A Kayaking & Canoeing Guide to Gauja National Park

Fast-forward to now, and visitors can now drift the same corridor by kayak, tracing sandstone cliffs the flood carved, sneaking past beaver lodges and medieval castles, and picturing that ancient chocolate-milk torrent roaring overhead while today’s Gauja murmurs gently beneath your paddle.  
 
This magnificent river is a mecca for one of Europe’s great water-sport experiences. 
 
Mist lifts off brown water (due to the Devonshire red sandstone riverbed) as if the Gauja itself were stretching after a long night’s sleep. In some places on both banks rusty-red sandstone cliffs loom five floor high;  

The length of the Gauja 460 km and is Latvia’s longest river and the only major one born and buried inside the country’s borders. Almost one-fifth of that length, about 93.5 km, meanders through the 918 km² of Gauja National Park, a fault-line valley up to 2.5 km wide and 85 m deep near Sigulda. Unlike steeper Alpine torrents, the Gauja averages a gentle 71 m³/s discharge, yet spring melt triples the volume to 183 m³/s, briefly turning the river into a living treadmill for white-water fans.  
 
Its tributaries: Brasla, Amata, Ligatne, and dozens of creeks—add rapids and create a fun boating experience. They also offer the chance to explore new rivers while always finishing in the Gauja River. 

Summer (June–August). Levels stabilise and beaches emerge. 20-hour daylight lets you linger under every cliff overhang. Expect families in open canoes between Cēsis and Līgatne, but even in July you can find solitude by starting at dawn. 

Winter.  Sections above Valmiera freeze; lower reaches remain ice-free thanks to numerous springs, making pack-rafting or seal-launching possible for the hard-core, but daylight is short and campfires are banned within 50 m of the riverbank inside the park. 

Cēsis → Līgatne Boating Cruise 

Within minutes, you glide past Ērgļu Cliffs, a 700-metre ochre wave of sandstone rising 22 metres above the Gauja River. Kingfishers dart between willow roots, while beavers leave pencil-sharpened trunks on shingle bars. Separate from this, paddlers on the Amata River often stop at Zvārtes Rock, one of Latvia’s most picturesque sandstone outcrops, before ending their route where the Amata meets the Gauja. It’s worth noting that the Amata is generally boatable 
 
Līgatne → Sigulda  
Ķūķu Cliffs (43 m) and Velnala (“Devil’s”) Cave guard bends where the river abruptly narrows, quickening to 6 km/h.  A final right-hand curve reveals the red-brick towers of Turaida Castle above birch spires; a Baltic fairytale set-piece best photographed from mid-stream. The medieval castle where Livonian Knights once taxed merchants. 
 
Leave the Gauja’s highway-wide channel and sneak into the Brasla, a shade tunnel only 12 m across in places.  Vertical drop averages 2 m/km, so expect playful riffles and the occasional portage around an old fish-farm dam.  The reward is jungle-quiet 

“Swift” in ancient Livonian, the Amata earns its name each April when snow-melt sends chocolate-brown water crashing over boulders at Zvārtes 

Few rivers let you swap forest for Baltic dunes in a single afternoon.  After Ādaži the Gauja slows, widens and tastes faintly of salt.  Reed beds teem with grey heron and mute swan.  Land beside Carnikava’s 

Guided trips. Outfitters such as Makars Tourism Agency, Kārļamuiža Country Hotel, Rāmkalni, Boards You, campsites Žagarkalns, Ozolkalns, Apaļkalns and Sigulda Adventures deliver boats to the put-in, shuttle drivers back and fill rest stops with folk legends you will not find on Google.   
Expect €30–€45 per seat depending on boat type and route length, 

Safety in three bullet points 

1. Life-jacket law. Latvian regulations require one certified PFD per person. 

2. Spring respect. Upstream log-jams can turn into lethal strainers when hidden by meltwater. Scout blind corners and avoid lone paddling before May. 

3. Storm etiquette. If thunder growls, land on the concave bank where trees sit farther from shore; lightning seeks the tallest object.  

Packing list that never lets you down 

• 1 × Type III or V PFD 

• 4-season dry-top (water can be 6 °C in April) 

• 20-litre roll-top dry-bag for spare fleece & phone 

• Neo-shoes thick enough for rocky shallows 

• 10m throw-bag (mandatory for Amata) 

• Water filter or iodine tabs; springs abound but farms do too 

• Small repair kit: duct tape, Zip-ties, spare skeg bolt 

• Insect repellent: mid-June hatches are biblical under alder trees  

Sleeping rive

• Wild camping is legal only on designated sites sign-posted by Latvia’s Nature Conservation Agency.  Two of the most atmospheric: 

• Camping Mārkulīči:  Grass terraces shaded by oaks, archery range, and a dawn chorus worth setting an alarm for. 

• Camping Žagarkalns: The quiet campsite is spacious enough, so that the tourists may enjoy their time undisturbed. At the very camping starts fabulous, primordial Cīrulīšu nature trail, showcasing the history of river Gauja, Mirror cliff and many other unforgettable sites.