Ķemeri Bogshoeing & Jūrmala, Early Morning Nature Walk from Riga
A 10,000-year-old raised bog at golden hour, a short bogshoe walk across the moss, and Latvia's wooden seaside town as it wakes up. Six gentle hours from Riga, back by 10:30 AM.
A guided bogshoe hike across the Great Ķemeri Bog — the part of the raised bog that ordinary visitors never get to stand on
A walk along the Great Ķemeri Bog Boardwalk, Latvia’s most photographed wetland landscape, at golden hour
Climbing the bog observation tower for panoramic views over the mirror pools and dwarf pines
The 10,000-year story of the bog — its postglacial origin, its ecology, its birds, its sulphur springs and its Tsarist spa history
A relaxed walk through Jūrmala’s wooden Art Nouveau villas and along Jomas Street as the cafés open
Hotel pickup from central Riga, in a comfortable air-conditioned minibus
A coffee, tea or hot chocolate stop on the way, included, obviously
A nature-loving local guide who cannot stop talking about this place
+42 photos
A treasure of Latvia’s wild side
Six hours door to door, small group of up to eight guests. We pick you up from your Riga hotel around 4:30 AM (a little later in May and August), drive 45 quiet minutes west to Ķemeri National Park, walk the boardwalk at sunrise, strap on bogshoes for a short walk across the open raised bog, then head 20 minutes up the road to Jūrmala as the cafés begin to open. Back at your hotel by 10:30 AM. €59 per adult, €45 for children aged 3–14. Hotel pickup, air-conditioned minibus, nature guide, bogshoes, hot drinks, mosquito repellent, and every access fee, included. You pay nothing today: a 20% deposit goes out 48 hours before departure, and you settle the rest at the van on the morning. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
You can’t really say you’ve been to Latvia until you’ve stood on a bog. I know how that sounds, bear with me.
Ķemeri National Park is one of the most-loved natural places in our country, and a regular fixture on traveller lists of the best things to do near Riga. It’s the third-largest national park in Latvia, a Natura 2000 site, a Ramsar wetland of international importance, and home to the Great Ķemeri Bog (in Latvian, Lielais Ķemeru tīrelis), one of the largest and best-preserved raised bogs in the Baltics. It has been quietly growing upward for around ten thousand years — since the last Ice Age retreated — fed only by rainwater. The result is a landscape unlike anywhere else in Europe: a flat, treeless expanse of soft sphagnum moss, dwarf pines no taller than your knee that look like wild bonsai, and dozens of small dark bog pools that reflect the sky like mirrors. Walk it at dawn and the word most people reach for is otherworldly. Some say lunar. Either works.
Over 190 species of birds have been recorded in Ķemeri, including white-tailed eagles, cranes, black storks, marsh harriers and woodlark. The peat beneath your feet is dozens of metres deep in places, laid down leaf by leaf, moss by moss, over millennia — and stores more carbon, hectare for hectare, than any forest could. Peatlands are the quiet climate heroes of northern Europe: enormous, living carbon sinks. Protect the bog, and you protect a lot more than a view.
Bogshoeing is exactly what it sounds like: hiking across a bog on wide, flat-framed shoes that spread your weight across the soft sphagnum so you don’t sink in. Think snowshoes, but for moss instead of snow — in fact, most modern bogshoes are snowshoes, given a summer job. You strap them on over your normal walking shoes or wellies. You take slightly wider steps than usual. And then, for the first time in your life, you walk out onto ground that looks like solid land but behaves like a firm, breathing trampoline. Latvians and Estonians have been walking on bogs this way for centuries, and bogshoe hikes have become one of the signature nature experiences of the Baltic region. Ķemeri is one of the best places in the world to try it.
