Quick Details
This Classic Fjords paddle is a must do for every paddler; is well suited for beginners to advanced sea kayakers alike. Join an IFSKGIA certified Guide on a sea kayak/camping journey down Norway’s Wold-Famous Western Fjords. We have guides avaialbe for weekly departures during the summer months of July and August; we provide everything for a fabulous 5 day fully catered paddling & camping trip down Majestic Arctic Fjords.
A marvellous trip with fun-loving professional guides and best of all priced for a ‘backpacker’s’ budget!
The highlights are numerous, from gliding along jade green fjords, tasting fresh sweet water from sparkling creeks, friendly conversation around campfires, delicious camp meals, stretching our legs on well trodden footpaths, taking in majestic vistas, the catch of the day, tales and sagas of days gone by, unbelievable mountain ledge farms, long Scandinavian summer days, and friendly fun-loving KMT guides.
The journey encompasses 100 km with an average paddling duration of 5-6 hours per day, not including breaks; your guide(s) will lead you on a discovery of the world-Famous fjords where you will experience the history and culture of a rugged mountain people and the waterways that connected them.
Arrival Day
Meet your guide! Sunday, 17:00 (5 p.m.) at the Scandic Hotel Ålesund.
Here, your guide will host a parley on what to expect in terms of weather, paddling conditions, route description with a complete day-by-day breakdown of the trip including tide calculations and morning departure times, as well an overview of our accommodation and a meal outline. Also, you will receive dry bags from us to pack your personal gear and a description of what to pack and how to pack it, etc.
Refreshments will be served.
DAY 1 – Ellingsøyfjord
After a solid breakfast, we meet in the lobby at 09:00, where we load up for the short drive to our launching site. Here, we finish packing our sea kayaks, before gearing up and pushing off.
We slip into our sea kayaks and our senses come alive with the buzz, aromas and the pastel colors of the art nouveau facades adorning the city’s waterways. Paddles slicing through crystal-clear water, our sea kayaks slide out onto Ålesund’s fjords speckled with historic features and sights, from stunning heritage art nouveau facades to over 100-year-old historical landmarks guarding the entrance to her harbors. The city skyline and mighty Borgund Fjord chiseled on a seemingly painted backdrop of the majestic Sunnmøre Alps.
Borgund Fjord, keeping the southern city sights, sounds & smells on our left we paddle its glistening waters; floating through Nørve Sound to the entrance of Ellingsøyfjord with its fairy tale islands. Cruising amongst poetic islands we leave urbanization behind and search out an island camp for the night.
DAY 2 – Storfjord
The tide dictates our departure from our island digs this morning; timing the currents so that they are in our favor when paddling under the Skodje bridges and through the Solnør canal. Once we are through the canal, we stop to stretch our legs in Solnør Bay. This is our last stop before we enter the fjords. Paddling south, we cross directly over Storfjord before stopping on the south shore for a picnic lunch. Sticking to the southern coast of Storfjord, we make our way to Vollvika and the trailhead to the mountain ledge farm of Ytste Skotet.
Paddling across Ramstad Bay, we follow the southern coast of Storfjord to Ytste Skotet. Upon landing at the trailhead of Ytste Skotet we unload the gear that we will need for a night at the farm. The hike up to this historic farm takes about 40 minutes. After arriving at Ytste Skotet, a refreshing dip in the creek feels wonderful after two days of paddling.
Ytste Skotet is a living museum mountain ledge farm that takes you back to 1800s life on the fjords; it is here we camp for the night with breathtaking views of the fjords and Sunnmøre Mountains.
DAY 3 – Stordal & Stranda
After a hearty breakfast, we hike down to our waiting kayaks, load our gear and launch onto the waters of Storfjord. Today’s paddle takes us further down the Grand Fjord past the hamlets of Stordal and Stranda. The conditions and our fishing luck dictate our progress along the fjord. Tonight, we camp on the banks of Storfjord.
Relaxing, swapping stories around our campfire while our fresh fish supper is being prepared, the perfect finish to our paddle on the Grand Fjord!
DAY 4 – Sunnylvsfjord
Refreshed and sated from a glorious night and solid breakfast on the banks of the fjord, we push off, aiming our kayaks toward the navigational light that signals the entrance to Sunnylvsfjord. We round the headland and enter Sunnylvsfjord; heading south we paddle down this seemingly never-ending fjord. Searching out one of the few secluded landing sots on this fjord to refuel on a delicious picnic lunch. Feeling minuscule, the steep mountain walls give the impression of paddling down a deep canyon, we push on and on; then finally two thirds down the fjord we land at the takeout to the 18th-century mountain ledge farm of Åkernes.
Landing at Åkernes, we relax with a traditional KMT Anchor Aperitif before we unload our kayaks and organize the gear that we need for the night at the farm. The short hike up is a refreshing stretch of our legs after the long paddle down Sunnylvsfjord. The view is fantastic from this historic 18th-century farm; as the evening sun dips below the rugged mountains, we dine on another glorious supper overlooking a wild fjord.
DAY 5 – Geiranger Fjord
Hot coffee and a quick breakfast while we gather our gear before heading down to the shore. The short hike down to our kayaks is refreshing and wakes us up. We gear up for our final launch onto Norway’s Western Fjords. Crossing-over Sunnylvsfjord we follow the coastline down to the mouth of the Geiranger fjord. Rounding the point near the farm, Matvik we glide onto the famous Geiranger fjord. A welcomed stretch of our legs at Matvik, Geiranger Fjord’s historic fruit farm along with some nourishment to refuel our energy, while we survey our awe-inspiring surroundings. Casting off, our kayaks glide on down majestic Geiranger fjord.
Geiranger Fjord’s thundering waterfalls, Bridesvail, Severn Sisters, Suitor, Gjerde, and the historic mountain ledge farms of Blomberg, Skageflå, and Knivsflå entice us to stop and play as we float by, get your cameras ready as the world’s most photographed fjord boasts many postcard-perfect backdrops.
Past the waterfalls and mountain ledge farms, we round the final bend and the hamlet of Geiranger beckons us at the very end of this marvelous fjord. The village appears tiny as the mountain backdrop rises over 1500 m above marking the gateway to the Jotunheimen Mountain Range. As climb out of our sea kayaks for the last time at the town pier we toast our journey down the World-Famous Norwegian Fjords with a well-deserved Anchor Aperitif.
In Geiranger, there is time to explore this tiny village while your guides load up the gear and KMT’s van transports you back to Ålesund.