Canoeing in Sweden

Canoeing in Sweden - a paddler's paradise

The following article compares our range of five self-guided canoe tours in Värmland in western Sweden (Canoe in Bergslagen, Canoe on Svartälven, Canoe on Klarälven, Canoe on Rottnan and Canoe on Röjdån) and two self-guided wilderness tours in Rogen in north-west Sweden (Discover Wilderness Canoeing in Rogen and Rogen Wilderness Canoe Expedition). These tours feature wild camping all along the route. We also offer a flexible self-guided canoeing experience from a fixed base at a comfortable cabin: Canoeing from Forest Cabin in Southern Sweden.

Sweden is an ideal destination for a canoeing holiday. Whether you are planning to go canoeing with a loved one, as a family with children, or with friends and colleagues from work or a local canoe club, Sweden's huge system of waterways offers endless possibilities for paddling holiday adventures.

Nature Travels offers canoeing holidays in Sweden to suit both novice canoeists and more experienced paddlers, with canoe holidays available from 4 days to 14 days. All Nature Travels canoe tours are self-guided experiences, voyages of discovery taken at your own pace. The waters may be calm and the surroundings peaceful, but there is a real sense of adventure even on our most accessible routes. You plan your distance each day and choose your own camping spot each night. Thanks to Sweden's Right of Public Access, wild camping is possible on all routes, which makes for a true outdoor canoeing experience. Depending on the duration and length of your canoeing tour, you can take time out to go for day hikes in the surrounding forest or explore side-streams and tributaries along the way. During your canoeing holiday in Sweden, you are free to let the rhythm of your days unfold in any way you wish, making some days into a challenge or taking time to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

Photo: Staffan Widstrand

Photo: Staffan Widstrand

Nature Travels canoe holidays in Sweden take place in the beautiful province of Värmland in western Sweden and in the challenging wilderness region of Rogen in the north-west.

Värmland's terrain is ideally suited to self-guided canoe tours. The waters are calm and slow-flowing, and there is a vast network of lakes and rivers to explore. Värmland offers an excellent combination of accessibility and wilderness, and you can choose to go canoeing through picturesque rural landscapes, taking breaks at local stores along the way to pick up supplies or visit cultural attractions, or alternatively you can make your canoeing holiday a wilderness experience. Värmland is ideal for a backcountry canoe tour, and if you choose one of the remote canoeing routes it may be days before you see another person!

For those with suitable outdoor experience seeking a true wilderness paddle tour, our tours in Rogen and its sister reserve Femundsmarka on the Norwegian side offer a chance for canoeing adventures in a landscape of low mountains, moorland and ancient forest through a beautiful patchwork of lakes connected by rivers.

Canoeing in Sweden gives you the possibility for up-close encounters with the rich and varied wildlife. You have a good chance of spotting some of the many beaver which inhabit the waterways along some of the routes of our Värmland canoe tours as they cut gracefully through the water with just their heads visible above the surface. It is not uncommon to encounter beaver at very close range during one of our canoeing holidays in Sweden - perhaps just a few metres from your canoe.

There is also a host of wildlife inhabiting the dense forests through which our canoeing holidays take you. As you round a bend in the river, you may spot an elk and her calf drinking by the river bank, or even strking out powerfully in the water as they head for the opposite bank (elk are excellent swimmers!), while the skies above you are home to eagles and buzzards.

Photo: VTR

Photo: Staffan Widstrand

Despite the remoteness of some of the tours and the possibility of a true get-away-from-it-all canoeing experience, you do not need to be an experienced canoeist to go on one of our canoeing holidays in Sweden. Provided that you are used to camping, enjoy life in the outdoors and are reasonably fit, you will find Nature Travels paddling holidays enjoyable and accessible. For safety reasons, a minimum of 2 adults are required for each of the canoe tours. The tours are also ideal for small or large groups, and for tours in Värmland we are able to offer a group discount with every 14th person free of charge.

Included in the price of your canoeing holiday is all equipment necessary for your canoe tour including 2-person Canadian canoes, paddles and buoyancy aids. For the V&aumrmland tours, cooking equipment with everything necessary for cooking and eating during the tour is also included. If you wish, you can also choose to add tents and sleeping bags as optional extras for your canoe tour. For some of the tours, a map is included in the price. For the longer wilderness canoeing routes, maps of the surrounding area are available for purchase as optional extras. For the tours in Värmland where land transports are required, a canoe trolley is also included.