Aivar Ruukel has made quite a name for himself in ecotourism, particularly in his native Estonia, where he grew up in the midst of the country’s largest pristine wilderness: Soomaa. Roughly translated as ‘Land of Bogs,’ the area is now a leading destination for wildlife and nature enthusiasts.

Where will you head when the wild calls? Where should we look for tour operators eager to join forces to make a positive impact on their surroundings through community development and environmental conservation projects? For inspiration, we turned to the Adventure Tourism Development Index.

The principal attraction of the small Baltic republic of Estonia is its UNESCO World Heritage Site capital city of Tallinn. Beyond the city lmits and off the beaten track, however, lie several less-well-known pleasant surprises, like Estonia’s Summer Capital, better known as Pärnu, and the surrounding Soomaa National Park.