Vossevangen: Nærøyfjord Full-Day Guided Kayaking Trip

We had a great time kayaking in the fjord as a family of 4 consisting with myself, my wife and and 2 teenagers. The checking in was easy and the transfer to the fjord was about 45mins but a scenic drive. The kit was good and we were in double kayaks. The guides were really nice and we felt safe as we were kayaking up the fjord even with the larger ferries using the fjord. We stopped an hour for lunch at on the fjord where there were opportunities to swim in the fjord for those that had swimmers on. After this we paddled back to a pick up point. The views we stunning and We were lucky with the weather it was a beautiful day!! The only suggestion I’d have is some better instruction on paddling particularly on how to steer but we picked it up pretty quick!!

This is billed as a 6-hour "full-day" tour, but it isn't really that. The Great: Finn was an excellent guide. He gave us all sorts of great facts on the ride to the Fjord. He knows what he is doing and seemed to really enjoy his role. We enjoyed getting to know him..and hearing about his activities. Also great were the views in the Fjord. We had a partly sunny day and considered ourselves lucky since many experience low clouds or rain. It didn't rain. Two places for bathroom breaks were very welcome. The Not So Great: Yeah, it's 6 hours, but that includes 1 hour traveling each way and about 30 minutes for lunch and 30 minutes unpacking the kayaks and re-loading them. Your time in the kayak is 3 hours at best. Also not great was that our kayak (#12) clearly had a left bias which we had to constantly correct for. We were blamed for not paddling correctly but we tried many techniques, including switching positions and it made no difference. The bias was likely caused by a deformation in the bottom of the kayak caused by the transport straps or driving into the rocky beacheads. This was a huge hassle for us to overcome this bias. Amd, correct synchronized paddling actually worsens the effect. So every time we we did so, we drifted faster to the left. Check your kayak. When we stopped for lunch, Finn mentioned one option was to hike to a waterfall but he didn't make clear that would take all of the lunch time. None of us did it at first and when we inquired about it, he said we didn't have enough time. Ah, OK. When loading up the kayaks, one of the other guides (whose name is withheld) absolutely would not do what Finn asked in order to secure the load. Finn was very patient with this person, who was at best, unprofessional, and at worst, just a jerk. Someone else had to step in to help. That shouldn't happen in front of customers. Finn handled it very well. It was a tough situation. The other party did not. The Bad: In the listing for the activity, it says you need to bring your own lunch and water. It doesn't say that anywhere in the post-booking communications. We did bring it but some tours provide water and lunch and Outdoor Norway does not. That needs to be made more clear. At the time of this writing, there are only 17 reviews which seems like a really low number for something that overall is an experience unique to Norway. As with other activities, we were asked multiple times to sign a waiver, which we did do. When we were checked in, we were asked if we signed the waiver, but there was no checking of any records or verification. Our word is our bond, I guess.

