Accommodation in Lahemaa National Park
Lahemaa is Estonia’s oldest and largest national park, 747 km² of forest, bog and coast. You can stay inside it — and that is a rather different proposition from what a booking portal usually shows you.
What there is inside the park
There are no large hotels in Lahemaa. Most of what exists is manors, smallholdings, guesthouses and village homes — alongside RMK campsites and forest huts, which are free and need no booking. The larger properties are in the manors: Palmse, Sagadi and Vihula. Beside them are dozens of small places in the villages, rented whole rather than by the room.
The difference is practical. Renting a whole house means no shared corridors, no reception desk and no neighbours through the wall; it also means no round-the-clock service, and that meals are arranged in advance rather than ordered from a menu at ten at night.
Oandu village
Oandu is in the eastern part of Lahemaa, in Lääne-Virumaa, about 90 kilometres from Tallinn. The village has the RMK Oandu visitor centre, where most of the area’s trails begin, and it is where the 370-kilometre RMK Oandu–Aegviidu–Ikla route starts. The coast is a few minutes north and three manors are a short drive away.
Anyone coming to Lahemaa to walk ends up at Oandu sooner or later. Anyone coming to see the manors drives through it. Staying in the village means the trail starts at the door rather than half an hour’s drive away.
The three houses at Oanduaia
Oanduaia is a family business in Oandu village: three separate houses, a wood-fired sauna, a pond and an outdoor kitchen. Each house is rented whole. The Sauna House sleeps four and is open all year, the Forest House four, the Pond House two; the Pond House and the Forest House close for the winter, from 1 December to 31 March.
Breakfast, lunch or a festive long table are cooked here, ordered in advance. An extra bed for a child can be added in any of the houses, by arrangement. Pets are welcome for €20 per stay. There is no WiFi in the houses; mobile coverage is good.
When to come
In summer all three houses are open, the outdoor kitchen is in use and you can swim in the pond. Autumn is when the trails are at their best and their quietest. In winter the Sauna House is open: the sauna is lit, a hole is cut in the ice, and snow makes the forest trails a different thing altogether. Spring starts on 1 April, when the Pond House and Forest House open again.
The three houses side by side
| — | Sauna House | Pond House | Forest House |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleeps | 2–4 | 2 | 2–4 |
| Sleeping | 2 floors, open rooms | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms |
| Sauna | Sauna House | Not included · ask us | Not included · ask us |
| Kitchen | Fully equipped | Kitchenette | Mini kitchen |
| In winter | Open | Closed Dec–Mar | Closed Dec–Mar |
| Price | 200/300 € | 150 € | 150/200 € |
| Best for | A group, a small celebration | A couple | A family or two couples |
| Extra | Extra bed for a child | Extra bed for a child | Extra bed for a child |
a night, whole house
Common questions
Where should I stay in Lahemaa National Park?
There are no large hotels in the park. The choice is between manor accommodation, guesthouses and village houses rented whole; RMK campsites and forest huts are free. Oanduaia is in Oandu village in the eastern part of the park: three separate houses for 10 guests in total, a wood-fired sauna, from €150 a night for the whole house.
Can you stay overnight inside Lahemaa National Park?
Yes. Lahemaa is an inhabited national park — there are villages, manors and places to stay inside it, and staying overnight is entirely normal. Oandu village, where Oanduaia is, is inside the park.
Where can I stay in Lahemaa with a private sauna and hiking trails nearby?
Oanduaia, in Oandu village: a wood-fired sauna with a pond to go into afterwards, and the RMK Oandu visitor centre within walking distance, where six marked trails begin — including the 370 km Oandu–Aegviidu–Ikla route.
Where can couples stay in Lahemaa?
The Pond House at Oanduaia is for two: on the bank of its own pond, with a broad terrace, a fireplace and glass walls facing the forest. From €150 a night for the whole house. Open 1 April to 30 November.
How far is Lahemaa from Tallinn?
The western edge of the park is about 50 km from Tallinn; Oandu, in the east, is about 90 km — a little over an hour by car. From Tallinn you drive towards Narva and turn north at Viitna.