Estonia

ESTONIA

HIKE IN TOLKUSE BOG Address: Rannaku tee, Piirumi küla, 86507 Häädemeeste vald, Pärnumaa, Estonia Season: April – October For whom: individuals Service included: guided hike Walking distance: 2,2 km Duration of the programme: 1,5-2 h (excl. transportation) Degree of difficulty: easy Type of transport: private transfer / public bus ‘Pärnu – Ikla’ to the bus stop ‘Kassiku’ (~30 min). Pick- up and transfer to the farm. Possibility to get there by taxi from Pärnu (~30 min). Hostess: Mrs. Katrin Virkus-Sule

Distance: Tallinn 157 km, Pärnu 29 km, Riga (Latvia) 160 km  Website: www.nurka.ee

A GLANCE AT ESTONIAN NATURE Address: Tartu, Tartumaa, Estonia Season: June – August For whom: individuals / groups (max 6 pers.) Service included: personalized tour plan, door-to-door transportation, local snacks and self-harvested herbal tea, local guide Duration of the programme: 8 h Type of transport: private transfer Public transportation:  train from Tallinn to Tartu (~2 h) or bus from Tallinn to Tartu (~2,5 h). Pick-up in Tartu from the preferred location (train station / bus station / accommodation). Hosts: Wanderest Ltd. staff

Distance: Tallinn 185 km, Riga (Latvia) 260 km Website: www.wanderest.eu

INTRODUCTION

The hiking tours start from Tartu. The Wanderest company offers personalised guided treks to mystical untouched bogs, forests and other beautiful natural habitats of Estonia. We map out a custom journey together with the client into Estonian wilderness and regions of cultural importance. We value clean and un- touched nature and find that a person is only able to care about and respect that which they really know or which they have a deeper connection with. Life in Estonia is, in one way or another, intertwined with nature. That is why we will take people to places that do not leave neither local nor guest indifferent, and intro- duce customs and lifestyles specific to locals (such as picking edible wild berries, swimming in a bog-lake etc.). Our one-day journeys on wheels are a flexible and comfortable way to see and experience the very different facets of Estonian nature and culture. During the trips, we will be exploring such places as Setomaa, Onion road, Ida-Virumaa county, Lahemaa National Park, Karula National Park, Meenikunno and Endla bogs, Taevaskoja sandstone outcrops etc. The highest hills in Estonia and winding roads, woodlands, exciting bogs, beautiful manor houses and beautiful lakes offer discoveries for the whole day.

LAHEMAA National park Visitor centre: RMK Lahemaa National Park Centre, information point, Palmse Lääne-Viru County

Distance from Tallinn: 52 km Phone: +372 329 5555 Website: https://loodusegakoos.ee/where-to-go/national-parks/lahemaa-national-park

The word Lahemaa means Land of Bays in Estonian. Perfect for a day trip out of Tallinn for a hiking trip and nature watching. Attractions: North-Estonian coast with peninsulas and bays, diverse forest types, Baltic Klint, alvars, rich cultural heritage, and a broad diversity of flora and fauna.  The Lahemaa National Park is the first national park in the Baltic States. 

ACTIVITIES

Hike in Viru bog

A guided tour leads through the bog over a boardwalk. The trail is about 3.5km long. During the tour, the visitors will see the landscape from a watchtower, visit a peat milling field, take a look at and touch various plants, and talk about the related lore and the significance of bogs to the biota. 

Nature hikes in Lahemaa

Trips with experienced nature guides will introduce the nature and cultural heritage of Lahemaa. Visitors will look at boulders and waterfalls, visit bogs and coastal villages, see some manors, ancient holy groves and burial sites, the military heritage, interesting museums, and farms.

 

KARULA National Park Visitor centre: RMK information point at the visitor centre of Karula National Park, Ähijärve village, Võru County

Distance from Tallinn: 280km Phone: +372 782 8350 Website: https://loodusegakoos.ee/where-to-go/national-parks/karula-national-park

 

Nature in Karula National Park (total area 123 sq. km) is very versatile. In the northern part of the national park semi-natural landscapes prevail which have emerged as a result of millennia of human activity. Here sparsely situated farms alternate with strips of fields, pastures, forests and lakes. The southern part of the national park is covered with huge expanses of forest with smaller bogs and mires in-between. Main attractions: Scenic Lake Ähijärv (176ha), Rebasemõisa Tornimägi hill (137.8 m above sea level), undulating landscape.

ACTIVITIES

• Hiking and cycling
• Adventure tourism
• Fishing
• Nature photography

 

SOOMAA National Park Visitor centre: RMK information desk in the centre of Soomaa National Park, Kõrtsi-Tõramaa, Tipu village, Viljandi County

Distance from Tallinn: 150km Phone: +372 526 1924 Website: https://loodusegakoos.ee/where-to-go/national-parks/soomaa-national-park

 

Soomaa National Park has been established for the protection of large bogs, flooded meadows, forests and heritage culture in the south-western part of Central Estonia. The National Park extends on a 390 sq km area.

Life in Soomaa depends on the weather more than anywhere else in Estonia. The rivers of Soomaa cannot take in all the waters flowing down from the Sakala Uplands in spring. Thus the water flows to meadows and forests and floods even the roads, cutting the connection with the rest of the world. The floods are called the “fifth season” by the people of Soomaa, because floods occur nearly every year. The fifth season is the best time to explore the landscape of Soomaa.Attractions:Bogs, floods, intact nature.

ACTIVITIES

• Canoeing in Soomaa
• Trips with skiffs made of a single tree trunk (called haabjas)
• Walking tours in nature park
• Nature observation and nature photography
• Picking berries and mushrooms
• Fishing