Nature walk and bogshoeing

What is a bog?

Bogs have fascinating landscapes. Walking through one is like walking on floating soil. In every direction, you’ll spot rare plants, mosses, bog pools. If you can manage a good walk, you can manage a bog shoeing tour.

A bog is like a giant sponge made of peat, harboring bog pools, hollows and raised bog beds which are still in the process of formation. They began to develop at the end of the Ice Age as plants began to invade waterways. Currently they cover 22% of the Estonian landscape, but they are rapidly disappearing elsewhere in the world.

Did you know that bacteria cannot survive in acidic bogs? That means perfect conditions for disinfecting, preservative and healing properties to thrive.

What’s a bogshoe?

A bogshoe is like a snowshoe. In olden times, Estonians clipped on bogshoes for picking berries or making hay – and for walking across the bog to visit neighbors. Today, a hike through these intriguing ecosystems offers a great way to spend some leisure time while experiencing a unique natural landscape.

Where are the bogshoeing tours?

Bogs are found throughout Estonia. We organize our bogshoeing hikes close to Tallinn, western and north regions of the country, Lahemaa National Park or Kõrvemaa Nature Reserve Area.

Currently, historians are recovering Soviet military artifacts from our bogs.

Highlights:

• Subtle colours of more than 40 varieties of vegetation
• Unusual insects, wildlife sighting
• Bog pools and islands
• The mystical, mysterious aura of the bogs themselves!

Season:

March – December

Duration:

5-6 hours (includes transport from Tallinn and back)

Equipment:

We provide: bogshoes, rubber wellies (on demand) and hiking gaiters.

CHECK OUT, WHAT TO WEAR ON BOGSHOEING TOUR

Participants are saying..

Clifford J. Levy in New York Times about bogshoeing in Lahemaa National Park in May 2010:

“Then we took our first steps off the walkway and onto the bog that surrounded us. Whoa. The ground wobbled like soft pudding, as if we were in a fun house attraction. Our arms flapped as we tried to maintain our balance. Giggles all around. Good thing we were wearing our bog shoes. “This is like walking on a giant sponge!” my 13-year-old daughter, Danya, called out as she and her two younger siblings staggered about.”

Price:

Group size up to 12 people 360 eur + VAT

Group size 12 and more people 30 eur/per person + VAT

Booking information:

To join a group or request a tour, contact matkad@360.ee , phone +372 56668172