Join the Woodland Ways Team for an epic 90km journey over 6 days through one of Sweden’s most beautiful and remote wilderness areas. Paddle the Hårkan River, taking in the sights and practicing some key Bushcraft Skills in an idyllic environment.
A wonderful mixture of lakes and exciting white water sections, the Hårkan has something for everyone. With dense forest along the banks and plenty of habitat for Moose, Reindeer, Beaver, and more, there’s always something to catch your eye. Paddling open canoes, we’ll be journeying using traditional skills, finding each night’s camp along the way. Hearty meals and warm camp fires will be the setting for the evenings, when we can practice our camp craft skills and regale stories of the day’s events. The days will be crowned with stunning stars if the conditions allow, followed by some wonderful sunrises and another day’s adventure.
This is your chance to step away from the ordinary and experience the extraordinary. You’ll push your boundaries, forge lasting connections with like-minded adventurers, and return home with a wealth of knowledge and skills that will serve you well in any wilderness setting. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to explore the raw beauty of Sweden’s wilderness, guided by experts who are passionate about sharing their knowledge and love of the outdoors.
1. Choose the number of places you want to book.
2. Choose to pay a deposit or the full amount.
The balance payment is required no less than 8 weeks before your course commences. You will receive an invoice shortly after booking for the balance payment.
Please pay in full if the course start date falls within that period.
3. Select course date.
4. Click ’Next’ and complete the attendee details for each place you have booked.
Join the Woodland Ways Team for an epic 90km journey over 6 days through one of Sweden’s most beautiful and remote wilderness areas. Paddle the Hårkan River, taking in the sights and practicing some key Bushcraft Skills in an idyllic environment.
A wonderful mixture of lakes and exciting white water sections, the Hårkan has something for everyone. With dense forest along the banks and plenty of habitat for Moose, Reindeer, Beaver, and more, there’s always something to catch your eye. Paddling open canoes, we’ll be journeying using traditional skills, finding each night’s camp along the way. Hearty meals and warm camp fires will be the setting for the evenings, when we can practice our camp craft skills and regale stories of the day’s events. The days will be crowned with stunning stars if the conditions allow, followed by some wonderful sunrises and another day’s adventure.
This is your chance to step away from the ordinary and experience the extraordinary. You’ll push your boundaries, forge lasting connections with like-minded adventurers, and return home with a wealth of knowledge and skills that will serve you well in any wilderness setting. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to explore the raw beauty of Sweden’s wilderness, guided by experts who are passionate about sharing their knowledge and love of the outdoors.
This incredible experience starts in the beautiful town of Östersund, where our team will meet you at the airport.
We will head to the outfitters a short distance away, where we’ll stay in a cabin or caravan on a well equipped camp site before departing on our journey. This is an excellent opportunity to prepare yourselves for the journey after your travels, and to visit a local supermarket. You'll get to know the group you'll be spending the next week with, creating some amazing memories.
We’ll prepare an evening meal and hold a briefing to cover some important information ahead of the expedition, giving you plenty of opportunity to ask any final questions.
Along the way, we will help with advice on paddling technique to make sure you’re getting the most from the trip. Our well experienced team will work with you to finesse each stroke to control the canoe efficiently, on both the open water lakes and the moving river sections. We’ll explore the differences in paddling techniques and processes as we progress on the water. You’ll be safe in the hands of our experienced and qualified team.
Setting up camp each evening will be a communal undertaking, a large tarp for shelter, harvesting firewood and lighting the fire, and sourcing clean water to drink will be a daily task, and a great opportunity to reinforce those fundamental bushcraft skills.
You’ll be encouraged to join in with the campfire cooking too, as we prepare delicious and filling evening meals and breakfasts to fuel us on our adventure.
There will be time to set up your sleeping system before relaxing for the evening with a craft project or to simply enjoy the views. Fishing is allowed, and should your endeavours be fruitful, we can show you how to prepare and cook your catch!
