Canoe Tours on Svartalven

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Water > Canoe Tours on Svartälven

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The Beaver

Taking a short detour during your trip on Svartälven gives you an excellent chance of seeing beavers. But this has not always been the case. The beaver became extinct in Sweden in the late 19th century and was only reintroduced in 1922. Since then they have flourished in this area and Värmland now has an estimated population of several thousand. See Wildlife Guide

Wilderness canoeing at its very best

Canoeing holidays in Sweden: Svartälven

Starting on the border of the county of Dalarna in eastern Värmland, the Svartälven ("Black River") is one of Sweden's best canoeing waters. From its source, the river runs south through a landscape of outstanding natural beauty. This canoe tour passes through a network of winding rivers, narrow passageways and small lakes and requires a number of land crossings, the longest being about 2 km. A canoe wagon is included as part of standard equipment to help with the portages.

The Svartälven region is a wonderful area for canoeing. The rhythmic "swoosh-slop" as your paddle breaks the surface and cuts through the water, your canoe gliding smoothly forward as you slip in silence through the surrounding forest landscape - a canoe tour on the river Svartälven provides an ideal mix of tranquility and adventure.

Photo: Staffan Widstrand

Canoeing on Svartälven is a self-guided wilderness expedition, a voyage of discovery taken at your own pace. The waters may be calm and slow-flowing, but the area offers a real canoe adventure. The tour runs in a remote area and you will be leaving "civilisation" behind you as you strike out into a world of water, trees and sky. There is no timetable on this trip - you will be deciding yourself what distance you wish to cover each day, and selecting your own camping spot each night. You will choose when to rest and when to push on, when to take a day out to explore the many tributaries flowing into the Svartälven, or perhaps leave your canoe for a while and explore the beautiful surrounding area on foot before returning to the water. The rhythm of your days will be dictated only by your own inclinations.

The canoes you will use on the tour are two-person Canadian canoes - stable, easy-to-handle canoes with space for luggage and camping/kitchen equipment. No previous experience of canoeing is necessary.

Canoeing in this area of Sweden gives you excellent opportunities for intimate and personal encounters with some of the area's rich, and normally shy, wildlife. Canoeing is a quiet and unobtrusive activity, and you may find that the animals are much less wary of you than they would be if you approached on foot. If you are lucky, and quiet, you may spot a beaver curving gracefully towards you through the water, just its head visible above the smooth glassy surface. As you round a bend in the river you may come across an elk, the mighty King of the Forest, stooping to drink by the water's edge or perhaps striking out skillfully for the opposite bank - elk are excellent swimmers! In the skies above, eagles and buzzards accompany you on you journey, wheeling high in the air, their lonesome keening cries echoing for miles across the treetops.

Each evening you will sit around the campfire, recounting your impressions of the day as the sun dips below the horizon and planning for the day ahead, or perhaps you will retire early to conserve your energy for the morning's paddling - the choice is yours! When finally it is time to crawl into your sleeping bag and close your eyes, let the scents and sounds of the deep forest lull to you sleep until day breaks and it is time to take to the water once more...

Comments on Canoe Tours on Svartälven:

"We started the trip on 27 July and had opted for a two-week journey rather than one-week. Eight days of glorious sunshine in shorts from 8am to 10pm, followed by four days of mixed sun, cooler with the odd shower and a two-day downpour. Swimming in warm water lakes, exploring side rivers full of wildlife, fishing for pike, perch and dace, many of which ended up as the evening meal. And the birdlife; ospreys fishing beside us, great northern and red throated diver, firecrests, black woodpecker, a sea eagle, ravens raiding the camp, widgeon with young. At times we paddled through clouds of metallic glittering dragonflies, swallowtail butterflies, saw a metre-long grass snake swim across our bow, moose footprints the size of plates on the river bank and the sounds of beaver tails slapping the water like a gunshot at dusk. On one unforgettable night the gods paid a visit. A thunderstorm which lasted for hours, lightning crashing through the forest above our heads, torrential rains lashing the camp site, fabulous raw elements with us snug in the superb tents that had been supplied. A fabulous holiday, quite hard work on the portages, quiet, gentle paddling on mirror calm waters, deafening silences when the birds stopped singing, sunsets that lasted to midnight, and for the majority of the time we had it all to ourselves." Mark, July 2009

"Catching huge pike, plus the birdlife and scenery. Been with you before and excellent service. Great camping and fishing shops in Karlstad. Sweden much cheaper than UK press lets you think - much same price as UK apart from wines and spirits." Jane, July 2009

"Sweden was awesome, lived up to our expectations. We saw a beaver, which we didn't think in a million years we would, but there he or she was, right next to the canoe almost touching distance." Will, July 2009

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