The Meanders of the Upper Daugava is a fine excuse to visit the remote east of Latvia. Jarek’s review drew me there – as well as the opportunity to see a whole different part of Latvia, away from the mostly Baltic Sea-oriented and western-facing parts. Driving eastward from Jekabpils, orthodox churches started appearing by the roadside and the wide Daugava River is often in sight.

I covered exactly the same route as Jarek. The places of interest are also supported by the local tourism board and signposted from the minor road that follows the river (a detour from the A6).

The Dinaburg castle ruins probably take up the most time – you get there by walking a trail through a somewhat spooky forest, where woodpeckers were having a good time. The tiny model version of the castle is just cute and placed like the original on a strategic overlook over the river. On the way back I met two local grandparents with grandchildren in tow whom I would encounter at some of the other locations along the Daugava as well (the only other tourists).

The best spot I found was Vasargelišķu Skatu Tornis, which is a high sightseeing tower on a bend of the river from where you can have interesting views on both sides. At these upper reaches of the river, the river itself mostly stays out of sight from ground level because of the dense forests on the riverbanks.

After Kuldiga, this probably is the most promising entry on Latvia’s Tentative List. It is now registered as a mixed nomination, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they would go forward with it as a cultural landscape. There are superficial similarities with the Upper Middle Rhine Valley and the Wachau Valley; there are few (if any) monuments left along the Upper Daugava that so much characterize the other two, but the natural setting is more unspoiled and I did not notice any vessel traffic on the river.