If you’ve joined us on the Canoeing and Camp Craft Skills Expedition we run in the Malingsbo-Kloten reserve, this trip is the perfect follow on to put those techniques to the test!
Duration of the trip and what to expect
Over 6 days, we will be journeying along the lakes and moving sections of the Hårkan River. Setting up at a new camp each night, we will experience the beauty of Sweden's wilderness.
The lack of large towns or cities in the area mean an unspoiled night sky, and if the conditions are right, an incredible view of the stars awaits. If we’re lucky, we may even see the Aurora Borealis, the breath taking Northern Lights. The area that we’re paddling is a truly beautiful landscape, with only a very small local population. While there are several Hydro-electric dams on the route, there is little else in the way of man-made interruptions to this stunning area.
This trip is a very exciting opportunity, if you’ve wanted to paddle the Yukon River with us, but it’s just out of reach of budget or holiday allowance, this expedition is the perfect option for you. Situated well into the Boreal Zone, you’ll experience similar landscapes, plants and trees, and animal species, and similar geography offering similar vistas to Canada. A great way to set yourself up for another paddling adventure, this trip offers a wide range of skills you can use on your next adventure too!
We will be utilising one of the traditional canoeing skills of Portaging while on this trip, around the aforementioned dams, but these aren’t the extreme distances experienced in Canada or on other journeys! With our canoes mounted on trollies, we’ll be able to load our boats with kit as we walk on forest tracks around the obstacles, to a safe point to rejoin the river. The total distance covered is around 4km of portaging, with the longest being 2.5km. These skills are as important as the paddling in many ways, giving you the confidence to take on larger journeys in the future.
With exciting white water sections, we’ll have a change of pace on the water. Picking the right line down a rapid can be the difference between paddling or swimming down it! We will show you what to look for on the water, how to read what’s happening beneath the waves to put you in control of your journey. You’ll feel the rush of paddling these sections, and gain a sense of accomplishment too!
The evenings are your own to enjoy. Once camp is set up and food is cooking, if you'd like to explore some crafts, from carving projects to fire lighting skills, fishing to bark work, our team are on hand to ensure you enjoy your experience your way.
On arrival back to the outfitters, we will have another night in the accommodation provided, and a last communal meal prepared in the campsite’s kitchen facility. We will exchange stories and photos of our adventure. Hot showers, Wifi and electricity await your return. We will then return to the airport the following morning ready for our flights home.
What about the rest of the details?
All of the flight information, a kit list, and a pre-expedition form to complete will be sent to you via email, roughly 6 months before the expedition takes place. The meeting time is dictated by the suggested flights we’ll send, to Åre/Östersund Airport. If you wished to arrive ahead of us, please let us know. Before the trip starts, we can offer advice on good options for the snacks and lunches you’ll need during the trip, which can be purchased at the supermarket.
Am I fit enough?
This expedition is not a race, we’re not looking to paddle as fast as we can for the duration, but the days can be long, and we can be paddling into a headwind. This trip can be comfortably done in 5 days, but we’re doing it in 6 to ensure there’s plenty of time to enjoy each camp location in the evenings. The portages are all done on relatively easy ground, though there are some hills, mostly on forestry paths. As we’re tandem canoeing, there are 2 people to help push and pull each canoe, which will be on a trolley. The level of exertion is similar to a day walking in the hills with a rucksack, though obviously using different muscles! The best way to know for sure is to book onto a day’s canoeing with us, or pick up the phone and chat to us. You don’t need to be an athlete, but reasonable fitness is required.
How long do I need off work?
The dates advertised are the travelling dates, with the canoe journey taking 6 days in between.
What experience do I need?
While you don’t need much prior experience, this expedition follows on perfectly from our Canoeing and Camp Craft expedition further south in Sweden, or from our Intro to Moving or Open Water Canoe days. If you have any questions about this expedition, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone!
