
Trip Ref #808
DURATION
3 nights
LOCATION
Sweden
ANNUAL LEAVE
3 days off work
GROUP SIZE
Up to 14 people
MEETING POINT
Stockholm Skavsta Airport
ACCOMMODATION
Classic
Wild camping
DIFFICULTY
Moderate
No previous experience is needed and you decide your pace and how much distance you want to cover.
Paddle around the remote Saint Anna Archipelago - a paradise for kayakers looking for an epic adventure!
Find an island that’s completely your own, set up camp by the water and cook a delicious meal as you watch the sunset
Explore a maze of more than 6,000 islands, most of them uninhabited – from forested ones sheltered near the mainland, to the wild and barren islets out by the open sea
Day 1
Into the maze
Meet your host at the airport or in the town of Norrköping and drive through the Swedish countryside to the jump off point for the beautiful Saint Anna archipelago. Load your supplies into your kayak and review your plan for the weekend, including safety and water navigation - you’ll even be given a phone for daily weather reports. Take to the water and quickly find yourself surrounded by forested islands, narrow passages and barren skerries as far as the eye can see. Find the perfect island for the night and set up camp - the solitude and sense of freedom are hard to put into words and have to be experienced!
Day 2
Islands all the way to the horizon
Break camp and continue exploring. If you choose, you can paddle to Äspskär - a crescent-shaped islet surrounded by shallow waters that are superb for swimming and snorkelling. Another route takes you through a massive cluster of barren islands out by the open sea. This is the most finely-chiselled archipelago in Sweden and a paradise for wildlife, including Razorbills, Black Guillemots, Arctic Skuas, Ospreys and Grey Seals. Head to one of the most famous spots in Saint Anna – Kupa Klint - an old navigation marker used by seafarers for centuries with a spectacular view over the surrounding islands. Pay a visit to the rustic pub on Missjö where sea dog Mats serves up cold beers and delicious dishes made from fish and coastal birds sustainably hunted nearby. Choose your next island, set up camp and get the fire going.
Day 3
The village that time forgot
Continue south towards Harstena, a village famous for its historic beauty. Take a stroll to the museum in the old school and treat yourself to a delicious lunch at the waterside restaurant. Be sure to pick up some of the heavenly cinnamon swirls from the nearby bakery and some smoked fish from the local smokehouse. Continue exploring and perhaps stop off at Torrön; a large and wild island surrounded by a mosaic of little islets. It’s a sheltered area with shallow waters, smooth rocks and calm creeks – fantastic for swimming and sunbathing. You'll also find some of the best sunset views in the whole area around here!
Day 4
Land Ahoy
Cook up a hearty breakfast and prepare for your last paddle through this ravishing area. Aim north across exposed waters until you reach the long and narrow passage by Missjö. After that, a quick paddle westward will take you to the bustling mainland hub of Tyrislöt where your adventure will end. Enjoy a couple of cold lagers among the cherry trees at the local pub - the perfect way to end your long weekend in the wilderness - after which your host will take you back to the airport in plenty of time to catch your flight home.
Included
Accommodation
3 nights wild-camping on deserted islands
Transfers
To and from the airport and everything in-between
Equipment
Professional kayaking and camping equipment
Not Included
Some meals as described
Personal expenses
Travel insurance
Flights to and from the meeting point
Visas where required
What is the food like?
You will order everything in advance from a comprehensive food list and pay exactly the same price as in the supermarket. Food for a 3 night trip usually adds up to around 40–60 Pounds (EUR 50–70) per person depending on how lavish you wish to be. The larger the group, the smaller the individual cost.
You will also be provided with enough fresh water to last the first half of the trip, and shown a few places en-route where you can fill up. All dietary requirements can be provided for, just order the appropriate food off the list.
What is the accommodation like?
The islands
You are free to set up camp on any island you find and make it your home for the night. Top quality Hilleberg tents, Haglöfs sleeping bags, sleeping mats and all your cooking equipment are provided. You’ll also be given information on the rules regarding rubbish disposal, open fires, bird sanctuaries, protected plant and animal species etc. Saint Anna is incredibly clean and untouched — together we'll keep it that way!
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Stockholm Skavsta Airport or Norrköping
10:00 or 11:00
Ends
Stockholm Skavsta Airport or Norrköping
Flexible
Transfers
Arrive in the morning to Stockholm Skavsta and your host will pick you up right from the airport.
Alternatively, there are a number of other options to fly and make your way to the pick up point at the train station in Norrköping, the major hub of the area.
Stockholm Arlanda (all major airlines), 2 hour direct train to Norrköping Linköping City Airport (KLM), 30 min train to Norrköping Norrköping Airport (BMI), 10 min taxi ride to Norrköping Copenhagen Airport (CPH), 3h 45m high speed train Norrköping These options allow you to take advantage of typically cheaper evening flights and arrive the night before, spend the night in Norrköping (or elsewhere) and meet your guide in the morning.