There are two ways to experience the Great Ķemeri Bog. Most visitors do one of them. Our guests do both. The boardwalk is the easy one — a wooden walkway that winds past mirror pools, dwarf pines and the observation tower. It’s beautiful, accessible to almost anyone, and absolutely worth walking at sunrise with a guide who knows where to look. Then there’s what the boardwalk can’t show you. Step off it, and the bog becomes something else entirely. The surface is a floating mat of living sphagnum, sometimes several metres thick, resting on water that goes down further still. Without the right footwear, you sink to your knees. With bogshoes on, you don’t. You walk — slowly, carefully, a little wobbly at first — across a landscape that almost nobody ever stands on. Some Latvians call it a quaking bog, because with each step the ground beneath you actually moves. The moss flexes. The pools beside you ripple a little. It is, in the most literal sense available, walking on water.
After the boardwalk and the tower, we hand out bogshoes — one pair per guest, all sizes — and walk a short, gentle loop off the boardwalk onto the open bog. About 15 minutes at a conversational pace. Fully guided, on a stable section of bog well away from open water. You’ll smell the wild rosemary (Latvians called it vaivariņš, and Viking lore claimed it had magic in it). You’ll probably spot cranberries, lingonberries or, if you’re lucky in late summer, the pale-orange jewel that is the cloudberry. Beside the boardwalk, keep an eye out for round-leaved sundew — a tiny carnivorous plant no bigger than a coin, its leaves tipped with what look like dewdrops but are actually a glue trap for insects. A plant that eats bugs, growing on ground that has barely changed since the last Ice Age.
From there we drive about half an hour to Jūrmala, Latvia’s seaside resort town, known for its long Baltic beach, its pine forests, and its wooden Art Nouveau villas in soft pastel paint. We walk a slow loop through the historic streets and along Jomas Street, the pedestrian heart of town, just as the cafés begin to open and the seaside wakes up. By the time we have you back in Riga it’s only 10:30 AM, and the rest of your day is still ahead of you.
This is the trip we wish every visitor to Latvia got to do. We believe a holiday here isn’t complete without a taste of our natural wonders, and Ķemeri sits right at the top of that list.
From Your Guide
Daiga & her local specialists
Who this trip is for
People who like being outside but don’t want to be exhausted by it. Photographers chasing soft golden light across mirror pools. Couples and families who want something more memorable than another museum. Birdwatchers in spring and summer migration months. People who’ve never heard of a raised bog and are quietly curious. People who want to actually step into the landscape — to bogshoe across the open mire — rather than just looking at it from a boardwalk.
One thing people miss
The sundew. It’s a tiny carnivorous plant that grows right beside the boardwalk, bright red tentacles tipped with what look like dewdrops, but they’re actually a sticky trap for insects. Most people walk straight past it. Once you’ve seen one, you start seeing them everywhere. A plant that eats bugs, growing in a landscape that has barely changed since the last ice age — that’s the kind of small wonder Ķemeri is full of.
Why early morning
The bog is at its most extraordinary in the soft golden hour just after sunrise: mist rising from the dark pools, the boardwalk completely empty, the air cool and still and absolutely silent. Bogs do silence in a way nothing else does — no traffic, no birdsong echo off walls, just this enormous open wetland absorbing every sound. By mid-morning the magic has faded a little and the day-trippers have arrived. We do this trip early so you get the bog at its very best, and so you’re back in Riga with the rest of your day still ahead of you.
Your morning, hour by hour
1
Hotel pickup in central Riga
We collect you from your hotel between roughly 4:30 and 5:00 AM (exact time depends on the month — June is the earliest, August the most civilised). Hotel pickup is included for major hotels in central Riga with bus-accessible parking. If you’re in a smaller guesthouse or Airbnb in the deep Old Town, we’ll arrange a nearby pickup point that’s a short walk from your accommodation.
2
Drive west, with a hot drinks stop
About 45 quiet minutes on the road. Roughly halfway, we stop at a service station for a coffee, tea, or hot chocolate — included, of course. It’s the warm-up moment of the morning, and you’ll thank yourself for it once we reach the bog.
3
The Great Ķemeri Bog, boardwalk, tower, and bogshoeing
The heart of the trip. We arrive at the trailhead just as the soft morning light is settling on the bog, and walk the wooden Great Ķemeri Bog Boardwalk through one of Latvia’s most remarkable landscapes — a postglacial raised bog of mirror pools, dwarf pines and open sphagnum. Your guide brings the place to life: the botany, the ecology, the carnivorous sundew, the birds, the sulphur springs and the Tsarist spa history. We climb the observation tower for the panoramic view that the photographs can’t quite capture.
