Description of the package Timber raft/canoe

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Day 1: Meeting and information

Assembling at 5 pm in Gunnerud (assembling is the same as starting day, which is the date you have made your booking). You will be issued with the equipment you have booked for your tour. After this, we will provide information about building the raft, canoeing technique, the route on the river and the Swedish right of public access. The first night you spend in your tent in our wilderness camp in Gunnerud.

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Day 2: In the morning

Early in the morning (around 8 am), we drive you to the raft building site in Branäs, about 1.5 hours north of Gunnerud. If you arrive by car, this will be parked in Gunnerud during your timber raft and canoe tour.

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Day 2: At the building site

At the building site, on the riverbank, there will be a good supply of 3-metre long logs and rope, which are all you need to build a stable timber raft. You either roll or carry the logs down to the river, since your raft – which once completed will weigh 1.5 to 2 tonnes – must be constructed in the water. An experienced instructor will be on hand at the building site.

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Day 2: Start of tour

Sometime in the afternoon, you will be ready to cast off. For the next few days, this 9 or 18 m² timber raft will be your home. (The size depends on how many people you have in your group.) The canoe, which is included in the basic equipment even for the timber raft trip, simplifies making land, looking for a campsite for the night or making a stop at one of the local convenience stores.

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Day 2-5: Adventures on the tour

The evenly repeating bends of the river Klarälven are unique. As you let your timber raft float downstream from one bend to the next, you are being part of an amazing nature experience. The river Klarälven, being full of sand, offers you a lot of good swimming opportunities, while at the same time challenging the rafters with tricky sandbanks, difficult to spot just below the water surface. To get stuck upon a sandbank is part of a rafter’s daily work, unless the water level is unusually high. Stones and eddies are other challenges you surely will face during your timber raft tour.

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Day 2-8: Camping/Accommodation

During the tour, you spend the night under canvas on your well-moored raft or on land in a tent. The suitable spots for each night are your individual choice. On the stretch you travel with the timber raft, there are also a couple of campsites along the river. Both of these are towards the end of the tour when you have one day’s leg left. On the route you travel by canoe, there is a campsite directly adjacent to where you start your canoe trip and then a few more campsites on your way down to the destination in Gunnerud. Staying overnight at a campsite in tents or cabins can therefore be possible for one or more nights. Fees for overnight stays at campsites are not included in the price, but are paid directly to the campsite, except if you stay at Klarälvens Camping, where one night in your own tent is included.

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Day 2-8: The river and wildlife

With the current as the engine of the timber raft, you will travel completely silently. Even when you paddle the canoe, hardly a sound is heard. This enables the sighting of wild animals, although you should not forget that the cultural surroundings in the valley have been populated for centuries. From a historical point of view, the agricultural exploitation of the soil has been very profitable over the years. While going down the river you will still experience cultivated land and pastures. The wild animal you are most likely to see is the beaver, mainly living in – and close to – the river. The riverside is also full of other small and interesting animals, such as an almost extinct bug, which is dependent on open sandy areas to survive.

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Day 2-8: Fish for dinner?

For many people going down the river, it is a dream to catch your own supper with the fishing rod. You can purchase a fishing permit in Gunnerud and then feel free to try your luck at fishing – though, just to be on the safe side, you shouldn’t count on catching your supper out of the river every evening. Instead, you could use the opportunity to pay a visit to one of the small local convenience stores, supporting the local inhabitants of the valley.

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Day 5: Ending timber raft trip and start canoe trip

In Björkebo, you dismantle your timber raft and return the rented equipment that is no longer needed for the canoe trip. Between 15.00-17.00 there is an instructor on site who makes sure you have the right equipment for the canoe part of the trip.

Once this is done, you begin the second part of your experience and set off with the canoe. If you don’t want to paddle a longer distance on the same day, Björkebo Camping is very close by. If you want to spend the night there, there is an additional cost for this.

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Day 5-8: Canoe trip

From Björkebo to Gunnerud, you as canoeists have a unique opportunity to see how the landscape along the Klarälven gradually changes. The valley opens up and provides more space for both agriculture and buildings. The river also gets wider and straighter the further south you paddle. Ekshärad, which is the largest village you pass through, offers several opportunities, including shopping and visits to the homestead. You can also explore the beautiful church or the famous cemetery, where the wind plays in the dancing leaves.

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Day 8: Finish

At the final destination in Gunnerud, you take the canoe out of the water and return the rented equipment before 17.00. Be sure to clean the canoe at the wash area before placing it and equipment in the designated location. We appreciate you coming in and sharing your experiences from the tour!