The Great Estonian Bear Hunt – Where To Spot Bears In Estonia
Another day another travel blog. The Great Estonian Bear Hunt – Where To Spot Bears In Estonia.
So, I think it was early 2024 or late 2023 when I was looking at the idea Initially to fly to Helsinki, Finland and continue my travels from there to Tallinn Estonia followed by Riga (Latvia), Villinius (Lithuania) and then to Poland.
This never happened but basically I wanted to come to Estonia because of this Idea and when my friend said he was coming here with some of our other friends I said straight away that I would be up for this as well.
This was back in February or March I think and from this point I was not quite fully decided about coming but after Malta I thought OK I will message our other friend and ask if I he wanted me to book the flights.
I was all over this – I booked the plane tickets and an apartment for 3 of us. It worked out pretty nicely I thought although I usually like to find my flights quite a bit cheaper.
It cost more than I usually like to pay – around £100 there and £100 back.
If I come back again I’d maybe look to make it so the £200 spent covers going through the 5 countries – £20 to Finland and £20 to get back from Poland – something like that.
Perhaps I will share this story in a future blog but anyway me and my friends got to Estonia on a late Wednesday night.
We, I felt were pushing it a bit for time getting to Luton for our 15:40 flight but this really made no difference because our flight was delayed by 2 hours.
The plane was late too because a lot of the plane was cyclists bringing their bikes away for a race (I think). This meant the plane didn’t take off for another 45 minutes after the I itial 2 hours delay.
We got here just after midnight local time and I think what might sound a bit crazy is we still managed to get our bags dropped off and find a bar.
The Uber/Bolt driver we got was very nice – he picked us up from the airport, took us to our place, took us to a bar just outside of the old town and he agreed to come and pick us up 2 hours later after that.
*I’d say all without a hitch – butbsomething funny to mention was when we got to our place my 2 friends said “where is the place Alex”. I didn’t actually know and I stupidly thought it was the building across the street – so we walked up 4 flights of stairs only to realise it was the wrong place.
It was bad because one of my friends is a man in his 70’s. He didn’t have too much trouble walking up but considering his age I really coudn’t get over making him walk up all those stairs. Maybe if it was the right place but it was not.
And THEN when we found our place I felt so silly – it was right on front of where our uber stopped it had a big sign on the fence with the door number.
(Image Here)
I seem to do something like this on every trip I go on. My mother is riddled with arthritis. She also had to walk up a lot of stairs on our last holiday together but that is another story.
Hitting The Town in Tallinn On Our First Night and Meeting New Friends
The first place we went to was a Student bar. I didn’t catch the name but it was very busy.
We got talking to 3 locals here. One of them bought us all a beer each which was nice and another spent a good 45 minutes making recommendations for places to visit during our stay – including the town of Tartu. Which I’m very glad that we went to.
Visiting Tartu and The Great Estonian Bear Hunt
So I never expected that we would go out of Tallinn but one of the guys at the bar was saying how great Tartu was and between the three of us we decided we would come here the next day.
We didn’t get here till about half past 4. Our coach back was at 10pm and really we didn’t have a great deal of time here but the time we had I think we got to see enough including a very Interesting church and a river boat bar which was quite nice.
The coach trip here I felt was somewhat enjoyable. It was very much I thought like my coach trip from Prague to Warsaw last time I was away.
I actually liked looking out the window and seeing all the forest and green belt. The driver the night before actually said about this that the population of Estonia is only 1.2 million people and it isn’t because its small its because of all the nature here.
I started reading a bit more into this on the coach – there are 44 native mammals in Estonia (I think he said) including Bears, Wolves, Beavers, Elk, Racoon Dogs, Beavers and the Eurasian Lynx.
In one article I read online it said that people are typically quite safe if they encounter the Bears and Wolves here because their habitat is so healthy they are happy to mind their own business.
I mean I would imagine that they would protect themselves if they felt the need to but with this in mind I think if you did see a bear or wolf you would be fine if you just keep your distance.
Common sense really. The Elk are the most dangerous I read somewhere else. I would love to see these wild actually but back on topic.
