Brown Bear Watching and Photography

Brown Bear Watching and Photography

125.00

Brown Bear and wildlife watching hide

We offer the possibility to spend an unforgettable night in our Brown Bear and wildlife watching hide. The hide is situated in Alutaguse, which is a huge area covered with taiga forests and vast bogs in N-E of Estonia – home for about half of Estonia’s 700 brown bears.

The new hides have windows on both sides of the hide. Northern windows overlook a taiga forest and the most common mammals to see would be Raccoon Dogs and Brown Bears. Woodpeckers, Red Squirrels Nuthatches, Crested- and Willow Tits and Jays visit the feeders.

Description

Tour description
Detailed description
Prices and dates

Tour description

Southern windows offer a view on a stream and a flooded meadow. Sometimes Elk and Roe Deer come to feed on the meadow and European Beavers or otters can occasionally swim by. Ural Owl and Red Fox come here to hunt for mice and sometimes also Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Golden Eagle, White-tailed Eagle and buzzards come by and look for prey. Rare visitors to the scenery include Wolf, Lynx, Eurasian Otter, Mink and Wild Boar.

We have also made a list of species that have been seen or heard from the hide.

The Brown Bear and wildlife watching hides are simple, comfortable and cosy. There are 2 hides, each one of them has room for 9 persons. Both hides have separated cabins with bunk beds and a dry toilet.  One cabin has room for 4 persons – 2 bunk beds/4 sleeping places in total. One bed is situated between the 2 cabins.

If the visitors wish, they can take pictures through the windows (without flash).

They are located in Alutaguse, N-E of Estonia. It takes about 1,5-2 hours to drive from Tallinn or Tartu to Alutaguse.

Look at the French TV 2 story – http://bit.ly/2AW08bx-2

Read the reviews from TripAdvisor 

Detailed description

Season May – October

It is possible to stay in the hide every night

About the low season

During the low season, the summer in Estonia is in full swing, but the bears become more static and do not move around as much as at the beginning of the season or in autumn. This is also the period when in forests blueberries and raspberries ripen, so the bears do not have to cover a lot of distance to find suitable food. Thus, they might not pass by our hide as often as during the high season.

In April, the bears have woken up from hibernation, but they tend not to visit our hide as often as later in the season.

Duration

About 15 hours, including a night in the Brown Bear hide.

In spring (May, June, July and August)  17:00 PM – 8:00 AM

In Autumn (September/October) 16:00/15:00 PM- 8:00 AM

Level Easy walking –  It’s about 1,7 km from the parking lot/meeting place to the Brown Bear hide.

What to wear? 

Warm clothes and comfortable (preferably waterproof) footwear are necessary for the walk to hide. Warm clothes and indoor footwear/warms socks are strongly recommended to be worn in the hide.

Getting there The drive from Tallinn or Tartu to Alutaguse takes about 1,5-2 hours. The easiest way to get there is to go by your own car/rental car. The nearest public bus stops are called Metsa-Udriku and Tudu, but the only direct public bus goes there from Rakvere town. The timetable for public transport can be found here.  After booking we will reveal the exact location of the meeting point, where you would meet one of the members of Natourest, who will direct you on foot to the hide.

Hides

There are 2 identical hides:

One hide has 2 private cabins (4 beds in both) and room up to 9 people. Hides have bunk beds, sleeping bags, pillows, viewing windows, photo holes, chairs and a dry toilet.

What to take with you?

We suggest taking binoculars with you, as they help to spot wildlife from a distance and during the dark hours. We can also rent out binoculars for one night (8×56 Danubia Bussards – 5 €/night), which greatly improve sight in poor light conditions. You would also have to take your own food and water.

Guide

Hiring a guide for security is not necessary. Normal walking, talking noise ( not too noisy, though) will keep bears out of your way.

Things to do around the hide

Here are some simple suggestions about places that you can visit when driving to Alutaguse or staying in the area.

Prices and dates

Price for staying in the watching hide:

125 EUR per person,

75 EUR per child

290 EUR per family ( 2 adults, 3 kids),

790 EUR  group up to 9 persons.

Price includes:

  • Night in the Brown Bear and wildlife watching hide
  • Sleeping bags and pillows in the hide
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