100 stories from the hiking route

2012 – The first hiking path through Estonia – the Oandu-Ikla hiking route –was opened

Information

Topic

Hiking and hiking trails

Coordinates

Long-Lat WGS 84

Latitude: 59.2854735

Longitude: 25.6091849

L-EST 97

x: 6573006.0
y: 591814.9

Location

Oandu-Aegviidu Hiking route

The idea to construct a hiking path through Estonia was already conceived in 2000. Connecting the existing paths and stops with a single route, describing and marking them, and preparing additional stops if necessary, created a possibility to hike 375 kilometers from border to border.
Oandu-Ikla hiking route starts in the Lahemaa National Part in Northern Estonia, passes through six counties, two national parks, nine preserves and ends at the Estonia-Latvia border at Ikla. The hiking route was officially opened in 15 July 2012. The first ones to complete the route were Aigar Kallas, the chairman of State Forest Management Centre (RMK), alpinist Alar Sikk, hiking expert Tõnu Jürgenson, ultra-athlete Heleen Vennikas, doctor Julia Ivanova and director/photographer Kristjan Kaljund. At the different stages of the route, they were joined by enterpreneur and traveler Tiit Pruuli, actress Kadri Adamson, radio personality Kertu Jukkum, singer Gerli Padar, director of Eesti Kontsert Jüri Leiten, marketing specialist Katrin Klein, photographer Jarek Jõepera, chief manager of Statoil Kai Realo, militarist Hannes Võrno, general practitioner Anneli Talvik, and entrepreneurs Tõnu Ehrpais and Margit Härma. The route was completed in ten days by foot, bicycle, ATV, horse, and barge.

Hiking experiences on RMK hiking routes can be read from the hiking diaries on the RMK’s homepage www.loodusegakoos.ee/matkatee/matkapaevik