I started looking at the bear spotting and other wildlife tours.
It really gave me a special feeling about this country. You get to see a lot on the journey to Tartu but anyway Tartu – it was such a lovely place to visit.
5 1/2 Hours in Tartu – What Was It Like
Well, it reminds me a bit of o e of the river towns in the UK like Henley on Thames. Tartu has a huge river going through it and it just has that calmness about it. Very serene and peaceful.
We spent a lot of our time here drinking beer and eating food. We was very hungry when we got here and the food was lovely.
I had chicken and salmon dishes. The chicken was very tasty. I have never had anything like it. My other 2 friends had the lamb dumplings –
I tried these in Poland. Definitely similar cuisine. It is a very foodie kind of country.
Besides this – we visited the church here. St. Johns is quite a mind blowing place to step inside of. The thing that got me was how a whole floor has been built on top of church. I would say it is 150 ft off the floor.
Its scary to think about in a way. I was Imagining walking over this floor and how nervous it would make me feel.
PLUS nevermind being the people that built this – they must have been risking their lives everyday to get all this done and what a great job they’ve did it looks truly amazing.
The history here is pretty Incredible too. The Church has been here since the 14th Century and possibly is even older than that.
It has been bombed, had a fire and was once on the verge of being completely demolished. This was when Estonia was in the Soviet Union – they had plans to build a high rise block of flats on this land but it thankfully never happened.
The most recent renovations were carried out around 2005 including a whole new roof with the wooden floor beneath.
There is new brick work and arches too. It is totally crazy to think what must have gone into all this. It is a must see I reckon and I think if I come back I’d really like to brave going up the church tower and possibly walking across the upper floor.
Horrifying really but I have been up to the top of other churches before its quite exhilerating really once you get over your nerves – just maybe dont think about falling.
So after the church we had a nice walk along the river. We stopped in a river boat bar for a few and had one more at another place before getting the coach back.
We ended up after this at the Highlander Scottish Bar back in Tallinn. This had to close at around 2AM and then we went shopping at the 24 hour supermarket and went back.
A good day and after this the next day I was off to do my own thing.
If anyone who knows me knows I like to go to the Zoo. Everywhere I go and I have been to a lot.
READ MORE ABOUT MY OTHER ZOO TRIPS HERE<<
Now,
Visiting Tallinn Zoo – What Was It Like?
On the morning before I came here I was having a bit of a dilemma. I needed to wash my clothes but I couldn’t figure out how to use the washing machine back at the apartment.
It had Finnish Instructions on which I could make no sense of and the machine was just very strange. I didn’t know if it was broke or just very complicated.
I needed to wash my clothes and actually I thought I would have to cancel going to the Zoo.
I did consider this but I had a brainwave – On google I found where the local laundromat was. This was next to a bar / restaurant [very convenient] and my clothes were washed and dried very quickly here.
It cost me about 12 euros which I was quite happy to pay and I was able to sit in the bar drinking whilst I waited.
I got to do some work on my blog to whilst I waited. It was a good situation and still I had enough time to go to the Zoo.
Off To the Zoo
It was about half past 1 when I was actually ready to leave for the zoo. I see in Tallin that the Zoo doesn’t shut until 8PM so I had plenty of time.
Usually most zoos I go to close around 6pm and this has put me off going at this time of day but this was a good exception.
So I was happy that I had plenty of time to go. The distance from the laundromat wasn’t really too far away to get to this zoo from either and really I got here without any hassle which was good as well.
And it was a nice day. I remembered thinking when I got here It had been raining in the morning but now the sun was out and it was nice. The air was fresh and cool but it wasnt cold.
It just felt like the best weather I’ve experienced in a long time. The UK has had some constant muggy hot horrible weather this year so this was a welcome change.
It reminded me of Vienna Zoo where they have a kind of Alpine trail to walk through. This was cold but it was the same kind of fresh mountain air that really made it feel good for me.
I think I would go to both zoos thinking about this in some ways more than the animals but about them.
One downside was the animals I did not see all of them. It was quite funny when I come in because there was some reindeer and one of them did a really long, loud burp. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Really I would have loved to have videoed it.
