Sea Kayaking Expeditions: Best Multi-Day Routes

Updated for 2026 — Accurate as of February 2026.

There is a particular kind of freedom that only sea kayaking delivers. You carry everything you need in your boat. You move at the speed of your own arms. You access coastlines that no road, trail, or motorboat can reach. And at the end of each day, you pull your kayak onto a beach that you have entirely to yourself, set up camp, cook dinner watching the sunset over the ocean, and fall asleep to the sound of waves.

Multi-day sea kayaking expeditions are among the purest forms of adventure travel. They require fitness, skill, weather judgment, and self-reliance. The rewards are proportional: remote coastlines, wildlife encounters, a deep connection with the ocean, and a sense of accomplishment that few other activities deliver.

I have paddled multi-day sea kayaking routes on four continents over the past six years, ranging from three-day coastal hops to three-week expedition crossings. This guide covers the best routes in the world, from beginner-friendly coastal paddles to advanced expedition-level journeys.

Lofoten Islands, Norway (5-7 Days)

Paddling through the Lofoten Islands is sea kayaking at its most visually spectacular. Jagged granite peaks rise 1,000 meters directly from the ocean. Turquoise water fills sheltered bays between the mountains. White sand beaches, seemingly transplanted from the Caribbean, appear between headlands of dark, ancient rock. And the midnight sun, which keeps the sky bright 24 hours a day from late May through mid-July, means you can paddle whenever you choose.

The classic Lofoten sea kayaking route follows the outer coast of the island chain from Reine in the south to Henningsvaer or Svolvaer in the north, a distance of roughly 80-100 kilometers depending on your exact route. The coastline is deeply indented with fjords, sounds, and channels that provide sheltered paddling even when the open ocean is rough. Wild camping is legal throughout Norway under the right to roam (allemannsretten), meaning you can pitch your tent on any beach or coastline.

I paddled this route over six days in June, and the combination of dramatic scenery, wildlife (sea eagles overhead, seals on the rocks, the occasional whale spout in the distance), and the surreal quality of paddling at midnight in full daylight made it one of the most memorable outdoor experiences of my life.

Distance: 80-100 km Duration: 5-7 days Difficulty: Intermediate (some exposed crossings, tidal currents in sounds) Water temperature: 8-13 degrees Celsius (June-August) Best season: June through August (midnight sun period) Guided or independent: Both options available. Guided trips from 1500 EUR for 5 days. Where to rent kayaks: Several outfitters in Reine, Svolvaer, and Henningsvaer Kayak rental cost: 80-120 EUR per day for a fully equipped expedition kayak with dry bags Getting there: Fly to Leknes or Bodo, then ferry or bus to your starting point.

Pro Tip: Bring a fishing rod. Arctic cod, coalfish, and pollock are abundant and can be caught from the kayak. Fresh fish cooked on a beach campfire is the quintessential Lofoten dinner.

Scottish Highlands and Islands (3-10 Days)

Scotland offers the most varied and accessible sea kayaking in Europe. The west coast, from the Clyde to Cape Wrath, features thousands of islands, sea lochs, and headlands that create an almost infinite variety of routes. The Inner Hebrides (Mull, Skye, Jura, Islay) and Outer Hebrides (Lewis, Harris, the Uists) provide sheltered island-hopping routes through some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in the British Isles.

The classic route is the circumnavigation of the Isle of Skye (140 km, 7-10 days), which takes you past the Cuillin Ridge, through tidal races, along basalt sea cliffs, and through sounds where you are likely to see seals, porpoises, sea eagles, and otters. For a shorter trip, the Small Isles (Rum, Eigg, Muck, Canna) offer a spectacular 3-5 day island-hopping route through sheltered waters.

Distance: Variable (3-day island hops to 10-day circumnavigations) Difficulty: Beginner to advanced (depending on route) Water temperature: 10-15 degrees Celsius (June-August) Best season: May through September Guided or independent: Both. Guided trips from 800 GBP for 5 days. Kayak rental cost: 50-80 GBP per day Wild camping: Legal under Scottish right to roam. Camp on beaches and headlands.

Photo credit on Pexels

Dalmatian Coast, Croatia (5-7 Days)

Croatia’s Dalmatian coast offers warm-water sea kayaking through a chain of over 1,000 islands in the Adriatic. The water is warm (22-26 degrees in summer), the visibility is excellent, and the combination of medieval walled towns, secluded pebble beaches, and pine-covered islands creates a paddling environment that is as culturally rich as it is scenically beautiful.

