Trip Ref #8721
DURATION
6 days
LOCATION
Norway
ANNUAL LEAVE
4 days off work
SEASON
Jun-Sep
GROUP SIZE
Up to 8 people
MEETING POINT
Ålesund Airport
ACCOMMODATION
Classic
Wild camping
DIFFICULTY
Challenging
You should be able to swim, handle 6-7 hours on the water and have a positive mindset
Immerse yourself in nature with 6 days of self-propelled adventuring
Kayak through a peaceful wilderness, navigating breath-taking fjords and checking out towns and waterfalls along the way.
Camp near the shore in remote and unbelievably beautiful locations
Day 1
Alesund to Vemoya
Kayaking
4-5hrs
Meet your guide and the rest of your team at the waterfront in Alesund, where you'll review equipment and safety and then hit the water for your first day of kayaking. Paddle along the Ellingsoyfjorden to Vemoya where you'll set up camp on the shore and enjoy a campfire and a hot meal before bed.
Day 2
Yste Skotet
Hiking
.5hrs
Kayaking
6-7hrs
After breakfast and a hot coffee to start the day, paddle along Skodje Vika to Solnorcanals and then enter Storfjord - your first section of open water. Storfjord is the largest fjord in the area, with several smaller fjords branching off of it. In the afternoon, ascend a steep cliff and follow the winding path to Yste Skotet, a historic farm that has been resurrected as a museum where you'll spend another night beneath countless stars.
Day 3
Storoya
Hiking
.5hrs
Kayaking
4hrs
Explore the farm some more and then hike back to the fjord and cross it to Storoya where you'll make camp at an old trading post. Take a natural waterfall bath and relax with some fishing before dinner.
Day 4
Aknes
Kayaking
6-7hrs
Break camp ready for a long day on the water and paddle along Storfjord beneath the imposing mountains. Stop for lunch at a small town where you'll have the chance to do some shopping and then paddle along Sunnylvsfjord. Moor up at Aknes, a steep cliff that's closely watched for landslides and climb up the hillside to the historic farm above. If the season is right you can even spend the evening picking fresh cherries!
Day 5
Skagefla
Kayaking
5-6hrs
Somehow the scenery gets even better today! Paddle out of Sunnylvsfjord and enter the UNESCO-listed Geirangerfjord, surrounded by steep, green walls and a surfeit of waterfalls. Stop in Matvik for lunch and continue on to Skagefla where you’ll hike up to your campground and some of the best views of the trip before relaxing around the campfire and enjoying a last night in the fjords.
Day 6
Geiranger
Kayaking
3hrs
Linger over a last wilderness breakfast gazing over Geirangerfjord. From your lofty perch, you'll see three waterfalls - Bride’s Veil, Seven Sisters and Suitor. Hike back to the narrow shore and finish your kayaking adventure with a short paddle to the charming seaside town of Geiranger where you'll say goodbye to your guide and team and your adventure will come to an end.
Included
Guides
Professional, English-speaking guide
Accommodation
5 nights camping
Meals
Munch on tasty food throughout
Equipment
All your camping and kayaking equipment
Not Included
Flights to and from the meeting point
Travel to and from the start point
Travel insurance
Personal expenses
Visas where required
Day 1
Wild camping · Twin share
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2 – Day 5
Wild camping · Twin share
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 6
Departure day
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
Meals are fresh, healthy and cooked over a campfire. Dinner options include meat or fish, vegetables, pasta and rice. Breakfast includes fruit, bread, cereal, coffee, tea and juice.
What is the accommodation like?
The great fjords
You'll camp in remote locations far from any facilities. Tents, sleeping mats and cooking equipment will be provided, but you'll need to bring your own sleeping bag, or rent one from your host. See Optional Extras for details.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Volsdalen Camping, Alesund
10:00
Ends
Geiranger Camping waterfront in Geiranger
15:00
Transfers
Your adventure begins at Volsdalen Camping in Alesund where you will be met by your guide. At the end of your adventure, you will finish paddling in the town of Geiranger where you’re free to find accommodation or make your own way to Alesund Airport. Your local host recommends that you take the fjord cruise between Geiranger and Alesund. This departs at 16:00 and arrives in Alesund around 19:00.
