Saaremaa cannot be imagined without resting sites of grey seals where as many as 200-300 of them can be counted humming and competing for a spot on a stone.
One just has to be in the right place in the right time to see them. The cubs, usually born at the end of February or beginning of March, are truly cute. It is a real fun to watch these little white furry balls with a binocular on the seashore. Several tourist companies offer special seal watching trips.
Different tourism entrepreneurs are willing to take you exactly where the seals are. They will take you with the boat to the best places to see the seals. And believe us, they have years of experience and they know exactly the best places. It’s worth the trip. For a seal watching trip contact …
Islander
Barrakuuda
Ahoi Västriku
Pringeldivers
Unwritten rules of seal watching
- While you might be tempted to feed the seals, there's no real need to do so. Seals are some of the craftiest fishermen in the world, and it would be in the best interest of the ecosystem that they sustain a healthy diet.
- You are welcome to admire from afar but do avoid getting too close to the seals so not to disturb and disrupt their daily life. It is not recommended to visit the seals during calving or nursing periods and most seal watching tours will be on a break during that period.
- Bring your binoculars! Besides seals there are thousands of birds to watch. After all, Estonia is considered one of the best birdwatching destinations in Europe.
- The weather tends to get rather nippy out on the sea, even during the summer, so a warm coat is a must. If you tend to get seasick, a ginger tablet might help relieve the symptoms.
- Last but not least - avoid bringing single-use plastics to the sea and assort your trash to avoid polluting the sea. Saaremaa is part of the UNESCO biosphere program area "Man and Biosphere" since 1990. This means that islanders have lived in harmony together with the nature for centuries and are continuing to do so. Islanders respect the nature, we hope that our guests will do the same.
For more advice on seal watching take a look at the Visit Estonia webpage