The most popular route runs from Split to Dubrovnik (or vice versa), island-hopping through Brac, Hvar, Korcula, and Mljet. Each island has its own character: Hvar for lavender fields and nightlife, Korcula for its medieval old town, Mljet for its national park with saltwater lakes. You can camp on beaches, stay in village guesthouses, or combine both approaches.

Distance: 150-200 km (depending on island routing) Duration: 5-7 days Difficulty: Beginner to intermediate (warm water, generally calm conditions, many shelter options) Water temperature: 22-26 degrees Celsius (June-September) Best season: May through October (June and September are ideal for avoiding summer crowds) Guided or independent: Both options widely available. Guided trips from 800 EUR for 6 days. Kayak rental cost: 40-60 EUR per day Where to stay: Mix of wild camping on beaches and village accommodation (rooms from 25 EUR)

Pro Tip: Paddle early in the morning before the Maestral wind (a thermal northwesterly) picks up in the afternoon. By 2 PM, the wind can be 15-20 knots, which creates challenging conditions for loaded expedition kayaks. Use the afternoons for exploring towns, swimming, and resting.

Abel Tasman, New Zealand (3-5 Days)

Abel Tasman National Park on New Zealand’s South Island is the country’s premier sea kayaking destination and one of the most beautiful coastal paddles in the world. Golden sand beaches backed by native bush, clear turquoise water, and a sheltered coastline indented with bays, estuaries, and islands create ideal paddling conditions. The park is only accessible by boat, kayak, or foot (via the Abel Tasman Coast Track), which means the beaches are uncrowded despite the park’s popularity.

The standard route follows the coast from Marahau to Totaranui (51 km), with camping at Department of Conservation (DOC) campsites along the way. The paddling is sheltered and the distances between camps are manageable (10-15 km per day), making this an excellent introductory multi-day sea kayaking trip.

Distance: 51 km (one way) Duration: 3-5 days Difficulty: Beginner-friendly (sheltered water, well-maintained campsites, multiple exit points) Water temperature: 16-20 degrees Celsius (December-March) Best season: November through April (Southern Hemisphere summer) Guided or independent: Both options. Guided trips from 800 NZD for 3 days. Independent rentals from 85 NZD per day. Camping: DOC campsites must be booked in advance during peak season (December-February). From 15 NZD per person per night. Getting there: Nelson is the nearest town. Bus or water taxi to Marahau.

Baja California, Mexico (5-10 Days)

The Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) between Baja California and mainland Mexico is Jacques Cousteau’s “aquarium of the world,” and paddling it by sea kayak is an extraordinary experience. The desert coastline of Baja features dramatic rock formations, hidden coves, and desert islands where you can camp on pristine beaches beneath a sky blazing with stars.

The marine life is exceptional. Sea lions haul out on rocks and swim alongside your kayak. Whale sharks and mobula rays cruise the surface. Between January and March, gray whales migrate into Magdalena Bay on the Pacific side, where you can paddle among mothers and calves in shallow water. Dolphins are a near-daily occurrence.

The most popular sea kayaking route follows the coast from Loreto to La Paz (200+ km), passing the islands of Carmen, Danzante, Monserrat, and Espiritu Santo. The dry desert climate means rain is almost nonexistent, and the calm morning conditions in the Sea of Cortez are ideal for paddling.

Distance: 200+ km (Loreto to La Paz) Duration: 7-10 days Difficulty: Intermediate (desert environment adds logistical challenge, some exposed crossings) Water temperature: 18-28 degrees Celsius (coolest January-March, warmest July-September) Best season: October through May (avoiding the extreme summer heat) Guided or independent: Guided trips recommended for first-timers. From 1200 USD for 5 days. Getting there: Fly to Loreto (LTO) or La Paz (LAP) from mainland Mexico or the US.

Glacier Bay, Alaska (7-14 Days)

Glacier Bay National Park is sea kayaking in its most epic, wilderness-expedition form. You paddle among tidewater glaciers that calve icebergs into the sea, in water surrounded by humpback whales, sea otters, harbor seals, and bears fishing on the shoreline. The scale of the landscape is almost incomprehensible: mountains rising thousands of meters from sea level, glaciers stretching to the horizon, and a silence broken only by the crack of calving ice and the blow of surfacing whales.

