Luua Arboretum

Pühajärv, with its picturesque winding shoreline and four islands, is the largest lake in Otepää Nature Park. At the northern tip of Pühajärv, there is a beach area with a beach house, ball courts, a children's playground, recreation areas, a café, and a boat harbor. At the southern tip is the Kooliranna recreation area, and from there begins the Väike Emajõgi, which meanders through Valgamaa. Pühajärve Park is the starting point for the Murrumetsa hiking trail, and around the lake runs the 12 km long Pühajärve hiking trail, which passes by the lake's most famous spring, the Armuallikas. In winter, when weather conditions are suitable, an ice trail is created on the lake for hiking, and a winter swimming area is open at Pühajärve Beach.Pühajärv has provided plenty of inspiration for writers and artists. For example, Fridebert Tuglas and Eino Leino have vacationed here. Information about Konrad Mägi's Pühajärv paintings can be found on an info board by the lakeshore near the GMP Pühajärve restaurant. In 1991, the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, visited Otepää and blessed the lake, an event commemorated by a wooden sculpture on the shore of Pühajärve Park.

Families with children are particularly welcome in the Lake Pühajärv Park as there are many opportunities to feed ducks and other birds when walking on the lakeshore. There is an exercise track by the northern part of the park. This is also the place where you will find the beach with a beach house, cafés, arbours and boat hire.The park used to be a part of the Pühajärv Manor Park and it was designed as a walking forest with paths already in the 19th century. The park is mainly a naturally grown forest.

Luunja Rose Garden is a beautiful, unique, and popular concert venue with a stunning view by the Emajõgi River. It has a long history and a total of 58 rose varieties grow there. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, a new rose variety called Luunja by Estonian rose breeder Mart Ojasalu was planted in the rose garden. It is dedicated to locals and all Estonians.It is a unique variety, the aim of which is to give the people of Luunja municipality, above all, a sense of togetherness and to leave future generations with an admirable rose garden.

Toomemäe Park, a natural hill with a rich history, is one of the favorite places for Tartu residents to enjoy greenery without leaving the city. In the cathedral located here, you can visit the University of Tartu Museum, which provides an overview of the university's history and scientific research, and enjoy the views from the towers' observation platforms. While walking in the romantic English-style park, don't miss the beautiful Angel Bridge with its twin Devil's Bridge, statues, outdoor exhibitions, and university buildings, such as the observatory and the old anatomical museum. The park is accessible with a stroller, there is a playground for toddlers and a sports park for more active visitors.

Räpina Manor Park is located on a picturesque peninsula surrounded by the Võhandu River, with Sillapää Castle in the middle. The mixed-style park consists of English, French and forest park parts. The manor house is surrounded by the manor park, which is rich in species (nearly 800 species of trees and shrubs, as well as roses, lianas, rhododendrons, grapevines, etc.). The manor park can be visited at any time. In the northern part of the park, on the bank of Võhandu River, in the shade of the primeval trees, there is an open pavilion-rotunda with a round domed roof and white columns.There are paved paths in the park, which are well suited for strollers.

You'll need several people to measure the circumference of the ancient, nearly 400-year-old oak tree towering nearby Lake Pühajärv in Otepää! The trunk of this ancient tree has a circumference of 6.6 meters. It is called the War Oak because it has witnessed many historical events. Apparently, peasants of the Pühajärv Manor refused to work for the manor in autumn 1841 and the rebels were punished near the oak. The Pühajärve War was one of the first peasant uprisings against the landlords in Estonia, and in memory of it, an oak tree was planted nearby, where a memorial stone was erected on the 130th anniversary of the uprising. A beautiful park with walking tracks surrounds the tree today, and although the ancient tree is no longer in its full glory, it stands here to its full dignity, recalling times gone by.

The field of naturally growing daffodils, which is unique in the Baltic states, can be found in the Vara rural municipality. Yellow daffodils are rare in the wild and the daffodil field in Sookalduse is a rarity that has been taken under conservation. The daffodils originate from the bulb that Peep Sibul, the landlord of Sookalduse, got from Saare Manor and planted in his garden in the end of the 19th century.The yellow sea of flowers can be enjoyed from around the middle of April, depending on the spring.

Laidi and Igor Zalekeshin's garden in Mustvee attracts gardening enthusiasts from outside Estonia as well.Visitors are charmed by the quarrystones and conifers, more than a hundred in total in the garden. Most of them, more than 50 varieties, are arborvitae. Both the host and the hostess love quarrystones, so this love has resulted in many exciting garden design elements – stone baskets, pathways, garden posts. Garden patches are mostly covered by stones. Old items are on display in the garden house; a visitor enjoying a walk is enchanted by the small bridges, waterholes, a swing set and a windmill, most of them made by the family. The walls of the house are decorated by paintings of the family's favourites – quarrystones, conifers and cats. There are more than 20 cat statues in the garden.