Want an Amazing Sea Kayaking Destination?
9-minute read with links to plenty more
Want to be inspired by a plethora of amazing sea kayaking destinations? Here’s a round-up of some of our best content to get you excited about kayaking around the world.
Kayaking the coast of Greenland (photo courtesy of Laila Reigstad)
The destinations we include on this list are a collection of interviews and stories from our blog. Many of them feature members of our Ambassador team, others are outfitting/retail partners, and others are “ordinary” paddlers in outstanding locations.
Some are well known, others quite out of the way.
We hope you’re inspired by this list to either visit some of these locations for yourself as a sea kayaking destination, or to get the travel bug for other great paddling spots:
North America
North America has amazing coastlines along the world’s two biggest oceans, several arctic seas and multiple gulfs. It also has many very large lakes, including the Great Lakes, that offer world-class freshwater sea kayaking.
These destinations encompass vastly different climates and environments, so we could say there’s something for every sea kayaker.
We’ll stick with seven locations today:
Vancouver Island • British Columbia, Canada
The Wonderful World of Sea Kayaking in Vancouver Island features Ambassador Bree Roberts. Bree has guided sea kayak tours along the coast of Vancouver Island since 2012.
She loves the diversity of the ecosystems and water environments, the abundant wildlife (including whales), the area’s natural beauty, and the rich history of the indigenous peoples.
There are waters for beginners with sheltered bays and archipelagos, and low tidal changes. Then there are waters for skilled kayakers with bigger tides, stronger currents and open seas.
Lake Superior • Ontario, Canada
Ambassador Ken Whiting shows and tells us about his Lake Superior multi-day kayak trip along Lake Superior Provincial Park in his video series, featured in Sea Kayaking Adventures on Lake Superior.
Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. You can access its waters for sea kayaking from Ontario, Canada and three states of the US: Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Superior is known for its water clarity, dramatic coastline, cold water temperature and changeable nature. There are abundant camping opportunities along its pebble beaches, with the chance of seeing some of the wildlife of the surrounding forests.
Kayaking over a shipwreck in the 1000 Islands area, Ontario
1000 Islands Area • Ontario, Canada
Ken Whiting takes us on another sea kayaking journey in Canada, this time on the western end of the St. Lawrence River between Ontario and New York, just on the east end of Lake Ontario. You can read about it in Kayaking Ontario’s 1000 Islands Area.
There are a couple of reasons why this is such an amazing sea kayaking destination. First, its 1,864 islands make exploring really fun. Second, this area also has over 3,000 shipwrecks, many of them shallow enough to be seen clearly from your kayak. A section of the area was set aside as a national park more than 100 years ago, and offers picnic areas and campsites on about 20 of the islands.
1000 Islands is between one and three hours away from Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, making it accessible to a huge part of Canada’s population.
Stonington Archipelago • Maine, USA
In Sea Kayaking Maine’s Stonington Archipelago, we feature this group of about 70 islands off the coast of Maine in the northeast US. Will Steinharter is co-owner of a kayak company there and guides in the archipelago every day through the season.
This out-of-the-way destination offers entry-level sea kayaking on the ocean in a gorgeous area. Experienced kayakers will find plenty of paddling opportunities as well. And the setting is small town Maine with a unique culture of its own.
Apostle Islands, Wisconsin, USA
For more small-town charm with stunning sea kayaking, check out the Apostle Islands in northwestern Wisconsin. This time, you’ll paddle on freshwater—beautiful Lake Superior.
21 of the 22 Apostle Islands are protected as a national lakeshore, have campsites, several lighthouses to visit, sand beaches, wildlife, hiking and area history. A few of the islands and several miles of the mainland are famous for their sea caves.
Read Kayak Camping in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin for a story of a group of women and their multi-day adventure there, along with facts about the area.
Greenland
Greenland is, of course, a territory of Denmark, so it’s part of Europe politically. But since it’s geographically part of North America, we’re putting it in this section for our purposes.
In July 2023, a group of the Aqua Bound team from Wisconsin flew to Greenland for a multi-day kayak camping trip guided by Ambassadors Laila Reigstad and Christian Harstad, both from Norway.
Sea kayaking through icebergs on the North Atlantic was a highlight, of course, as well as getting a taste of Greenland’s rich cultural and natural heritage. You can read about the trip in Aqua Bound Goes to Greenland.
The Waitukubuli Sea Trail in Dominica (photo courtesy of Ken Whiting)
Dominica
For tropical paddling instead of icebergs, we have Sea Kayaking Dominica’s Waitukubuli Sea Trail. Ambassador Ken Whiting is our host again at this beautiful island country in the Caribbean.
The Waitukubuli is the first official water trail in the region and offers dramatic cliffs, sandy beaches, tropical vegetation and gorgeous green-blue water. Like Ken, you can go through an outfitter there for a guided trip, then experience the cultural offerings of the island’s people for a bonus.
