Although Estonia is a highly digitalised country with more startup unicorns per capita than any place in Europe, it is also a country where people turn to nature to calm their minds or to quicken their pulses. In nature, you will find the true spirit of Estonia coming to the fore.
Estonia is also the land of ancient wetlands, dense northern forests and ice roads over frozen seas. Estonia is a meeting place of Baltic, Nordic, Scandi and Soviet cultural relics, white sandy beaches, long-distance hiking trails, and sailing routes between the numerous islands. In this tiny northern country, wilderness is never far from your doorstep and epic adventures are often just an hour away.
From its long summer nights to long, dark winters, Estonia remains a mystery to many. As more than 50% of this tiny nation’s land area is covered in forests, every outing can feel like an invitation to fully immerse yourself in the experience of the wild.
Epic kayak or bicycle trips, cross country wilderness hikes in huge forests, foraging trips under pine trees and in the romantic wetlands: in Estonia, each season connects you to the landscape and wildlife in its own magical way. And guess what? There are more than four seasons to take it all in.
Summer: no need to turn on the lights
As a northern country, Estonia is famous for its white nights. Summer sunsets last forever and, if you take a book with you, you can still read it on the seashore at 10 pm without any need for extra light.
Long days and summer breeze mean one thing: a perfect chance to explore the 2222 islands off the coast. Most Estonian islands are tiny and uninhabited, giving lovers of kayaking, canoeing, sailing, birdwatching and fishing a perfect chance for a really remote and wild getaway. Of course, it is also worth visiting the inhabited islands for their rural charm and traditional lifestyle.
When you have had your share of seawater, it is time to turn towards deep forests either for a day walk or for hiking in the wilderness for weeks. Six diverse national parks and protected areas take up almost one-fifth of Estonia’s territory. Here, hiking trails guide you into versatile landscapes, inviting you to swim in bog lakes or wild camp on your way.
Winter: journeys into winter silence
Snowshoes are an old invention. About 4000-6000 years old, to be exact. Wearing modern versions with winter boots gives you deeper access to the landscape, making it one of the best ways to explore Estonia in winter. You can venture out on your own or join a winter bog shoe tour to tread lightly through the forests and floodplains of this snow-covered country. In the depths of winter silence, the landscape truly feels timeless.
It is also possible to hike the biggest Estonian bog on snowshoes in Soomaa National Park. And the bravest winter hikers can enjoy winter swimming in bog lakes. And if you love keeping your winter coat on, you can revel in the knowledge that you are breathing in some of the cleanest air in the world.
If you want to leave the vast wetlands behind and travel further – to an island, perhaps – you can often take the most direct route. In winter, ice roads can be opened between mainland Estonia and some of the islands, so you can drive on the frozen sea ice to the next destination you wish to explore.
Autumn: connecting to ancient landscapes
Although many people associate wild camping with peak summer months, there is nothing more romantic than waking up to the symphony of nature also in the early part of autumn. Virgin forests seem to acquire their own way of breathing then and the colours across landscapes start changing, following their annual pace.
Then there are wetlands – ideal places to get deeper into nature. If you don’t want to wild camp there, you can come to the bogs in the early morning and step into a forgotten landscape from a lost age, just like that.
Greeting a new day and watching the sun rise over a misty bog is a unique way to spend time alone with your thoughts. This is the time to breathe in the fresh air and smell the unique marsh plants. And feel the world become more relaxed around you. A foggy sunrise comes with an extra bit of charm – there is no better time for a refreshing dip in a bog lake!
Bogs are the oldest organic landscapes of Estonia, with some of them reaching up to 10,000 years of age. The first bogs started emerging after the last Ice Age. As the ice sheet was melting, the leftover meltwater got collected in depressions created by the glacier ice. Over thousands of years, plants lived and died in these shallow, oxygen-deprived meltwater lakes, and never fully decomposed. This is how peat got created, and still does to this day.
Spring: rejoice in the return of the birds
Estonia is among the top three European bird watching destinations for the number of species spotted. Six eagle species can be spotted here as well as eight of nine European woodpeckers.
You don’t have to be a professional bird watcher to enjoy spotting hundreds of species while millions of birds fill the skies of Estonia. Of course, the migration does not happen in one day, so you can move between the numerous islands, forests, bogs and coastline locations to find your perfect spot for catching a glimpse of different species.
The bird-watching season can begin already in March, usually culminating with a spring migration in mid-May, and winding down by mid-June. With birds returning from the south, life returns in many other shapes and forms after a long winter. Estonian nature springs to life after the dark winter months, with vitamin-rich fresh wild garlic, dandelions, nettles and spruce shoots all waiting to be foraged and eaten. That is just an extra reason to return to the forest again!
The fifth season: gateway to another world
They say that there is so much to see in Estonia that there is an extra season to see it all. And there really is. Soomaa National Park is home to massive bogs, and it is the only place in Northern Europe with a unique fifth season.
Every year, the early spring floods arrive in Soomaa, rendering up to 17,500 hectares of roads, lower forests, and meadows only navigable by water.
The spring floods create an almost other-worldly canoeing experience and offer a truly special way to immerse yourself in the landscape. On top of that, Soomaa National Park is also home to the only flying squirrel species in Europe. It is a truly magical place. Just like the rest of this peaceful northern land.