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Wildlife Safaris in Alutaguse
A vast belt of western-taiga forest, mire and bog in Estonia's northeast, protected as Alutaguse National Park, holding the country's densest populations of brown bear, wolf, lynx and flying squirrel.
Why here
Estonia's brown bears are the reason to come to Alutaguse. This belt of western-taiga forest and bog in the northeast holds the densest bear population in the country, part of a national total of around 1,000 animals, and it is one of the most reliable places in Europe to watch wild brown bears from a hide. You settle into a forest hide in the evening and wait as bears, raccoon dogs, wild boar, roe deer and the occasional elk emerge into a flooded meadow, with the long northern summer light stretching the viewing well into the night. Beyond bears, the same forests hold wolves, lynx and flying squirrels, so the wider wildlife cast is wild, not provisioned.
Best months
The bear-watching season runs from spring into autumn, roughly April to September, with the long light of June and July giving the most watchable evenings. Hides are booked as an overnight sit, entering before dusk and leaving after dawn, so you commit to a full night in the forest. Sightings are wild and never guaranteed, though success rates in Alutaguse are high in season.
Getting there & around
Alutaguse sits in Ida-Viru county in Estonia's northeast, about two hours by car from Tallinn along the Tallinn to Narva road. The hides are deep in the forest, so the operator arranges the transfer and briefs you before the evening sit. Bring warm layers, quiet clothing and, for photographers, a long lens; a bunk and simple food inside the hide are provided for the overnight watch.
Skill levels: beginner
Schools & guides (1)
NaTourEst
OutfitterNaTourEst is an Estonian wildlife-tour company that built and runs the brown-bear watching hides in the Alutaguse forests of the northeast, home to around half of Estonia's roughly 1,000 brown bears. Named Estonia's best tourism promoter in 2011, its founder helped start the Estonian Nature Tourism Association. Guests spend an evening and overnight in a taiga hide, watching bears, raccoon dogs, wild boar and elk emerge onto a flooded forest meadow.