Then comes the part most people remember best: the bogshoe hike. We hand out bogshoes — wide, lightweight frames that strap over your normal footwear — and step gently off the boardwalk for a short 15-minute loop across the open bog. The moss flexes under each step. The air smells of wild rosemary. And you’re standing on ground that almost nobody, not even most Latvians, ever stands on. About 90 minutes total from car park to car park, walked at a relaxed, conversational pace.
4
Drive to Jūrmala
Half an hour through pine forest and the edges of Ķemeri town. We’ll point out the “White Liner” (the grand 1930s Ķemeri spa hotel awaiting restoration) as we pass, and tell you the story of why royalty used to take the train here from Moscow for the sulphur cure.
5
A walk through Jūrmala
We drop you at one end of the historic streets and walk together through the wooden Art Nouveau villas, down to the beach for a few minutes by the Baltic Sea, and back along Jomas Street as the cafés and bakeries are opening for the day. The driver meets us at the other end. It’s a gentle linear walk, about 2 km in total, with plenty of stops, and the difference between driving past Jūrmala and actually walking it is everything.
6
Back to Riga by 10:30 AM
We have you back at your hotel by half past ten, in plenty of time for hotel breakfast if you’re still hungry, and with the rest of the day completely free. By then, I hope you feel you’ve seen something special, learned something you didn’t know about Latvia, and started the day on a quiet, lovely note.
What’s Included
Included
Hotel pickup & drop-off in central Riga
Air-conditioned minibus for the morning
English- and Latvian-speaking nature guide (Russian, German, or French on request)
Hot drinks stop on the way (coffee, tea, hot chocolate)
Latvian snacks & bottled water on the bus, help yourself
Mosquito repellent if you need it (be honest, you’ll need it)
Bogshoes for the off-boardwalk loop, one pair per guest, all sizes
All national park access fees and parking
Not Included
Anything you buy in Jūrmala (pastries, souvenirs, coffee, the cafés open while we’re there)
Hotel breakfast (most hotels serve until 10:30, you’ll be back in time)
Gratuities (kind but never expected)
Good to Know
Hotel Pickup
We pick you up directly from your hotel if you’re staying somewhere central with bus-accessible parking. For smaller guesthouses or apartments tucked into the deep Old Town streets, we’ll agree on a nearby pickup point a short walk from your accommodation. Exact pickup time is confirmed the evening before, and depends on the month.
The Early Start
Yes, it’s very early. We won’t pretend otherwise. But there’s a reason: the bog at golden hour, with no other people on the boardwalk, is a completely different experience from the bog at lunchtime. The early start is the trip. By the time you’re back in Riga at 10:30 AM, you’ve seen something most visitors never see, and your day is still ahead of you.
What to Wear
Comfortable walking shoes or trainers — the boardwalk is flat and well-maintained, but you’ll be on your feet for around 90 minutes at the bog and another 45 in Jūrmala. The bogshoes strap over your own footwear, so wear something closed-toe you don’t mind getting a little damp. Layers, always — even a warm Latvian summer morning can feel cool at 5 AM. Long sleeves and trousers help with the mosquitoes, who consider you breakfast. We bring repellent.
Accessibility
The bog boardwalk is flat, wooden, and accessible to most mobility levels, including pushchairs and people who can manage gentle walking. The observation tower has stairs and is optional. The off-boardwalk bogshoe loop requires steady balance on uneven, springy ground — it’s gentle but not suitable for guests with significant mobility issues; you’re welcome to wait on the boardwalk. Jūrmala’s streets are flat and walkable. Please tell us in advance about any mobility needs and we’ll plan accordingly.
