SCANDINAVIA - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 92

Need to know Minimum ten people for two
rafts. For directions, accommodation details and
booking see W www.vildmark.se; T +46 (0) 5601
4040. The tour begins at Gunnerud, 95km north
of Karlstad, from where you'll be taken to the raft-
building site. There is a direct train service from
Copenhagen to Karlstad (7hr 15min; W www.sj.se)
with a local bus to Gunnerud from there (2hr).

121 rAfTinG on ThE KlArälvEn,
SwEdEn

Tired of tailored tours? For the ultimate DIY
travel experience, build your own timber raft
with operator Vildmark I Värmland and float
down the Klarälven, Sweden's longest river. The
idea is to construct a floating raft big enough to
carry five or six people using just a dozen ropes
and logs. Your teamwork (and sense of humour)
will be put to the test but if you're worried your
clove hitches are more like granny knots, helpful
instructors are on hand to give advice.
You can build a raft in a morning and take
it out on the river for the afternoon, but to get
the most out of your craft - and the river - it's
best to go on a five- or eight-day trip to enjoy
the tranquillity of Värmland (Sweden's most
southerly wilderness) and have time inland to
explore the villages along the Klarälven. You
can choose to stay overnight under canvas on
your moored craft or in a tent by the river. There
are no guides on board to show you the way,
but you'll be well briefed beforehand on how to
navigate the river and
you'll soon pick up how
to handle your raft with
pole and paddles while
keeping an eye out for
sandbanks and eddies.
There are periods
of intense activity
(crossing rapids and
whirlpools) but much
of the trip is a slow
meander so you can
keep an eye out for
beaver and moose and
even go fishing (permit
required). But the best
thing about the trip is
the sense of achievement
at having built your
own raft and navigated
yourself downstream.

Teamwork is required for raft
building; floating along the
serene River Klarälven