Excursion Nature of westerm saaremaa tour at Saaremaa

Enjoy the wonderful nature of Western Saaremaa during this morning outing.

The tour will start at fishermen's village Tagaranna, a well-preserved fishing village, which received the Beautiful Estonian Home award in 2009.

Next, stop at Ninase windmills - there are two of Saaremaa's icons clunky wooden folk-windmills, built to resemble a giant man in traditional costume and his counterpart, a giant female also in traditional folk costume. There are also two churches: Mustjala Anna Church (Lutheran; 1863) and Saint Prophet Elias Orthodox Church (1873).

Pidula

The tour continues to Pidula where you can admire a manor house built in 18th century. A valuable addition to the mansion is baroque style park which is contemporaneous. Odalätsi springs are located at the nine kilometer mark on the Kihelkonna-Pidula road. The springs collect their water from the surrounding bogs and from Karujärv. The water runs along clefts in the underground karstfield on its way to the sea.

Mihkli Farm Museum

Your next stop will be Mihkli Farm Museum. The beginning of one of the oldest farms in Viki Village was in the second quarter of the 18th century, when Wicki Peter founded a farm there, but it got its name at the beginning of the 19th century after the name of his grandson Mihkel. The prime time of this farm was in the middle of the 19th century and most of the survived buildings of the farm date from that period. By design Mihkli farm is a typical Western-Saaremaa farm, which is interesting from the point of view of various planned buildings.

St. Michael's Church

St. Michael's Church in Kihelkonna was built in the second half of 13th century. Initial church was without tower that was added to the church in the end of 19th century. Small Loona manor-house- the centre of Vilsandi National Park is a vivid example of a long and complex story of reaching its' present form. Oldest parts of the building date back to Middle Ages, the cellar uses battlements of an old vassal-castle. The reserve includes 160 islands is named Vilsandi after the largest. It is situated halfway between the hibernation areas of central Europe and the breeding grounds in the Artic for about a million birds, although only few hundred reside permanently on the reserve.

Viidumäe Nature Reserve

The tour proceeds to Viidumäe Nature Reserve, which was established in 1957 in order to protect rare species of flora and communities, its current area is 1,846 ha. Here is the only growing place in the world of the famous endemic species - the Saaremaa yellow rattle, from other rarities the mountain zigzag clover, the whitebeam, etc. can be found here. This area is home to 700 different species of butterflies and 200 species of moths.

Finally, see Karujärv, located close to the town of Kärla, going towards Pidula. It is the oldest lake on Saaremaa, it appeared here almost 8000 years ago. Continue with a return drive to the harbour and your awaiting ship.

Please note: Tour involves moderate walking and is suitable for guests with limited mobility and for those who utilise a wheelchair and are able to embark and disembark the coach with minimal assistance. We suggest guests dress in seasonal attire and wear flat, walking shoes. The order of sites seen may vary.

Note