The summit
A tall stone sundial and a lagoon view.
Alexey Komarov — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Laima Gūtmane (simka… — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Alexey Komarov — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alexey Komarov — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Andrzej Otrębski — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Parnidis Dune is a drifting coastal sand dune on the Curonian Spit, southeast of the town of Nida. Almost entirely bare and rising 52 m above sea level, it offers the rare sight of a small desert between the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon. It once reached 60 m, but its height has dropped through steady movement east and the wind-driven discharge of sand into the lagoon at Parnidis Cape. A landscape reserve was created around it within the national park to preserve this scene, and it is the only place in the park with drifting dunes. Sand blown from the peak slides down the slopes and buries vegetation, so the landscape keeps changing. Wooden steps lead up to the top, where a tall stone sundial stands, and a golden plain of sand opens to the south, with the lagoon on one side and forest and sea on the other. The light is best shortly before sunset, when ripples in the sand stand out and the small roofs of Nida sit below you. The dune lies about 2.9 km from the Thomas Mann House and 47.2 km from Klaipėda in a straight line. Keep to the marked boardwalks, since walking off them harms fragile plants and speeds up the sand's movement. The Russian border lies close to the south, so do not go past the signs however open the ground looks. Bring water and a hat, as there is almost no shade.
A tall stone sundial and a lagoon view.
Sand stretching south with almost no trees.
Ripples in the sand stand out before sunset.
Southeast of Nida, Curonian Spit National Park, Lithuania
No, keep to the boardwalks, since walking off them harms plants and speeds up the sand.
Shortly before sunset on a clear day, when the light is soft and it is calmer.