Located the furthest south of all the Baltic states, Lithuania’s sandy beaches, enchanting castles and cobblestoned towns combine to make this country an ideal place for geocaching — and now, it has the added distinction of being the latest addition to the geocaching country souvenir collection!
To celebrate geocaching in Lithuania, we’ve pulled together this list of five awesome geocaching experiences you’ll definitely want to add to your bucket list:
This EarthCache takes you to the most famous national park in Lithuania, which is also listed as a UNESCO site. Here you will find sand dunes and lush forests jutting out into the Curonian Lagoon.
Photo by geocacher bolyak.
“What a place. The true magic of nature showed here. And tonight’s lighting was perfect. A beautiful sunset in the west and glimmering lights from the cities in the east. The wind on our back walking upwards was perfect.” — Team Davidsson
Lithuania’s capital city, Vilnius, is known for the city’s Old Town. Here you’ll find impressive architecture dating back to the 13th century, like the cathedral near this geocache. While you’re there, you might also want to check out GC1Z4H6.
The Vilnius Cathedral was first built in the 13th century, but has been rebuilt and restored many times since then.
“Wow wow wow! I liked this one very much. I didn’t expected it in such visible location, very well masked! Thank you for the great cache.” – SNlEGS
After visiting the Vilnius Old Town, you can catch a view from above at the Gediminas’ Tower, pictured in the new Lithuania souvenir. This tower has become a symbol for Lithuania.
From the Gediminas’ Tower, there are spectacular views of the famous Old Town in Vilnius.
“Found on our Baltic Cycle Tour with cb_caching. Wonderful place with fantastic panoramic view, best to visit in the morning sun…” – Geolej
This series of geocaches will take you on a tour of Lithuania’s border towns. Be sure to bring your passport, as some of the geocaches will take you into Lithuania’s neighbor countries, Russia and Belarus, which are outside of the European Union.
Photo by geocacher valdisj at one stop on the series, GC5CV3C.
“Thank you for guiding us to this church: when coming closer, we have noticed a professional orchestra was doing their final check for this night’s concert in this church. We used the opportunity to listen to Edvard Grieg’s music and went for the cache later.” – TheWinterClan
Visit the city of Kaunas to soak in Lithuanian art, culture and history. Be sure to make a stop at the Kaunas Grand TB Hotelto swap out a trackable!
Located nearby: the Kaunas Castle and another great geocache (GC58XD1).
“WOW! Once [the muggle] left, we found the key and opened the mysterious door. The geocache idea – amazing. Thanks to the hider for such an exciting treasure!” – Raccoons. Casimir
We’ll unveil one new souvenir every week until all FIVE are officially released and awarded by mid December. Learn about last week’s new souvenir announcement, Slovenia, here.
Slovenia is the first of FIVE geocaching country souvenirs to be released this year!
That’s correct! If the allure of varied landscapes, rich culture, and countless barrels of wine weren’t enough, you can now earn a geocaching country souvenir for logging a geocache in Slovenia (in addition to four other new countries that will be revealed soon). Souvenirs are virtual pieces of art that are displayed on your geocaching profile page when you find a geocache in certain locations.
As an aperitif, we’ve put together five must-see geocaches from “the green piece of Europe.” Enjoy!
GC14916 Vas Kocno is a 6 stage Multi-Cache in a charming village
According to the geocache’s listing page, this geocaching is in one of the most idyllic regions of Slovenia:
Kočno is a wonderful small village, surrounded by unspoiled nature. It counts about 20 homes with 85 inhabitants. It’s located on the eastern side of Pohorje mountain at some 500 meters altitude and on the south side of the Polskava river. The villagers are mostly occupied with farming, primarily agriculture, growing cattle, fruits and wine. The village is nicely arranged and is a real open-air ethnological museum. Old farming machines, tools and gadgets that were used in old times on farms in Kočno and surroundings, are put on display all around the village.
GC488RH – Ljubljanski nebotičnik / Skyscraper is a Traditional Cache with an amazing view of the capital city
In the capital city of Ljubljana, one of the most recognizable landmarks is Nebotičnik also known as Ljubljana’s skyscraper. When construction was complete in February of 1933, it was one of the tallest buildings in all of Europe. When you enter the skyscraper, take a moment to admire the gorgeous spiral staircase before heading up to the grand 360° view and tiny geocache on the observation deck.
GC3QWBD Morigenos is a Traditional Cache in the seaside town of Piran
This geocache will take you to a beautiful location overlooking the Adriatic Sea, and was made in partnership with the Morigenos – Slovenian Marine Mammal Society who study a resident population of bottlenose dolphins in the area. For an additional cost of 1 € and some extra time, head up to the top of the church tower for a view of the town and coastline.
GC26YR7 Blejski otok / Island on Lake Bled is a Traditional Cache on Slovenia’s only island
One of the oldest castle in Slovenia is the site of countless picturesque postcards. As tradition goes, if a couple gets married at the church on Bled Island, the groom must carry the bride up all 99 steps to ensure a long and happy marriage. You have three methods for reaching the geocache on Bled Island:
Take a boat
Swim over in the summer months (make sure to bring extra clothes that are appropriate for entering the building on the island), or
Walk across the frozen lake in winter
One would think that the storybook nature of finding this geocache would be impossible to top, but inside the geocache is another set of coordinates for a nearby bonus geocache. Fairy tales do come true!
Given the piercing green color of this lake, it’s obvious to see how Zelenci Sources got it’s name: Zelen means “green” in Slovene. You’ll be able to spot mini water “jets” that resemble tiny volcanoes under the surface of the water, and find two types of lizards in this area. If you want to see super cool 360° photos of this natural wonder, click this link.
