Ice, saunas and black pudding are all part of Estonia's wild winters

TALLINN, Estonia - If you are not a local, the cold in Tallinn’s Igloo Park is challenging. 

First you have a sauna session in the wooden huts. Then you plunge into the Baltic Sea, where the temperature is just 40 degrees Fahrenheit. 

This is how Rauno Roden toughens himself up before work. He dishes out some tips as we prepare to cool off in the harbor basin. 

“Don’t swim, just calmly climb down the ladder and hold on to it. And keep your hands out of the water, otherwise it feels like needle pricks,” says Roden, who runs a curtain factory in the Estonian capital.

The morning sauna in the Igloo Park opens daily at 8:30 a.m. and is open until lunchtime, at a fixed price of €20. 

Alongside toughening up, you feel an almost hypnotic tranquility as you gaze through the glass fronts of the sauna huts at the ice-gray sea. Above, seagulls glide overhead and the wind sprays the crests of the waves. 

Estonia offers you a very chilly experience, with Nordic winter traditions such as saunas and dog sledding, plus Scandinavia’s special cuisine. 

Fat bikebehind sled dogs

Where’s the saddle, where are the pedals? I am on a fat bike but this model is not designed for cycling. It’s attached to Thor, a 3-year-old Alaskan Malamute dog who pulls things through the snow. Named after the Norse god of thunder, Thor has an explosive power and I keep a firm grip on the handlebars.

I have to focus to keep my balance on the forest trail in Klein-Lappland Park, about 37 miles southeast of Tallinn. On the uphill sections, you push yourself along like on a scooter. On the downhill sections, we reach speeds of over 12 miles per hour. Ice puddles crunch underfoot. 

Thor rushes over roots and turns sharply into bends in the path. Branches whip against my helmet and ski goggles. My muscles are constantly tense. 

By the end of our sweaty trip, man and dog alike pounce on a drink. Water for Thor and a cup of herbal tea for me to warm me up and calm me down. A fat bike tour with sled dogs costs €125 (http://indietours.ee/small-lapland).

Glamping in mirror huts

Behind the Baltic Sea bay of Ihasalu, I gaze into a mirror and images and perspectives blur. It’s a mirror-glazed glamping hut in the forest, which may seem unreal but the interior is comfortable, with a modern, wood-accented design. 

But the real luxury is being surrounded by nature. You can lie in your bed and gaze at pine trees, while at sunrise the nearby beach is deserted and the golden glow of the morning highlights each frozen blade of grass in the sand. Book through ÖÖD Hötels Laheranna (https://stayood.com). 

Make sauerkraut salad

Estonians swear by sauerkraut and it features in many variations in their winter cuisine. 

“We make salads from sauerkraut, my mother adds barley groats and sugar,” says chef Reilika Lelov, who gives cooking classes in an old townhouse in Tallinn (three hours for €65). 

Lelov sprinkles strips of salmon over the salad. The dressing consists of juniper syrup, rapeseed oil, salt and mustard. The cabbage tastes sweet and mild.

During the cold season, Estonians also love oven-baked black pudding, served with sugared cranberries, which grow like weeds in the forests. Or potato salad with apples and lots of sour cream. You can register for the cooking classes by sending an email to toretoitilustus@gmail.com. 

Snowshoeingin an ice bog

A long wooden plank path runs through the frozen Kakerdaja high moor. You need an expert guide like Mari Toom if you want to stray from these nonslip planks. She knows where you can continue your winter hike if you wear snowshoes. 

The views are spectacular, with a frozen lake glistening in the sun. There is no one else around. The moor crunches, cracks and creaks. Dwarf birches, pines, heather and cranberry bushes peek out from the white landscape in this Nordic winter wonderland. You can book a snowshoeing trip via providers such as 360° (http://360.ee) and Toosikannu (http://toosikannu.ee). 

Archaic sauna

You feel a slight scratching in your throat and a hint of soot in your nose in a smoke sauna as these huts have no chimney. The smoke circulates during the hours of heating, then the fumes disappear. The scratching and tingling in your nose are dispelled by the moisture from the infusions. 

It is an archaic sauna. Touch the ceiling and walls and your fingers come away black. Run your fingers through your hair and it feels like hot straw. The smoke sauna, part of UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage, is highly Estonian. Many say if it were harmful, there would be no Estonians left. Find smoke saunas on farms such as Mustjoe (https://mustjoe.ee/).

Head to a tepee with a former Olympian

Former competitive athlete Marko Aleksejev knows how to ground his guests. He built a winter tepee in the middle of the forest and kitted it out with a fire pit. 

The beds are made of layers of pine branches, an air mattress, a sheep’s wool blanket and reindeer skin. You can hire a sleeping bag too, though. “The most important thing in the room is the fire, which must not be allowed to go out,” says Aleksejev.

Alongside this rustic overnight stay, the high jumper and former Olympian offers a two-day hike through the wilderness. 

He shows guests wolf and lynx tracks, brews pine needle tea over the campfire in the evening and prepares skewers with Baltic herring, bread baked on sticks and potatoes cooked directly in the embers. Book at Preeriakoda (http://preeriakoda.ee).