers until 30 metres high, sleek "walls". For those who enjoys complex and unusual structures, they reveals peculiar ravines, caves, niches, saliences... It's a photographers paradise which offers countless creative options to frame and compose. No wonder that also professional photographers have started to use this place as a setting for their model photo sessions. It's interesting that adventurous people have visited the cliffs long time ago, and exactly like today's visitors, have left their inscriptions on them. In contrast to inscriptions of later times, the oldest ones which are dated with year 1841 are considered to be historically valuable and preservable.

Caves - beautiful but dangerous 

Interesting geological processes are also going on here. The caves and ravines in Licu-Langu cliffs are created by many sources which flows through the cliffs. These springs are very rich with iron and other minerals, and some of the (lower) caves has very interesting colors inside. However it's dangerous to visit them because the caves are unstable - one has already collapsed due to erosion processes.