Kayaking Short-Break
4 days of self-guided kayaking in Saint Anna
Top notch equipment
We provide kayaking, camping and cooking gear of the very highest quality. It’s sure to make your time in the wild as comfortable as can be, no matter the whims of Mother Nature!
Wildlife encounters
Saint Anna is a paradise for common and rare coastal birds, no less than thirty-five species breed here. Sighting White-tailed eagles hovering high up in the air is almost a given. If lucky, you’ll spot a magnificent Grey seal bobbing its head above the water.
Wild camping permitted anywhere
So many wild islands! Just take your pick and make it your own for a night. Go for a swim, enjoy a delicious meal, and take in the beautiful sunset. You’re all by your lonesome in this amazing coastal landscape and it’s absolutely stunning.
A landscape rich in culture & history
It’s almost all solitude and wilderness out here, but the area has also been home to people living their whole lives on the islands for centuries. Visting some of the cultural points of interest is truly like travelling to a time long gone.
What You'll Get
A Complete Package from Start to finish
We provide all kayaking, camping and cooking gear needed. On site we help you pack and give instructions on paddling, navigation and the area. Return transfer Norrköping -Saint Anna included as well as access to our comprehensive food order system.
Included
- Top quality kayaking, camping & cooking gear
- Return transfer Norrköping-Saint Anna
- Food order – we shop and pack for you at cost price
- Briefing on the area, navigation and safety
- Detailed guide book
- Cell phone for weather reports & communication
- 24/7 Do the North service while kayaking
What to Bring
- A couple of sets of clothing
- Shoes for water & land
- Towel & swimwear
- Sunglasses, sun cap, sun block & toiletries
- Camera
Not Included
- Flights to Sweden
- Food & Beverage
Price per person
4 DAYS
7,800 SEK
Trip Information
Departures: Arrive Monday through Saturday, depart any day of the week, 27 May–26 September. Pickup at 10:00 in Norrköping on first day. Dropoff at 17:00 in Norrköping on last day. Note that these times are not flexible.
Check if your dates are available: Just go through the first couple of steps in Book Holiday.
Group size: 2–12 people
Minimum age: 12 years accompanied by an adult, otherwise 18 years
Fitness level: Low/medium
Prerequisites: Must be able to swim and have a taste for adventure. Weight limit; 120 kilo per person. Beginners are welcome! We use stable double kayaks for all beginners and intermediates. Single kayaks only for experienced kayakers (please email us and describe your skill level for singles). We do have stabler plastic singles if your group is uneven, but it requires a double kayak in the group to take most of the gear.
Payment: We charge 1,000 SEK deposit per person at the time of booking. The remaining balance is due 2 weeks prior to your trip.
Discounts
Group: 7 people or more, 10% off.
Price reduction per person:
- Opt out of food order & transfer
- -1,000 SEK
- Young adults (12-17yrs)
- -1,000 SEK
Day by Day
The Long Weekender allows you enough time to explore some of Saint Anna’s best spots. We recommend our 5 day+ Self-guided Expedition for also catching the highlights of the Gryt Archipelago and more outer archipelago paddling
Into the Maze
Our launch Mon is situated in a a sheltered bay – soon you’re completely surrounded by water and wilderness. Your route northeast towards Lammskär zigzags through a beautiful part of the archipelago with many clusters of islands. Several species of ducks, swans and Grey herons breed around these parts, and White-tailed eagles nest in trees not far from here.
The Uggelholmarna nature reserve is a great spot for a break. Take a short stroll through the open glade-filled forest to see pine and linden trees that are up to three hundred years old. Continue east towards the narrow inlet between Lammskär and Kalvskär, until you end up inside the sheltered atoll formation of islands. Sunset views here are absolutely stunning.
Hundreds of skerries from above
Your following day goes south past bird sanctuaries with lots of birdlife towards Äspskär. This crescent-shaped smooth islet is surrounded by shallow waters, and is superb for swimming and even snorkelling!
Head southeast to one of the most famous spots in the Saint Anna Archipelago – Kupa Klint. This old navigation mark has been used by seafarers for hundreds of years. It’s a fantastic lookout with spectacular views of the surrounding archipelago – the most finely-chiselled that exists in Sweden.
