Klarälven River Kayak Tour

Sweden - Norway, 11 to 19 June 2016

The Klarälven, which means the 'Clear River' in Swedish, is a river flowing through Norway and Sweden. Together with Göta Älv (how the river is called as it passes through  Lake Vänern - thus regarded as one entity), the Klarälven-Göta Älv is the longest river in Scandinavia and in the Nordic countries. Its Swedish leg is also the longest river of Sweden.

It emanates from the Swedish 'Lake Rogen' in Härjedalen and then passes through the Norwegian Hedmark, where it flows through the lake Femunden. There it is known as Femundelva and Trysilelva (before the nationalistic movement in the 19th century the river was called Klara even in Norway). The rest of the river, the longest part, flows through Värmland to ultimately discharge in a delta into Vänern at Karlstad. In its turn, Vänern drains then into Göta Älv, reaching the sea at Gothenburg.

The river has historically provided significant economic benefits, providing a suitable transport route for log driving, and currently is internationally recognized as excellent sport fishing waters.

Paddling

The river flows with an average speed of 3-4 km/h. We will be paddling from the source of the river at Lake Rogen to Lake Fermunden. From there we follow the river all the way south to the Swedish border and from here onwards all the way to Lake Vänern.

This is a good river to get into Seakayaking. The boats we use are sturdy, double kayaks which allow for a lot of storage. We expect to be on the water between 7-10 days, depending on the weather conditions.

We will stop along the way at campgrounds or in the wild to pitch up our tents. Dinner is normally around a log fire.