I’d like to share with you the story and spirit of Uuejärve Matkapesa—my home, my passion, and the place I’ve shaped into a hikers’ paradise.

From the moment I first arrived here, regulating beaver dams to protect the local health trails from flooding, I felt an instant connection. Standing on a gentle ridge, looking out over a mosaic of pine forests and shimmering bog lakes, I knew this was the sanctuary I’d dreamed of during seven busy years in the city.

A Village Inn Turned Wilderness Haven

Uuejärve Talu was first mentioned in 1798 as “Uusjerwe,” a humble roadside tavern in Rekka village, welcoming weary travelers along the old Ambla parish routes. In the years between 1932 and 1944, it gained new life as part of Estonia’s silver-fox breeding society, caring for well over four hundred animals. By 1935, guidebooks for hikers traveling by train, were already pointing adventurers toward these same winding trails, that now are most unique healf-trails in North-Estonia. The place has long been known for the heartfelt hospitality of Uuejärve — a tradition that continues to this day. 

Nature in the Heart of Natura 2000

Today, twenty-hectare estate lies fully within the North-Kõrvemaa Natura 2000 prodected forest area. Ancient pine stands, rolling post-glacial ridges, and more than a dozen surrounding bogs host protected species—from black woodpeckers and hazel grouse overhead to pasqueflowers and lesser butterfly orchids beneath your feet. A six-kilometer loop of the Uuejärve Nature Trail starts right beside my front door, offering barefoot strolls in summer, cross-country skiing in winter, and endless discovery in between.

My Journey Here

Before finding Uuejärve, I spent years in marketing for a manufacturing company. Eventually, I realized my true calling lay elsewhere: I took the helm at Sportland Kõrvemaa Matka- ja Suusakeskus, developing family-friendly hiking camps and guided nature programs that sparked young hearts to love the outdoors. In recognition of these efforts, I was honoured as Estonia’s “Hiker of the Year.” Yet every summit and every campfire only made me long more for a place I could call home.

When I first stepped onto the farmstead, regulating those beaver dams, I felt I’d come full circle. In life, everything is about the right timing.  And so it was on my journey to Uuejärve farm — the timing just felt right.

From the moment of recognition, it took six months before I finally reached out to the owner of the house — a dignified lady of remarkable age, who had witnessed the Second World War, fled her home, built a new life in a foreign land, returned to her homeland, and restored her ancestral farm with her family.

It was a beautiful morning in May when I thought: now or never. I gathered my courage and wrote her a letter.
My greatest fear was receiving no answer at all.

To my surprise, the response came quickly:
"How lovely! We are actually looking for someone to live here year-round and care for this place."
It felt like a perfect match. Managing a large farmhouse alone is no small task — sharing the responsibility was a welcome relief.

From that moment on, I have been working hand-in-hand with the family to bring this place to life and develop meaningful nature tourism experiences.

Here, every action has a purpose.  Heating a house shouldn’t be in vain — how much better when guests can enjoy the warmth of the space.  A garden in bloom and beds of herbs aren't meant just for one pair of eyes — the joy is greater when shared, and that also creates a reason to offer work to a gardener.
Even the cats have a job to do — keeping the mice in check.
And son of  mine, too, can take on flexible work from home — mowing the ornamental lawn is now part of rural tourism.

The meadows that once simply were are now part of one of Estonia’s most cherished disc golf courses — land that would otherwise have been overtaken by brush.

Examples like these are everywhere you look.  Here, nothing is meaningless. Everything has its time and purpose.

Eleven years later, and after four years of working freelance to transform this land, we have created:

• A cosy homestay in a lovingly restored 1932 log house with four guest rooms for up to eleven people.

• A wood-fired sauna and a riverside grill terrace where evenings fill with laughter, local flavours, and shared stories.

• A dedicated tenting area for walking-tour groups, tucked beneath the whispering pines.

• A flower garden that provides the perfect backdrop for small gatherings, workshops, and celebrations of all kinds.

Traditions and Adventures

Every day here unfolds in harmony with nature’s rhythm. In summer, I lead guided hikes and wild-food foraging trips; guests cool off with a swim in a bog lake. In winter, our fields and frozen wetlands become natural skiing, snowshoe and ice skating rinks, unique cross-country skiing and kicksledg trails. Evenings bring us all together around the campfire for home self-made meals, songs, and the time-honoured sauna ritual that soothes both body and soul.

I invite you to step barefoot from the doorstep onto the soft forest floor, to follow winding trails through pines and mires, and to become part of Uuejärve’s living story. I’ve poured my heart into preserving its history and protecting its wild beauty—now it’s your turn to make memories here. I look forward to welcoming you here.