The Canoe Tribe Family | Canoeing on the Swedish lakes

Two years ago I fell in love with the Swedish lakes for the first time. Frozen over and covered in a layer of white powder.

What was meant to be a two-week holiday turned into six, and what was meant to be a road trip turned into a month in a little house by the lake. Those days were filled with walks across the lake and stargazing by the campfire.

It was there, in that moment, that I decided I would come back, and I already knew how. Back on the water, but this time in a boat. Canoeing on the Swedish lakes.

My Pinterest page had been overflowing for years with aesthetic images on and around the Swedish lakes. So when Travelbase offered a canoe trip for the whole family in Småland, it was a real no-brainer for me. And so we booked our summer holiday with the Canoe Tribe Family.

Canoe Tribe Family

So what is it exactly? The Canoe Tribe is one of Travelbase's “into the wild” trips. Travelbase is a travel organisation dedicated to more alternative trips centred on nature and adventure.

On their Into The Wild trips you stay in the wilderness and go back to the essence of travelling. Discovering beautiful places, getting back into your flow and connecting with the people who really matter.

We stayed at 3 different campsites. The base camp, where we slept in a gorgeous spot by the lake and could enjoy the nature wellness at the end. A wild campsite without any luxury whatsoever, where we truly made the most beautiful memories. And finally a campsite with all sorts of things to do in the area and a wonderful stretch of lake for swimming.

For us, the wild camping was the absolute highlight.

You also have a lot of freedom during the trip. One family set off a day earlier on their trek instead of staying at the campsite. They stayed on a little island halfway along the route we had to cover.

We ourselves spent a night in a shelter by the water. You can find these shelters everywhere; they are open-fronted with an incredible view of the water. Sleeping truly outdoors like that was pure magic.

Although you do a fair bit of paddling, there is plenty of time for other activities such as foraging, hiking, swimming and fishing. On top of that, all sorts of fun activities are organised. Bushcraft, but also creative workshops and all kinds of games.

Enjoying adventure food at the Canoe Tribe

The trip

As I sat there on a log, poking at the fire a little and looking at my children, I knew it: This is the life.

Although I had the occasional nightmare about paddling against the wind and declared myself mad for planning to spend whole days in a canoe with a two-year-old, the trip was nothing but gentleness. After an extremely stressful year, of which I had actually already spent the last six months in the most beautiful country in the world, it was there in Sweden, in my dirty clothes, poking at the fire, that I found peace.

Sleeping on a mat in a tent for a week was not exactly something Daniel was looking forward to. Right up until the last moment he was even still considering bringing our air mattress along after all. But the reality is that after whole days outdoors, on and by the water, you are simply exhausted and you sleep. YOU SLEEP WELL. The Canoe Tribe was also the first week our Linus slept through the night. A little chat or a short film at sunset and then a lovely full night's sleep.

The Canoe Tribe with a two-year-old was truly the perfect trip too. I know that all-inclusives, Center Parcs and holiday rentals seem more suitable, but in reality all you do there is chase after your little one, stressing about dirty clothes, bedtimes, too many stimuli, …

Well, despite the adventure, this is a trip with very few stimuli. In nature, together with your family, other children to play with. Enjoying it together on the water (and even the feistiest 2-year-old dozes off blissfully in a boat); spotting birds, swimming, cooking on a little fire (no stress when they make a mess or want to sit on the ground while eating), getting tired by the campfire and playing from early morning until late at night. But my most beautiful moment was still evening 3, when Linus put his chubby sticky toddler hands on my face and said: ‘Mummy, camping is fun.’

For my teenage girls, their entire TikTok-worthy skin and hair care routine, along with 4G, was their biggest concern.

On the first morning they came out of their tent in full make-up, the next day a little less, and on day 4 they suddenly grabbed the boat of their own accord to go fishing. The fish was caught and filleted on the boat together with another teenage girl. Juicy detail: the other teenage girl's mum had, at that very moment, been thinking exactly the same thing as me: ‘the perfect trip to bring a bit of sense back into the everyday teenage madness’.

