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The Finland Kayak Adventure 2023

Challenge level: 3 out of 5

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When can I go?

6 July - 10 July 2023 On Sale
Duration 5 days

What does it cost?

Registration fee (payable today) Info £249
Remaining amount
Total commitment Info

The Finland Kayak Adventure 2023

Join us in the Land of the Midnight Sun for our short and sweet kayaking escape!

Lapland is renowned for its mystical winters but we’ll get the best of the Arctic summer. Shining sun, crystal clear waters, sandy beaches – and fairy tale forests, ideal for wild camping!

No kayaking experience is needed and we’ll kick off with a day of training and wilderness preparation. Then, we'll head our compasses East and navigate as a team across the pristine waters of Lake Livojärvi.

Together with our awesome local experts, we’ll carry all the gear we need in our boats and conquer over 40km in three days. Kayaking by day, we’ll wild camp by night, learn to cook with an expedition cooker and swim under the midnight sun. We may even spot reindeer!

Sustainable travel
Both Dream Challenges and our local experts in Finland believe nature is the most important thing on this planet.

Our amazing local challenge leaders for the Finland Kayaking Adventure do everything they can to ensure the lakes, forests and natural beauty can be enjoyed and preserved now and for generations to come.

Your itinerary

Day 1
London – Rovaniemi - Posio, Lapland

We first meet at the airport in London for our flight to Finland. Touching down in Rovaniemi in the late afternoon, we’re welcomed to the Arctic by our fab team of local ground handlers. From there, we transfer to the adventure camp in the countryside. Nestled in the rolling green hills and forests of Posio, we become immediately immersed in the magic of the Arctic summer.

Once settled, our ground handlers serve us a homemade welcome dinner – and then the excitement begins!

Together with our experienced instructors, we review our route and safety plan and go through the gear we’ll use throughout our adventure. We make sure we know how to use the equipment and that we have everything we need to stay warm, dry and happy.

Now buzzing for the challenge ahead, we end the day with a traditional Finnish sauna, followed by a swim in the Lake Livojärvi! We sleep tonight in the adventure camp cabins.

Day 2
Adventure Camp, Posio - Lake Livojärvi | approx. 12km/ 7 miles

Now our challenge prep begins in earnest. Commencing the day with a hearty homemade breakfast at camp, we head to the lake and hop in kayaks for a brief intro to the sport.

No previous kayaking is necessary for this challenge, as we’ll go through the basics now, paddling forwards, backwards and sideways. We also have some fun capsizing our own boats and learning how to rescue both ourselves and each other. If you’re already a keen kayaker, you can perfect your stroke and get used to the boats we’ll be using throughout our challenge.

After lunch, we split into pairs to prepare our gear and food for the challenge ahead. Together with our challenge experts, we then head our compasses East and start our expedition.

Clambering back into our kayaks, now packed with all our challenge gear, we push off into the clear waters of Lake Livojärvi and just keep paddling. Once we reach our first longer rest stop, we catch our breath, stretch our legs and learn how to build an open fire, with guidance from our challenge experts.

Then it’s back in the boats to conquer a second stretch to our night’s camp. Arriving in the late afternoon, we will pitch our tents by the lakeside. This evening, we cook our own dinner with an expedition cooker, under the supervision of our pro wilderness chef.

Day 3
Lake Livojärvi | approx. 12km/ 7 miles

Waking up to breakfast at our beautiful lake-side camp, we pack up and leave no trace behind us. We then continue kayaking westward until we reach one of Lapland’s most beautiful roads. This gives us a break from the boats as we will have a longer break on a sandy beach, hoping to spot reindeer enjoying the sunshine along the way!

After lunch, we clamber back into our kayaks and paddle still westwards, stopping for lunch along the way. We reach a tranquil, sandy beach, known as “the Lappish Riviera” in the late afternoon: a stunning place to set up camp.

We end the day making our dinner, with a view of the crystal waters, fringed with golden sand and pine forests. Tonight, we have the opportunity to wind down and connect with nature under a midnight sun, with a mindfulness-style relaxation exercise, led by our local guides.

