Estonian Green Key Hotels Launch Joint Marketing Campaign ‚Key into Autumn’

Estonian Green Key Hotels Launch Joint Marketing Campaign ‚Key into Autumn’
Originally uploaded by Ruukel

Tallinn, October 15, 2009.
Eight Estonian Green Key certified hotels have launched first-ever joint marketing campaign ‚Key into Autumn’ which offers to visitors unique, memorable and educational experiences of Estonian nature. Targeted at both domestic and incoming tourists, the campaign reinforces the image of Estonia as a destination for green and sustainable tourism.

‚Key into Autumn’ campaign consists of eight weekend travel packages in which authentic, one-of-a-kind nature experiences are combined with environment-friendly accommodation in a Green Key hotel. Campaign packages have been developed together with local nature tourism entrepreneurs and nature guides. Campaign packages are offered on every October weekend all across Estonia.

Among more exotic campaign packages are ‚Wolf Tour with Rein Kuresoo’ (offered by Pühajärve SPA Hotel) in which visitors are taken into the vicinity of a wolf habitat in South Estonia, ‚Visit to the Kingdom of Ants’ (Hotel Pesa) guided by the leading Estonian myrmecologist Prof. Ants-Johannes Martin and ‚Soomaa Cranberry Walk’ where visitors on bog-shoes learn about and gather cranberries in Soomaa National Park (Koidulapark Hotel). Other participating hotels include Sokos Hotel Viru, Nordic Hotel Forum (Tallinn), Meresuu SPA & Hotel (Narva-Jõesuu), Hotel Kubija (Võru) and Ammende Villa (Pärnu).

A fundraising project is implemented as part of the campaign, with the aim to collect money for organizing a nature camp for disabled children of Tallinn Orphanage, to be held in the Palupõhja Nature School located in Alam-Pedja Nature Protection Area. For this purpose, 5% of campaign revenues are directed for charitable purposes.
Green Key is an international label for sustainable and environment-friendly management awarded to tourism enterprises. Green Key was founded in Denmark in 1994 and has expanded since then to 13 countries. Green Key was introduced to Estonia in 2001 and has been awarded to 20 accommodation establishments.

The campaign ‚Key into Autumn’ has been developed with the support of Estonian Tourist Board and is implemented by Consumetric, a tourism development consultancy based in Tallinn.

More information about the campaign: www.puhkaeestis.ee/voti and info@consumetric.ee.

Mushrooming Trips in Estonia

Mushrooming Trips in Estonia
Originally uploaded by Ruukel

Estonians on Localyte

Estonians on Localyte
Originally uploaded by Ruukel

I have created my Profile on Localyte.com!

Travel like a Local on Localyte.com!

Baltic States in Wanderlust - a UK travel magazine

Baltic States in Wanderlust - a UK travel magazine
Originally uploaded by Ruukel

Baltic States in Wanderlust, a UK travel magazine. Robin Ashenden steers you through medieval and Art Nouveau cities, dense forests and dramatic coastlines (part 2)

Including Soomaa

Baltic States in Wanderlust, a UK travel magazine

Baltic States in Wanderlust, a UK travel magazine
Originally uploaded by Ruukel

Baltic States in Wanderlust, a UK travel magazine. Robin Ashenden steers you through medieval and Art Nouveau cities, dense forests and dramatic coastlines (part 1)

Including Saaremaa

Melontaretki erämaan sydämessä

Melontaretki erämaan sydämessä
Originally uploaded by Ruukel

Mikko Virtta was paddling downstreams of Raudna River in Soomaa National Park and wrote an article in Finnish language Newspaper BALTIC GUIDE about Wilderness Canoe Trip in Soomaa

Read Mikkos article here : Melontaretki erämaan sydämessä

Midsummer Celebration in Estonia

Midsummer Celebration in Estonia
Originally uploaded by Ruukel

Midsummer Celebration in Soomaa, Pärnu, Estonia

See more about Events in Pärnu and Soomaa

Sea-Kayaking in Pärnu, Estonia

Sea-Kayaking in Pärnu, Estonia
Originally uploaded by Ruukel

Sea-Kayaking in Pärnu, Estonia.

Look for more informationa about Sea-Kayaking Tours in Pärnu

Tours around Pärnu in Soomaa National Park

Tours around Pärnu in Soomaa National Park
Originally uploaded by Ruukel

Tours around Pärnu in Soomaa National Park

Bear Watching in Estonia

Finland is quite famous among nature lover for its bear watching facilities. Now also in Estonias first bear hide is established. Read more on Natourest website.

Wet-and-Dry

Wet-and-Dry
Originally uploaded by Ruukel

‘I don’t know about that bit. It looks a little too wet,’ Algis Martsoo’s warning comes just in time. I still have chance to change direction and skirt around a sinister-looking patch of black mud splashed with sporadic greenery.

I am standing in the middle of one of Europe’s largest peat bogs with what look like red tennis rackets strapped to my feet, conscious that one false step could lead to me ending up to my chest in cold, muddy water. The landscape is one of stunted trees and scrubby vegetation.

Still, if one must be put in such a position, Martsoo is a good person to be with. As a ranger, ecologist and guide at Estonia’s Soomaa National Park, he is something of a bog expert and to spend an afternoon in his company is to take a crash course in one of the continent’s rarest landscapes.

Soomaa is an extraordinary place, 390 square kilometres of wetlands, forests, floodplains and water meadows that comprise Estonia’s second-largest and newest national park. It is also home to rare species such as European brown bear, wolves, lynx and beaver.

Read more http://www.cnntraveller.com/2009/07/06/wet-and-dry/

Welcome to Estonian National Parks!

Welcome to Estonian National Parks!
Originally uploaded by Ruukel

Enjoyed Tallinn Old Town (or other Estonian cities)? Beautiful, unforgettable! Now take a break and look out of this marvellous city. Estonia has much more to offer! We have kept the secrets of our nature for you to discover. Clean empty beaches, picturesque small towns and villages, untoutched forests full of berries, mushrooms, animals and birds. We have prepared National Park Tour for you through 4 of our parks. Come and enjoy exiting activities in Estonian variable nature either by:

* Biking in Lahemaa National Park (Land of Bays),or
* River canoeing and bog walking in Soomaa National Park (Land of Bogs), or
* Boating and hiking in the archipelagoof Vilsandi National Park, the 100 years old nature reserve in Europe!
* Canoeing in the endless reeds of Kasari River Delta in our Bird’s Paradise Matsalu National Park

You are welcome to join the whole trip, but you can also make a choice of some destinations out of these four.

Take your time, our northern nature is worth discovering all the year round!

World Wetlands Day - Üleilmne märgalade päev

World Wetlands Day - Üleilmne märgalade päev
Originally uploaded by Ruukel

How do you celebrate World Wetlands Day?
We go for bog-shoeing trip on Kuresoo bog, Soomaa National Park in Estonia.
Welcome to join us on Sunday 01. February!

Meeting at 11.am in Karuskose.
Trip is guided by Aivar Ruukel, and lasts 4 hours.
Price EEK 300 includes rental of bogshoes.

Bogshoes have been used to walk on wetlands throughout the times. These footwear allow us access to the places where it is hard or even impossible to reach by foot.

Read more about Bog Shoeing Experience here.


Book your Bog Shoeing Experience here!

Happ New Year

Happ New Year
Originally uploaded by Ruukel