Best places to go lake & river kayaking

“I would thoroughly recommend having some experience of paddling before this trip as there are long open crossings; here a good paddle technique is an advantage. I did find paddling with two novices in the group very frustrating. Be prepared for long periods of inactivity if the days are very hot as the itinerary may have to change. Remember to take waterproof sun cream so that you don’t have to reapply after every dip taken.” – Coral Morgan on a canoeing and kayaking holiday in Montenegro

“Arrive with a can-do positive attitude... things change.” – Kirstin Shirling on a canoeing and kayaking holiday in Montenegro

“Make sure you understand the length of the entire trip in the canoe. There is quite a bit of paddling each day and if the wind is blowing against you it’s tough.” – David Townsend on a self guided canoeing holiday in Sweden

“Take waterproof bags to put all your clothes and equipment into for the canoe trip. Make sure you have a good torch as electricity supplies in hotels are unpredictable. No need for water purifying tablets as bottled water is available everywhere even in the back of beyond!” – Rosemary Llewellin on a Madagascar river rafting holiday

“Leave yourself in Phil’s capable hands – go half-board because the hotel’s fantastic and take his kit list as your Bible.” – Adele Holt on white water kayaking in the Ardeche

“The holiday provider was very patient at responding to our (many) emails. Clarify what kind of experiences you would like and they will do their best to create it for you. Our guide was young, fit and very experienced and we always felt safe and he went out of his way to mix it up for us and make changes when necessary which we appreciated. We appreciated the back-up vehicle although we didn’t use it often.” – Scott and San on a tailor made kayaking holiday in Kerala

“There is one guide per group and the group can be very small, even one person sometimes. Be prepared for bad Wi-Fi and no phone service and last-minute itinerary changes.” – Natalie Jacob on kayaking in Croatia and Bosnia

“If you have a waterproof case for your camera then take it. The times on the water are very generous – we were doing about 1km per 15 minutes without really trying. At Mariefred, the castle (Gripsholm) is definitely worth a visit, as was dinner at Gripsholm Värdshus – the hotel by the front. In Stockholm the Vasa Museum is outstanding.” – Ian Buckley on a self guided canoeing holiday in Sweden