Aavameri
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Aavameri SeaKayaking.fi offers high quality sea kayaking tours and courses in the amazing Finnish Archipelago Sea with its over 40.000 islands and skerries. They arrange activities in the Turku area including Naantali, Rymättylä, and the Archipelago Sea National Park. We also provide transportation, kayak and outdoor equipment rental and give expedition support. Aavameri has a self-service rental Satava Kayak&SUP from which many guided tours and courses are arraned, but we also arrange activities all around the area and offer rental kayaks where you need them.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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5.0
74 reviews
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70
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Phil O
Turku, Finland26 contributions
Jul 2020
The group was 8 people. As some of our fellows on the course, I had little experience with the kayak. It seemed to be a tiny boat that I can steer on the mirror-like water when the sun is shining.
On the first day, it was raining. Only when we got paddling, I understood it is not a problem at all. It rains, not a big deal. We have learned a few techniques and paddled around a couple of islands. We have learned how to land on the rocks slippery as ice when you have wash waves. On the way back each of us "rescued" our teacher from the water. By the end of the day, neither rain nor waves seemed to be a problem for paddling.
On the second day, it was sunshine. However, the headwind became quite strong. We have learned a couple more tricks and headed to Vepsa island. I would never go in the wind that strong myself, but it felt safe with our teacher. Of course, we got tired and stayed a while for lunch at Vepsa. The way back was much easier. As we reached the harbor, we practiced pairwise rescue from the water. We all had dry clothes to change it was asked in advance to have dry clothes with you all the time.
The most valuable takeout of the course for me: it is not a catastrophe if you fall. Unless the water is too cold, you have time to rescue or to be rescued and continue your way.
On the first day, it was raining. Only when we got paddling, I understood it is not a problem at all. It rains, not a big deal. We have learned a few techniques and paddled around a couple of islands. We have learned how to land on the rocks slippery as ice when you have wash waves. On the way back each of us "rescued" our teacher from the water. By the end of the day, neither rain nor waves seemed to be a problem for paddling.
On the second day, it was sunshine. However, the headwind became quite strong. We have learned a couple more tricks and headed to Vepsa island. I would never go in the wind that strong myself, but it felt safe with our teacher. Of course, we got tired and stayed a while for lunch at Vepsa. The way back was much easier. As we reached the harbor, we practiced pairwise rescue from the water. We all had dry clothes to change it was asked in advance to have dry clothes with you all the time.
The most valuable takeout of the course for me: it is not a catastrophe if you fall. Unless the water is too cold, you have time to rescue or to be rescued and continue your way.
Written July 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
aavameri892837
Hi Phil, great that you enjoyed the course despite the close-to-horrific downpour on Saturday! Hope to see you on the water some day in the future!
Benjamin and Peter / Aavameri
Written July 23, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jude
pacific northwest47 contributions
Aug 2022
I was lucky enough to book a day trip with Aavameri to the Turku Archipelago. Ben was our guide, and he was so helpful with information about Finland, the Turku area, the Archipelago, and about sea kayaking in general. He was great about helping us improve our technique, and really assessed the level of our group in order to make it fun for everyone. Luckily, we were a small group, and able to handle going pretty far out for the day, and it was stunningly beautiful. The lunch was also local and delicious! I would highly recommend Aavameri for both a day trip or multi-day trip. I hope to be able to do a multi-day trip the next time I have the opportunity to visit lovely Finland.
Written September 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Jude, a big thank you for your review, great that you liked the trip! I hope to meet you on the water another time again!
//Benjamin
Written July 1, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ivan
1 contribution
Aug 2022
Amazing kayak multi-day expedition with Benjamin!
He looks care of the whole equipment and food, and everything was amazingly organized. We got a lot of nice explanation along the way, and always felt safe and yet remote.
I highly recommend this tour, which will make you discover the beauty and treasures of the Finish archipelagos! Don't miss out!
He looks care of the whole equipment and food, and everything was amazingly organized. We got a lot of nice explanation along the way, and always felt safe and yet remote.
I highly recommend this tour, which will make you discover the beauty and treasures of the Finish archipelagos! Don't miss out!
Written August 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your feedback and review, I am very happy that you liked the kayaking experience!
//Benjamin
Written July 1, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ashley h
10 contributions
May 2023 • Family
My brother and I booked a five day/four night kayaking trip in the Archipelago Sea with guide Johan, and guide-in-training Gabriel. Johan and Gabriel were phenomenal guides and made the trip unforgettable. They were responsible and professional while still being friendly and fun. They're the type of guys you'd want to be friends with after the trip. Each day they planned a route that kept us sheltered from the wind, and they chose a doable mileage for us that was appropriately challenging and beautiful. We felt very safe with them. They put a lot of thought into where we'd be camping each night and picked some amazing spots. The meals they cooked were also some of the best camping meals I've ever had. Truly an amazing adventure we won't forget! 10/10, would 100% recommend!
Written June 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Great that you liked the expedition, our guides and the area! You got a lot more wind than we had ordered for you and than the region usually have at this time of the year, glad it did not feel like too much of a bother!
Hope to see you back another time!
//Benjamin
Written June 25, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Marco S
Davos, Switzerland62 contributions
Jun 2023 • Solo
The guys at Aavameri really know their stuff! I felt very comfortable and safe doing a multi-day solo kayaking tour with the excellent support from Gabriel and Ben. The rental equipment is of high quality and in good condition. Before setting of to the trip, they gave helpful and concise instructions on safety and other aspects of solo kayaking. During the trip they were very quick with responding to any upcoming questions or difficulties with equipment usage or route planning - all in a very friendly, helpful and professional way. I enjoyed every minute of the experience and would absolutely like to go on a trip again with Aavameri!
