Discover Upesciems: Sports, Trails and Ponds

Upesciems is a destination for holidays where physical activity, sporting events and nature observation come together. Upesciems Stadium serves as an important landmark: the grounds include a small football pitch, a reserve pitch for football and rugby, basketball and athletics areas, pétanque and volleyball courts, and an outdoor fitness area. Those travelling with different interests will find several ways to spend the day actively here.

Sports and events at Upesciems Stadium

The stadium is defined not only by its sports facilities but also by recurring events. The WARRIORS CUP is an international pétanque tournament held annually. The GARKALNES KAUSS also takes place every year and is an international rugby tournament. During the season, Upesciems Stadium hosts up to 50 Latvian championship matches and up to 15 international tournaments. For your travel planning, this means that if you would like to attend sporting events, you should compare the specific dates of your stay with the relevant event schedule.

In addition to the tournaments, Upesciema Warriors offers regular training under professional guidance for children, young people, adults and veterans. Upesciems Stadium also offers municipal programmes for general physical fitness, focusing on football, rugby, basketball, pétanque, outdoor fitness training, Nordic walking and tennis. For families and travel groups with different age groups, this broad range is an interesting factor when choosing the destination, without requiring all activities to follow the same daily schedule.

Getting around by bike or on foot

Upesciems is located along the Berģi–Upesciems–Langstiņi cycling and walking trail. This makes the village a useful base for travellers who want to explore the surrounding area on two wheels or on foot. The route can be incorporated into your daily plans without limiting the holiday to a single activity. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can therefore consider whether sports facilities, the trail or the bodies of water should be the focus of your trip. The exact location of the accommodation remains an important practical point of comparison.

Ponds, winter experiences and birdwatching

The ponds reveal another side of Upesciems. Alberta Dīķi offers ice fishing in winter. Around the carp pond at Alberta Dīķi, there are also recreation areas and campsites with barbecues, fire pits, outdoor furniture and electricity connections. This gives the destination a seasonal dimension: while ice fishing specifically concerns winter, the aforementioned facilities can be considered independently when deciding what type of stay you are looking for.

The fishponds of Upesciems are also associated with a special nature-watching opportunity. On 6 August 2004, the Upesciems fishpond was designated a typical breeding habitat of the whooper swan. In addition, an organised birdwatching excursion included the Upesciems fishponds as one of its stops. Travellers interested in birds and waterscapes can take this aspect into account when planning their trip and look for suitable observation opportunities during their chosen period.

An additional cultural landmark

The local area also includes the Upesciema Tautas bibliotēka. It has been located at Skolas iela 10 since June 2010. The library adds a fixed cultural point of reference to the picture of Upesciems and provides another address where you can get to know the village as part of its local structure. Together with the stadium, the cycling and walking trail, and the ponds, it creates a varied destination where sporting, seasonal and nature-related interests come together.

Which accommodation suits your travel plans?

When looking for a holiday apartment in Upesciems, you should first decide which experiences are to shape your days. If sports and events are the main focus, the stadium is the obvious reference point for comparing the exact location of the accommodation. For a trip focused on cycling and walks, the Berģi–Upesciems–Langstiņi trail takes centre stage. In winter, Alberta Dīķi may play a special role because of its ice fishing, while the fishponds are important for travellers interested in nature. Families with children or teenagers can also consider that the training programme offered by Upesciema Warriors includes several age groups.

This means that Upesciems can be chosen not only based on a general impression of the village, but also according to the desired mix of physical activity, events, bodies of water and nature observation. To compare other destinations, you can also visit Baltezers, Priedkalne, Bukulti, Langstiņi, Garkalne and Sunīši.

For the overarching travel overview: Garkalnes Novads.