Rafting

Rafting is riding on the mountain river rapids on a special rubber raft. Although you can’t honestly speak of mountain rivers in the case of Estonia, the rafting-experience and the adrenaline output are for real. Rafting is still relatively young in Estonia, but this kind of sport is attracting more and more people every year. To call it a kind of sport doesn’t mean it’s nothing for those who are not 100% sportsmen – rafting is suitable for everybody who’s not scared of spring river water and is able to cling onto a raft. The first known rafting in Estonia was practised in spring 2001.

Although the nature here is not ideal for rafting – for most of the year, the rivers are too slow and don’t carry enough of water – there are still some weeks during the spring-floods when this is a very enjoyable extreme-sport in Estonia. In some years, depending on the climate during the year and on the previous winter, you can find the veritable rafting-experience also in Estonia – even in the neighbourhood of Tallinn, on the Jägala and Pirita rivers. These attract mostly adrenaline-junkies from Tallinn, but it’s definitively worth even a longer trip. The lower parts of the Pirita River can be compared with rivers in the Tatra Mountains. The level of descent is not as good as in Slovakia, but this is compensated by a rich and stable amount of water during the spring floods. If you are not already spoilt by the water tumults of big mountain rivers, you will get an exiting experience. The real mountain river feeling can be experienced on the Jägala River, where the level of descent and amount of water is sufficient. The only disadvantage about the Jägala River is the rather short length of its track. But fortunately the Jägala River wide enough so that you can descend it several times, using different routes each time. A perfect rafting-session should be rounded off with après-rafting. As the weather is not too warm at that time, a mobile sauna for après-rafting will be transported to the river bank. The heated tent will allow you to comfortably change clothes, take a light meal and exchange experiences.