Canoeing

Holidays on water have been always attractive. However, many people don’t own a boat or prefer to avoid the hassle of transporting it. The solution is taking a canoe-tour or renting a canoe. There are plenty of rivers and lakes to discover by canoe in Estonia, and each of them has a different face and is interesting in its own way. We offer you canoe trips on the following rivers – Vihterpalu, Keila, Jägala, Valgejõgi, Ahja, Võhandu and Kasari. For adventure-seekers we are ready to explore any other interesting domestic water.
Spring: The nerve-tickle and adrenaline-seekers should plan their tour during the spring floods, when the rapids are foaming and the river streams speedy. Keep in mind that an unexpected underwater- stone or log might skilfully turn over your canoe and give you a dip in a time of year when you wouldn’t even dream about swimming. But this is part of the fascination of canoe tours and if you have some spare dry clothes packed away water-proof, this will not temper your spirits. On the contrary – there will be something to remember and to tell to your grandchildren about.
Summer: For simply relaxing on canoe tours with children or friends, summertime is best. The sun shines and the water in the rivers is warm and even might incite you to find a pretext to turn over your canoe. It’s the ideal time for camping - we have plenty of great camping-grounds on the banks of our rivers. A light picnic, fishing, short stops to collect forest berries or to have a look on the moor passing by, the evening fire in the tent-camp, the rays of the rising sun touching the dewy grass – these moments will make you forget all your everyday worries and to feel that life is really worth living.
Autumn: Nature-lovers and romantics will naturally look forward to this season of the year. Thousands of colors, crisp air and endless silence – all this will refill you with energy for the forth-coming darkness of winter. Nature emanates a special cocktail of scents, and if you make a small stop in a quiet river bend, with some luck you’ll find a handful of mushrooms from the nearby forest to prepare yourself a tasty dinner.
Canoe tours at night: Those searching for a special kind of experience should try canoe trips at night or in the early morning hours. Because this is the time when nature really lives and bustles with activity. If you move quietly enough on the river, you’ll be able to experience this with all your senses – and capture it with your photo- or video-camera. Then enjoy a morning sauna, savour a fresh steaming herb-tee and a light snack – and a new day is just burn.
Winter: The opinion that the season for canoe trips in Estonia ends with October-November is not really correct. Extraordinary experiences await you on a winter canoe tour, moving on the ice-free parts of river. Nature shows an utterly different face and often leaves the impression that you are here for the first time, although you have passed along this route in summer. Screaming silence can even be a bit spooky for city-dwellers at the beginning - but they quickly adjust and feel at ease. When the bow of your canoe cuts quietly through the icy river and you watch the pearls of ice collect on your paddle while cruising down the river, you just might surprise yourself with the thought that winter is not so gloomy and muddy after all. It just needs to be enjoyed at right place and from the right angle. A steaming cup of glowing wine or tee in your hand during the midday break by the fire gives you an inexplicable satisfaction that culminates in the sauna with exchanging experiences and roasting sausages over the fire. We would recommend warm but breathable and wind-blocking clothing. For the feet we recommend rubber boots or some other waterproof footwear and for the hands ski–gloves. Waterproof packed spare dry and warm clothes and footwear should be taken for sure.