Canoe Tours on Rottnan or Röjdån (Sweden)

Keep a lookout for wildlife - the Rottnan area is home to a wide variety of animals and if you keep quiet and still near dusk you may see beaver in the river from your canoe.

With the distance intended to be easily covered in the time available (around 35km in total), Canoe on Rottnan is a relaxed paddling experience - take time to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the region, do some fishing, or take some hours to go hiking through the forests. The stresses of modern life feel a long way off with a paddle in your hand!

Canoe on Röjdån (4 days)

Canoe on Röjdån is an enjoyable and accessible option for a canoe holiday in a peaceful and very attractive rural area. The canoe tour starts at Torsby and after canoeing to lake Kläggen you return to Torsby again - Canoe on Röjdån is a "there and back" route, offering 45km of relaxing paddling and two short land transports in each direction with good possibilities to see beaver in the area.

Both tours feature wild camping along the route, including island camping in the middle of a lake for Röjdån. Photo: Laura Stacey.

Röjdån is a small river with calm flowing waters which empties into Lake Övre Fryken at Torsby. Along the way it widens in places to create small lakes and runs through a cultural landscape - a fertile valley tour with fine views of the mountains to the north and east.

As with all our canoe experiences in this region, Canoe on Röjdån is a a self-guided canoe tour, a discovery of your own taken at your own pace. Accommodation is wild camping along the route - lake Kläggen has an island which offers some particularly lovely camping opportunities. You will be given detailed guidance and advice before the start of your canoeing holiday.

Canoe on Röjdån is an ideal canoe tour for couples, families and small groups who would like a tranquil paddle adventure without the physical demands of a longer or more remote tour.

Canoeing for odd-numbered groups

Canoes used are 2-person Canadian canoes but can also accommodate three persons. For odd numbers, there are two possibilities - please specify your chosen option when booking (option chosen does not affect the price):

• Paddle three persons in one canoe. This reduces the level of challenge but note that this option will limit available space for packing (this option is not recommended if your party is only three persons in total).
• Extra person uses sit-on-top kayak as alternative to canoe. The majority of packing for this extra person will then be carried in one of the canoes.

Why not combine your canoe tour with Timber Rafting Taster and try some timber rafting during your trip?

Arrival

Detailed information you will need for your experience, including a description of the route, is sent out once full payment has been received.

Your canoe tour begins at the meeting point in Torsby.

• Meeting time for Canoe on Röjdån and Canoe on Rottnan is 13.00.

Here you will receive your equipment and some guidance on paddling technique and have a chance to ask any questions. You can also buy a fishing licence for the tour if you wish (please advise in advance). For Canoe on Röjdån, you begin paddling in Torsby. A short distance west of the start is a beaver hide. For Canoe on Rottnan, you will be transferred by minibus to the starting point - the tour starts just over the border into Norway.

Following Days

Canoe on Rottnan:

Your course runs downstream through Ingevadsjöarna. Towards Koskilamp the river current can be stronger for a while, depending on the water level (but there is no white water). Then you pass the lakes of Långsjön and the Lake Vittjärnsjön, which have crystal clear water. Your canoe trip continues along the river Rottnan until you reach Skallbergssjön.

Canoe on Röjdån:

You begin by paddling upsteam towards Väls (flow is very light and paddling is not demanding), where you make a short land transport of about 125m. This tour includes two short lifts in each direction.

At the most northerly point of the tour you reach the beautiful lake Kläggen. In the centre of the lake is an island which makes a wonderful camping spot, with a number of ready-made shelters and fireplaces. The island is covered with fir trees, but is not large. There are also many good places to bathe from the island. From Kläggen you turn around and paddle back towards Torsby. The tour takes you through a mainly agricultural landscape with beautiful valleys and forest-covered mountains on the horizon.

Departure

• Canoe on Rottnan: Pick up at the end point at 12.00 for return transfer to Torsby, back in Torsby around 12.30.
• Canoe on Röjdån: Your canoe tour ends back in Torsby at 12.30.

Canoe Tours on Rottnan

Groups: Price per person regardless of age. Group rates apply for group size min. 14 persons.

