Some of my best memories as a child include playing in or near water. Pools, lakes, seas, or oceans, I didn’t discriminate. As a young girl, I played every pool game imaginable from underwater tea parties to Marco Polo, and I lost track of how many times I was “baptized” by friends in the shallow end of the pool. Therefore, it’s no surprise that today, when I book trips near water, I always try to find a way to get out in it and see the area from “the water’s point of view”. Here, in Europe, that’s been easy to do, but while it’s usually my favorite part of any trip, my man enjoys water activities about as much as a cat likes being bathed. So, I am reminded of how much he loves me every time he willingly participates (with a smile or a smirk) on our many kayaking adventures. That’s why this post of My Top Ten Favorite Places to Kayak is dedicated to him.
Thank you, Patrick, for always being a kind and willing kayaking partner. Thank you for loving me enough to risk being eaten by a hammerhead or swallowed by a sea lion. You sure do love me!
My Top Ten Favorite Places to Kayak
Honorable mention: Scotland (canoeing) – July 2023
In an effort to appease my tweens, I booked a canoeing trip (in lieu of our usual kayaking excursions) along the famous Loch Ness. Wouldn’t you know it, the first comment I heard while paddling was, “Why aren’t we kayaking?”
Loch Ness, home of the infamous Nessie, is a beautiful, large, ebony-colored lake surrounded by hills, trees, old buildings, and more tourists than restaurants. Starting from Fort Augustus, we paddled around the southern end of the loch. The views were inviting, but I would have enjoyed having more time to spend exploring the lake which is the UK’s largest body of water.
How long would it take to paddle the perimeter? I may just have to return in order to find out…
I would recommend the tour company, In Your Element, if you are interested in canoeing on Loch Ness. They offer many other outdoor activities as well, such as archery, cycling, and others throughout different areas of Scotland: https://iye.scot/activity/canoe-loch-ness-explorer/.
10) Tenerife – October 2024
On the south side of the island, from Los Cristianos, we joined a tour that boasted active marine life and included snorkeling with sea turtles. While turtles were spotted from afar, we were not graced by their presence during our snorkeling. We did, however, gasp when a pair of sleek, gray dolphins swam directly under our kayak. This was due to the fact that we were circling a nearby fish farm which offered plenty of food for the passersby. Overall, the seascape and landscape were not overly impressive, but that was the tradeoff for being near marine life.
I would recommend Canary Kayak Tenerife if you’re on the south side of the island. The guides were very personable and eager to take and share pictures and videos of our excursion: https://canarykayaktenerife.com/en/product/excursion-kayak-tenerife/.
The fish farms are the circular structures that can be seen in the background.
Our hopes of swimming with the sea turtles weren’t met, but we saw lots of fish.
9) Vaxholm, Sweden – September 2024
Just outside of Stockholm, in Vaxholm, we paddled through a labyrinth of islands passing numerous red cottages and plenty of birds with our guide, Jenny, from the Skärgårdens Kanotcenter. The half day archipelago tour was refreshing and included plenty of paddling and fika – a Swedish coffee break which we enjoyed about half way into our tour on “Fika Island”. There, we paused for a delightful break and enjoyed the tranquility of the surroundings. After 10+ kilometers of paddling through the mostly smooth and completely frigid Baltic seawater, we enjoyed the sauna in nearly true Swedish fashion by repeated cycles of sweaty saunas and cold-water plunges!
“Fika Island” was well-loved by all the weary paddlers.
If you’re interested in outdoor water activities, I would highly recommend the Skärgårdens Kanotcenter. They offer a variety of tours as well as the option to rent equipment without guides if that’s your preference: https://kanotcenter.com/tours/kayak-tour-stockholm-archipelago/.
8) Mykonos, Greece – April 2023
Mykonos, adorned with multiple iconic windmills, is known as the windy island, so this was perhaps not the best place to go kayaking. Aside from the wind, however, the tour was really quite lovely. We paddled to nearby shores along the northern coastline where lavender, oregano, thyme, and other wild herbs grew. Afterwards we paddled out to a rocky “island” formation where our guide often swam as a child. Unfortunately, the wind picked up on our return stretch and the intense gusts made paddling very difficult. It was so challenging for some that our guide even had to tow in a kayak behind him.
Ultimately, I would recommend kayaking elsewhere while visiting the Greek islands, but if Mykonos is the only place you can kayak, I would highly recommend our guide, a proud local, who was confident and extremely knowledgeable: https://www.mykonoskayak.com/copy-of-kayak-experiences.
7) Leiden, Netherlands (SUP) – August 2022
On a warm summer day, SUPing in Leiden could quickly become a favorite activity. It allows you to enjoy the youthful vibe of the city as the canals are lined with young sun lovers and hip restaurants. So, there’s no shortage of people watching as you cruise along. There are also numerous bridges, so be ready to “duck”! While you may find some swimming in the canals, I’m not that brave. I’m sure there are websites that offer information on the pH levels and cleanliness of the water, but I’d prefer to remain on my paddleboard or kayak while cruising.
In Leiden, standup paddleboarding quickly becomes “hunker-down” paddle boarding as you make your way under the many bridges.
Our English-speaking tour was pleasant and I would recommend the company we used: https://suppeninleiden.nl/contact.html.
This is a company that I haven’t used. They are centrally located, and offer SUP board rentals: https://rondvaartleiden.nl/arrangementen/sup-huren/.
