Just Outside Town · 2 min read

The Riežupe Sand Caves, Dug by Hand

Two kilometres of tunnel cut into white sandstone, and you walk it by candlelight.

About five kilometres outside Kuldīga the ground opens into the longest cave system in Latvia, and none of it is natural. The tunnels were cut by hand through soft white sandstone in the 18th and 19th centuries, when the sand was quarried for glassmaking. The sand went to the Ozolnieki glassworks before the First World War, and later to the Iļģuciems factory in Riga.

You carry a candle, and there are niches cut into the sand walls to stand them in.

The labyrinth runs to roughly two kilometres. Around 460 metres of it is open to visitors, always with a guide, and you carry a candle. There are small niches cut into the sand walls to stand them in. It’s a genuinely odd, quiet way to see a place, and nothing like a lit show cave.

Bring a jacket. The caves sit at a constant 8°C all year round, which is a relief in July and a shock if you’ve come straight from a warm car. Shoes you don’t mind getting sandy are a good idea too.

Tours generally run from April to October. It’s a short drive from the apartments, and parking is included with your stay, so the car is there.

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