Inside the outer band of skerries is the large island Missjö and its parallel islands. This beautiful area is very sheltered with little nooks and crannies everywhere. For a genuine archipelago experience, visit the rustic pub on Missjö. Boat taxi man and sea dog Mats serve up cold beers and yummie dishes made from fish and coastal birds hunted nearby. Mats is often there to host and tell stories, and it’s a very fun time indeed.
The village that time forgot
Your exploration continues south towards Harstena Village, a must-see on your journey. An idyllic view of the village greets you as you paddle the small inlet to the water-side restaurant. Harstena is renowned for its picturesque and historic beauty. Visit the museum at the old school, stroll around the village and treat yourself to a delicious lunch at the restaurant. Make sure to pick up some mouth-watering cinnamon swirls from the bakery and smoked fish from the local fisherman.
Close to Harstena to the west is Torrön. This large wild island hosts a mosaic of hundreds of little islets, which makes for fantastic views and paddling. It’s a very sheltered area with shallow waters, smooth rocks and calm creeks – great for swimming and sunbathing. Look down as you glide across the rocky bottoms to view large forests of bladder wrack. There are lots of birds here, for example Velvet scooters, tufted ducks and mergansers. On the northern part of the island there is a small lake covered with pretty white water lilies.
Land Ahoy!
Your last morning in this island wonderland, and you couldn’t be in a more beautiful spot! Jump in the water for a final dip and enjoy a leisurely morning, before taking on the quite strenuous paddle towards land.
Aim north across somewhat exposed waters to the strait at Snuggholmen. Another crossing takes you to the beautiful long sheltered passage between Missjö and its inner parallel island. After a quick paddle westward you reach the bustling mainland hub Tyrislöt.
Give yourself a little extra time here to visit the Archipelago Museum and walk the nature trail. Finish up by enjoying a couple of cold lagers among the cherry trees outside the countryside pub. A perfect ending to your long weekend of wilderness and archipelago culture!
*Weather conditions will effect your route. This example includes some strenuous outer archipelago paddling – your route will be significantly easier and more sheltered if you remain in the inner and middle parts of the archipelago. Establishments on Harstena are open June 22–August 26.
Getting Here
Pick-up in Norrköping
Norrköping is the major hub of the area. We pick you up at 10.00, it’s a beautiful city to spend the night before your adventure. Our closest airport is Linköping, but you can also fly to Arlanda, Copenhagen, Bromma etc. Arriving by train is an excellent option for the environment!
Please take the time to read Getting to Sweden with less CO2 emissions for tips on what you can do from your end. Hint: offsets ain’t it!
We pick you up either at the train station or at any hotel/hostel/airbnb.
Check out our Visitor’s Guide to Norrköping
We drop you back off around 16.30-17.00 on your last day of kayaking.
Pick-up in Norrköping 10.00.
This is en excellent option for the environment. If you search for the entire trip, as quick as possible, it may seem like a complicated journey with many changes and no possibility for sleep. But if you divide it, and take some time to visit one or two spots on the way, it’s a fantastic chance to experience new places.
Your best bet is to purchase an Interrail pass, for example travel 4 days within a month EUR 185.
An example:
Brussels – Hamburg, 6,5-8 hrs, 1-2 changes
Hamburg – Copenhagen, 4,5-5,5 hrs, 0-1 changes
Copenhagen to Norrköping, 3 hrs 45 min, 0-1 changes
Each of these cities are very beautiful and interesting, there are plenty of departures and you can puzzle together your journey as you see fit!
Your carbon emissions will be around 75% lower than flying.
Pick-up in Norrköping 10.00.
“Snälltåget” from Berlin or Hamburg to Norrköping has daily departures during peak summer (June 24-Aug 18). Leave Berlin in the evening and arrive to Norrköping around 16 hours later. You can use Eurail or Interrail passes on Snälltaget!
Your carbon emissions will be around 75% lower than flying.
Meet us at the launch in Saint Anna at 11.00. Safe parking available.
Whether you have your own or a rental from the airport, a car gives you lots of flexibility. If you drive to Saint Anna, as well as shop your own food, we give you a 1,000 SEK price reduction per person.
