There can be no better way to explore a coastline than on a simple kayak. Paddling quietly between rocks, your small vessel takes you to places that boats are too large to reach. Gliding through calm waters, you get to see the land from a totally different perspective.You can access small, deserted bays that are inaccessible from the land and experience a tranquillity rarely found in modern life. 

Just as with skiing where the après ski is equally as important as the day time activity, the downtime when you are not kayaking is a critical part of your holiday. Whether it is wild camping on one of Sweden’s many islands, sitting in a taverna over-looking one of Croatia’s small fishing villages, enjoying a campfire on a deserted Turkish beach or snorkelling to your heart’s content in Greece, you can guarantee that your down time will be pretty special. Picnics are plentiful, using only the freshest ingredients, dinners are delicious and every day there is ample time in the itinerary for beach time, snorkelling, swimming and exploring on-land as well.

Where to go

Most of our sea kayaking holidays are in the Mediterranean, with the exception of our Sedish kayaking weekend, which is based in the Stockholm archipelago in the Baltic sea.  In the Mediterranean, we have holidays in Croatia, exploring the Elaphite islands off Dubrovnik, Turkey, based out of Dalyan and Greece, based either on the island of Milos or Kefalonia.

Greece - MILOS

The sea kayaking holidays on Milos are some of our most popular holidays.  The island itself is the most south westerly of the Cyclades islands and is said to be the birth places of Venus de Milo.  With over 70 beaches and a stunning coastline, the kayaking is excellent.  There are two different holidays on offer here.

8 Day Sea Kayaking Holiday in Greece from £481pp: This week long trip is a classic sea kayaking holiday. Each morning you meet your guide and go on a different day trip, depending on the conditions and skills of the group. Each day consists of 3 – 4 hours paddling (11 – 17km) with generous stops for snorkelling, swimming and long picnics on the beach. You also have rest day built in to the holiday when youare free to explore at your leisure. Accommodation is in a small, friendly guesthouse in easy walking distance of the tavernas and bars. This holiday is suitable for beginners and all levels of kayakers and children aged 10 +. Please read the excellent reviews to get more of a flavour. 

5 Day Sea Kayaking & Wild Camping Trip from £404pp: The wild camping expedition is for more experienced kayakers and involves circumnavigating the island over 5 days, covering a total of 90km. Whilst the kayaking is tougher going, there is still plenty of time for snorkelling, swimming and relaxing.  Camping is on beaches along the way, so there are no facilities. Food is entirely self-catered.  The max group size is 8 and no children are permitted on this trip.

Greece - KEFALONIA

We have 2 holidays in Kefalonia, in the Ionian Islands in Western Greece.  Both holidays involve exploring the coastline of Kefalonia and its quieter neighbour, Ithaca.  A beautiful coastline and beaches await you here – some of the scenes from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin were filmed here.Both holidays are suitable for beginners and involve kayaking between 9 – 15kms each day. The two holidays cover slightly different routes as one involves some wild camping on beaches and other is an inn to inn holiday, where you stay in a different apartment each night.  Your choice is down to creature comfort; whether you prefer BBQs on the beach and a night sleeping under the stars, or dinner in a small fishing village and sleeping in a comfortable bed with a hot shower.
Sea Kayaking Kefalonia & Ithaca - Camping trip from £833pp
8 Day Inn to Inn Kayaking in Kefalonia from £1005pp

Turkey

Unlike some of the more built up areas of Turkey, the Lycian coast is less visited and offers an interesting coastline, beautiful islands and a lovely climate. An absolulte treat for those looking for a combination of kayaking, culture and relaxation.

 8 Day Sea-Kayaking Holiday in Turkey from £525pp: On this holiday, there are 4 days spent kayaking interspersed with 2 rest days. The kayaking days are fully catered and evenings are spent camping on deserted beaches.  You kayak for 3 – 5 hours each day and there are plenty of stops built in for coffee, lunch, snorkelling, swimming and exploring on land.  On your rest days, you will be based in the pretty, but unassuming town of Dalyan.  The town has its own rock tombs and ancient ruins that are well worth a visit, or you can catch a leisurely boat down to the beach. You can choose your accommodation level and both options are on the river side.  Minimum group size for this trip is 2 and holidays can be kept private if you want.

Croatia

A popular choice in 2011, Croatia offers fantastic kayaking, a healthy dose of culture and is also easy to get to.  Our kayaking holidays all start from Dubrovnik, where you catch a ferry to the Elaphiti Islands. You have the choice between our standard 8 day holiday, a shorter 3 day break or an 8 day family holiday suitable for children aged 6+.

