Zartapi waterfall ****
2 M HIGH, UNUSUALLY BEAUTIFUL WATERFALL
Dundaga municipality is very reach with nature and cultural monuments -
but here is located also one of the most beautiful Latvian waterfalls.
It
is located in Slitere National Park, in nature reserve. Mass tourism would
destroy the fragile beauty of this place beyond hope. Due to this the
location
would not be told here.
Height: Around 2 m. It has
been written that 2,4 m - to me it seems a bit overestimated.
Width:
Literature says - 1 m. To me seems - some 0,3 - 0,4 m.
River:
Zartapi stream (during summer sometimes runs out))
Accessibility:
Located in nature rreserve, access not aloud!
Description: Waterfall is made unusual by the colors of
exposed rocks - maroon and livid coloured argillac dolomite. These are the
oldest exposed rocks in Latvia belonging to the early Devonian period.
Argillac dolomite is comparatively soft material - even this small stream
is eroding it. Now the stream has created around 15 m long, beautiful canyon.
In this canyon there is one more small step. In far future this waterfall
may become even more beautiful.
The small Zartapi stream quietly flows through Slitere virgin forest
and... suddenly falls in unusually beautiful canyon. April 2002 (59
kB)
It seems that the waterfall is frozen. But the stream falls through
the icicle like through the pipe. End of March 2001 (39 kB)
Water flows over argillac dolomite of Narva series - sounds a little boring but looks unusually beautifull.
April 2002 (54 kB)