Soomaa National Park

Soomaa means "land of bogs", and it is the one Estonian park where the landscape does something genuinely unusual: for a few weeks each spring the snowmelt overwhelms five rivers at once and the water spreads out across the forest and the roads. Locals call it the fifth season, and it is the reason people who have already seen a lot of national parks still make the trip.

What you actually see

• The raised bog - a soft brown-and-green surface of sphagnum, stunted pines and small dark pools, crossed by boardwalks.
• The Riisa trail - a short loop out onto the open bog without wet feet, with a viewing tower at the far end.
• The flood - fence posts, road signs and the lower trunks of trees standing in still brown water, with a boat the only sensible transport.
• The haabjas - a dugout canoe cut from a single aspen, still built by a few makers and carried on the UNESCO intangible heritage list.

When to go

Late March to April is the flood, if the winter delivered enough snow; the dates move by weeks from year to year and cannot be booked far ahead with confidence. June to September has dry boardwalks, cloudberries and cranberries in the bog and long light. Winter is for bog-shoe walks across the frozen surface, and is very quiet.

Honest expectations

The fifth season is a real event, not a marketing line, but it is weather-dependent. Some years the flood is knee-deep and brief, some years it closes roads for a fortnight. If you are travelling specifically for it, plan flexible dates and check with a local operator rather than a calendar.

The bog itself is beautiful in a low-key way. It is flat, the palette is muted, and if you are expecting mountains you will not find them. Mosquitoes are serious from June onwards.

Nearby

Viljandi, with its castle hill and lake, is under an hour east. Pärnu and the coast are a similar distance west, which makes Soomaa an easy inland detour on the way between the two.