Children
Children aged 8 and above are welcome. The boardwalk is safe, the observation tower is exciting, and kids tend to love the bogshoes — the bouncy-ground sensation is a genuine thrill. Children under 8 may find the early start and the walking distances challenging; we can advise. Child price: €45.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour for a full refund. Within 24 hours: non-refundable. If we have to cancel for weather reasons (heavy rain or storms), we offer either a full refund or a free reschedule, your choice.
Weather
The bog is stunning in most weather, even soft drizzle adds to the atmosphere. We only cancel for heavy rain or thunderstorms, which are rare in summer. If you’re unsure, message us the night before and we’ll give you an honest forecast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bogshoeing is hiking across a bog on wide, flat-framed shoes — think snowshoes, but for moss instead of snow — that spread your weight across the soft sphagnum so you don’t sink in. It’s one of the signature nature activities of Latvia and Estonia, only possible with a guide, and Ķemeri National Park is one of the best places in the world to try it. No experience or fitness level required; if you can walk, you can bogshoe.
In practice: almost not at all. The same (or very similar) wide-framed shoes are used for both. Snowshoeing is what you do on snow in winter; bogshoeing is what you do on the soft, waterlogged moss of a raised bog in spring, summer and autumn. Historically, both use the same idea — spread your weight, don’t sink — and in Latvia we use snowshoes as bogshoes when the ground isn’t frozen.
A raised bog (in Latvian, tīrelis; sometimes called a mire or peat bog) is a wetland that sits higher than the surrounding landscape because, over thousands of years, layers of dead sphagnum moss have built up into a dome of peat. Rainwater is the only water source, which makes raised bogs unusually acidic, low in nutrients and home to a very particular cast of plants and animals — dwarf pines, sphagnum, cranberries, cloudberries, carnivorous sundew, and hundreds of wetland bird species. The Great Ķemeri Bog is one of the largest and best-preserved raised bogs in the Baltics, about 10,000 years old, and a Natura 2000 and Ramsar-listed site.
No human bog bodies have been found in Ķemeri, but the question comes up a lot — and for good reason. Bog bodies are naturally mummified human remains preserved for thousands of years in the acidic, oxygen-starved conditions of European peat bogs; Denmark, the UK and Ireland have produced some of the most famous examples, with skin, hair and even facial features intact after millennia. Ķemeri hasn’t given up a human one yet, but the bog has done its preservation trick on other things: in the post-war years several Second World War aircraft and tanks were recovered from the peat, some with their wartime contents eerily intact. Same chemistry, different cargo.
Six hours door to door. Hotel pickup is around 4:30 AM (a little later in May and August), and we have you back in Riga by 10:30 AM — in plenty of time for hotel breakfast if you’re still hungry, with the rest of the day still ahead of you.
Ķemeri is about 50 km west of Riga, around 45 minutes by car at quiet hours. You can drive yourself, take the suburban train to Ķemeri station (and then walk roughly 3.5 km to the boardwalk trailhead), or join a guided bogshoe tour like ours, which handles the early morning logistics, transport, bogshoe hire, and the Jūrmala walk afterwards.
Early morning, every time — the bog is at its most beautiful in the soft golden light just after sunrise, when the mist is still on the pools and you have the boardwalk to yourself. May through August is our bogshoeing season; the ground is unfrozen and the sphagnum is at its springiest. June has the most generous light. August is the easiest to wake up for. Outside those months the bog is still open (and free to walk on the boardwalk), but the bogshoe component only works when the moss is soft and the mornings are workable.
Absolutely — and most visitors to Riga have never even heard of it, which is part of the magic. Ķemeri is one of the most-loved natural sites in Latvia, a regular fixture on lists of the best day trips from Riga, and home to one of the largest raised bogs in the Baltics. Over 190 bird species, a landscape that looks like nowhere else on earth, and a chance to actually walk across the moss on bogshoes. We believe a visit to Latvia isn’t complete without seeing one of our natural wonders, and Ķemeri sits right at the top of that list.