Europe
Now let’s make our way across the pond to Europe. Thanks to our Ambassadors there, we can tell you about several wonderful sea kayaking destinations in the northern part of the continent:
Finland
All of the Scandinavian countries offer superb paddling opportunities. Right near the top is Sea Kayaking Finland’s Southwest Archipelago. Ambassadors Caj and Katja Koskinen live close by this group of 40,000+ islands in the Baltic Sea.
The archipelago is sheltered by most of the storms that affect the more open coastlines, it’s tide-free and ideal for new sea kayakers who’d like to get out with a guide. There are plenty of places to camp on the islands, especially considering Finland’s “everyman’s right” culture.
Kayakers with navigation and safety experience with their own gear will love exploring the many islands for as long as they care to be out.
Norway
In Partner Spotlight: Uteguiden Kayak Tours in Sunnmøre, Norway, we interview one of Norway’s leading guiding companies. They have five locations in the Sunnmøre district on the west coast. If you’ve ever wanted to kayak in the fjords, this is the place for you.
Erlend Ringstad is co-owner of Head of Guides at Uteguiden, and tells us in this blog post why this part of Norway is so special for kayaking. One of their key benefits is easy access to dramatic fjords, and also sheltered islands on the coast out to open ocean.
Norway’s dramatic fjords (photo courtesy of Uteguiden)
Sweden
Sweden doesn’t have Norway’s massive fjords, but it does have mile upon mile of gorgeous coastland littered with islands. In Exploring Sörmland, Sweden by Kayak and Canoe, we interview Michael O’Dwyer, an everyday paddler with a goal to write a kayaking guidebook for the Sörmland region where he lives.
From its abundant wildlife to the Stockholm archipelago to the rich history of the area, Sörmland has much to offer. For kayakers wishing for a multi-day trip, there are plenty of well-maintained campsites along the way, along with Scandivania’s “everyman’s right” or Allemansrätten.
Northern Ireland
Ken is with us again (he’s a prolific content creator), this time taking us Sea Kayaking the Coast of Northern Ireland. He ventures to three popular kayaking locations in Northern Ireland, including the famous Causeway Coast.
With his local guide, Ken paddles near dramatic cliffs on an active ocean, and a sheltered canoe trail on Strangford Lough. Castle ruins, along with local culture and cuisine, really elevate the whole experience.
Iceland
Sea kayaking in Iceland demands experience and skill, but the rewards are worth it. Ambassador Rachel Bott wrote this blog for us, Sea Kayaking in the Land of Ice and Fire.
She describes the “bouncy” water conditions, dramatic lava flows along the coast, the many sea birds and marine mammals and her experience as part of an international kayak symposium hosted there.
If Iceland is on your bucket list as it is for many these days, be sure to look up a kayak outfitter there to get on the water while you’re there.
Asia
Now we’ll take you to a couple of places in Asia, or more specifically, in western and central Asia:
Kayakers near Antalya, Turkey (photo courtesy of Osi Durmuş)
Turkey
Ambassador Oğuzhan (Osi) Durmuş is on a mission to let the world know about the wonderful sea kayaking opportunities in Turkey, especially in his region of Antalya on the Mediterranean Sea.
Sea Kayaking in Turkey Merges History & Natural Beauty is our interview with Osi where he describes his life as a kayak guide there, and the many opportunities to see ancient ruins along the stunning coastline. The mild climate, crystal-clear green waters of the Sea and the area’s rich culture are equally as inviting.
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan
We’ll put these two Central Asian countries together because the same Canadian kayaker, Hugo Desrosiers, has explored large remote lakes in both destinations. His stories about the two trips blend a challenging kayak environment with a language barrier, extreme remoteness and interaction with very hospitable people.
If you’re an adventurer like Hugo and are looking for very off-the-beaten-path sea kayak destinations, you’ll want to check these out:
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Kayaking Issyk-Kul: A Paddler’s Journey into the Heart of Kyrgyzstan is Hugo’s story of his 490 km journey around the world’s second largest alpine lake. With part of the surrounding landscape not dissimilar to Mars and remnants of Soviet-era remains, he was warmly welcomed by the locals.
- Next, Hugo chose an even more remote high-altitude lake: Kayaking Karakul Lake in Tajikistan. Karakul is an inland saltwater lake surrounded by desert and snow-capped mountains. Unlike, Issyk-Kul, the villages around Karakul has no tourist infrastructure. And just getting to it is an adventure in itself.
Antarctica
Finally, we’ll look at the bottom of our planet, Antarctica. Ambassador David Horkan works as a guide for an expedition cruise ship company there during Antarctica’s short summers.
As you can imagine, experiencing this land of extremes with its unique wildlife, dramatic scenery, and international protections and logistics is amazing. Weather challenges, icebergs, penguins, whales and the whole unique ecosystem make it one-of-a-kind.
Learn all about it in our interview with David: Kayaking in Antarctica? Yes, Please!
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