Canoe tour Klarälven
Its serpentine meanderings and gently flowing water makes Klarälven the ideal canoe tour for the whole family.
7 days/6 nights (100km) or 4 days/3 nights (50km)
Our canoe tours on the river Klarälven are perfect for the whole family as it is free from rapids and power plants. You paddle along the river and choose where you want to camp along the way. We organize all local transportation for your convenience and for environmental sustainability. Arrive at our canoe center in Gunnerud by public bus or car, and we take care of your transport to the starting point. Your journey along the river leads you back towards the canoe center.
What is included in the package?
Things you can rent/buy from us
- Tent (accommodates 3-4 people).
- Sleeping bag and sleeping pad.
- Cooking equipment, including a portable stove for preparing meals.
- Food for the entire stay, which you will prepare yourself during the trip.
Things you need to bring
- Clothing suitable for changing weather, including rain gear and a complete change of clothes. Extra shoes or boots.
- If you haven’t rented a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, or cooking equipment from us, you will need to bring your own.
- Food is an important part of the outdoor experience, and fresh air can make you extra hungry. Make sure to bring enough food if you haven’t ordered our provisioning package. You will pass through some villages, where there are options to buy food in the small local grocery stores.
- Please note that if you wish to stay at campgrounds, you will pay for this directly to the respective campground.
- Local transport to the starting point.
- Can be combined with short hikes along Klarälven’s tributaries.
- For children, the canoe can be equipped with an extra seat.
The Klarälven runs the length of Värmland, from north to south. Its serpentine meanderings make it a major feature of the Värmland landscape. Its waters flow gently and the landscape ranges from steep valleys to flat, cultivated land.
If you choose the 4-day package, you can actually make the tour without staying in a tent. There are campsites with cabins at reasonable distances along the river where you can book your accommodation. When you have made a booking, you will receive travel documents with information about where the campsites are located. You contact the campsites yourself to book accommodation.
How does it work?
Day 1:
- We meet at our canoe centre in Gunnerud between 10:00 and 11:00.
- Pick-up the rental equipment.
- We provide transportation to the starting point of your canoe tour.
Day 2-4(7):
- Paddle along the river Klarälven independently and at your own pace.
- Find your own camping spots in accordance with Swedish public access rights.
Day 4(7):
- Arrive back to Gunnerud.
- Return the rented equipment.
- Begin your journey home or on to new adventures.
Note! If you choose the 4 days package, you can complete this without having to stay in a tent. There are campsites with cabins at a suitable distance along the river, where you can book your accommodation. We will inform you about these campsites, and you can then contact them directly regarding your overnight stay.
Prices and departures
Period: 22nd June – 17th August 2025
Departure: Thursdays and Sundays
Time and place for arrival: 10.00-11.00 in Gunnerud, 95 km north of Karlstad.
Note! It is important that you keep this time!
| Canoe Klarälven (SEK/person) | Adult | Children 3-15 years |
|---|---|---|
| 7 days, Basic equipment | 2020 | 1010 |
| 4 days, Basic equipment | 1750 | 875 |
Groups: 14 participants minimum. 1 person free. We reserve the right to assign groups to certain camp sites. Before and after the period specified above, you may book any starting day (provided capacity is available) if you are at least four adults.
| Additions (SEK/person) | 7 days/adult | 7 days/children | 4 days/adult | 4 days/children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancellation insurance | 240 | 120 | 240 | 120 |
| Kitchen equipment | 440 | 220 | 380 | 190 |
| Provisions | 1670 | 1230 | 1350 | 960 |
| Sleeping bag | 325 | 325 | 260 | 260 |
| Tent | 960/tent | 740/tent |
Note! When booking kitchen equipment and/or food provisions, all participants in the same booking must select these items. At least 2 people are required to order kitchen equipment and provisions.
Requirements
Adults must be able to swim. Children under 16 years must be accompanied by an adult in the canoe. Advance booking of the package is mandatory. Cancellation insurance can be arranged at the time of booking. Participation is at your own risk. Please read our travel conditions before booking.
