Park or nature areaOutline guide

Soomaa National Park

Protected area in Estonia

Photo: Flickr user: Joonas Plaan Tallinn, Estonia https://www.flickr.com/people/masterplaan/, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

Soomaa National Park is in Viljandimaa and Pärnumaa of Estonia. With 390 km², it's the second largest national park in Estonia.

Getting there and around

Getting there

There is a public bus from Pärnu to Riisa village (inside the national park) twice a day: 06:05 and 14:30.

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Getting around

Soomaa has few roads, getting around by bicycle is an option. One can also follow the many hiking trails on foot. There are wooden board-walks in peat bogs.

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Airports and nearby hotels

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Pärnu Airport

Pärnu · Regional · EPU

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Read before you go to Soomaa National Park

Articles and travel topics about Soomaa National Park and Estonia.

Nature & adventure

National parks

Wikivoyage has information about national parks, both about a host of individual ones, general information on parks in some countries and general advice for hiking and some related topics.

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Nature & adventure

Hiking in Estonia

Hiking is a great way to explore the forests, bogs, islands and the rural side of Estonia.

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Culture & history

MS Estonia

In the early hours of 28 September 1994, Europe's deadliest peacetime shipwreck took place when the passenger ferry MS Estonia sunk in the northern Baltic Sea on a journey from Tallinn to Stockholm.

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Itineraries

Via Baltica

Via Baltica is a road leading through the Baltic States and Poland in Northern Europe.

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Full travel guide

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UnderstandSoomaa national park, situated in South West Estonia, has been created to protect large raised bogs, flood plain grasslands, paludified forests and meandering rivers.

Get inThere is a public bus from Pärnu to Riisa village (inside the national park) twice a day: 06:05 and 14:30.

Fees and permitsThere is no fee to enter a national park and no fees for using walking trails and visiting the national park's visitor center. There are fees for guided services, canoeing on the rivers and walking on bogs and forests.

Get aroundSoomaa has few roads, getting around by bicycle is an option. One can also follow the many hiking trails on foot. There are wooden board-walks in peat bogs.

SeeThe State Forest Centre provides a visitor centre at Tõramaa that provides information, including leaflets and brochures, about Soomaa’s habitats, wildlife and history, as well as about the various services and hiking…

DoCanoeing is one popular activity and a good way to get to know Soomaa national park. Guided canoe trips are available, and rental of canoes as well.

BuySome local souvenirs are on sale in visitor center, and in local guesthouses.

EatNo restaurant is inside the park. Around the national park you can find local pubs in Jõesuu village and Suure-Jaani village. Guesthouses provide meals for their guests.

DrinkThere are no restaurants in the park. Around the national park you can find local pubs in Jõesuu village and Suure-Jaani village.

SleepThe official Estonian tourism website provides an extensive list of options for accommodation.

Sources and licences

Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Soomaa National Park" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Summary from the Wikipedia article "Soomaa National Park", available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia
Photo: Flickr user: Joonas Plaan Tallinn, Estonia https://www.flickr.com/people/masterplaan/, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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