This is advanced expedition kayaking. The water is cold (4-10 degrees), the weather is unpredictable, the tidal currents are strong, and you are genuinely remote. There are no facilities, no cell service, and no rescue services within easy reach. You carry all your food for the entire trip and camp on wilderness beaches.

Distance: Variable (80-200+ km depending on route) Duration: 7-14 days Difficulty: Advanced (cold water, remote wilderness, no facilities, bear country) Water temperature: 4-10 degrees Celsius Best season: June through August (longest daylight, mildest weather) Permits: Required. Obtain from the Glacier Bay backcountry office. Free but limited. Guided or independent: Guided trips from 3000 USD for 8 days. Independent trips possible for experienced paddlers. Getting there: Fly to Juneau, then ferry or small plane to Gustavus. Water taxi to the head of the bay.

Essential Gear for Multi-Day Sea Kayaking

Category	Essential Items	Budget
Kayak	Expedition sea kayak (touring, 16-18 ft)	80-150 USD/day rental
Safety	PFD, paddle float, bilge pump, flares, VHF radio	200-400 USD (own)
Navigation	Waterproof chart, compass, GPS device	100-300 USD
Shelter	Tent, sleeping bag, pad	300-800 USD
Cooking	Stove, fuel, pot, utensils	50-150 USD
Clothing	Dry suit or wetsuit, paddling layers	200-600 USD
Dry storage	Dry bags (multiple sizes)	50-150 USD
Communication	Satellite communicator (InReach, SPOT)	300-400 USD + subscription

Skills You Need Before Your First Multi-Day Paddle

Multi-day sea kayaking requires competence in several areas:

1. Efficient forward stroke: You will paddle 15-30 km per day. An inefficient stroke will exhaust you by noon and cause repetitive strain injuries by day three.

2. Bracing and self-rescue: You must be able to recover from a capsize using a paddle float or cowboy scramble. In cold water, getting back in your boat quickly is a survival skill.

3. Navigation: Reading charts, understanding tidal currents, planning routes around weather and tide windows. Many sea kayaking routes involve crossings where you are out of sight of land.

4. Weather judgment: Knowing when to paddle and when to wait. Sea kayakers develop an intimate relationship with weather forecasts and learn to read the sky, wind, and sea state.

5. Packing: Loading a sea kayak is an art. Heavy items low and centered, frequently accessed items accessible, nothing on deck that can catch the wind or fall off.

If you are new to sea kayaking, take a multi-day guided trip before attempting an independent expedition. A good guide teaches these skills in context while keeping you safe.

Planning Your First Multi-Day Sea Kayaking Trip

Start with a 3-day route in sheltered water with multiple exit points. Abel Tasman in New Zealand, the Croatian coast, or the Scottish Inner Hebrides are ideal first trips. Build up to longer, more exposed routes as your skills and confidence develop.

Book well in advance for popular routes (Abel Tasman in January, Lofoten in July) as kayak rental availability is limited. Bring your own dry suit or wetsuit if paddling in cold water, as rental options for these items are often limited and poorly fitting.

And most importantly: check the weather forecast obsessively, but be prepared for it to be wrong. The greatest skill in sea kayaking is patience: the willingness to sit on a beach for a day waiting for conditions to improve rather than pushing out into weather that exceeds your ability.

The Joy of Kayak Camping

Beyond the paddling itself, what makes multi-day sea kayaking special is the camping. You pull your kayak onto a beach that no road can reach, set up your tent overlooking the ocean, cook dinner as the sun sets, and fall asleep to the sound of waves. In the morning, you watch the sunrise from your sleeping bag, brew coffee on a compact stove, pack everything back into the kayak, and paddle off to find the next remote beach.

The beaches you camp on during a sea kayaking expedition are often inaccessible by any other means. In Lofoten, I camped on a white sand beach at the base of a 900-meter granite cliff with no other humans within 10 km. In Croatia, I camped on a tiny island where the only other occupants were a family of rabbits. In Alaska, the beach was shared with a grizzly bear fishing in the river 200 meters away (I slept lightly that night).

This combination of physical exertion, self-sufficiency, natural beauty, and radical simplicity is what draws people to multi-day sea kayaking. It is the antidote to a complicated, screen-saturated life. For a week, your world shrinks to the elemental: water, weather, food, shelter, and the rhythm of your paddle strokes.

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