Directions (Map):
Aim for our closest town Söderköping.
Take road 210, follow signs to S:t Anna,
Pass the bridge “Lagnöbron“, and take a left after 500 meters by the sign for “Mons Friluftsby“. Keep driving appr. 5-7 minutes to the pin. It’s a gravel road on the right with a gate. Follow the small road down to the water.
Carbon emissions per person when driving the whole way are a little trickier to calculate. It depends on several factors like how many passengers are in the car, fuel type and fuel effiency. In very broad terms, you will leave around a 50% smaller carbon imprint than flying the same distance.
Pick-up in Norrköping 10.00.
Taxi 10 mins to Linköping train station. Train to Norrköping 25 mins.
Fly direct from Amsterdam. Transfer in Amsterdam from all over Europe, e.g. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Belfast, Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg etc. klm.com
Linköping Taxi: +46 13 33 00 00
Train tickets: sj.se
Pick-up in Norrköping 10.00.
Direct train 2 hours to Norrköping. sj.se (Arlanda C – Norrköping)
Sweden’s main airport. Served by all major airlines, for example SAS, Lufthansa, British Airways. Low price alternatives:
Ryanair: London Stansted, Birmingham, Liverpool, Vienna, Brussels Charleroi, Cologne, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Beziers, Barcelona
Easyjet: Geneva
Combining kayaking with a visit to Stockholm? Take Arlanda Express to the city, 20 mins. Train from Stockholm Central to Norrköping 75 mins. sj.se
We’ll pick you up at the train station.
Pick-up in Norrköping 10.00.
Copenhagen may seem far away but it’s actually a great airport to fly to. There are high speed trains from the airport to Norrköping (appr. 3 hrs 45 min). It’s also way better climate wise with a substantially shorter flight than to Stockholm.
Trains (Copenhagen Airport to Norrköping): sj.se Note that if you’re booking your kayaking adventure far in advance they may not have released all the train departures yet. Trains will leave appr every hour, earliest departure around 5.00, latest departure around 18.30.
Combining kayaking with a visit to Copenhagen? Train or metro from the airport to the city takes 15 mins and runs 24/7. Train from Copenhagen city to Norrköping: sj.se
Your carbon emissions will be around 25% lower than flying from most European cities to Stockholm!
Brussels Airport (BRU) to Bromma Airport (BMA).
Pick-up in Norrköping 10.00.
Bus transfer 20 mins to Stockholm city. flygbussarna.se/en/bromma
Train from Stockholm city to Norrköping, 65-90 mins. sj.se
Flights on Mondays and Fridays. Bus transfer 15 mins to Örebro train station. Buses connect to all flights to/from London. flixbus.se
Train from Örebro to Norrköping appr. 2 hrs 15 mins. sj.se
Kalmar is quite far from Norrköping, about 3.5 hours by train. But you may get a good deal on the flight.
Bus from Kalmar Airport to Kalmar train station 13 mins, leaves every 20 mins. Train to Norrköping appr. 3 hrs 20 mins. sj.se
Gothenburg is quite far from Norrköping, but if you’re looking for a budget airline from your city it might be worth having a look. It’s also a very nice city to visit, Sweden’s second largest.
Shuttle from the airport to Gothenburg train station 20 mins. flygbussarna.se Train from Gothenburg city to Norrköping, appr. 3-3,5 hours. sj.se
Ryanair: Edinburgh, Manchester, London Stansted, Prague, Dublin, Vienna etc.
Spending the night in Norrköping
Depending on your means of arrival, it may be a good idea to spend the night in Norrköping. We recommend:
This chic little hotel in a refurbished 18th-century building has a great atmosphere. It’s located 700 meters from the train station, and also offers spa services and a great restaurant. Breakfast is included. All rooms are equipped with shower & WC, TV and Wi-Fi. The Lamp Hotel
Use discount code Dothenorth for a 10% discount! Must be applied when booking.
This hostel is a more budget alternative, 1.4 kilometres from the train station. It’s located right in the city centre in the historic “Industrial Landscape” with great views of the river and the old magnificent factory buildings and chimneys. All rooms have TV and Wi-Fi. En suite or shared shower & WC. Self-serving breakfast buffet included. Pronova Hostel