Day 4
Lake Livojärvi | approx. 17km/ 10.5 miles

It’s our last and longest day on the lake and we are raring to go! Leaving the Lappish Riviera, as always with no trace, we set our compasses East and paddle back towards the base camp in Posio. We conquer a whopping ten miles today, but the fairy tale scenery enchants us all the way.

Making the most of our final day in sparkling waters and wild forest, we stop for a long, lake-side lunch. Then it’s one last stretch to our finish line! We reach the adventure base camp in the afternoon and after gear maintenance, you’re free to relax. Why not soothe those muscles with a well-deserved sauna and swim in the lake?

This evening, we meet back up for our celebration dinner and award ceremony. There’s no cooking or pitching tents for us tonight and we enjoy a good night’s sleep in the comfortable cabins.

Day 5
Posio – Rovaniemi - UK

After breakfast, we bid goodbye to the land of the Midnight Sun and transfer to the Rovaniemi airport for our flight home. We part ways at the airport in London, free to make our own way home.

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Funding options

Self Funded

Pay your registration fee and your challenge costs yourself.

£1,550

Pay the balance

  • Pay a non-refundable registration fee of £249 when you book, which is used to administer the challenge and secure your seats with the airline.
  • Pay the challenge cost of £1,550 yourself 12 weeks before the challenge starts.
  • The challenge costs cover flights (not including airport taxes and the fuel surcharge, approx. £150), your food, accommodation, transfers, specialist kayaking and camping equipment hire, outdoor remote first aid trained challenge guides and medical support, including a doctor with expedition medicine training and kayaking instructors.
  • Choose to fundraise as much as you can or make a personal donation to the charity, hospice or animal sanctuary of your choice.
  • Please also remember to budget for airport taxes and fuel surcharge (approx. £120).
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Sponsorship

Pay your registration fee and raise the minimum target for your chosen charity.

£3,100

Minimum sponsorship target

  • Pay a non-refundable registration fee of £249 when you book, which is used to administer the challenge and secure your seats with the airline.
  • Fundraise the minimum sponsorship target of £3,100 for a charity, hospice or animal sanctuary of your choice 12 weeks before the challenge starts..
  • Providing you have raised the funds, the charity you are supporting will pay the challenge costs (£1,550) on your behalf.
  • The challenge costs cover flights (not including airport taxes and the fuel surcharge, approx. £150), your food, accommodation, transfers, specialist kayaking and camping equipment hire, outdoor remote first aid trained challenge guides and medical support, including a doctor with expedition medicine training and kayaking instructors.
  • Please also remember to budget for airport taxes and fuel surcharge (approx. £120).
  • Please note that not all charities are happy to commit to the minimum sponsorship option. If you choose this option, we contact the charity you want to support on your behalf. If they are not happy with the minimum sponsorship option, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.
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FAQs
The Finland Kayak Adventure 2023

No previous kayaking experience is required, but you do need to be able to swim in cold, open water.

If you do get a chance to practice kayaking, the more comfortable and familiar you feel in a boat, the more you're likely to enjoy the challenge.

This trip is suitable for anyone with a reasonable level of fitness.

No previous kayaking experience is required, but you do need to be able to swim in cold, open water. If you do get a chance to practice kayaking, the more comfortable and familiar you feel in a boat, the more you're likely to enjoy the challenge.

We do not recommend this challenge if you suffer from back pain, epilepsy or heart problems. By the time the challenge comes around, you'll need to be reasonably strong in order to set up camp. Once you have signed up, we send you a realistic training programme, which gradually builds up as the challenge gets closer.

Please don't be! The majority of people will sign up for this challenge on their own. Once you've registered, we'll send you a link to a private Facebook group for everyone taking on the The Finland Kayak Adventure.

Please feel free to use this space to swap questions, advice and updates with your fellow challengers on your training and fundraising.

You may also want to reach out to the fellow participants in this group to see if there's anyone in your local area you can meet up to train and fundraise with.

We'll supply you with a comprehensive list of everything you will need to take on the challenge well before your departure date.

Some adventurers prefer not to buy personal outdoor summer clothing. If you are travelling light or just prefer not to add to your closet, our ground handlers in Finland are happy to offer a summer clothing gear rental package that will help to keep you warm and dry.