Written July 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Marco for your positive review, happy that you liked it!
Written September 5, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nic
1 contribution
Jun 2023
Wonderful Sea Kayaking in the Archipelago . Gabriel has been a great guide for our 3,5h evening sea kayaking trip in the beautiful archipelago in the Turku area. Besides some safety and technique topics in the beginning, we had great and interesting conversations about kayaking and life in finland. All in all, we can highly recommend this trip.
Written June 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Nicolas for your review, great that you liked the trip!
Written July 1, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Yassi
2 contributions
Jul 2023 • Friends
Our Kayak trip was an excellent experience in Turku. We received very valuable information (including descriptions on how to get there) via email one day before our tour started. The preparation was very well done and our tour guide Laura did a very great job answering all our questions. It was an amazing experience to enjoy the outstanding Finnish nature. Also doable for beginners. Thanks a lot Aavameri and Laura for this great adventure!
Written July 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Yassica, great that you liked the trip! Hope to see you another time in the Finnish archiplago!
Written September 5, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
AdrienB
2 contributions
Jul 2021
It will be hard to do justice in this brief review to what we experienced during our three day excursion with Peter. It was all-out professional from start to finish. We experienced both calm waters and also some more turbulent waters. Despite my wife and I both being beginners at sea kayaking, Peter's guidance helped us to fairly easily "weather the storm". We always felt that our highly skilled guide would be able to handle any situation that may have arisen. Apart from the kayaking that was amazing, we also ate like kings. Our guide, and the other guest on our trip (an experienced kayaker and one of the nicest persons we have met in a very long time), literally went the extra mile (rowing into a strong headwind) to buy freshly smoked salmon for one of our dinners. Thanks Aavameri and Peter for having given us a truly memorable experience. It was so much more than we could ever expect!
Written July 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Very happy to hear that the guided Archipelago National Park expedition was a great experience, thank you for your review! Hope to see you again in the Finnish Archipelago some day!
//Benjamin
Written September 9, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Bart Zijp
8 contributions
Jul 2019 • Family
The first experience with the archipelago. Benjamin has been very kind. He knows a lot about the area and advised us a beautiful route.
Unfortunately we spend only one day on the sea. Next time we will do a two day trip and camp on one of the islands.
We highly recommend this company. It is good fun, especially with a group.
Unfortunately we spend only one day on the sea. Next time we will do a two day trip and camp on one of the islands.
We highly recommend this company. It is good fun, especially with a group.
Written July 21, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Bart for your review! Good choice to do a multiday trip next time, many of the most fascinating islands and areas are not very close to the mainland.
//Benjamin
Written July 23, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hagen J
7 contributions
Sep 2017 • Friends
Tour: 5 days/4 nights. Fully catered.
Group: 5 Australian adults of mixed ability and experience from 35 to 70 years-old.
Location: Hut and camping in the archipelago.
Guide: Johann
We had a superb time. Johann provided all the food, picked us up from the hotel and Aavameri provided all the gear.
We kayaked between 3 and 6 hours per day broken up into stops for lunch and tea. They were tough but not onerous and the weather was a good spread of warm clear days, rain and wind.
We camped the first night and had a hut for the balance. The hut was a great choice: wonderful to retreat to when the weather turned glum and there was a great sauna too.
Johann cooked and it was a sensation. We had some superb and creative meals. We had a few catering challenges (one vegetarian) but Johann was up to the task. He foraged mushrooms and berries which made their way into dinner and desserts. His beetroot, blue cheese risotto was a high point. Johann even found a local fisherman on a neighbouring island who supplied the local fish for dinner.
A guide is a must. Finland can be a riddle and to have a local help you to understand it is priceless especially if you want to eat wild mushrooms and berries. We felt well catered for and when we had hairy weather Johann was in control.
The whole experience was slick and professional.
Bon chance!
Group: 5 Australian adults of mixed ability and experience from 35 to 70 years-old.
Location: Hut and camping in the archipelago.
Guide: Johann
We had a superb time. Johann provided all the food, picked us up from the hotel and Aavameri provided all the gear.
We kayaked between 3 and 6 hours per day broken up into stops for lunch and tea. They were tough but not onerous and the weather was a good spread of warm clear days, rain and wind.
We camped the first night and had a hut for the balance. The hut was a great choice: wonderful to retreat to when the weather turned glum and there was a great sauna too.
Johann cooked and it was a sensation. We had some superb and creative meals. We had a few catering challenges (one vegetarian) but Johann was up to the task. He foraged mushrooms and berries which made their way into dinner and desserts. His beetroot, blue cheese risotto was a high point. Johann even found a local fisherman on a neighbouring island who supplied the local fish for dinner.
A guide is a must. Finland can be a riddle and to have a local help you to understand it is priceless especially if you want to eat wild mushrooms and berries. We felt well catered for and when we had hairy weather Johann was in control.
The whole experience was slick and professional.
Bon chance!
Written September 26, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your positive review, great that you liked the tour and Johan as a guide! Hope to see you again on the water!
Benjamin // Aavameri
Written October 11, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
rahulsuri100
Elk Grove, CA13 contributions
Hi.
Could we Kayak/Canoe with a 2 year old?
Are there any activities that we could do otherwise with a 2+ child travelling with us?
Thanks
aavameri
Turku, Finland41 contributions
Hi, short trips in fine weather works well with a 2 year old in one of our double kayaks, but any longer trips are often hard for children under 5 years of age.
Best regards,
Benjamin / Aavameri
Aavameri - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
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