6) Winslow, Arizona (Clear Creek Reservoir) – Summer 2020
A family favorite during the pandemic, Clear Creek will always hold a special place in my heart during a rather stifling time to exist. Paddleboards are actually my preferred method of transport up and down the creek as they’re easier to hop on and off of when you want to cliff jump or just seek reprieve from the Arizona heat. Centrally located along the creek are rocks and cliffs where people set up their tents for the day. On the other side, thrill seekers climb to cliff jump from way too high up. Clear Creek offers a party on the weekends and an aquaphile’s favorite lazy day during the week. Swallows, lizards, and even owls are present in this family-friendly location where some of the cliff walls resemble inner-city tagging, but towards the end of the creek, where the water grows marshy and shallow, more observant nature lovers can spot older artwork in the form of pictographs on the red rocks.
If you want to rent kayaks, SUPs, or canoes in town, I would recommend calling Winslow’s Clear Creek Rentals (CCR). For those who don’t have a trailer, CCR will also drop-off and pick-up your rentals at the Creek’s launching area: https://4clearcreekrentals.com/clear-creek.
5) Cinque Terre, Italy – October 2023
Cinque Terre is a stunning area with so much to offer visitors from exquisite restaurants to beautiful hiking trails. We wanted to experience each of the five towns in a unique way, so our kayaking experience took place on Cinque Terre’s southernmost town, Riomaggiore. The day was sunny, the water was cool, and the paddling conditions were exceptional. After leaving the marina, we paddled south along the coast. We briefly navigated our way through a rocky cave-like tunnel and to a beachy area that was not easily accessible by foot where we basically had the small beach to ourselves to swim and explore. The water was very clear and it was not unusual to see very small jellyfish in the deeper water.
I would recommend using the Cinque Terre dal Mare for kayaking. The tour was well guided and the views were stunning. They offer other boat rentals and tours as well, but I only can speak for the half day kayaking tour: https://cinqueterredalmare.com/en/boat-kayak-rentals/.
4) Santorini, Greece – April 2023
Kayaking in Santorini was a spontaneous excursion that was not part of our original itinerary, but the water was calling my name. In the morning, we ubered over to Akrotiri on the southwestern side of the island and visited the Akrotiri Archeological site which just so happens to be 300 meters from Santorini Sea Kayak which offers sunset tours. We spent the morning looking at ruins and the evening paddling in a caldera of the Aegean Sea. It’s a rare experience to paddle above a volcano.
Our guide, Adonis, was exceptional showing us the red, white, and black beaches along the way and taking plenty of pictures to share with us later. The red sands come from iron, the white from limestone, and the black from lava. The water was clear and there were a few caves and crevices to explore before we enjoyed a light dinner on the beach and admired a beautiful sunset.
Another unexpected bonus that day was The Cave of Nikolas, a restaurant situated between the archeological site and Santorini Sea Kayak. The locally owned “Cave” serves fresh seafood and traditional Greek cuisine. If you visit Akrotiri, I would highly recommend enjoying the food and ambiance of The Cave of Nikolas: https://nikolascave.gr/
Santorini Sea Kayak offers a variety of tours. We thoroughly enjoyed the sunset tour: https://www.santoriniseakayak.com/.
3) Benagil Beach, Portugal – Feb 2023
If you’re going to kayak in the Algarve region, you should definitely visit the Benagil Cave. This seaside cave, located near Lagoa, is a light-filled dome only accessible via water. Our tour took us into the heart of the cave, a beachy area, where we were able to explore on foot and capture some great photos of this incredibly unique location. As far as paddling goes, the water was somewhat rough and we fell in more than once as we paddled onto shore, but it was worth it for the unique experience.
I would definitely recommend the Benagil Cave Kayak Tour with Benagil Kayak: https://www.benagilkayaks.com/.
2) Horseshoe Bend, Arizona – July 2024
I champed at the bit to kayak Horseshoe Bend last summer. I was not in charge of organizing the logistics, but after observing and participating in the process, it seems fairly effortless, and I would absolutely do this trip again! This kayaking excursion was not a guided tour. Instead, we rented kayaks and paid for the backhaul service to transport us from the Lees Ferry Boat Ramp up-river about 30 minutes. The parking was convenient and the bathrooms at the boat ramp were appreciated by all. We launched the kayaks from a beach area where deer were grazing, we applied loads of sunscreen as we paddled and floated down the Colorado, and we gingerly cooled off in the 52-degree water. As the temperatures increased throughout the day, however, we welcomed the cold plunges. We went at our own pace, taking in the magnificence of the red rock walls and the wild horses around us. After lunch the winds started to pick up; at times they were so strong it made forward progression nearly impossible, and we had a brief scare when one of the kayaks flipped. Thankfully no one was injured, and there was a backhaul boat nearby that willingly took a few from our party back to the boat ramp. Aside from the weather and the scare, the overall experience was amazing. The views were breathtaking and the rocks so massive I felt very small and insignificant at times, but I was so proud of my efforts at the end of the day.
I recommend Kayak Horseshoe Bend without any reservations. They were professional, attentive, organized, and the set up was very convenient: https://kayakhorseshoebend.com/.
1) Nærøyfjorden, Norway – May 2022
A Skyhook ad on Facebook lured me into booking our favorite kayaking trip of all. I was enticed by pictures of pristine Norwegian fjords surrounded by breathtaking views of mountains and waterfalls. The views were even more stunning in person. We launched from Gudvangen about an hour outside of Voss and kayaked through Nærøyfjorden where we stopped to refill our water bottles at a waterfall as well as take in the views from Odin’s point. On our final day, we kayaked through Aurlandsfjord to Underdal. We were told that Underdal was the inspiration for the scenery in Disney’s “Frozen”. We have never kayaked in a place as peaceful and picturesque as Norway.
We have yet to experience a more serene view and peaceful ambiance than the one we had in Norway at Odin’s Point.
Unfortunately, the exact trip we took is no longer listed, but Skyhook has loads of adventures all over the globe. If you have the opportunity to join any of their Norwegian sea kayaking tours, I’m guessing you won’t be disappointed: https://www.skyhookadventure.com/trips.