A somewhat less positive review that I feel I have to write. As a family with 2 kids we booked this trip as it was marked as beginner to intermediate. While we're not totally new to kayaking, it was a while ago and definitely not in big waters like these. Therefore we paid for a guided tour and booked this based on reviews. However, I must say we left with two different conclusions. One is about the Nærøyfjord itself and the other about the guided part of it all. We can be short about the first one: it's a stunning location and after a few days of rain the waterfalls were still going which added to the beauty, so even though it was mostly cloudy it was beautiful nonetheless. About the guided experience we're really left wondering what we paid for. We were asked to be there 8:25 and we were there 8:15 with just 1 other person, the rest showed op fashionably late. Which meant we left not at 8:30 but 8:50 (keep this in mind for later). The itinerary said things about "safety briefing" and "warm up" but nothing of this happened. We were just told what the skirt and life jacket were and how to put them on, nothing more. There was also absolutely no explanation about any plan, people were just put into the water and at the end the 2 guides joined and just circled around the group. Part of the group went fast and others were taking pictures just 100 meters into the fjord. Guides did nothing to keep the group together and there should've been instructions like "first we kayak for 30 minutes, then we pause to take pictures" or something like that. Now all we got was 4 km of the fjord in the whole trip. And remember: I was even with my daughter so extra weight and her paddling was of course not of huge help and I'm not the fittest guy out there either, yet we felt like we only did a very small part of what could've been. Then the lunch: the itinerary explicitly stated "kayaking, then lunch, then more kayaking". And while at 11:00 we were asked (with some rain above us) whether we wanted to lunch already or wait a little bit for better weather, we did say that we wanted to lunch but can wait for it a little longer. Eventually the guide said twice "we're going there and then we lunch" only to finally end up at the starting point at 13:00 and no further kayaking was done. Even though earlier the group was split in 2 and the fastest paddlers were only 50 meters away and did have a lunch break on the side. Our group, with our 2 kayaks and another family with younger kids and a single person also less experienced were the "slow group" (which is fine), but to make the decision as a guide that a slower and less experienced group can skip lunch and keep the same energy levels is a wild mistake. Also there was no guidance whatsoever, no instructions on how to use the paddles best or what to do in certain situations. Only when the ferry passed by everyone was instructed to go to the right of the fjord to make the waves we encounter weaker. Stuff like that should've been told beforehand. And the final element was the fact that the itinerary says 8:30-14:30 and 3-4 hours on the water. We left 8:50, arrived 9:40 and were in the water at 10:00 and left at 13:00, so somehow the guides managed to time it extremely well (for themselves or their boss) and we were back in our own car at the Outdoor Norway Voss location at precisely 14:00. Meaning they smuggled 50 minutes off and while we were driving back, the guides were called twice what their ETA was, when arriving a large group was waiting there. So it all felt extremely rushed and ill guided. No harm towards their friendliness, and I won't name names because it's a negative review, but this shouldn't be the way to do it. Basically the only difference between renting a kayak ourselves and this tour was the bus trip from Voss to Gudvangen and back and the few questions I could ask the guide the few times when I was able to keep up with him. Also: we were asked to bring swimwear but to this point we still don't know why and the guide also had no clue. Finally: to be honest we had no clue what to expect in terms of how easy or difficult it would be, how the waters would be, how stable the kayak would be and so on. We're just a family that isn't all that sporty and ultimately we felt extremely at ease in the water. If I had known this before, I definitely would've rented a kayak (and equipment) for a full day myself instead of this so-called guided trip. The major thing to know is that there are ferries in the same waters and RIB boats, but they all seem to be keeping far left (looking from Gudvangen) and we kept mostly on the right, that's very well arranged and the waves of those boats from a distance is no big deal at all. Yes, the first time you see a big ferry or a fast RIB boat coming somewhat towards you while you're sitting vulnerably in a small kayak is slightly tense, but as long as you don't go anywhere near them there is no issue at all. In the end we did enjoy our time on the water though, but price wise and guided trip wise this has been quite a mismatch.

Sad to have to give a poor review as had high hopes for this experience. Booked a fjord kayaking tour with a departure time of 9 30an and expected return of 4.30pm. We were on the water approx. 1 hour and we were hit by a rain which lasted about 20 minutes. The weather instantly lifted and though conditions were good again the guide said we would head back and not continue with excursion. On route back they decided to stop for a 'snack stop' and allowed myself and my pal back in the water independently to kayak, at times, out of sight if the guides. We then had to head back to base after only kayaking for 1.5 hours approx. I have contacted Outdoor Nirway to raise this issue, I argue that if it was such bad weather and dangerous to continue, which it was not, then I should not have been allowed back in the water unsupported. It cost about £100 for a short kayak. They have offered a future discount voucher, which is no use to me. Debie at Outdoor Norway emailed to say she was escalating my complaint to management and after that email they are choosing to ignore all further emails from me requesting an update about my complaint (4 sent). I have requested a partial refund, which is in their T&Cs on their website but they are now ignoring their own T&Cs and my emails. I would have liked not to write a bad review but they have left me with no choice. I attach pictures of the 'bad' condition to which the said it was too dangerous to continue kayaking.

What a great day! The views were amazing, and the guides were very helpful. Even the drive to the start of the fjord had beautiful scenery.

Great kayaking trip. Mohan was a very good guide, checking in with people along the way. Highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for something different to the standard boat tours

We had an amazing time with our guide Mohan. At first it was a little windy in the trip which made it challenging, but we loved every second! Thanks to Mohan our guide, we had an unique experience!

This experience was not what I expected. We were at the mercy of mother nature... it was rainy, windy and cold. The waves were especially big in the beginning that I felt like I was on a rafting trip. Instead of wishing the weather were different, we got on with it and made it a memorable experience. Mahon was an excellent guide, he always looked after everyone's safety. It was physically challenging but the magnificent view more than made up for it. I would do this all over again. Highly recommend!

I did the explorer combo with Outdoor Norway and that was a very good choice! I had loads of fun during both days and collected memorable experiences, even though (or maybe also because) it was raining pretty much the whole time during Fjord kayaking, Rafting and E-mountain-biking. The guides were exceptional (thanks Mikkal, Gabe, KC and Andrew!) - fun and safety oriented at the same time. The trips are not very physical demanding, so families or 'city people' will also enjoy their time. Gear is great/ in good shape! If I come back to Voss (and I really would like to see the area during sunny weather and/ or with snow) I will check out the company again! Thanks for the great time!

Excellent experience, no kayaking experience and was very doable, relaxing and fun. This was the family kayaking experience Completely recommend. Instructor was ace 👍🏻