I knew it would be a wonderful trip, but I never expected the Canoe Tribe to make you grow so much. No airy-fairy sessions or motivational speeches, but full of fun and laughter. We still love looking back through the photo album with a warm heart.

Camping in a Decathlon tent at the Canoe Tribe

The practical side

The luggage

The Canoe Tribe can be booked as a complete package, or you book just the trip without equipment (apart from the canoe, of course).

Although we have plenty of camping gear in principle, we were in the middle of moving house at the time, so the camping package was very welcome.

In hindsight, renting the package from Travelbase was a good idea anyway. You do a fair bit of lugging during the trip and all the gear was of good quality. It's also chosen so that you need as little space as possible.

You only need to bring a plate, cup and cutlery yourself.

You can also buy food packages. Although after a week we couldn't face another bag of dried food (and so were very happy with the pizza night by the campfire), those packages were superb. Well balanced, very generous yet clever in terms of weight, and with quite a few treats included. Plus everything was neatly packed in a waterproof bag. Whether or not you bring your own gear, those packages are highly recommended.

So for us it was an easy story: bag of clothes in the boot and off we WENT.

On arrival, a cart with our gear and food was waiting for us. Adventure, but with a touch of luxury.

What to bring?

Two-piece rain suit
Fleece or woollen jumper (fleece dries faster)
Two t-shirts
Zip-off trousers or hiking shorts/skirt
Thick joggers
Jeans
Underwear and socks
Hiking sandals (ideal for in the canoe) (wellies are slightly less ideal because water can get in over the top and they are hard to dry)
Trainers or light hiking boots
Cap
Waterproof bags from Decathlon

Fleece blanket
Head torch
Solar phone charger
Notebook and pen or a small doll to play with (if you have a little one with you while paddling)
Plate, cutlery and reusable bottle
Sweets
Life jacket for small children
Multitool

Mosquito repellent
Disinfectant spray
Plasters
Painkillers
Eco-friendly soap and shampoo bar
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Flannel
Cream (whatever you need)
Brush and plenty of hair ties for long hair
Sunscreen

The journey

The Canoe Tribe takes place around Åsnen National Park in Sweden. An incredible area full of islands and bays. It's in Småland, the south of Sweden, so a perfectly doable route by car. There are actually several ways to cross the stretch of sea. By ferry or via the bridge in Denmark, or a combination. We simply booked ours on the way based on Google Maps' recommendation, but the first time in Sweden we planned nothing and just paid on the spot.

PRO TIP You're better off booking a ferry later than the time you plan to leave. If there's room on the earlier boat you're allowed on, but if you're late they can be difficult about it and you could potentially lose your place.

There's something to be said for every route. The route via Puttgarden and the bridge in Denmark is varied and means you never have to drive too far in one go. But the route without a ferry takes you past Legoland and Copenhagen (just sayin’).

There are actually masses of options, but the one that surprised us most was the route we took on the way back, simply paying at the ferry port.

The route between Ystad and Świnoujście. We tacked a few days in Poland onto our Swedish adventure, and that ferry was the best choice. It was a cheap crossing with lots of good, cheap food and drink. On top of that, the region in the north of Poland is great fun to explore and lies close to the German border.

In Sweden itself you actually only drive another three hours before arriving at the base camp. Älmhult is the last town before the base camp and the ideal stop for some final shopping. Since we had the food package, we just bought a few sausages for the campfire.

Fun together on the water at the Canoe Tribe.

Again?

The Canoe Tribe is one we look back on with an incredibly warm heart. Would we do it again? Our eldest's words say it all.

After stepping out of the boat following a very windy final leg: NEVER AGAIN!
On the last evening: I really did enjoy it a lot, but I want a proper long shower now.
While packing up: Mum, can we do this again next summer with our friends?

All of that in less than 24 hours. It's sometimes exhausting, your character gets tested, but it is oh so incredibly beautiful.

Want more info? Check the website and who knows, next year your 16-year-old with a dead smartphone might say to you too: “Mum, can we do this again next summer with our friends?”