Orissaare

Orissaare between island waters and nature trails

Orissaare combines several different travel experiences: on the island of Illiku, surfing and other water-based activities take center stage, while the Orissaare Health Trail leads through a protected natural area. There is also a harbor with an anchorage for arriving sailors, a multi-award-winning oak in the middle of a football pitch, a permanent exhibition on rallying, and a four-day festival. Depending on your personal interests, you can focus your stay on water, exercise, nature, or culture.

Water sports and harbor on Illiku

Illiku Surf organizes surfing and other water-based activities on the island of Illiku. The island is a surf spot for kitesurfing, windsurfing, and wingfoiling. The connection with the water is therefore not limited to a single sport, but encompasses several forms of surfing.

Orissaare Harbor is also located on the island of Illiku. It is 700 m from the town center and offers arriving sailors an anchorage. This precise location makes the harbor a clearly identifiable landmark between the town center and the island area. Titerand on the northern shore of Illiku is also interesting for families with small children: it has shallow, warm water that is suitable for young children.

Health trail in the Tumala Nature Reserve

The Orissaare Health Trail offers three routes of different lengths. They measure 2.7 km, 2.3 km, and 0.6 km. This allows you to choose between several route lengths without combining them into a single total distance. The trail is suitable for walking, running, cycling, and Nordic walking, covering various forms of active exercise.

Its landscape character is defined by its course through the Tumala Nature Reserve: the Orissaare Health Trail runs mostly through this valuable protected area with diverse natural communities. The trails thus combine several forms of exercise with an explicitly protected landscape.

Oak, rallying, and festival

An unusual cultural and natural landmark is the Orissaare Stadium Oak Tree. The oak grows in the middle of a football pitch and received the title “European Tree of the Year” in 2015. No admission ticket is required to visit the oak at Orissaare Stadium. The location therefore differs considerably from an ordinary park or woodland setting: here, the tree and the sports field together form the documented visitor experience.

The Orissaare Rally Park also features a permanent exhibition on rallying. This cultural profile is complemented by the I Land Sound festival on the island of Illiku. The event lasts four days and brings together pioneers of the electronic nightlife scene, artists, and locals. If you want to discover Orissaare culturally as well as through its nature and water experiences, you will find two clearly distinct focal points: a permanent rally exhibition and a limited-duration festival format.

Other destinations for orientation

For further orientation, you can also view Nässuma, Mustjala, Kirikuküla, Metsaääre, Pidula, Koguva, Kuralase, and Haapsu.

For the broader travel overview: Saaremaa.