Children aged 8 and above are very welcome. The boardwalk is flat and safe, the observation tower is exciting, and kids love the bogshoes — the bouncy-ground sensation is a genuine thrill. Under-8s may find the very early start and the walking distances challenging. Let us know the ages when you book and we’ll advise. Child price: €45.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour for a full refund. Within 24 hours, non-refundable. If we cancel for weather reasons (heavy rain or storms), you get a full refund or a free reschedule, your choice.
Bogshoes are wide, lightweight frames — a modern take on the traditional Latvian bog walker’s shoe, and essentially the same kit as snowshoes — that you strap over your normal footwear. They spread your weight across the soft sphagnum moss so you don’t sink in. Without them, the open bog is a sticky, knee-deep mess. With them on, you can walk across the moss as if it were a slightly bouncy carpet. We bring one pair per guest in all sizes, and the off-boardwalk loop is short (about 15 minutes), gentle, and entirely guided. We choose a safe area on a stable section of bog, well away from open water, and your guide walks at the front.
Our default guide languages are English and Latvian. We can also offer the tour in Russian, German, or French on request — just let us know which language you’d prefer when you book and we’ll do our best to arrange the right guide. There’s no extra charge for non-English languages, but on-request languages are subject to guide availability and we’ll confirm by message before your tour.
Booking platforms like GetYourGuide and Viator charge commission — typically 20–30%. When you book directly with us, there’s no middleman, so you pay less for exactly the same tour with the same guide and the same bogshoes.
Yes, easily. The sunrise tour gets you back to central Riga by 10:30 AM, and Jūrmala’s main beach season is noon to early evening. The Jūrmala train from Riga (€1.50, 30 minutes, direct) leaves every hour from the central station. A popular combination: sunrise bog with me, hotel breakfast on return, then the noon train to Majori in Jūrmala for the beach, seafood lunch on Jomas Street, and an afternoon walk. Back in Riga by 6 PM. Two very different experiences of Latvia’s Baltic coast in one day.
In theory yes, in practice the logistics don’t quite work for a sunrise trip. The Ķemeri train station is about 3.5 km from the main boardwalk entrance and there are no taxis waiting. The first train from Riga arrives at Ķemeri around 7:30 AM in summer, which is at least 90 minutes after sunrise in June and July. If you’re happy to visit the bog in full daylight rather than at sunrise, the train works fine: walk or cycle from Ķemeri station to the boardwalk (45 minutes on foot), the boardwalk itself is free, and the return train runs every 1–2 hours. The boardwalk is completely free to enter and is open 24 hours, year-round.
Beautiful, but different. September still gives you warm afternoons and cool mornings, and the mist on the bog is at its most dramatic as the temperature drops overnight. October brings a short but extraordinary window of autumn colour — the dwarf pines turn copper, the sphagnum moss goes rust-red, and the raised bog looks completely different from its summer version. Note that our Barefoot Baltic sunrise tour only runs May to August — the light and the logistics don’t work outside those months. For a September or October visit, you’d go on your own or as a private-hire day with me, which I’m happy to arrange if you ask.
Yes. There are basic composting toilets at the main car park where the boardwalk starts. There are no facilities on the boardwalk itself or at the observation tower — the protected bog environment doesn’t allow infrastructure out on the raised bog. For our sunrise tour we have a quick coffee stop with proper facilities on the drive out from Riga, and the boardwalk car park toilets are available when we arrive.
Honest answer: yes, in late June and July, after warm rain, the bog can be mosquito country. We bring repellent for every guest and we set off early enough that the cool air keeps things manageable, but if you’re someone mosquitoes find irresistible, wear long sleeves and trousers and apply repellent before pickup. May and August are usually much milder. We’d rather you knew now than be surprised on the boardwalk.
Layers. Even in July, dawn at the bog is around 10–14°C and the air is damp. A long-sleeved top, a light fleece or jumper, long trousers (also helpful against mosquitoes), and proper closed shoes or trainers, the boardwalk is wooden and can be slippery with dew. We provide the bog shoes for the off-boardwalk loop, you wear them over your own footwear. Bring a light waterproof if rain looks possible. By the time we’re in Jūrmala the sun is up and you’ll want a layer to come off.
