Hara: Nature Trail, Harbour and Maritime History

Hara combines a distinctive natural setting with a harbour landscape and maritime history. This gives you a range of experiences to choose from for your trip: a 7 km nature trail on the Juminda Peninsula, Hara Harbour with a connection to Hara Island, and historic sites in the village of Hara.

Nature Trail through the Juminda Landscape

The Majakivi–Pikanõmme Nature Trail begins at a car park near the village of Virve and is 7 km long. The RMK nature trail is one of the main tourist attractions and sights in the village of Hara. Its route runs through the higher central part of the Juminda Peninsula. Former beach ridges and sand dunes alternate there with strips of forest and bog. The changing landscapes are therefore connected by a continuous route and shape the character of the trail.

The trail includes two distinctive landmarks: Majakivi is the largest erratic boulder in Lahemaa National Park. The Pikanõmme observation tower stands at the highest point of the Juminda Peninsula. Majakivi therefore focuses on a single erratic boulder, while Pikanõmme is an observation point. In this way, the nature trail combines different landscape forms with specific destinations along the route. The car park at the Majakivi–Pikanõmme Nature Trail has space for 30 cars or 3 buses.

Harbour, Island and Experiences on the Water

Hara Island is part of Lahemaa National Park. In summer, you can travel by boat from Hara Harbour to Hara Island. Hara Harbour can also be reached by sea. Visitors wishing to find their bearings locally can find an information point at the harbour. It provides information about attractions in the harbour area and other harbours in the region. The harbour therefore combines the island connection with regional information about the maritime surroundings.

The area around the Hara submarine base can also be explored from Hara Harbour: you can move across the water on a SUP board and view the surroundings of the base. The SUP experience remains focused on the area around the former base, while the boat trip heads to a different destination: Hara Island. The combination of harbour, island and nature trail gives Hara several clearly distinguishable starting points for a stay.

Historic Sites in the Village of Hara

The Hara submarine base was a former secret degaussing station of the Soviet Navy. The hulls of ships and submarines were made invisible to magnetic mines there. This historical function distinguishes the site from an ordinary harbour and gives Hara’s maritime side a clear historical connection. The station is therefore part of the history of the Soviet Navy and Hara’s maritime past.

The cultural offerings also include the Women’s Museum at Kõrvemetsa Farm in the village of Hara. The museum was open only a few times a year. For your visit, this limited opening schedule is therefore an important part of the local information passed down. The Women’s Museum and the former submarine base thus represent two different historic sites in the village: a museum farm and a former naval facility.

For further orientation at the same level, you can also view Salmistu, Pedase, Charlottenhof, Harku, Sõitme, Padise, Jüri and Tabasalu.

For the higher-level travel overview: Harju.