12.02.2023 / Lesnoy–Rybachy–Morskoye

Curonian Spit

The largest sand bar in the world, formed by the wind and sea currents from two older spits — the Sambian and the Neman. The Spit takes its name from the Curonian tribe, who lived here before Prussia was colonised by the Germans in the 13th century. Today the entire territory of the Spit is a national park. In eight hours we will see all the most interesting sights, and on the way back we will drive through Zelenogradsk.

Duration: 8 hours.

Group size: up to 4 people.

Guide: Mikhail.

Car: Škoda Roomster.

Phone: 8(906)217-39-69.

The village of Lesnoy

A short warm-up walk along the beach on the seashore, and almost immediately we drive on (we will come back to Lesnoy on the way back).

Müller Height

The climb along a forest path to the viewing platform on top of the Bolotnaya (Bruchberg) dune is our first introduction to the plant life and the ecosystem of the Spit.

Beach by the Mayakovsky hotel in Lesnoy A well-equipped beach on the seashore by the "Mayakovsky" hotel in the village of Lesnoy.

From the top there are magnificent views of the surrounding forest, the Baltic Sea, the Curonian Lagoon, Lake Chaika and the village of Rybachy (Rossitten).

The trail on Müller Height.

The village of Rybachy

We look around a little street with surviving old houses and a church (1873), and walk to the pier on the Curonian Lagoon. Rossitten once had an Order castle, a lighthouse and a famous gliding school whose pilots broke every world record in the first half of the 20th century... Only legends remain.

Efa Dune

Between Rybachy and Morskoye lies the Efa Dune. From the viewing platforms on its summit the whole variety of the Spit's landscapes opens up.

The little lighthouse on the pier in the village of Rybachy. The light patch on the horizon is the Efa Dune.

To the north — the sea, to the south — the lagoon, to the east — the forest and the cosy houses of the village of Morskoye, to the west — endless sand dunes.

View of the Curonian Lagoon and Lake Lebed from the top of the Olenya Buda dune.

(In summer the Efa can get crowded, so to avoid the crush we can drive a little further and climb the Olenya Buda dune, which is every bit as good.)

The village of Morskoye

Beach and picnic on the shore of the Curonian Lagoon. (For energetic travellers, a short walk along the beach and/or through the forest is possible.)

The Dancing Forest

A walk through a mysterious stretch of conifer forest. The pines here take bizarre shapes: they twist, bend, straighten up and curl into rings. A riddle of nature that has still not been solved!

The "Mayakovsky" restaurant

Lunch at one of the best country restaurants in the Kaliningrad Region. Nearby is "Les na Kose", the second worthy restaurant in the village of Lesnoy.

Photos by Mikhail Ogorodnikov.

Translated from Russian with the help of AI (Claude, Anthropic), October 2026.