Dead Dunes

The Dead Dunes (Nagliai Cognitive Trail) is located on the 32nd kilometre of the Smiltyne - Nida road.

There is a car park near the trailhead where Free parking for 2 hours. The only drawback is that the site is not large, and it receives a lot of tourist attention, especially during the summer season.

• 20 April - 15 May - 10.00-19.00
• 16-31 May - 9.00-20.00
• 1 - 15 August - 9.00-20.30
• 16 August - 10 September - 9.00-20.00
• 11 September - 05 October - 10.00-19.00

• Adults - EUR 5 per ticket.
• For students and pensioners, the price of one ticket (with proof of ID) is €2.
• For children under 6, schoolchildren, disabled or Free of charge for persons living in Neringa, Smiltyne (with proof of residence).

How to buy tickets? Tickets can be purchased at the ticket office at the trailhead. Tickets can only be paid for with a bank card. Tickets are not on sale until 1 hour before closing time.

How long does it take to visit? It will take you about 1 hour to 1.5 hours to walk this trail (part of the trail goes through sand, which can make walking slower).

Do we recommend visiting with children? Yes, this is a good place to visit with children - spectacular views of nature, educational discovery. However, we have a few recommendations and tips on what you should know if you plan to visit with children:

• part of the road is sandy, so not all of the route will be accessible for wheelchairs;
• the same stretch of road through sand may be more difficult for children;
• If you come here during the hot season, we suggest you come in the second half of the day - the open dunes get really hot when the sun is shining.

"It's hard to believe that such a place actually exists here in Neringa. You wouldn't know it's in Lithuania from the photos", "It's a place of perfect beauty, definitely worth a visit" and "I recommend everyone to visit this place at least once" - these are some of the comments from those who have visited. Indeed, the Dead Dunes and the entire Nagliai Nature Reserve Nature Trail are among the most spectacular places to pass through the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Between Juodkrante and Pervalka, the 9-kilometre-long reserve features dead dunes, deserted former settlement sites, and unique vegetation that is unique to this area. 

There is a 1.1-kilometre-long nature trail through the dead dunes, which will take between 1 and 1.5 hours to complete (part of the trail is through sand, which can make walking slower). The route is not circular, so once you have walked forwards you will return along the same path. You will see signs prohibiting walking - no climbing on the dunes, no jumping, and you can only walk on a specially laid wooden boardwalk.

There is a car park at kilometre 32 of the Smiltynė - Nida road, and the training route starts from there, primarily on a sandy soil path. Then the dead dunes open up, with an observation deck at the start. A double wooden boardwalk also starts here. As you continue your journey, you will reach the White Dunes, from where you will continue along the sand until you reach the lookout tower again.

As soon as you start your journey, the grey dunes will appear before your eyes. These dunes are so named because of the moss, lichen and other vegetation that collectively create a grey landscape. In addition to this name, they are also known as dead dunes or dead dunes. These names are derived from the fishing villages that were covered by sand in the 17th century. The site is home to rare plants listed in the Red Data Book and the remains of the old dunes are exposed.

As you go further, you will see the white dunes, which are very dynamic, changing due to the wind-blown loose sand, and requiring effort to keep them "white". Here you will see plants that are unique to the south-eastern shores of the Baltic Sea and which are protected not only in Lithuania, but also throughout the European Union.

The Dead Dunes are characterised by a natural landscape that is constantly "changing", with windswept sand creating a unique dune landscape. Despite various efforts to stop the dunes from sinking, they have been slowly sinking year by year, with the dead dunes shrinking by about 5 metres over a decade. So it's worth appreciating that what you see around you is temporary.