Canoe Tours on Röjdån

Included

• Canoe equipment: 2-person Canadian canoe, paddles, buoyancy aids, one waterproof pack barrel per canoe (approx. 60 litres), water can (5 litres), canoe rope, topographical map, toilet spade (toilet paper is not included), cleaning sponge and rubbish bags.
• Kitchen equipment: Trangia hurricane stove* with fuel, cups, plates, cutlery, carving knife, cutting board, spatula, cheese slicer, whip, butter knife, can/bottle opener, potato peeler, bowl, dish brush, washing-up liquid, kitchen roll, matches and storage box.
• Instructor: Instruction meeting before your tour starts.
• Transfers (Rottnan): Transport by minibus for participants and equipment from the meeting point in Torsby to/from the start and end point of the tour.

*Exact contents may differ from example shown

Please be careful with the canoe and the rest of your equipment! If some part of the equipment should break as a result of misuse or carelessness, you may be charged for the damage caused.

Not Included

Please see "Prices > Optional Extras".

• Travel: We do not arrange flights or domestic travel, but are happy to advise on suitable connections and assist you with any aspect of planning your journey. See under "Getting There" for general travel information.
• Food: These tours run in remote/rural areas with no opportunities to buy food along the way. We recommend you bring all food with you from the start. There are opportunities to shop in Torsby before you leave.
• Tent
• Sleeping Bag

Required

Health requirements/experience:

Swimming ability required by adults. All participation at own risk. Minimum 2 adults*.

You should be in good health and have a reasonable level of fitness and strength. No previous knowledge or experience of canoeing is required, but we recommend that you are used to and enjoy outdoor life.

This canoe tour is on calm flowing water and the route involves no lifting. However, during dry summers when water levels are low, you may have to step out of the canoe and drag the canoe next to you for short distances.

*These tours (particularly Röjdån) can also be suitable for solo adult + child(ren), depending on ages of children and previous outdoor experience. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

What makes this "Easy"?

As a 4-day tour, level of challenge will typically be lower than a longer canoe tour in similar landscape. Minimal land transports are required and both the Rottnan and Röjdån routes are accessible to a wide range of participants, including families.

NB: Perception of difficulty is very subjective. What is hard to one person may be easy for another and vice versa, depending on factors including level of fitness, age and previous experience. Weather conditions/temperatures can also dramatically affect the actual level of challenge encountered.

Equipment/clothes needed:

For information on any equipment and/or clothing included as standard for this experience, please see under "What's Included".

A detailed recommended packing list for personal items to bring will be sent with your booking documentation.

NB: We advise you not to buy equipment or clothes for your trip or to incur other non-refundable expenses such as flights until you have received confirmation of your booking from us in writing. Note of course that the most appropriate clothing to use as well as the level of challenge experienced during any outdoor activity may vary significantly depending on factors such as the time of year and the particular weather/temperature conditions during your trip.

Preparing for your trip:

For further reading, we also have a number of general information articles to get you ready for your trip, covering a wide variety of topics from what to do on a city break before/after your tour, advice on packing, eyewear for winter and considerations for female travellers.

Combine This With

This experience makes a good combination with the following:

• Lakeside Cabin Retreat in Värmland (4 or more days, 45 mins by transfer)
• Log Cabin Escape in Värmland (4 or more days, 45 mins by transfer)
• Timber Rafting Taster (2 days/1 night, 40 mins by bus)

Groups

Canoe in Rottnan is an ideal canoe tour for groups. For group bookings, we offer every 14th participant free of charge.

Eco Info

This provider has received a prestigious Swedish Ecotourism award for its commitment to high standards to cultural and environmental sensitivity.

The Finnish Forest:

The Rottnan meanders through the north Värmland Finnish Forest, named after the Finnish farmers who migrated here from the east during the 16th and 17th centuries. They specialised in burning and beating the land - their whole way of life was based around this technique. On the burnt land they cultivated rye, and in this way managed to sustain themselves in this isolated forest landscape (the land was considered far too hostile by Swedish farmers). It was here that the largest Finnish communal buildings were erected. Today the Finnish place names and traditional dishes still survive and a number of farms have been preserved in their original condition.