Soomaa National Park

Soomaa means "land of bogs", and it is the one Estonian park where the landscape does something genuinely unusual: for a few weeks each spring the snowmelt overwhelms five rivers at once and the water spreads out across the forest and the roads. Locals call it the fifth season, and it is the reason people who have already seen a lot of national parks still make the trip.

What you actually see

Outside the flood the park is raised bog - a soft brown-and-green surface of sphagnum moss, stunted pines and small dark pools, crossed by boardwalks. The best known is the Riisa bog trail, a short loop that gets you out onto the open bog without any wet feet, with a viewing tower at the far end.

During the flood the same landscape becomes a shallow inland sea. Fence posts, road signs and the lower trunks of trees stand in still brown water, and the only sensible transport is a boat. The traditional local craft is the haabjas, a dugout canoe cut from a single aspen - a few builders still make them, and it is on the UNESCO list of intangible heritage.

When to go

• Late March to April - the flood, if the winter delivered enough snow. Dates move by weeks from year to year and cannot be booked far ahead with confidence.
• June to September - dry boardwalks, cloudberries and cranberries in the bog, long light.
• Winter - bog-shoe walks across the frozen surface, very quiet.

Honest expectations

The fifth season is a real event, not a marketing line, but it is weather-dependent. Some years the flood is knee-deep and brief, some years it closes roads for a fortnight. If you are travelling specifically for it, plan flexible dates and check with a local operator rather than a calendar.

The bog itself is beautiful in a low-key way. It is flat, the palette is muted, and if you are expecting mountains you will not find them. Mosquitoes are serious from June onwards.

Nearby

Viljandi, with its castle hill and lake, is under an hour east. Pärnu and the coast are a similar distance west, which makes Soomaa an easy inland detour on the way between the two.