Riezupe Sand Caves

The Riezupe caves are not natural: they were dug by hand from the nineteenth century into a bank of very fine white sandstone to extract quartz sand, used for glassmaking, foundry casting and for scouring floors, and the workings extend to around two kilometres of passage of which several hundred metres are open. Visits are guided and lit by lantern, walking through low tunnels and small chambers in the soft white rock, with the guide explaining the extraction and the folklore that has attached to the place. The temperature stays around eight degrees year round. Bats hibernate in the system. A park with a mini-zoo and camping operates on the surface.

What you actually see

• The dug tunnels - the hand-cut passages in white sandstone.
• Lantern tours - the guided walk through the workings.
• The extraction story - the quartz sand trade the caves were cut for.
• The surface park - the camping and small animal enclosures above.

When to go

Year round; the caves hold a constant temperature and warm clothing is needed even in summer. Tours run at set times and booking helps at weekends. Bat hibernation restricts access to parts in winter.

Honest expectations

Passages are low, narrow and unlit apart from the lanterns provided, which some visitors find uncomfortable. Tours are guided only, at set times. The caves are man-made, not natural formations. Only a fraction of the system is open.

Nearby

Kuldiga and the Venta rapid lie east.