ACTIVITIES

Throughout the beautiful hills of Southeast Estonia, you'll find countless health and hiking trails perfect for both casual wandering and serious running.

You can also run off-trail through meadows and thickets. This region hosts Estonia's most active orienteering clubs. Training events and beginner lessons are held from spring to autumn around Põlva, Otepää, Võru, Värska and Tartu. Find a suitable map or try mobile orienteering on fixed tracks.

The scenic roads here are generally quiet, and all major towns offer bike rental and repair services. Around Põlva and Pühajärve, off-road kick-bikes are popular and available for rent.

Southeast Estonia is home to our winter capital Otepää. Also, here are the finest ski trails — in Haanja and along the Tartu Marathon route, and Mammaste. Numerous bogs and lakes also offer opportunities for tour skating.

The winding rivers of the region — Võhandu, Ahja, Piusa, and Koiva — offer stunning views and attract canoeists, SUP-boarders, and kayakers for much of the year. You can rent equipment or, better yet, hit the water with an experienced group leader.

The original heritage of Metsa 7, which will carry into the future together with the hotel, is the shooting sports centre located here. In the renewed complex, young people and adults alike will be able to train and compete in modern conditions, opening the door — building on a long tradition — to hosting international competitions in the future. Those simply interested in trying it out will be guided by experienced shooting instructors.

If you’re short on time for a trip into the wild, towns across Souteast Estonia offer plenty of facilities: tennis courts, ball pits, athletics stadiums, disc golf courses, skate parks, gyms, pump tracks, and wake parks.

Beyond solo watching with binoculars or a camera, you can hire an expert guide or join a small group of fellow enthusiasts.

While organized botanical tours are not yet widely available (this will change with Metsa 7!), we recommend starting with three exceptionally beautiful gardens: Mikko Farm Garden, Palusalu Gardens, and the Räpina School of Horticulture’s trial garden. To see rare orchids, contact the Orchid Protection Club or write to us — we’ll help you plan your trip.

Horse breeding and riding camps are common across South Estonia. Options range from short stable visits to half-day nature rides or multi-day equestrian adventures.

The stunning bogs of Southeast Estonia can be visited year-round (check maps for restricted areas). You can go solo in rubber boots or with a guide on snowshoes. Organized trips are available in Meenikunno, Meelva, Valgesoo, and Setomaa near the Russian border.

The region is famous for its lively markets. The Uma Üülaat (Home-grown Night Market) is unique—it takes place at dusk amidst magical islands of light in a pine forest near Hargla.

Perhaps the best-known meeting place of nature and music in South-Eastern Estonia — the Intsikurmu Festival — is currently on pause, but throughout the year cultural life is kept vibrant by the Põlva Cultural Centre, both indoors and out in nature. Põlva is also the squeezebox capital of Estonia, so keep an eye on the calendar!

Maajaam (Earth Station) is an extraordinary phenomenon — an art residency and gallery located among the domes of the Otepää highlands. It focuses on technological, electronic, and interactive art, guaranteeing a unique nature experience.

A bog with a boardwalk and a sunset hut. Instead of small bog pools, there are two large bog lakes here (with a swimming area!) and several bog islands with tall trees. Nature lovers will notice different bog types and a richly varied plant life. Meenikunno is waiting!

The canyon-like sandstone outcrops of the Ahja River’s primeval valley — up to 22 metres high and 400 million years old — together with the meadow in front of them form what feels like a natural sanctuary. Väike and Suur Taevaskoda, the Mother Spring, the Maiden’s Cave — each with its own story and enchantment. The best source for discovering the Taevaskoja area is here.

A century ago, fine sand began to be mined here for glass production, and in the process some 20 kilometres of caves were carved into the landscape, now lined with steep sand ridges. By today, most of the tunnels have been closed, but a section of the most powerful, almost sacred-looking caverns is open as a museum. The landscape of Piusa is unusually undulating and at places almost desert-like. Piusa reveals itself through its visitor centre.

On the Võhandu River Primeval Valley Landscape Reserve lie the river’s most famous caves — Sõjatare, Uku and Väike-Sõjatare. The caves have been formed by spring streams eroding the fissures of the sandstone, and the easiest way to visit them is by water. On the bank of the Võhandu River, a little further on from the caves at the site of the old Viia mill, stands the Süvahavva wool factory, home to some of Estonia’s oldest spinning machinery. Wool and woollen products are still made there today — and you are warmly awaited.

In the Ahja Primeval Valley Landscape Reserve, a long and narrow reservoir stretches between sandstone outcrops, from the majestic Kiidjärve watermill to the Saesaare hydroelectric power station. One of the region’s most beautiful hiking and running trails winds around the lake, and the views from the water can be enjoyed while swimming, by canoe, or on a traditional river boat Lonny.

Just 40 kilometres from Põlva lies the eastern border of Europe. The border runs across water, bogs, and land. And although a different world begins on the other side, the nature along the frontier is exceptionally beautiful and diverse. You can touch both Europe’s border and your own limits on a kick-sled journey over the water, on a snowshoe hike in the Kuresoo bog, or on a kayak trip along the Piusa River that follows the boundary. The Lõunalaagri hiking trail offers the same sense of excitement — set on the grounds of a former Estonian Defence Forces camp built in 1920.

Estonia ranks first in the world in the ratio of its surface area to confirmed impact craters. We have seven recognised meteorite structures, two of which — Kaali on Saaremaa and Ilumetsa near Meenikunno — are exceptionally rare. Formed about 6,600 years ago, the largest of the Ilumetsa craters is Põrguhaud. There are only around 15–20 craters in the world that are so clearly visible to the human eye and perceptible as physical objects.

Metsik Retk (Wild Hike). A nature photographer, guide, and teacher. He leads adults and children on foot, snowshoes, or kick-bikes. Many of Metsa 7’s nature photographs have been captured through Taavi’s camera lens — thank you! metsikretk.ee

(Nature Sense). Nature trips and birdwatching in South Estonia, away from the usual beaten paths. loodustaju.ee

Loodusturism (Nature Tourism). Year-round outdoor sports and hiking in the forest and on water. loodusturism.ee