“I am obsessed with travel!”
When I say this sentence, I really mean it. In 2019, I spent ten months of the year on the road. I have been on a train from Tehran to the south of my country for twenty hours, on a bus from Tehran to Istanbul for forty-three hours (yes, this means almost two days), on long-distance flights between continents and long hours of layovers in different airports. I might be crazy but actually these are the things that I enjoy.
Although my passport is not strong, and I am not a fan of counting countries, I have managed to visit twenty countries. I have been to multiple countries more than once. How did I manage to do so? I am a budget solo female traveler!
I love Couchsurfing, camping, and hostel life. Seeing travelers and experiencing things like locals made me rethink a luxurious travel style. I constantly traveled before Covid started, and that outbreak motivated me to involve myself with the academic lifestyle again. I love what I study, but sometimes I feel like a part of me is missing. The moments that make me feel that I need more adventures. The moments that I want to be out of my comfort zone instead of being in the study room.
Although I now hold a Schengen visa that allows me to travel to most European countries, my limited time encouraged me to explore Estonia first. I have decided to allocate my blog post to an accessible location out of Tartu. It’s called Elva, a tiny, beautiful town. I was very much involved with my studies, and I was looking for a way to get out of the rut and explore a new place; Elva became my savior. I have been to Elva two times, and the best part is that it was almost free.
Elva’s post office
Where is Elva?
Elva is a small town located southwest of Tartu. It is like a gem within the green forest of Estonia. It has two significant lakes called Arbi järv (lake) and Verevi järv. Elva gets its name from the river, Elva Oja. The Elva river drains into the Arbi lake. Apparently during the Soviet times Jews and Russians would rent vacation houses to spend the summer in the countryside. Even today, people do the same. Additionally, since Elva is extremely small and super friendly it has turned into a weekend getaway destination.
How to get there?
Pretty easy! If you are in Tartu, You can hop on the bus from Tartu Bussijaam, Pauluse (in front of the church), Raja (close to the Police station), or Teaduspark (close to Lõunakeskus). You will see the white sign of ELVA in 20-30 minutes.
Elva is located in Tartu county, which means, if you or one of your friends has a Tartu bus card, you can travel there for free!
I’ve been to Elva twice, once with my flatmates and the second time I went with a local friend. Both the experiences were different, and I have started to love this tiny town.
What is Elva famous for? You might ask! Well, I would say three things!
First of all, its lakes; Elva has three beautiful lakes. You could go to any one of them for a swim in summer. My personal favorite is Lake Verevi. It has a charming shore where you sit and enjoy the sun. If you are traveling to Elva with your children, take a look at Elva Adventure Park which is located near this beautiful lake. I am sure they will have a very good time in that park.
Verevi Lake
The second and very popular thing about Elva, especially during summer, is hiking. Elva has an outstanding network of hiking trails in the Vapramäe-Vellavere-Vitipalu area and around Võrtsjärv.
If you are interested in knowing more about the hiking trails in Elva, you can click here: https://visitelva.com/matkarajad/.
The scenery while you are hiking in Elva is this beautiful
The third reason that Elva is famous for is that it has a camping spot called Tervisespordikeskus. This spot is a little bit outside of Elva’s center. You can see the stars due to the significantly lower light pollution.
Just like Tallinn and Tartu, Elva has a Raekoja plats too. There are usually some temporary markets during weekends where people gather and sell their organic produce.
If you ever get a chance to visit this town, the best restaurant is called “Elva keegel ja resto“. It was highly recommended by my local friend, and I am sure it will not disappoint you.
Elva is generally a bit cheaper and more affordable than Tartu. If you guys are looking for a day trip to another town out of Tartu, somewhere cheap and accessible, then consider Elva.
I loved it, and I hope you’ll love it too.
All pictures belong to the author.