If you are staying in Norrköping your local host recommends The Lamp Hotel close to the train station or Pronova Hotel in the city centre.
At the end of your adventure your host will drop you back off either in Norrköping, an hour drive, or Stockholm Skavsta Airport, 2 hours from the archipelago.
Travel options
There are regular flights to Stockholm Skavsta from airports across the UK and Europe.
What about all the carbon?
We've crunched the numbers to work out the total carbon footprint of this trip, and plant enough trees to suck 2x as much back out the atmosphere.
Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear
In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.
What's included?
- Kayak, paddle, spraydeck and life jacket
- Tent, sleeping mat and sleeping bag
- Compass, maps, guide book and mobile phone
- Dry bags
- Rainproof jacket
- Camp stove, cooking utensils and eating utensils
What do I need to bring?
- A small rucksack for exploring the islands
- Several warm layers of clothing (thermal top and bottom, warm jacket or sweater)
- Light-weight, breathable, quick-drying tops and bottoms
- Swimsuit and towel
- Shoes that can get wet (not flip-flops)
- Light hiking shoes for camp and exploring
- Sun protection
- Hat and light gloves for nights at camp
- Personal toiletries and medications
No optional extras are available for this trip.
Very well organised.
Location, people, equipment and the weather were great!
What a trip!! Everything was excellent. The most well-organised trip, everything was so efficient! Staff was friendly and very knowledgable. Highly recommend this trip!
Hosts were fantastic, the country was beautiful. Could visit 20 times and not see everything.
The equipment was great, good communications, great location.
The freedom and beautiful scenery were great.
I just enjoyed a 3-day self-guided kayaking holiday around the St Anna archipelago. This was an excellent experience all round. The scenery and location were wonderful. The advice and assistance provided by Rob, Ted, Thomas and Helena was first class. The equipment provided was the highest quality. I would thoroughly recommend them for anyone looking for a brilliant adventure holiday.
Fantastic equipment and everything was thought of. Brilliant service and quality.
The setting, the fact that everything was thought of and provided, the top of the line kit, that was easy and nice to use.
Great nature, quiet islands to yourself - paradise.
No previous experience is needed and you decide your own pace and how much distance you want to cover. Kayaking in this area is quite easy and the boats go surprisingly fast with little effort.
Not really. Wind direction has a lot to say in where you go and your host will advise you on a general plan, but everything else is up to you. There are a few different pick-up points, so when it's time to go home, you just call your host and let them know where and when you'll be.
Double kayaks are very stable and well suited for both beginners and intermediate level kayakers, while single kayaks require more skill since they can roll over. If you do roll, don't worry - life jackets are provided and you're not attached to the kayak, so just pop to the surface and get back in! Navigation is pretty straightforward, you just have to be attentive and make sure that the landmarks around you match what you see on the map. You'll also be given a cell phone with pre-programmed numbers. The whole area has reception, so if something happens you're only a phone call away from help and can be reached by boat in under 20 minutes.
There are no tides in Saint Anna to speak of and the sea level stays the same, which means no time tables and transporting kayaks and gear from the waterline. Also, there are no big swells since the many islands break up the waves into occasional choppy water.
The islands are close together, completely pristine and unexploited, with no ferries or large boats to disturb you. There are a couple of quaint old villages where you can buy smoked fish and ice-cream and local points of interest that include an old copper mine, a wood-fired sauna, lighthouses, lookouts and more. You will get plenty of solitude and wilderness on your adventure, but it's also great to have a few places to visit along the way. There's plenty to do on each little island, like swimming and sunbathing, fishing from the shore, cooking, hanging out by the campfire, wandering into the forest to pick berries and mushrooms. Your imagination really gets going when you feel so free!
As this is a self-guided trip, there needs to be a minimum of two people in your group. This is to esnure it is safe at all times.
Weather in the archipelago changes often and quickly and a given summer day can bring you 33°C and sunshine, or 17°C and rain. Mostly, however, it stays around 20–28°C. Expect some calm, hot and sunny days, and a couple of overcast, windier ones. Sometimes it rains, but this usually passes pretty quickly. Your host will text you with the weather report every morning and you can check the forecast at smhi.se/en/Weather and search for "Soderkoping." Water temperature depends on the weeks leading up to summer. Typical ranges are 14–19°C in early and late summer, and 19–24°C in mid-summer.
Any excess luggage can be safely left with your local host at the put-in point.
For current advice about travelling in Sweden, have a read of the UK Foreign Office pages here.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.
Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
You're in good company. Our adventures are typically made up of a mix of solo travellers and small groups of two or three friends who simply love adventure, pushing themselves and meeting awesome like-minded people. See here for more info about our lovely bunch of Much Better Adventurers.
Want to book a private trip? Just tap ‘Private Group’ in the dates and prices tab.
Your trip is led by carefully curated local hosts and expert guides. See here for more info about the guides we work with.
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