Preliminary booking is required to ensure appropriate sizes are available. The gear package (50€) includes: 

  • One set of thermal underlayer (trousers and shirt)
  • Woolen socks (if needed)
  • Fleece or heavy sweater 
  • Wind and waterproof jacket and trousers
  • Down jacket (if needed)
  • Sandals (Crocs or similar)
  • Cap
  • Paddling gloves
  • Buff
  • Sun glasses
  • Waterproof sacks for personal clothing (large and small)

  • Personal summer gear rental package: 50€

 

Your registration fee of £249 per person is used to administer the challenge and secure your seats with the airline.

Your challenge costs of £1,550 (ie. 50% of the fundraising target if you choose the Sponsorship option) cover:

  • Your flights (not including airport taxes and the fuel surcharge, approx. £150).
  • Meals throughout the challenge.
  • Accommodation and all camping equipment.
  • Special outdoor sports gear rental, such as kayaks, paddles, wetsuits, safety vests, tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mattresses, first aid kit, cooking gear and utensils, etc.
  • All transfers in Finland.
  • A team of awesome, outdoor remote first aid trained Finnish/English speaking kayaking instructors and our fab Dream Challenges staff.
  • Full support from the Dream Challenges office in the lead up to and during your challenge.
  • Medical support, including a UK doctor with expedition medicine training, who will accompany us throughout the challenge.
  • Your Finland Kayak Adventure medal and t-shirt.

The group size is likely to be around 30 people.

Absolutely not! One of the amazing things about the Finland Kayak Adventure is that people of all ages will come together to do something very special. 

Like the majority of our challenges, the Finland Kayak Adventure is for people aged 18+. However, 16 year-olds may be permitted to take part under the supervision of a responsible adult.

Please get in touch to discuss this on a case by case basis.

The accommodation on the first and last night is at standard level summer cabins in Livohka in the countryside of Posio, Lapland. Bed linen, towels and access to the traditional wood-heated sauna are included.

During the challenge, on nights 2-3, you'll be divided into small teams to share tents, with proper sleeping bags and sleeping mattresses in the tents. You'll also cook your own dinner with an expedition cooker, under the supervision of our local guides.

We organise our accommodation on a twin-sharing basis, which is included in the challenge cost.

However, if you would rather pay for a single supplement (£100 per person, NOT included in your challenge cost) and have a room/tent to yourself, please get in touch and we can arrange this for you.

Certainly. Our accommodation is included in your challenge cost on a twin-sharing basis.

However if you would prefer to have a room/tent to yourself and pay for a single supplement, we'll be happy to arrange this for you at an additional cost of £100. Please note, this is NOT included in your challenge cost).

If you would like a single supplement, please get in touch by emailing us at events@dream-challenges.com or call us on 01590 646410 (Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm).

Yes of course! If you wish to extend your stay, please let us know at least 14 weeks before our departure date and we can arrange this for you.

The easiest way to get in touch is by emailing us at events@dream-challenges.com or calling us on 01590 646410 (9am - 5pm Monday - Friday)

In addition to paying your registration fee of £199 and either self funding or fundraising the minimum sponsorship target, you will need to budget for:

  • Your airport taxes and the fuel surcharge (currently £150 but subject to change – up or down).
  • Personal travel insurance.
  • Optional - Summer outdoor gear hire (50€ per person, to be booked and paid for in advance - we will let you know when bookings for this are available) - this will include all the outdoor summer gear needed for the challenge.
  • Gratuities & personal expenses.
  • You may also choose to pay £100 for a single supplement at our accommodation.

You will need to take out your own personal travel insurance covering health, accident, loss and repatriation.

We have found an insurance policy provider that covers you for this type of activity and also covers you for cancellation due to medically-diagnosed COVID-19 and we will send you the details once you register for the challenge.

You can, however, take out your own insurance, providing it covers you for a kayaking challenge in Finland.

Please ask the insurer about the nature of the cover. It is your responsibility to ensure you have adequate cover for your challenge.

Currently, UK nationals don't need a visa to visit Scandinavia. We'll let you know if this changes.

As we're not medically trained, we're afraid we can't offer you advice on this. We recommend you contact your GP or your local travel clinic, who will have the latest travel health advice.

We also recommend you visit the NHS Fit for Travel website here, to keep up to date with current travel health news and advice on staying healthy abroad.

NHS Fit for Travel website: https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/home

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