Setomaa Region.

Section 20. Kolodavitsa‒Värska.

The most beautiful part of the day is where the trail passes through the Mustoja landscape reserve. It is home to Estonia's largest and most embossed area full of bulge-like elevations, including sandy regions and lake plains, the Mustoja River primeval valley, heath and dry pine forests, and wooded and treeless bogs with large bog-islands. The vegetation of the area has been heavily affected by major forest fires, the most recent in 1963, when the forest burnt nearly on 600 hectares. From time to time, as a result of the fires, forests have been replaced by heaths. Pine crops have been established in the outcrops, which grow very well in some places, while in other areas the heaths remain. Old-growth forests, peculiar heath-heather birch forests, and occasionally uncrusted pine forests ‒ these are examples of the rare and peculiar communities.