Hällefors Hostel & Kanotcenter

This family run place rents canoes and kayaks for short trips or longer routes on the rivers and lakes around Hällefors. If you’re planning a canoe tour there, it’s a great place to start. You can stay in the hostel rooms in the main building or pitch a tent at the grounds behind it for a small fee if you aren’t setting off right away. Tours can be done independently with the supplied maps, or you can pay more for a guide. Basic gear is included: a canoe or kayak, life vest, paddles, packing bags or a ton, drinking water canister, bucket, sponge and shovel. They also rent things like cutlery, tents and extra bags or tons. The one small drawback is the nearby sawmill. It’s quite loud and runs late, though it wasn’t too annoying, and there isn’t much the canoe center can do about it.

We had a great five day canoe trip, and the weather and blueberries helped make it special. Sico, the hostel owner, knows the area and does canoeing himself, so his instructions were excellent. We’d recommend taking children along. Ours were 6 and 8 and had a wonderful time. The hosts were friendly, the hostel was comfortable, and canoeing was great. Thanks as well for the nearby hiking tips and the moose safari. The rooms and kitchen were comfortable too.

We loved the northern route with our family. Booking was straightforward, and the organizers could speak and write English and German fluently. They gave us detailed maps with useful suggestions for places to stop and sleep, plus other information, and explained both paddling technique and the route clearly. The borrowed gear, including the canoe and life vests, was in really good shape, the canoe was nearly new. Thanks to the whole team from Germany!

My wife and I spent a few hours on an afternoon canoe trip. The river and nature were beautiful, and it was peaceful. The staff were very nice and spoke Dutch, and the equipment was quite decent.