Tour operators and media representatives from the United Kingdom visited Latvia and Estonia as part of a FAM tour from January 28th to 31st.
02/04/2025
From January 28th to 31st, a FAM tour (familiarization trip) was held, attended by seven media representatives and tour operators from the United Kingdom. The purpose of the visit was to showcase nature tourism opportunities in Latvia and Estonia, despite challenging weather conditions. During the visit, participants learned not only about nature and active tourism possibilities but also about Latvian and Estonian culture, history, and had the chance to explore Riga. For most of the participants, it was their first time in Latvia, and their expectations varied prior to the trip. Some imagined snowy white landscapes, while others expected an interesting history, Eastern European cuisine, and traditions.
On the first day, we participated in a sauna ritual at Ziedlejas, experiencing the Glass and Wool saunas. The visit to Ziedlejas left no one indifferent — a fantastic atmosphere, relaxation, and skilled sauna masters. For the night's accommodation and dinner, we chose the Ezeri SPA and hotel complex, located just a 10-minute drive from Ziedlejas.
The next day began with a short tour of the Ezeri hotel and SPA complex, followed by a visit to our four-legged friends — huskies at the Dodkepu.lv farm in Āraiši. Visitors can meet the huskies year-round, with activities tailored to the weather. When there's snow, you can go dog sledding, but since there was none, we took a short hike with the huskies instead.
After the hike, we visited the Pernigele hotel and restaurant. Pernigele has 20 hotel rooms, half of which are furnished with antique furniture, creating a genuine feeling of stepping back in time. We were treated to a beef tasting session featuring eight different cuts, accompanied by stories about the farm and the place's growth.
The journey continued to Estonia's Soomaa National Park, where we enjoyed walks along the bog trails, a sauna ritual at Soomaa Holiday Village, which was quite different from those experienced in Latvia, and tasted local cuisine. On the final day of the trip, we paddled through flooded areas, experiencing the "fifth season," which began early in November this year. When the area freezes over for a few days, visitors can explore the vast plains with Finnish sleds or skates.
Given the British participants' strong interest in wildlife, we met with Estonian entrepreneurs Natourest and Wild Nature Estonia, who offer various wildlife observation tours. The evening concluded with dinner near Riga at the Baltvilla restaurant.
What did the participants say about the trip? The visit to Latvia and Estonia provided an excellent understanding of what can be done here. Now we definitely know what we can offer our clients! The sauna experience at Ziedlejas was fantastic — we had no idea such an experience was even possible. All the meals were freshly prepared from local ingredients, but the steak at Pernigele stood out particularly, along with the thoughtfully designed and high-quality hotel rooms. Of course, the walk and meeting with the huskies provided many positive emotions.
Thank you to everyone involved in organizing and carrying out the FAM trip — latvia.travel, Estonian Rural Tourism Association, Estonian Nature Tourism Association, Ziedlejas, Ezeri, Multilines.lv, Dodkepu.lv, Pernigele, Soomaa Holiday House, Ponka Holiday House, Koveri Holiday House, Natourest, Wild Nature Estonia, Baltvilla.