Norway’s Best Kayaking Destinations
Overview
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1. Lofoten Islands West of Svolvær
Trip Planner Skill Level: Intermediate to expert |
The Lofoten Islands are a chain of cragged islands and stun fjords rising out of the norwegian Sea off the northwestern coast of Norway. This area is full of natural smasher in the vicinity of the arctic lap and boasts testify of the Vikings dating back over 1,000 years. The Lofotens are besides a act of an anomaly weather-wise, despite their northerly latitude, they maintain a pleasantly warm temperature thanks to warm currents from the Gulf Stream.
Kayaking in these waters can be more of a challenge than in other areas, particularly on the disclose northerly slope of the islands. This area is exposed to the potent currents, winds, and ocean swells coming from the sea. Paddlers should be experienced enough to paddle for two hours in a diverseness of conditions and be constantly prepared for cold water .
The Lofoten Islands can be reached with a short flight from Oslo to Svolvær. From there, you can paddle to assorted fishing villages to stay in rorbuers ( traditional fisherman ’ s cabins converted to B & Bs ), find camping spots along the shoreline or even barely do kayaking day trips. If you are more adventurous, you can circumnavigate the integral Lofotens in a two-week trip .
2. Nærøyfjord and Aurlandsfjord
Trip Planner Skill Level: Beginner to intermediate |
The calm and protected waters of Nærøyfjord and Aurlandsfjord make for an ideal insertion to kayaking in Norway. The kayak is slowly, the views are spectacular, and there are a variety of villages from which you can launch. The fjords are 18 km and 29 km long respectively, which are some of the longest fjords in Norway. Take in the sights of gallant cliffs surrounding you on both sides, or take a fail from kayaking to explore the scenic hike trails and waterfalls along the way. It is easy to reach these fjords ampere well, just take a short flight ( or 6-hour drive ) from Oslo to Voss, then take a short one-hour drive to the villages of Gudvangen, Flåm, Undredal and Aurlandsvangen.
Sounds perfect, proper ? It is no wonder that UNESCO has designated this as a world inheritance site. These fjords are best experienced from mid-may to mid-September, and it ’ s possible to kayak every day on these gentle waters .
3. Lysefjord
Trip Planner Skill Level: Beginner to intermediate |
Lysefjord is a fantastic soundbox of urine to traverse. It is 42 kilometer retentive and is surrounded by towering inhospitable cliffs for most of its distance. At some points, the water is a deep as the mountains are tall, which is over 1000 molarity deep. Out of these epic cliffs, the outstanding Preikestolen ( or Pulpit Rock ) stands out amongst the rest. To get to the tableland of this mountain takes a 2-3 hour hike up a rarely flat path that is not for the meek, but the opinion is well worth the feat and makes this one of the most inflict destinations in Norway.
The waters of the Lysefjord are calm, but there are only two villages to access from, Forsand on the west end, and Lysebotn on the east. Paddling from one greenwich village to the following is a 4-day travel and camp is possible along the way. To entree Lysefjord, take the flying 50-minute fledge from Oslo to Stavanger, and then drive an hour to Oanes or Forsand .
4. Sotra
Trip Planner Skill Level: Beginner to expert ( route dependant ) |
Sotra is a large island in an archipelago along the southern slide of Norway and just west of the city of Bergen. With the larger population centres of the area come more amenities like cafe, dame sanctuaries, restaurants and a variety of Bed and Breakfast and cabin accommodations. The waters around Sotra offer a scope of options, from calm protect waters available in day trips to rough queer coastal waters on the western side. Day-trippers can hop from one village to the following, and the more adventurous and skilled kayakers will enjoy the challenge of the 7-day circumnavigation camping travel around the island.
Reaching Sotra is easy as it is a short 30-minute drive from Bergen ( the second-largest city in Norway ). Bergen is a quick and bum escape from Oslo, or a scenic caravan ride if you are so incline .