Travel options
During the summer there are flights from London to Alesund Airport (AES) on Norwegian Airlines, or you can fly to Oslo and take a domestic flight. Buses and taxis are available for the 20-minute drive into Alesund from the airport.
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?
- All technical equipment, including single or double kayaks
What's available to hire?
- Sleeping bag can be rented for 450 NOK, please enquire with your host
What do I need to bring?
- Light, breathable clothes for kayaking
- Paddling shoes or sandals that can get wet
- Swimsuit and towel
- Warm layers for the evenings, including thermal underwear, a sweater or warm jacket, wool socks, and a warm cap and gloves
- Hiking shoes
- Waterproof jacket and trousers
- Personal toiletries and medication
- 3-season sleeping bag (sleeping mat will be provided)
- Head torch
- Water bottle (will top up from waterfalls)
- Sunblock, sunglasses and a brimmed hat
- Mosquito repellent
- Personal snacks (optional)
- Medium rucksack (approx 40L) to carry gear to camp
- Camera to document your adventure
Sleeping bag rental
Payable Before Departure
Sleeping bag rental
… Per Person
The trip was well planned, the guide was knowledgeable and patient.
Everything was great!
The trip was authentic and well organised. A nice mix of people all up for a great adventure made the trip.
I can scarcely put into words how much I enjoyed this trip, though some of the things that were great were the very cool, creative (the range of outdoor skills possessed by people in our team was amazing), friendly and diverse group of kayakers who showed up for it, the astounding scenery in the fjords, the guides who were very approachable, friendly and helpful (my paddling and steering techniques were greatly improved following some advice from them), the sometimes challenging sea and weather conditions in the fjord, staying in the farmhouse and eating traditional Norwegian food, meeting the local Norwegians (and trying to speak Norsk), putting the tents up and cooking food on the fire after a hard days paddling......
Well planned by hosts, epic scenery.
This was the trip of a lifetime for me. We had a lovely group and some great guides who made sure that every minute of our journey was enjoyable for everyone. Kayaking is one of my passions and to do for 6 days in such beautiful settings was amazing! I loved all the wildlife we encountered (porpoises, eagles, stoats and more) and we got to camp in some beautiful settings. The night spent at a traditional Norwegian farm was a particular highlight for me as well getting to eat some traditional Norwegian food.
The scenery, the guides and the weather mostly were great.
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.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 61kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal for 2023 to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
- A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. For every person booked with us since 2016 we’re planting enough trees to suck at least 2x more carbon out the atmosphere than is emitted by their trips. All native trees, as part of amazing projects that are re-foresting degraded land, tackling the biodiversity crisis and supporting local communities at the same time. We go further than that too, also funding re-wilding projects worldwide to help protect important keystone species from extinction. See the reforestation and re-wilding schemes we support. See our carbon action plan.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
This is a multi-day kayaking trip with some longer and shorter days. Depending on the circumstances, you will be paddling for up to 6-7 hours on the longer days with headwinds, which calls for strong arms and a positive mindset. You also need to be able to swim and be strong enough to lift a fully packed kayak in and out of the water, often in rocky and slippery landing conditions. While it is not a technically difficult trip and you do not need much experience, you should be sure that you can sit in a kayak for quite a few hours over 6 consecutive days. Our experience is that this trip is not suited for those who have back problems or who have had these in the past.
Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Drinking water will be refilled from waterfalls en-route and it doesn't get much fresher than that.
Summer in Norway is sunny and warm, though the weather can still be fickle. Daytime temperatures average 12 – 20 °C, while nights cool down to 5 – 10 °C. It also rains more than half the days each month. Though too far south to experience the Midnight Sun, summer days in Alesund are very long and there’s no true night from May through August.
Any luggage you don't need can be left in the car in Alesund. This will then be driven to Geiranger where you can collect it at the end of the trip.
This trip operates with both double and single kayaks so you can tell your host your preference upon booking. Saying that they can't guarantee the use of either as they need to ensure that the group paddles at an equal pace, using equal effort. This means that the guide will always have the last word on who is paddling which kayak.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory on all of our adventures. Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure.
Your insurance policy should also include specific Covid-19 cover, including cancellation and curtailment cover if you, your travel companion or a close relative are diagnosed with Covid-19.
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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