Inspired yet? Better start packing your bags and exploring the wonders of Slovenia and meeting their lovely citizens!
Slovenian GIFF Weekend 2015 in Ljubljana
We’ll unveil one new souvenir every week until all FIVE are officially released and awarded by mid December. Souvenirs that are currently available can be found here. A list of currently available geocaching souvenirs and even the ones you’ve already earned can be found on Geocaching.com. And, if you’ve already found a geocache in Slovenia, we will retroactively add this souvenir to your profile after all five country souvenirs are announced.
But good news: This year, we invite you to say goodbye to 2015 and hello to 2016 with two new geocaching souvenirs. Find a geocache or attend an event on December 31 to earn the Goodbye 2015 souvenir. Then, start your year off right with the Hello 2016 souvenir, which can also be earned by finding a geocache or attending an event on January 1.
How do I earn both souvenirs?
Earn the Goodbye 2015 souvenir by finding any geocache or attending an event on December 31, 2015.
Earn the Hello 2016 souvenir by finding another geocache or attending a different event on January 1, 2016.
Can you earn two souvenirs for one event if it starts on December 31 and ends on January 1?
Nice try. To earn both souvenirs, you’ll have to submit two different logs for two different geocaches and/or events, one on each day.
Can I schedule back-to-back events to earn both souvenirs ?
Nope! The geocaching guidelines prohibit event stacking. To avoid event stacking, Event Caches should be separated by time, organized by different geocachers, have a minimum duration of 30 minutes and take place at a different location than other events. Please check out the geocaching guidelines for more information about planning an Event Cache.
How do I throw a great New Year’s geocaching event?
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Check out this blog post for how to throw an awesome geocaching bash in 5 easy steps.
Whether you celebrate the new year by eating grapes (like in Spain), decorating your home (as they do in Japan), or geocaching (as they do all over the world), New Year’s is a time to remember the past year and welcome the next.
How will you say goodbye to 2015 and hello to 2016?
New Year’s is an opportunity to celebrate the end of one year and welcome the beginning of the next. While end-of-year traditions come in many shapes and sizes, celebrations around the world will all have one thing in common this year: geocaching.
This year, we invite you to say goodbye to 2015 and hello to 2016 with two new geocaching souvenirs. Find a geocache or attend an event on December 31 to earn the Goodbye 2015 souvenir. Then, start your year off right with the Hello 2016 souvenir, which can also be earned by finding a geocache or attending an event on January 1.
Without further ado, here are four easy steps to hosting a great New Year’s geocaching bash!
Step 1: Pick a theme
Like creating a new geocaching username, all great Event Caches start out with a theme. Here are a few examples to get your creative juices flowing:
Host a “DNF Forgiveness” party. In Japan, New Year’s is considered a time for renewal — for forgetting the problems of the past and forgiving any grudges or misunderstandings. Make your event a safe space for geocachers to move on from those DNFs that have haunted them in 2015.
Throw a muggle initiation party. Do you have friends who would love geocaching, but haven’t tried it out yet? Planning a New Year’s Event Cache can be the perfect way to get them started! Make the event both fun and educational, and invite your fellow geocachers to bring their non-geocaching friends too. Newbies can then get started by finding their first geocache the very next day.
Keep things warm & cozy. Plan a daytime event on January 1 at a coffee shop or cafe so that geocachers can warm up (or cool down) with a tasty beverage after finding their first geocache(s) of the year.
Step 2: Select the date, time, and location of your event
This is an easy one: plan your event for December 31 or January 1 so that it qualifies for a souvenir. In picking a time, be sure to think about your guests. If you’re encouraging families to bring young kids, you may want to plan your event earlier in the evening on New Year’s Eve or even schedule a daytime event on January 1.
Reminder: The geocaching guidelines prohibit event stacking. To avoid event stacking, Event Caches should be separated by time, organized by different geocachers, have a minimum duration of 30 minutes and take place at a different location than other events. Please check out the geocaching guidelines for more information about planning an Event Cache.
You can host Event Caches anywhere available to the public — a restaurant, park or even your house. Be sure to find a place that has enough space for activities!
Step 3: Plan fun and engaging activities
A great way to make your event fun for all is to schedule activities to help your guests meet each other. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Set up a photo booth. This can be as easy as finding an area with a simple background.
Play the “geocaching predictions” game. Ask guests to write down their geocaching predictions for 2018 (e.g. “I will find my 25th T5 geocache” or “Moun10Bike will finally beat me to an FTF this year”) and throw them into a bucket. Take turns reading the predictions out loud.
Play geocaching bingo. Create a bingo card based on geocaching achievements (e.g. “Earned a new country souvenir” or “Found more than 100 geocaches”). Guests will need to find other geocachers at the event who have completed the achievements in 2015 to fill in their board.
Bake a lucky trackable into a cake. In Bolivia, coins are baked into sweets so that whoever finds the coin has good luck for the next year. Give your guests the gift of geocaching luck by hiding trackables in the dessert. Make sure to mention this to them before they take a bite!
Step 4: Invite friends, new and old!
Create a new event on Geocaching.com to have your event listed on Geocaching.com. (This will also qualify your event for the Goodbye 2015 or Hello 2016 souvenir.) Remember, events must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the event date. Once your event has been published, share the event listing with your local geocaching organization.
Whether you’re already a well-established social butterfly or a first-time attendee, geocaching events are a great way to meet new people who share your love for geocaching. We hope these tips help you host a rockin’ New Year’s geocaching bash and we’d love to hear your ideas too!
What tips do you have for throwing a great geocaching New Year’s event? Tell us in the comments below.
