"Estonia, its people, landscapes and wildlife were truly captivating. I'm already looking forward to returning and I hope to be able to share the country's wildlife riches and photography potential with guests on future trips.Saaremaa was particularly impressive - the landscapes, sunsets, coast and forests were all remarkable. To be able to walk out of the door at the guest house and watch swallowtail butterflies, fall asleep listening to corncrakes and see in the dawn from the top of the 26m high tower in Viidumae was something special..." Neil Aldridge / UK, May 2011  Read more...

Estonia is a small country with wonderful wildlife and a huge species list. Forests cover about 50% of the country and wetland habitats are well represented by over 1,400 lakes, numerous bogs and many rivers, which together comprise a wonderful mosaic of aquatic environments for a great diversity of wildlife.

Remo Savisaar

Many of the coastal areas were closed to the public during soviet occupation and remained untouched today. The 3,794 km of coastline is studded with over 1,500 islands and islets of varying sizes whilst the mainland is indented by numerous bays, straits, and inlets. This rich variety has drawn plants and animal species from both Siberia and also the warmer regions of southern Europe, with many species reaching their respective western or northern extremities of range within Estonia.

Estonia is in naturally a multiple border country. Placed between a continental and a marine climate we have a temperate climate while across the whole of Estonia is a border between limestone and poorer sandstone rocks. In addition we are located at the southern border of the coniferous forest zone, but broad-leaved forest is also here as well as coastal cliffs, dunes, sand and stone beaches.

This trip is not only aimed at providing you with fantastic opportunities to photograph Estonia’s wildlife and wild places, it is also tailored to include expert guidance to develop your knowledge and skills and to put those into practice during our daily excursions.  The photo tour combines specialist photographic tuition and expert wildlife guiding through the skills and knowledge of noted professional wildlife photographer Neil Aldridge from UK, and leading Estonian photographer Remo Savisaar. We offer just six people the chance to photograph some of Europe's iconic wildlife, now rare or extinct elsewhere in Europe. All levels of photography skill and interest are welcome and each guest will receive help and tuition personal to them no matter whether they are an amateur or semi-professional.

Amongst Estonia’s impressive birdlist of over 300 species we hope to find and photograph forest species like woodpeckers, raptors like osprey, marsh harrier and white-tailed eagle, as well as coastal migrants including waders and seabirds. Mammals we aim to photograph include bears and beavers, and with luck perhaps forest-dwelling species like wild boar and elk. The ancient forests and bogs of Estonia are very photogenic habitats that have largely been destroyed elsewhere in Europe and Estonia's many bird-watching towers provide a unique perspective on flat landscapes.