The Polar Bears I see not long after the deer and they was pretty cool too (no pun intended) and besides them there was the Japanese Macaques, The Chimpanzee which I only just caught a glimpse of, the elephants, the snow leopards and Blue Macaws.
It is a shame I didn’t spend a bit more time here. I was drinking I think maybe (probably why I didnt walk all round).
I messaged my friend after this and he was over at the harbour waiting for our other friends from England, who were staying in Finland.
We did not actually catch the other group of friends until some time after this but I remember thinking about how nice it was at the harbour. The colour of the water I think is what sold it for me but I think also because it was a nice day it was good to walk around.
Visiting Tallinn Harbour and Pirita Beach
In all honesty, visiting Tallinn harbour was not somewhere I thought about going to. The only reason I would have come here would have been if I had gone to Helsinki, Finland.
My friends were waiting here for me though and this is why I came here.
I didn’t actually realise how nice it was with all the seaside bars and restaurants. The good weather I mostly had to thank for this.
We didn’t stay long after I arrived but for the 30 minutes It was good to see the place.
About Pirita Beach
Pirita Beach is not too far away from the harbour. One of my friends suggested that we take the trip to another town whilst we was sat at the harbour. I suggested Pirita as it was the nearest to where we was and I think it is worth a visit.
You can actually see the harbour from Pirita Beach. It is fairly busy here with restaurants and water sports. It seems maybe it depends on the weather – how well the trade goes but we got here on a hot day so everywhere was open.
One unusual thing was there was ducks on the water. I thought was a bit odd for a beach. Never seen ducks on a beach before but it was very nice and relaxed here. I am glad we came.
Our Bolt driver was saying that it wasn’t really worth coming at this time of the day because of the traffic.
I think he said he would take us to Tallinn Old Town Instead. I was a bit disappointed about this but thankfully he took us here to Pirita still.
I was a bit disappointed with the food I got for 22 euros actually. My tuna steak was alright but with it was just the bed of rocket salad and chunks of water melon I wasn’t so happy about.
It wasn’t that bad but definitely was my least favourite meal I had whilst out away in Estonia. I should have got the Salmon but never mind.
Meeting Our Other English Friends and Getting Very Drunk
Our other friends from England started their trip in Helsinki. They did not get to see as much of Estonia as we did but to be honest I would have liked to have come here myself.
Although, I am actually glad I got to spend the time in Estonia that I did. Really I think you probably need a bit more time than a few days to really experience both countries but I do say if I am visiting somewhere for the first time it can be called a scouting mission to get my bearings etc.
Estonia I would 100% go back to. Nor sure when but anyway. So, we all got pretty drunk on this night. We ended up in a few different bars and ended up in a night club. I don’t really remember a whole lot of how the night went down but It was a good night except the next morning – it could have ruined my whole day. Mostly because I was still very drunk.
Taking A Hike Through The Estonian Forest and Seeing The Waterfall
Coming back from Tartu 2 days before I was exploring all the different tours. You really are quite spoilt for choice here with nature hikes and tours. There are 5 national parks in Estonia and really for anyone Interested in nature this is a great country to visit.
The full day tours I think are the best ones. I would have liked to have gone on one of these but the tour I booked was the half day tour and this cost me £69. A lot to pay but I thought maybe this might be my chance to see some of the animals here.
I actually didn’t see anything except a couple squirrels but it was a nice walk around. For what it was I was happy with the money spent but of course it almost never ended up happening.
The morning of the tour I was still very drunk and hungover. I met the driver outside at 7:30AM and he could tell that I had been drinking.
His suggestion was that I get my money back because he had bad experiences with drunk people on his tours.
He did let me come in the end – after I promised to behave and also when I told him how much I wanted to come.
It was quite funny really because my friend said he would come but he thought it was going to rain – he was totally correct.
The tour was only me and a girl from Taiwan and we had to carry umbrellas around for most the day.
The guide said he would have taken us somewhere else if the weather had been better but it was a nice place to walk round.
I think there was 3 lakes that we see. This was probably the highlight for me. I didn’t see any animals (except squirrels) like I would have maybe liked to but it was still a nice walk.
