Lahemaa Hike: Viru Bog, Majakivi Boulder & Pikanõmme Dunes Tower

Escape Tallinn for a day in Lahemaa National Park, Estonia's largest national park, and explore two of its best nature trails with a local guide.

Viru Bog (3.5 km loop, about 1.5 hours): a wooden boardwalk leads through forest and former dunes onto an open raised bog with a viewing tower. Your guide explains how the 6 m thick peat layer formed over thousands of years and which plants survive here.

Majakivi–Pikanõmme trail (7 km, figure-eight loop, about 3 hours): walk through pine forest and along ancient beach ridges to Majakivi (house boulder), the third-largest erratic boulder in Estonia, 7 m high and 32 m around. Left by the Ice Age glaciers, it can be climbed by ladder. Then continue to the 24.5 m wooden tower on the Pikanõmme dunes, the highest point of the Juminda peninsula at 33 m above sea level. From the top, up to 57 m above sea level, you look down on bogs and forests, with Hara and Kolga bays on both sides and, on a clear day, Tallinn across the sea.

Total walking: 15 km on easy terrain, about 4.5 hours including stops. Wear sturdy shoes and bring water and a rain jacket. Suitable for most fitness levels.