border area of Alytus and Lazdijai districts
Meteliai Regional Park
Meteliai Regional Park lake and protected-shore landscape
54.33600, 23.74400
45 minutes-2 hours for shore and viewpoints; longer for water routes
spring and autumn for birds, summer for quiet visits at official places
Obelija
The third lake of Meteliai Regional Park
Lake Obelija is often less visible than Dusia and Metelys, but it completes the trio of major Meteliai Regional Park lakes. VLE states that Obelija lies in Alytus District Municipality, near the Lazdijai District border, 14 km southeast of Simnas, and covers 573.4 ha. It is elliptical, with surface altitude 109.13 m.
VLE gives its north-south length as 4.7 km and maximum width as 1.8 km. Obelija is not merely an addition to better-known neighbours: it has a quieter character, smaller scale, shallower zones, reedbeds, and sensitive shores important for protected habitats.
Depths, shores, and water-level change
VLE gives a maximum depth of 7.6 m, average depth 4.5 m, basin 47.9 km2, and shoreline 11.1 km. The basin was hollowed by a dead-ice block, and four terrace remains occur on the slopes. The eastern shore is dry and high, 15-20 m; the western is gentle, while the northern, northwestern, and southern shores are marshy.
VLE notes that in 1968 Obelija was dammed and its water level rose by about 0.6 m. The littoral is mostly sandy and gravelly, 10-20 m wide in the east and up to 100 m in the west, overgrown with reeds and bulrushes. These details explain why Obelija differs from wider Dusia and larger Metelys.
Obelytė outflow and water system
VLE states that the Obelytė, the upper Peršėkė, flows through the lake; the Lydekinė and several other streams enter it, and Obelija belongs to the middle Nemunas basin. Its throughflow is about 35 percent, so water renews faster here than in deep Metelys, where throughflow is about 12 percent.
Statiškės Forest approaches Obelija from the southwest, the same forest massif linking the lake with the neighbouring Metelys shore. Together Obelija, Metelys, and Dusia form the core water landscape of Meteliai Regional Park.
Obelytė reserve and hillforts
Protected habitats are important around Obelija. VLE states that Meteliai Landscape Reserve lies west of the lake and Obelytė Strict Nature Reserve to the east, so the whole lake cannot be treated as freely accessible shoreline. Choose official visitor places and avoid sensitive reedbeds or reserve zones.
Obelija and Zaramciškiai hillforts stand on the southeastern shore, recalling a long history of life by the lake. Obelija is therefore a good place for quiet landscape and heritage observation, but a poor place for informal driving to the water.
Boating and restrictions
The Dzūkija-Suvalkija Protected Areas Directorate publishes separate boating rules for Lakes Metelys and Obelija. During research, these included restrictions for motorized craft and seasonal rules, so check the official directorate page before boating.
For Obelija this is especially important because smaller, more sensitive shores feel intensive recreation more quickly. The neighbouring strict nature reserve means nature protection has priority over unrestricted water recreation.
How to include Obelija in a route
Lake Obelija is easiest to visit together with Lake Metelys, Dusia, and Meteliai Observation Tower. In one outing, the contrast of the regional-park lakes becomes clear: open Dusia, broad Metelys, and quieter, shallower Obelija.
If your goal is nature rather than swimming, use a slow rhythm: stop at an official place, watch shoreline vegetation and birds, see the hillforts, and understand why reserve and boating rules are part of the landscape.