You are welcome to bring your dog, but you must consider the following:
– You must keep the dog leashed at the meeting point and at the building site (if you have booked a timber raft tour). It is also important that you always have the dog under supervision on the journey, because you are traveling in an area where there are wild animals.
– If you make a longer trip (3-8 days), local transport is included. If there is another person traveling in the same vehicle who is allergic to dogs, you must be prepared to transport your dog to the start of the tour yourself.
– Some dogs are very sensitive to mosquitoes. There is not much you can do, but it is usually not a problem when you are out in the canoe or on the timber raft, but can be a concern when you go ashore for the night.
– We do not have life jackets for dogs. Bring your own if your dog needs it.
– It can be long days on the river if you travel on a timber raft or paddle a canoe when the dog must be still. But if the dog likes to swim, it is usually not a major problem.
The water can only be drunk if it is boiled. The water can therefore be used for all cooking, coffee, tea, etc. On longer trips (3-8 days) you will get freshwater containers in the basic equipment that you can fill up before you set off. You don´t have to boil the water to brush your teeth or wash the dishes. Remember to bring biodegradable washing-up liquid!
Depending on which package you have booked, there are different meeting points. NOTE! If you search Vildmark i Värmland on Google, or any other search engine, you will come to our office in Torsby. NO tours start from here! You will find information where your specific meeting point is in your travel documents that you have received when you made the booking/payment. It is usually found at the end of the travel document.
It is fine to try fishing on all our different tours, but you must have a fishing license. You can purchase fishing licenses at the starting point for all tours except canoe tours that start in Torsby (Röjdån and Rottnan). If you start your canoeing in Torsby, you buy a fishing license at “ifiske.se”. (Seach: Lekvattnets FVOF for Rottnan and Velens FVOF for Röjdån)
There are always mosquitoes. How much depends on how dry, hot, and wet it is/has been. A heavy spring flood with subsequent heat brings a lot of mosquitoes. However, it is very rare that there are mosquito’s over open water. The mosquitoes are mainly active on land and in the evening. Mosquito repellent and covering clothing are the best protection. As far as it is known, the mosquitoes in this area does not carry any infections.
You can travel by bus alternatively by train from Karlstad to the meeting point of most of our packages. It all depends on which package you have booked, and which day you will arrive to us. Should you, for example, start your canoe- or timber raft trip on a Saturday or Sunday in Gunnerud, there is no bus to Gunnerud on these days. If you will arrive to Gunnerud on a Saturday or Sunday, you can travel by bus to the bus stop “Sjögränd” (just south of Gunnerud) and we can arrange a transfer free of charge to Gunnerud (if you arrive with the bus connection that is closest to the start time of your booked trip). Notify us at the time you make your booking if you need transfer.
What our guests say about us
Other popular packages
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TIMBER RAFT 5 DAYS
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SVARTÄLVEN 7 OR 4 DAYS
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ROTTNAN 4 DAYS
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Klarälven – the artery of Värmland
The river Klarälven in Värmland was once the main transportation route for an industry that has faded into history – log driving. For centuries, logs from the vast forests along the Swedish and Norwegian boarder were transported by the river’s current to sawmills and pulp mills further down south. Sometimes the entire river could be filled with tree trunks, and it was a popular test of courage among the children and youth of the region to jump from log to log, to get from one side of the river to the other.
Throughout history and into today, various work professions and ways of life are closely connected to the river Klarälven. In addition to log driving, the river served as a vital transportation route for people and goods. A pilgrimage trail followed the riverbanks of the Klarälven through the whole of Värmland, facilitating trade and communication with nearby villages and towns. Fishermen and farmers relied on the river for their livelihoods.
Today, when canoeing on the river Klarälven, you can still see the rivers significance to the region. Luckily, you can enjoy paddling down the river without having to contend with floating logs. Enjoy the tranquil, reflective surface of the water as you glide along in your canoe.