Brown Bear watching in Estonia

The brown bear is the biggest predator in Estonian woods. About 800 bears were recently counted in Estonia, and their number is growing markedly. Not all are happy about that because honey raids by bears have targeted beehives with increasing frequency in the recent years. The brown bears living in Estonia belong to the average size race; their weight is 90–340 kg.

The surface area of Estonia is 45,230 m². If we think about the surface areas of Canada or even Finland then those are much larger. What I want to say is that we have more brown bears than any other country in Europe per km². Despite the small size of our territory, the population density is relatively low.It goes without saying that wildlife likes sparse human population.

The chances of seeing the brown bear from a camouflage hide are about 80 % in Estonia, and I would say even a little bit more. If we don’t see bears during the first tour, we offer you a gratis possibility to use the brown bear hide.

Through the ages, Estonian brown bears have liked living in the taiga forests. These kinds of forests are mainly situated in East Estonia. The hides are also in that region. At the same time, the Estonian brown bear population is growing and the chances to observe brown bears in other parts of Estonia are also on the increase.

We recommend taking the 4-day brown bear watching tour rather than renting the hide just for one night. That way, the chances of meeting a bear are bigger, and you will get to know the bear habitats as well as see other wildlife. It is quite common that we also meet birds like the white tail eagle, black grouse, capercaillie and mammals like the wild boar, moose, roe deer and raccoon dog during our tours.

The best time to go brown bear watching in Estonia is in the spring and autumn; more specifically in May–June and September–October. Every year is different and it’s a mystery how spring or autumn one year differ from another year.