The park covers 725 square kilometres — about the size of a medium-sized city. Inside it you find ancient forests of spruce and pine, mossy bogs, rushing rivers, quiet lakes, and a long coastline dotted with fishing villages. Old manor houses from hundreds of years ago still stand in the forest clearings.
Lahemaa is a great place to spot Estonian wildlife. Brown bears, wolves, lynx, elk and beavers all live inside the park. Birdwatchers come from across Europe to see the many species of wading birds on the coast, and white-tailed eagles soar overhead looking for fish in the sea.
The park has a network of hiking trails, and some paths take you past large boulders called 'erratics' — enormous rocks that glaciers carried here from Scandinavia during the Ice Age and then left behind when the ice melted. Some of these boulders are as big as a house.
The fishing villages along the coast have kept their old style. Wooden boats, net sheds and smoke-houses still line the harbours, and local families still fish the same waters their great-great-grandparents fished. Visitors can try smoked fish and walk along the shore looking for amber washed up by the sea.