8 Day Croatia Island Hopping Holiday from £614pp: On the week long holiday, you explore the coastlines of 3 islands, as well as kayaking over to the mainland.  Staying in locally owned and fairly basic accommodation, you kayak between 7 – 18kms each day, with plenty of time to snorkel and swim, as well as a rest day to relax or explore off on your own.  The islands offer beautiful walks and tavernas and Dubrovnik itself is also well worth a visit. This holiday is only open to adults and with group sizes (max size is 20) is also popular with singles.

Dubrovnik Kayaking Short Break from £417pp: The short break gives you 3 full days on the water which is just enough time to get a taster of what the area had to offer. You will explore the coastline of two of the Elaphiti islands and will kayak between 7 – 18kms each day.

8 Day Family Sea Kayaking Holiday in Dubrovnik from £597pp: The family holiday has been put together for families with children aged 6 and above.  There is a good mixture of kayaking snorkelling and swimming, as well as plenty of time to play on the island’s sandy beach – a real rarity in this region. The island you stay on is entirely car-free and accommodation is in self-catered apartments for added flexibility.

Sweden

 Outside of the Mediterranean, Sweden offers some excellent kayaking. The Stockholm archipelago consists of over 30,000 islands, some of which are entirely uninhabited.

Weekend Sea Kayaking Break in Sweden from £363pp: This weekend trip takes you into the wilderness, camping rough on the beaches. With long days of sunlight and peace, this is the trip for you if you want to truly get away from it all and experience nature in all her glory.

Experience Levels

There are, of course, many places where you need experience to kayak, as the tides and currents are too difficult to negotiate for a novice.  However, if you are a beginner or an intermediate, there are many options all within Europe where you can go. All of our trips, other than the sea kayaking & wild camping in Greece are suitable for beginners. All of our guides have years of experience in teaching kayaking techniques and have a deep understanding, knowledge and respect for areas that they operate in and the safety and enjoyment of all participants is their priority.

Accommodation

You have the choice between camping based holidays or staying in a guesthouse.  Camping is on deserted beaches with no facilities.  Food is freshly prepared and participants are requested to helop with both setting up the camp and food preparation.  Guest house accommodation varies on each trip. They are all locally owned and managed and vary from 2* in Croatia & Turkey to 3* and 4* in Greece and Turkey.  

When to go?

If you are planning a kayaking holiday in the Mediterranean, then the season runs between May – October. In Greece and Croatia, our holidays operate throughout the season.  In Turkey, the sun gets very fierce in the height of summer, so we only offer holidays in spring and autumn.

September is usually the most popular month for the Mediterranean as the weather is still warm, the sea temperature is lovely and the summer crowds have all gone.

The season in Sweden is shorter on account of the weather. We only offer trips between July & August, when the weather is warm and the days are long.

Price

There is a variation in pricing of the holidays. This is down, in part, to the local economics, but also down to the levels of accommodation. The Kefalonia trips are the most expensive, due to the standard of accommodation used. The wild camping holiday in Milos is cheaper because it is self-catering.  For Tureky we give you the option between a cheaper holiday staying in very basic accommodation and am option to stay in more salubrious surroundings.

Group Sizes

Kayaking trips are usually in small groups of 2 – 8 people, although there are sometimes more on the Croatian holidays.  You will be spending time with others and whilst you are usually free to spend the evenings on your own, groups often choose to stick together for meals.  This is especially true for the camping trips.  Whilst many people enjoy the camaraderie on these group trips, please do bear in mind that you will be spending a lot of time with other people and that we cannot guarantee the make-up of groups. Last minute cancellations and bookings make it difficult to predict and guarantee ages and genders of other participants/. The best thing to do is to go with an open mind. We can offer the Turkey holiday as a private departure, please contact us for details.

Solo Travellers

Group holidays can be ideal for single travellers as they provide an excellent way to share an experience with others. Please bear in mind, however, that we cannot guarantee the make-up of your holiday group. The Croatia holidays are particularly popular with solo travellers, as the groups sizes are slightly larger.

How to Book

You can check the availability of all our kayaking holidays on-line and once availability has been confirmed, you can book online through our secure booking system.  If you have any specific quetsions about our kayaking holidays, please contact us by phone: 0203 291 2907 or email: help@tourdust.com