Planning Can anybody recommend a Canoe travel company in Sweden?

[Biddlesby]

Hello friends!

This year I have decided to fulfil my lifelong dream and make a solo canoe trip to Sweden!

My experience: I completed a Canoeing Level 3 certificate, but that was over ten years ago. Since then I have only been out a handful of times on very calm rivers. I am comfortable with camping/fires/basic bushcraft skills.

What I want: I would like to make my planning easy and employ a company to suggest a self-guided ~7 day wilderness route to me, provide equipment hire, pick up and drop off, and be a point of contact for local advice. I am hoping to do this for under £300 (excluding the travel to and from Sweden itself). Date would be the start of July.

After a half-hour Google search I came up with a few companies that seem to be what I am looking for:

• https://www.naturetravels.co.uk/
• https://www.vildmark.se/
• https://www.varmlandsgarden.com/
• https://nordicdiscovery.se/

Does anybody have any experience with these companies or can recommend alternatives to me?

Thank you so much!

Harry

 

[Bazzworx]

Hi Harry

A small group of us done a 4 day self guided trip with Vildmark through the NatureTravels site. The route we done was very easy and aimed at beginners with little to no canoeing experience, we should have done a more challenging trip but 2 of the group had no canoeing experience.

Vildmark were a great company to deal with regarding communication etc. They also allow you to camp free of charge the night before or after your canoe trip, we arrived early evening the day before we started. They offer all the camping kit you'll need for the trip. We decided to take most of our own kit and cherry pick a few of their bits like sleeping bags, waterproof barrels, large water container and a gas trangia. I must admit the kit they offer is quality stuff too not tat. We were a bit worried about using their sleeping bags but they were clean, good quality and as new (think they were Haglofs).

On the day of departure we met the staff and bought the relevant maps which we had to mark up from a master copy. We then got our equipment and canoes loaded onto the minibus and were taken to the drop off point. Before we set off we arranged the time to meet at the collection point and had a quick brief from the staff regarding the do's, do not's, hints, tips and general info on the area.

At the end of the trip they pick you up and return you to the base. There's a really nice camping shop right by Vildmark where we all bought a few souvenirs.

I only have experience of this one place but we would be really happy to use them again.

 

[Bazzworx]

I done a bit of a trip report if you want a bit more info

https://bushcraftuk.com/community/index.php?threads/canoe-trip-in-sweden.141847/#post-1772632

Ben

 

[Janne]

a beautiful stretch of Sweden is if you paddle down the Dal river. I did it a couple of times.
Will do a search on my 'Sweden compactible" computer tonight.

It is a large, lazy river, with a few gentle rapids. Moose, beaver plus the other usual suspects. Fantastic overnighting all along the river, clean water.

 

[SGL70]

Give Oskar a call! He can arrange most canoe/kayak trips here up north.

https://www.canoeadventure.nu/

 

[Janne]

SGL, where is Kängs ön?
Which river is closest?
Lule river?

Edited for spelling

 

[SaraR]

Hello friends!

This year I have decided to fulfil my lifelong dream and make a solo canoe trip to Sweden!

My experience: I completed a Canoeing Level 3 certificate, but that was over ten years ago. Since then I have only been out a handful of times on very calm rivers. I am comfortable with camping/fires/basic bushcraft skills.

What I want: I would like to make my planning easy and employ a company to suggest a self-guided ~7 day wilderness route to me, provide equipment hire, pick up and drop off, and be a point of contact for local advice. I am hoping to do this for under £300 (excluding the travel to and from Sweden itself). Date would be the start of July.

After a half-hour Google search I came up with a few companies that seem to be what I am looking for:

• https://www.naturetravels.co.uk/
• https://www.vildmark.se/
• https://www.varmlandsgarden.com/
• https://nordicdiscovery.se/

Does anybody have any experience with these companies or can recommend alternatives to me?

Thank you so much!

Harry

Nothing wrong with rivers, but Sweden is also full of lakes and lake systems of all sizes that make for lovely paddling.

 

[Janne]

I find several rental places around Dal river, but all sites seems to be in Swedish.

Google ’rent canoe in Sweden’ and you will surely find what you need!

 

[Janne]

http://www.friluftsframjandet.se/regioner/mitt/lokalavdelningar/gagnef/hyr-kajakkanadensare/

Scroll down top right for English

Rental is approx 1500 Skr per week.

