Matsalu sits on Estonia's western coast where the Kasari River fans out across a vast bay before meeting the Baltic, and the result is one of Europe's genuinely great wetland birding sites. The landscape shifts between open water, flooded meadows, coastal reedbeds and wet woodland, and that variety is precisely what draws such a range of species.
Getting around requires patience — trails are mostly flat but sections of boardwalk and meadow path can be sodden well into May, so rubber boots are not optional, they're essential.
Spring is the undisputed highlight. On still mornings in late April and early May, the meadows fill with staging Barnacle Geese in numbers that can stretch into the tens of thousands, a spectacle that takes a moment to fully absorb. Whooper Swans gather on the open water during the same window, often close enough to study without a scope.
The wooden observation towers dotted across the reserve give you genuine elevation over the reedbeds, and this is where patience pays off — listen carefully at dawn for the rhythmic ticking of Spotted Crake, and scan systematically for Aquatic Warbler moving through sedge margins, a species with a genuinely uncertain global future.
Local guides are available through the park visitor centre in Penijõe, and I'd recommend booking one for at least a half-day if you're after the crakes. Accommodation is modest: a handful of guesthouses in Lihula and nearby villages cover the basics comfortably enough.
Visit late April through late May for migratory spectacle, or August for returning waders; bring a good spotting scope, high-factor insect repellent, and waterproof trousers, and avoid mid-summer unless reedbed warblers alone justify the journey.