Southern Lithuania's Forests- A Mushroom Hunter's Paradise Known Worldwide

Southern Lithuania's Forests: A Mushroom Hunter's Paradise Known Worldwide

Vilnius, Lithuania, January 8, 2025 – In Lithuania’s Dzūkija National Park, losing oneself in the dense pine forests while hunting for mushrooms is so common that it has its own word: "nugrybauti."

As the last rays of sunlight fade beneath the thick canopy of pine trees, we lose our sense of direction. Lifting our gaze from the forest floor, we noticed that the familiar landscape of sunlit clearings and winding paths had been replaced by an expanse of dense shadows, now foreign and disorienting.

Our guide, Tom Baltušis, owner of the foraging tour company Dzūkijos Uoga, noticed this too. "In Lithuania, we have a specific word for this sensation. Nugrybauti: lost in the forest while hunting for mushrooms."

For a nation deeply immersed in foraging, the forests of Dzūkija National Park in southern Lithuania are especially alluring. Just an hour’s drive from the capital, Vilnius, the park – Lithuania’s largest – is covered by dense pine forests, intertwined with vast wetlands, bogs, and black alder swamps. It is a protected landscape that is home to an astonishing variety of edible mushrooms.

Foraging has long been an integral part of life here. Once a necessity, it has now become a beloved pastime. Over centuries, this tradition has shaped local living habits, cuisine, and the economy.