Dog Sledding in Estonia
When visiting a country like Estonia, where the landscape and climate is different to where you live, it’s always super fun and interesting to book an activity that showcases a part of the country and culture. I had researched things to do outside of the city and came across dog sledding on a website called Prangli Travel https://tallinndaytrip.com/tours/tour-to-husky-park-and-dog-sled-ride/ . The actual company that runs the dog sledding is called Indie Tours - Small Lapland. https://indietours.ee .
The tour is quite expensive at 197 euro per person but it’s a once in a lifetime experience, a great way of doing something outside of the city centre and was worth the money in my opinion.
The tour is very well organised. You are picked up from Tallinn town square area at 9am and driven around 45-55 minutes outside of Tallinn to a place called Pillapalu. The driver lets everyone out of the vehicle into the snowy winter wonderland and you are greeted by someone from Indie Tours who introduces themselves and takes you for a short walk into the forest to where all the dogs are kept. The dogs that we saw were huskies and malamutes. While you wait for the sledge to be set up with the dogs, they introduce you to the other dogs they have and give a small backstory on each of them.
If the weather conditions permit, because there has to be enough snow, which luckily they did for us, then you are taken 1 or 2 at a time in the sledge pulled by 6 dogs for a 10 minute ride through the picturesque forest with snow covered trees and winter wonderland surroundings. If there isn’t enough snow, you are pulled by the dogs in a sledge with wheels. While you wait for your turn and for everyone to have their turn, you wait around a small campfire with marshmallows to toast and a herbal tea to warm you up.
Once everyone has had their dog sledge ride you are taken back to where the dogs are kept for a photo opportunity with one of the dogs, don’t worry, you don’t have to pay extra for this!
We were then given the opportunity to go for a 20 minute walk around their private grounds to walk three of the husky puppies which was a lot of fun!
To warm up from the cold, we were taken into the house of the owners and given a hot drink, water and a Selma bun to eat, a traditional Estonian bun usually eaten on Shrove Tuesday, filled with jam and cream. After this, the driver came to collect us and we set off on the drive back to Tallinn where we were dropped off back near Tallinn Town Square.