Volunteers will mainly work on preserving NATURA protected areas. This work will include cleaning and tidying up, cutting unwanted grass and bushes, deleting plants not typical for the area. This is an outdoors work in the very wet area. Another work will be to remover rusted wire left from the Soviet period in many places around the island. The working day is 6 -7 hours. One day will be free.
Accomodation & food:
In the separate house of the farm on the sleeping mats. Volunteers have to bring sleeping bags. Toilet, hot water, sauna is available. Volunteers will have to prepare meals themselves with the help of locals.
Location & leisure:
Location Hiiumaa Island lies in the Baltic Sea west of Tallinn, 22 km from the mainland. Ristitee farm is situated on the seashore near to the forest. The nearest village is 10km away. More information on www.hiiumaa.ee, www.visitestonia.comLeisure timeSunbathing and swimming, hiking, birds watching, etc. Very good camp for nature lovers Excursion around the island is planned. Since Ristitee is also a horse farm you will certainly get the possibility to exercise horse riding.
Requirements:
This camp is not suitable for volunteers allergic to different plants or hay. Volunteers have to bring rubber boots and waterproof clothes.
Age:
18-99
Location:
Kaina
Language(s):
English
Airport:
TLL: Tallinn (Tallinn-ulemiste International, Estonia)
Alliksaare Farm main direction is cattle farming. The main work for volonteers will be to take care and maintain the pastures located at the sea coast. Another work is cleaning the coast nereby the farm from rubbish brought by storms. Occasionally there can be some works to prepare food for cows for winter period. Obviosuly the work will be mainly outdoors. The working day will be 6-8 hours. Work will be done under supervision of local hosts and group leader.
Accomodation & food:
The accommodation conditions are simple in caravan, however beds are provided. Accommodation in tents is possible if you wish. Please bring your sleeping bag. Toilets and showers are available. There is kitchen with necessary equipment for cooking. Food will be from local farms nearby. Volunteers will be served food cooked by the hosts.
Location & leisure:
LocationHiiumaa island, Vanamoisa, Emmaste parish. Hiiumaa Island lies in the West of Estonia, 130km from Tallinn. More information on www.emmaste.ee, www.hiiumaa.ee, www.visitestonia.com Leisure timeThere is lot of interesting natural picturesque sights on the island; good possibilities for swimming in the sea. It is possible to visit other parts of Hiiumaa island on the weekend. Actually, Hiiumaa offers a lot of various cultural events in summer and volunteers will have possiblity to join them. This camp is perfect for people who enjoy nature and interested in traditional way of rural living.
Requirements:
You have to be open-minded and be ready to adapt to the simple conditions of the common life in the countryside of Estonia and willing to do farm work, which can be hard sometimes. It is good if you have tehnical skills (e.g. driving licence). Camp is not suitable for people with allergy, especially lactose allergy since hosts offer a lot of milk products. NB Smoking is not permitted on the farm.
Age:
18-99
Location:
Korgesaare
Language(s):
English
Airport:
TLL: Tallinn (Tallinn-ulemiste International, Estonia)
The work will be divided between 2 sites. First half will be in Pivarootsi village of the Puhtu Laelatu Nature Reserve. It s a good place to enjoy West Estonian rural landscape and help to improve it by restoring an alvar by the coast. Second half will be on Vormsi Island that has just over 400 people living on it. While similar in landscapes and nature to mainland Pivarootsi, it has all very different history. Being habited by Estonian Swedes until the middle of the last century, one could still easily feel the Swedish influence in many aspects of island s life. However in both places the work will take place on coastal meadows and alvars. Practically it consists of the cutting and collection of brushwood, mainly junipers. This is important habitat protection work - preserving the alvar. Alvars can most simply be described as limestone-rich meadows with shallow soil, which generally lack trees and bushes. The thickness of the soil layer is generally up to twenty centimetres, yet in places soil may be almost completely absent and vegetation is then found only in fissures in the limestone and in smaller depressions. Typically you will work 6 hours per day (for example, 9 -12 and 13-16) outdoors. Tools will be provided by Estonian Nature Fund. Some local volunteers will join the camp
Accomodation & food:
In Pivarootsi you will stay in a small rental house of Pivarootsi manor. The house has 6 bedrooms with 14 beds, a kitchen, living-room and sauna. The house is 170 years old and is located just 200 m from the sea cost. The family running the place has horses, dogs and cats. It is very nice little reasonably comfortable place www.pivarootsimois.ee/?lang=enWhile in Vormsi you will have simple but cosy shared accommodation quite similar to Pivarootsi.CateringAll meals are included except two lunches and one dinner on days off in Matsalu and Haapsalu on 6.-7.09. You will be catered by the local host in Pivarootsi but have to cook own food from provided ingredients with a help of host on Vormsi.
Location & leisure:
LocationVainameri Sea - http://www.estonica.org/en/Nature/The_Baltic_Sea/The_VC3A4inameri_Sea/Vormsi lies in the Baltic Sea west of Tallinn, 10 km from the mainland. More info on http://wikitravel.org/en/Vormsi Estonian Nature - http://www.estonica.org/en/Nature/Leisure timeThere are two days off. One of them will be spent on discovering Matsalu National Park famous for birds protection www.keskkonnaamet.ee/matsa-eng. Another will be partly spent in mainland town of Haapsalu famous for its history and lovely seaside atmosphere. In the evenings of the working days - sauna, camp fires, hiking, etc will be organized.
Requirements:
Special requirementsVolunteers have to bring working clothes, closed hiking boots, wet weather clothing, sleeping bag, swimwear, towel, insect spray. As weather may get cold in September it is important to bring warm clothes. Participation fee You are kindly asked to contribute 90 Euro towards cost of board, lodging, programme and administration. The fee has to be paid by volunteers to host upon arrival to the camp and it goes directly to the Estonian Nature Fund.
Age:
18-99
Location:
Virtsu
Language(s):
English
Airport:
TLL: Tallinn (Tallinn-ulemiste International, Estonia)
« I would recommend participating in a workcamp, especially with VAP, who ensured that I found a project to suit me and provided essential training for me in preparation for my trip. Being part of a workcamp really is a life-changing experience, oh, and it looks great on your CV! »
