Volunteer Abroad Estonia: Nature Conser­va­tion

If you want to join the nature conservation project in Estonia, you need to be at least 18 years old and have solid English skills. It is important to be physically fit as your daily tasks involve lots of manual work in often hilly terrain. As part of the application process, we will therefore ask you to hand in a doctor’s certificate confirming that you are physically fit enough to successfully take part in the project work.

It is furthermore obligatory for each project participant to get adequate travel health insurance before departing to Estonia. Last but not least, you must be a nature lover, open-minded, flexible and willing to be part of a dedicated conservation programme. Before departing to Estonia, you should get information regarding visa requirements at your country’s Foreign Office or contact the Natucate team.

Before departing to Estonia, our team at Natucate will secure a place in the project for you, help you choose suitable travel health insurance and assist you in booking your flights to Tallinn. Additionally, we will provide you with a pre-departure information pack including more details on the project and the country you are travelling to. Our partner will pick you up from a certain meeting point and take you to the project base (and vice versa). During the project, your accommodation, three daily meals, relocation transfers as well as conservation activities are included in the programme fee. Free WiFi is available on some sites.

Flights, any travel insurances, visa (if needed), airport transfer to/from the meeting point, additional drinks and snacks, any transfers or accommodation outside programme hours and personal expenses (trips, souvenirs etc.) are not included in the programme fee.

In general, it is not necessary to get any special vaccinations before travelling to Estonia – depending on which country you are coming from. However, it is usually recommended to get or refresh standard vaccinations like measles-mumps-rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, chickenpox and polio as well as hepatitis A, hepatitis B and rabies. As you will be working in nature it is advisable vaccinate against tick-borne encephalitis.

Don’t forget to pack a small personal first aid kit which includes items like plasters, painkillers, electrolytes, antihistamines and medicine against diarrhoea and travel sickness. We advise you to visit your doctor and get advice on medical precautions and recommended vaccinations.

In addition to that, institutions like the CDC and the Foreign Office of your country can provide you with useful information about recommended vaccinations, travel alerts and safety information. Before departing to Estonia, you must get adequate travel health insurance.

In this programme you can participate for 8, 9, 10 or 13 days (depends on the project site).

For your time in the project you should pack sturdy, closed-toed shoes (e.g. good hiking boots) long and short pants, short- and long-sleeved shirts, a waterproof jacket as well as some warmer clothes. You should also bring along sunscreen, mosquito repellent, a sun hat, a refillable water bottle, a daypack, a personal first-aid kit and – depending on your project site – a sleeping bag. An adapter, your smartphone, pens and paper should not be missing in your luggage, either.

You will receive a detailed packing list before departing to Estonia.

On the day the project starts, you need to arrive at Tallinn Airport. Please choose a flight that arrives before 02:00 PM. From here, you need to take public transportation to get to the project’s meeting point. At the meeting point, our partner will pick you up with a minivan and take you to your project site.

After arrival at your accommodation, you can settle into your room, get to know the entire team and receive an overview of the programme’s goals and your upcoming volunteer tasks.

You can choose between six different project sites. Throughout the programme, you are involved in the following tasks which slightly differ from site to site:

Project I

• Project location: Karula National Park and Tartu
• Project length: 9 days
• Project tasks: plucking up Himalayan balsam (Karula National Park), removing the Canadian goldenrod (Tartu)

Project II

• Project location: Matsalu National Park and Haanja
• Project length: 10 days
• Project tasks: removing junipers and brushwood from a coastal meadow (Matsalu National Park), removing brushwood and vegetation from ponds (Haanja)

Project III

• Project location: Lahemaa National Park and Matsalu National Park
• Project length: 9 days
• Project tasks: work in the Laukasoo or Ohepalu mire (Lahemaa National Park), vegetation work (Matsalu National Park)

Project IV

• Project location: Saaremaa Island and Lahemaa National Park
• Project length: 9 days
• Project tasks: vegetation work on the Harilaid peninsula (Saaremaa Island), work in the Laukasoo or Ohepalu mire (Lahemaa National Park)

Project V

• Project location: Northeast Estonia
• Project length: 8 days
• Project tasks: peat work in the Feodori mire

Project VI

• Project location: Northeast Estonia
• Project length: 13 days
• Project tasks: monitoring the western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), the black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) and the hazel grouse (Tetrastes bonasia)

A 9-day volunteer project is typically structured like this (an 8-,10- or 13-day project looks only slightly different):

• Day 1 – Arrival at Tallinn Airport, transfer from the meeting point to the project site (volunteers need to make their own way from the airport to the meeting point)
• Day 2 – Conservation work
• Day 3 – Off-day
• Day 4 – Conservation work
• Day 5 – Transfer day
• Day 6 – Conservation work
• Day 7 – Off-day
• Day 8 – Conservation work
• Day 9 – Transfer to drop-off point (volunteers need to make their own way back to the airport)

Please note that this is an example itinerary of a typical volunteer stay. Your schedule is dependent on the project site and on weather conditions which is why your daily activities are subject to change.

There will be around 10 to 15 volunteers in a group.

Your accommodation is dependent on the project area. Sometimes, you may sleep in a guest house or hostel, sometimes you may sleep on mattresses on the floor using your own sleeping bag. Shared bathrooms and a kitchen are always available.

Your group will have two team leaders who are responsible for grocery shopping. Using these food items, you and your team will prepare your daily meals together.

Yes, that’s possible. As your group leader will regularly go on a supermarket run, individual dietary requests can be considered. However, we ask you to inform us about any dietary requests (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free etc.) well in advance.

During your time in the project, you will have two to three off-days. The other days will be spent doing conservation work. A workday starts in the morning and ends in the afternoon. A typical day of work has 6 work hours (3 hours before lunch and 3 hours after lunch). The evening hours can be used for your own activities as well.

Each day in the evening you can spend time with the others sitting around the campfire or enjoy a traditional Estonian smoke sauna. On your free days, you have the chance to discover your surroundings which gives you the chance to immerse yourself deeper into magnificent national parks and nature reserves.

Yes, your group has two team leaders which support and assist you in case of questions or problems. You can also contact the team at Natucate 24/7.

Estonia’s official currency is the Euro. If you do not come from a country that pays with EUR, please make sure to exchange your currency into euros before the pick-up at the meeting point. The easiest way is to bring along a credit card and to withdraw money from an ATM at the airport. Please keep in mind that this may go with a transaction fee of around 5 US$.

On site, you should calculate costs for leisure time activities (including transfers and accommodation outside programme hours), souvenirs and additional snacks and beverages like soft drinks.

We recommend purchasing a local SIM card with enough data/airtime so you can contact friends and family at home. There are rarely any places where you cannot get a signal with your phone. If you come from an EU country, you can also activate international roaming to make sure that no additional fees for contacting your home country apply. We strongly recommend contacting your mobile phone provider to make sure these conditions also apply to you. In some places, like Tartu, you may have free WiFi.

Estonia is in the northern part of the temperate climate zone. The country has four seasons. In summer, temperatures range from 16°C to 18°C (but sometimes may also reach 30°C), in winter from -3.5°C to -7.5°C. Warm winters are usually accompanied by chilly summers which can be rainy and windy. Snow cover usually lasts from mid-December to the end of March.

Alcohol consumption during working hours is prohibited and will result in immediate termination of the volunteer programme with no refund. A moderate consumption of alcohol in your leisure time is allowed.

At the very beginning of your stay you will learn about important safety procedures and rules. The team leaders are trained first aiders. In case of minor health issues there are some general practitioners and pharmacies. In a more serious case, you will be transferred to the nearest hospital.