To make the best of your stay in the bear watching hide, you would need:
- a binocular ( you really need that to spot details at low light)
- food, water, non-alcoholic drinks, camera
- a little flashlight/headlamp
- extra warm socks or indoor shoes/slippers
If you forgot to add binoculars to your booking but would like to rent them, let us know. The
binoculars are Danubia Bussard I 8×56 and the cost is 5€ /one night for one binocular.
The hides have viewing windows on both sides of the hide and they are equipped with chairs and bunk beds. If possible, we’d ask you to take your own sleeping bag and pillow, but it’s also possible to use ours. They will wait for you already in the hides. Each hide has also a dry toilet and for cleaning your hands there’s a bottle of hand sanitizer.
There is no electricity or running water.
During the dark time, you can still watch wildlife as there are some faint lights under the forest canopy on one side of the hide.
We’ve also installed a microphone outside the hide and speakers inside the hides, so you can also hear what’s going on outside. The trail to the hide might be muddy so wearing hiking boots is a good choice.
The meeting point for the bear hide: http://bit.ly/BearHide
or ( if the google maps link is not working): http://bit.ly/NewBrownBearHide2
NB! Please use the Google Maps link only in Google Maps. If you use the link in Waze or other navigation applications, it might lead you to the wrong location! In that case, check the location or use geographical coordinates.
Geographic coordinates: 59.21939, 26.82215
The meeting point is also the place where you can leave the car for the night.
Be there at:
- 16:45 (April/May/June/July/August);
- 15:45 (September);
- 14:45 (Since the 1st of October);
- 14:15 (since the 10th of October).
Please arrive at the correct time. We have to move together as a group to the hide at the right time to increase the chance of seeing animals. Plan your pace and take extra time to find the meeting place.
Never go out of the hide during your stay in the evening and night. You can leave the hide in the morning at 8:00. It’s best to leave the hide together with other people staying in there so the disturbance will be minimal. When leaving the hide, please take the same path that got you there.
If you have some other questions, you can call Peep (+372 56225943) or Bert (+372 513 7141). The general emergency number in Estonia is 112
Until your visit, you can keep an eye on our Facebook page where we post about Estonian nature and the current situation of our Brown Bear hide.
Inside the Brown Bear hide
Welcome to Natourest’s Brown Bear and wildlife watching hide! To make your stay comfortable, please read the following suggestions:
- We kindly ask you to take off your hiking boots, when you enter the hide. This keeps the hide clean for you an for other visitors.
- Bears have a great sense of smell. The dry toilet in the hide is a special kind and it is made to be as odour free as possible. It makes your stay pleasant, but moreover, avoids bears sensing humans.
- The dry toilet has a separator, which separates the “first” and “second” business. This solution means that everyone has to do their “first” and “second” by sitting, men as well. Sawdust is used to cover the “second” business.
- Don’t use the “bush toilet” near the hide!
- Bears have also excellent hearing. Talking quietly, making as little noise as possible and not using flash on your camera increases the chance of seeing animals. Also, use your flashlight or headlamp only when you really need it and never point the light beam out of the windows.
- As mentioned above, the senses of bears are sharp. Please don’t smoke and drink alcohol in the hide or near it.
- Brown bears are usually active in the evening and at night. There are soft lights under the forest canopy, so you can watch the wildlife all night.
- We appreciate when you make sure before leaving that the hide will be as clean as it was before you. Please take all the garbage with you when you leave the hide.
- Never go out of the hide during your stay in the evening and night. You can leave the hide in the morning at 8:00. When leaving the hide, please take the same path that got you there.
- After leaving the hide, please do not wander around the hides. The more unfamiliar scents there are, the smaller the chance that the bears want to show themselves to other visitors on the following days.
We wish you luck and lots of wonderful observations!
