Soomaa National Park

Pärnu and Viljandi Counties, Estonia

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Soomaa National Park is a large protected area in southwestern Estonia, straddling Pärnu and Viljandi counties, created in 1993 to conserve extensive bogs, floodplains, meadows, forests, and local cultural heritage.

Covering about 390 square kilometers, more than half of the park is made up of peat bogs while the rest consists of floodplain grasslands, cultivated fields, and various forest types. The park is best known for its dramatic “fifth season,” when spring floods or heavy rains inundate up to around 17,500 hectares, turning fields and forests into a vast inland waterway navigable only by boat, especially canoes and traditional skiffs. 

Soomaa supports rich wildlife, including lynx, wolves, bears, beavers, and many bird species, and has been designated as a Ramsar wetland of international importance and part of the Natura 2000 network.