The 52m-high Parnidis Dune is simultaneously mighty and fragile. Past settlements around Nida have been engulfed by the moving sand dune but this is a delicate landscape of mountain pines, meadows and fine blonde sand speckled with purple searocket flowers. A 1700m-long path picks its way to a grand panorama at the height of the dune, where you'll find a sundial with a granite obelisk (constructed in 1995). Don't stray from the path, and take all rubbish with you.
Dunes began to move ever-closer to the lagoon after deforestation in the 16th century, which removed the natural barrier of trees. The sands continue to shift: in the space of 30 years, Parnidis Dune has decreased by 10m and it's thought that footfall on the dunes continues the erosion – all the more reason to stick to the path.