You’re in for a treat. The bog at golden hour is one of the most photogenic landscapes in Latvia, mirror pools, soft mist, dwarf pines catching the light. Bring a tripod if you have one (the boardwalk is wide enough), a lens that goes wide for the pool reflections and another for the long views from the watchtower, and a microfibre cloth, the air is wet and lenses fog up. Drones are technically restricted in the national park without a permit, so leave that one at the hotel. We always allow time for proper photography, and Daiga or your guide will point out the best spots.
The standard tour is the bog plus Jūrmala because the timings work beautifully together, sunrise on the bog, breakfast-time stroll along the wooden villas, back in Riga by 10:30 AM. If you’d genuinely prefer just the bog and to be back earlier, message us and we’ll see if a private-hire arrangement works for your dates. The standard price assumes both halves of the day.
Soft drizzle actually adds atmosphere, the mist lifts off the pools and the colours go muted and beautiful. We run in light rain. We only cancel for heavy rain or thunderstorms, which are rare in summer. If we have to cancel for weather, you get a full refund or a free reschedule, your choice. If you’re unsure the night before, message us and we’ll give you an honest forecast read.
Ķemeri is a Ramsar wetland and one of Latvia’s top birding sites, over 190 species recorded. In May and June you have the best chance of cranes (often heard before seen), white-tailed eagles overhead, marsh harriers quartering low, woodlark, tree pipit, and on a lucky morning a black stork. The bog itself is more about the silence than constant bird activity, but the forest edges on the drive in are often busy. We’re happy to bring binoculars if you let us know in advance.
Inside the strict-protection zone of the bog itself, no, you stay on the boardwalk. In the wider Ķemeri National Park forests, foraging for personal use is part of Latvia’s “everyman’s right” tradition and is allowed for blueberries, lingonberries, cranberries, and edible mushrooms in season (late summer through autumn). Our sunrise tour doesn’t include foraging time, but if it’s something you’re curious about, ask us about a private-hire forest day later in the season.
Tipping is not expected in Latvia the way it is in the US, and our guides are paid properly, never on tips. If you’ve had a brilliant morning and want to tip, anything from €5 to €10 per guest is generous and very much appreciated. Cash in euros is easiest. If you’d rather not tip, please don’t feel awkward, your honest review afterwards is worth far more to us.
Plenty, though most of it is shy. The park is home to elk, wild boar, roe deer, red squirrel, beavers (whose felled trees you’ll see beside the boardwalk) and, in remoter corners, lynx and wolves — though actually seeing either on a bog walk is the stuff of lucky stories rather than itineraries. On the plant side: dwarf pines, cranberries, lingonberries, cloudberries in late summer, wild rosemary (you’ll smell it before you see it), heather, cotton grass, and the tiny round-leaved sundew right beside the boardwalk. Twelve orchid species grow in the wider national park.
Peatlands are the most concentrated carbon stores on land. Square metre for square metre, a healthy raised bog like Ķemeri holds far more carbon than the same area of forest — some estimates put the world’s peat bogs at over 200 billion tonnes of stored carbon. Drain a bog, and that carbon escapes into the atmosphere as CO₂. Protect it, and it keeps doing its quiet climate work. Ķemeri’s peat has been accumulating for ten thousand years. We’d like it to keep accumulating for the next ten thousand. Walking it with a guide, on the boardwalk and on bogshoes in a carefully chosen spot, is part of how that protection is paid for.
Photo credits
Many of the photographs on this page are the work of generous photographers who have shared them under free licences. We’re grateful to them all.
Unsplash photographers
Katrīna Eglīte, bog aerial summer, observation tower, cotton grass
Whether you’re just beginning to plan your visit to Latvia or you already have dates in mind, the easiest way to book is to reach out to me directly. A WhatsApp message, a phone call, or an email, whatever suits you. I’ll get back to you quickly and we’ll find the perfect day for your excursion. No forms, no automated replies, just me.
I understand some travellers prefer booking through a platform they already trust, and that’s perfectly fine. You’re welcome to book through GetYourGuide or Viator too. Just know that my direct price is always the best one.