 

[Breaker Moran]

Hi Harry

I haven't used them but found I found a company called Byns camping in Varmland - they offer canoe Outfitting as awell as as a camp ground with cabins you can use as a base to start and finish your trip. They offer several different route options on rivers or lakes including one where you get a map with numerous pick up points and you just call the day before the end of your trip and let them know which RV you want picking up from, taking the pressure off you to get to a final pick up point which is perfect for me. They use Gatz royalex(?) canoes which look good but again I have no experience of them, but equally I'm not a fan of aluminum Grumman boats that lots of the canoe rental placed in Sweden seem to use. Hope this helps?
http://bynscamping.eu/canoe-tours/

 

[C_Claycomb]

That is weird, I wrote a post on Friday and was sure I submitted it, but no sign of it now.

What about Canodal in Ed, on Stora Le?
https://www.canodal.com/Homeeng.html

Maybe not wilderness enough? Normally our trips were 5 days with two paddling out, one day on shore and two to paddle back. There is certainly enough water there to spend a week.

https://bushcraftuk.com/community/index.php?threads/swedish-canoe-trip-d.45113/#post-582768

https://bushcraftuk.com/community/index.php?threads/stora-le-sweden-september-2010.62240/

https://bushcraftuk.com/community/index.php?threads/another-canoe-trip-on-stora-le-sweden.132250/

Chris

 

[Janne]

I would recommend he goes somewhere else, less freqvented by tourists. There are a huge number of beautiful areas with canoe or kayak rentals.
I will get some links and post them.

If you need any help with translation I or another Swede here will happily help!

 

[Janne]

http://www.jokkmokkguiderna.com/lapplands-kanotcentral-lapland-canoe-kayak-central

https://adventuresweden.com/basta-platserna-paddling/?lang=sv

https://nordicdiscovery.se/kanotleder-i-bergslagen/

https://www2.visitostersund.se/sv/boende/a140792/lits-camping-kanot/detaljer

 

[C_Claycomb]

Good point Janne. I had overlooked the time of year he is going. We have done Stora Le in spring and autumn and there have been between few and no other people on the lake. Given the number of canoes to be rented, July is probably a lot busier.

 

[Janne]

Yes, July is THE vacation time in Sweden.
The fact that they are quality shelters and fireplaces makes it very attractive, so I guess all canoes are already booked!
Lots and lots of Swedes do hollidays like that.

Those pics are great, in your old threads. You should resurrect them!
Good stuff!

 

[Bazzworx]

We done our trip in September which was ideal, no midges and only saw one other couple canoeing.

 

[SGL70]

SGL, where is Kängs ön?
Which river is closest?
Lule river?

Edited for spelling

That would be Ranea river.
Check out ranea.river at Instagram...not specifically canoe related. Just pics along the river (that starts outside Dundret, Gallivare)


Greger

 

[Janne]

This lake I know blindfolded, it is in the south of Sweden, very beautiful, plenty of fish ( permit needed of course).

Flight to Copenhagen, train to Malmö, train to Kristianstad, Bromölla.
Bus no S61 towards Olofström, jump off in Axeltorp, walk 20 meters to canoe center, rent a canoe and enjoy!
240 Skr for two days one night. 2 people, all csnoe needed equipment including maps.
( I went on their website and checked)

The nature is more mild than in the north.


http://www.wetlandi.se/

 

[SaraR]

This lake I know blindfolded, it is in the south of Sweden, very beautiful, plenty of fish ( permit needed of course).

Flight to Copenhagen, train to Malmö, train to Kristianstad, Bromölla.
Bus no S61 towards Olofström, jump off in Axeltorp, walk 20 meters to canoe center, rent a canoe and enjoy!
240 Skr for two days one night. 2 people, all csnoe needed equipment including maps.
( I went on their website and checked)

The nature is more mild than in the north.


http://www.wetlandi.se/

Both Ivösjön and nearby Immeln are great for canoeing with their irregular shorelines and many little islands, plus they are conveniently close to Copenhagen airport!

 

[Janne]

Are you from that area?
Immeln has also an excellent canoe center. I bought two canoes from them. First an Grumman Alu canoe - fast but noisy when fishing and your clothes and hands got black from the Aluminium, then when the Poles stole it a Coleman, which was slow, heavy but silent.