The only thing was I kept slipping over in the mud (several times). The girl from Taiwan or the guide never went over once but for me it was like everytime I stopped paying attention for a second Id go over in the mud so this was not good.
At the end of the tour there was one last thing. Seeing the waterfall this was pretty special and if you are in Tallin you should definitely try and see this.
After The Tour and My Last Night
After the tour the guide dropped me off in Tallinn Old Town. My first stop was the Dubliner pub where I stopped for breakfast and rented a power bank for my phone. This was pretty handy because I was able to take this with me till I got my phone charged up a bit more.
I headed to the sports bar after this to watch the Tottenham and Man City game with the 2nd group of friends over here. This was a surprising result -seeing Tottenham one for a change.
I was feeling pretty tired after this but I was in the end the only one that didn’t head back for an afternoon nap. Except actually John who was staying with me. After the stairs again I was having him walk round in circles with me looking for the pub to drop off the power bank at. Google maps again getting me in trouble.
After this we met up with the rest of our friends and basically we was just making our way around all the different bars and restaurants.
At one I had an Octopus dish and at another I just had burger and chips. This place also sold wild boar sausages, Elk steaks and Bear stew on the menu.
It was all quite expensive. I maybe would have been open to trying maybe the elk and wild boar but no way the bear stew and not just because it was 50 euros for one dish.
Each to our own but for me I could never condone someone hunting a teddy. They are such Intelligent creatures and only reason anyone should kill one is in self defence or if it is suffering with a terminal illness.
I shall leave this here. They have introduced new laws in Estonia recently about protecting bears so that’s good but moving on – this was our last night here.
Flying Back Home
This was pretty straight forward apart from the delay with our flight. I think a part of me would have liked to have missed the plane. My friend Herbie was not getting up it seemed till the last minute and I was tempted to just let him sleep longer so we could have missed our flight.
It was such a beautiful country to visit but I guess the good thing was nothing really went wrong. Both John and Herbie said I did a good job with booking this holiday and it felt good after Malta to be somewhere that I was actually wanted.
About Finding Bears In Estonia
So, I know the title of this blog post “The Great Estonian Bear Hunt – Where To Spot Bears In Estonia” is a bit misleading but you can see wild bears -as well a reported 65 different mammal species in Estonia.
The chances of seeing Bears in Estonia is dependant on the situation. Bears will generally avoid people and live in the dense forest. Bear watching tours claim to offer an 80% chance of seeing these animals but this is NOT guaranteed.
Tours will usually offer a free return visit if you do not see one so make sure you are staying for long enough if this is the case.
The best time of year is between May and September they say to see them. Bear spotting tours start from around £150 and some are over £1000
It may seem like a lot of money but just for the experience of visiting the Estonian Forests this will typically be a good experience to try out.
The more expensive tours offer the chance to see rarer creatures such as the rare Eurasian Lynx.
I can’t imagine many have the money spare to do this one but I can imagine would be cool to actually see one.
(Find Out More About The Estonian Bear Spotting and Other tours here)
In Conclusion
Estonia is friendly, charming and quite a special place where most the country is still forest. Tallinn Old Town with it’s cobbled streets and historic buildings is not like many places I’ve been to – even other cities in Eastern Europe such as Prague, and Budapest – it definitely has it’s own unique character about it.
So, would I recommend? Absolutely! One reason would be to visit St. Petersburg in Russia. Russian visas are very expensive and hard to get but you can get a free 72 hour visa from Tallinn or Helsinki to go to St. Petersburg if certain conditions are met.
This would be one reasotoI would love to come back but of course, I would love to come back as well to see more of the forest and to hopefully catch a glimpse of my 1st wild bear.
I shall finish up writing here and if you have enjoyed reading there is a.couple things left to mention – you can subscribe to receive our future posts below and if you would like to buy Teddy a Coffee you can find a link HERE<<
Many Thanks For Reading
Alex B. Chivers
Teddybearstravels.com
Keen traveller and digital nomad looking to share my stories from my international trips with my faithful companion Mr Bean 2.0 (Alex Chivers).