Travel Guide Juodkrantė

Eighteen kilometres south of Smiltynė, the small fishing village of Juodkrantė lines its wooden houses with inviting gardens. A seaside resort in summer (central part of the village around the pier and bus stop), quieter than its neighbour Nida, Juodkrantė is an ideal place to rest and walk, with its white sandy beaches on the seaside side (follow the tracks, or kelias, to get there through the forest and dunes), and many opportunities for sporting activities.On the outskirts of Juodkrantė, in the direction of Nida, there is a lookout post set up to contemplate the breeding ground of the grey heron and cormorant colonies, the largest in Lithuania since the 19th century. The sight of thousands of nests among the pine trees is incredible. Among the species that can be seen are black woodpeckers, starlings, warblers and thrushes.A little further on, on the left, from the promontory, you can admire the Avalkinis plain and the Dune of Death (during the 1870-1872 war, a French prison camp was located here) which are 8 km long and 2 km wide.At the northern end of the village is the Amber Gulf, where in 1854-1855 2,250 t of amber were discovered. It is necessary to consider that during the years 1860 to 1890, the average production of amber was 75,000 t per year. In 1882, amber objects from the prehistoric period were also found.At the 31st kilometre after Smyltinė, there are car parks to the Nagliai Nature Reserve to view the dunes. A marked path leads to the dunes from the main road.