The Vīsraga Nature Trail is located in the nature reserve “Burtnieku jezera pļavas”. It covers the southern and eastern shores of the lake in a narrow strip of 432 ha and is designed to preserve rare bird species and floodplain meadows.

The Vīsrags Nature Trail takes about 45 minutes to complete. It starts at the Silver Gate of Burtnieki Manor Park, then leads through the park to Lake Burtnieks and the floodplain meadows of the Eķinupe River, an internationally important breeding site for protected birds.

One of the trail’s stopping points is the lookout tower, from which you can see the floodplain meadows of the Eķinupe River and the south-eastern shore of the lake with the pointed tower of Burtnieki Church. On the way back, the trail winds along the lakeshore past the ruins of the Livonian Order castle, the flooded ponds and the lake beach.

Please note that this nature area is intended for the protection of rare natural values, so please treat the surroundings with special care. Please only use the existing path and be sure not to leave litter behind. If you observe the surroundings carefully and behave quietly, you are more likely to see undisturbed natural events.

Valmiera County Tourism Board photo archive