5. Seven Sisters, Geirangerfjord
Trip PlannerSkill Level: Beginner to intermediate Read more: Baijiu – Wikipedia Where to Stay: Make your base out of Geiranger, and camp on distant beaches along the way |
The Geirangerfjord is a 20 km-long branch off the Storfjorden ( the Great Fjord ) with the greenwich village of Hellesylt in the west and Geiranger in the east. Its waters are calm and protect and in the middle of its duration lies the 1350 meter grandiloquent Seven Sisters waterfall ( a UNESCO inheritance site ). The trip from Geiranger to Hellesylt can be completed in a day, but if you don ’ t want to rush, why not find a scenic seat to camp along the way ? The towering mountain cliffs on either side make finding shore a short challenge at times, but there are some suitable locations. To reach Geiranger, you ’ ll indigence to take a one-hour flight from Oslo to Alesund, and then take a bus, car, or ferry ride to Geiranger. Along the trip, you will encounter car ferries servicing your path, and they will be converted to carbon-neutral ships by 2026 .
6. Glacier Lake Sea Kayaking at Folgefonna
Trip Planner Skill Level: Beginner |
Need a change from oceans and fjords ? Try out kayaking in glacier-filled lakes around Folgefonna National Park. Folgefonna is an area containing three big tableland glaciers over an area of 207 sq kilometer. Guided tours leave out of the town of Rosendal and take you to a lake 850 megabyte above sea level where you will have the chance to dodge ice coming into the lake and touch the Folgefonna glacier. Watching the frosting flow around you and seeing the enormousness of the glaciers up close is an amazing adventure. It is a great experience for all skill levels, though be prepared to take a safety demonstration and don ’ thyroxine forget to bring a drysuit for the cold body of water. You can reach this finish with a short circuit one-hour trajectory from Oslo to Bergen combined with a two-hour drive from Bergen to Rosendal. alternatively, you can take the six-hour drive directly from Oslo. Rosendal offers enough of cabin and Bed and Breakfast accommodations .
7. Sommarøy
Trip Planner Skill Level: Intermediate to advanced |
Sommarøy is a fish village located on an island just west of the city of Tromsø. The area is an unwrap coastline, so the hoist and waters are more acute and prone to changing conditions. Intermediate kayakers may enjoy day trips exploring the celebrated white-sand beaches along the coastline. More advanced-skilled kayakers will enjoy taking longer trips from Tromsø to Sommarøy and camping on the beaches along the way. aside from the beautiful beaches, visitors can take in dateless dramatic out slide scenery, or explore small rocky islands and skerries in this region. Daytrip may be a misinform condition in this separate of the global as the sunday does not set from May 18 until July 26, 69 days straight !
You can choose to either leave from Tromsø, which you can fly immediately to from Oslo, or drive 30 minutes from Tromsø to Sommarøy. Sommarøy is a little fishing village founded in the 1800 ’ south, but it is equipped for tourists for modest accommodations .
8. Lofoten Islands East of Svolvær
Trip Planner Skill Level: Beginner to advanced |
The Lofoten Islands are a beautiful area to explore during a kayak travel. The easterly area around Svolvær has its unique advantages. Being on the protect side of the archipelago, the waters are calm adequate for beginners, but advanced kayakers can find challenges on some of the more adventurous routes out of Svolvær. A suggested scenic adventure is a three-day tripper that starts in Svolvær, where you paddle to Austefjorden and from there venture to Tengelfjorden and enjoy in the stateliness of the towering peaks rising along the length of this retentive deep fjord. You can arrange for a pickup at the end of the fjord or make it a roundtrip over several more days.
You can reach Svolvær by flying directly from Oslo, and the town has a variety of accommodations and amenities available before you kick off your travel .
excursion Engineering ’ s 8-day Lofoten Islands BnB kayaking trip runs June 30- July 7, 2022. Cost is €3950. Norway is candid for travel for immunize travelers. Contact us at information @ expeditionengineering.com or ph 1-250-266-2515 for more information .