Fully guided canoe trips
We offer fully guided canoe trips ranging in length from one day paddles to week long adventures. We operate within a radius of ± 300 km around Brussels giving us access to an abundance of rivers, lakes and marshlands in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France. Traveling by canoe is one of the best ways to explore some of the most untouched areas of the lowlands. Canoeing is a prime way to observe wildlife. It is not uncommon to see deer, beaver, otter, eagles, osprey, coypu and other critters. Canoes allow us to bring some of the creature comforts that backpackers have to leave home.
Canoe adventures with family and friends
If you have some family or friends that you want to reconnect with, or maybe your next vacation needs to be something different? Then Freeranger Canoe guided canoe trips are for you! Our multi-day trips, featuring professional and knowledgeable certified guides, include all meals, and paddling equipment, and are suitable for novice and experience paddlers alike! Get out and enjoy your vacation the way it was meant to be experienced – in nature! Freeranger Canoe trips offer a rich experience, friendly instruction, and excellent outdoor cuisine.
Day trip on the Nete River
Enjoy the true character of the Kempen Region on one of Flanders most enjoyable little creeks. This 18 km long day trip leads you through a quiet agricultural landscape from Retie to Lichtaart. Canoeing on the Nete River is accessible to all paddlers with a basic knowledge of paddling technique and is a good start for your first canoe trip. The paddling is not strenuous, navigation is easy and this experience can be enjoyed by beginner and expert paddlers alike.
While exploring the river by canoe, one of our skilled guides will introduce you to the art of canoe tripping. You’ll see beautiful scenery, perhaps view some wildlife and learn fundamental paddling, portaging and safety skills.
Sunday January 22, 2023 // €75 pp
Day trip on the Dommel River
Canoeing on the Dommel is always a treat. The winding river meanders between Neerpelt and Valkenswaard through forests and meadows. You pass through two nature reserves, Hageven and Malpie and you have to be very unlucky not to spot Kingfishers. Especially during the first part of the trip, they find a home in the elevated river banks. Further on you will come across the infrastructure work of beavers who have been living here for several years now.
The Dommel is an ideal river to practice your paddling skills. The constant meandering and the light current keep you alert. While paddling, the guide will pay attention to the ins and outs of preparing and making canoe trips. As you cruise through a tranquil landscape you will learn basic paddling techniques, safety skills and how to load and carry your canoe.
Sunday February 19, 2023 // €75 pp
Day trip on the Ourthe River
The pleasure of paddling an exciting river, without the need for difficult technical skills! That’s canoeing on the Ourthe. The river offers a real immersion in nature while the current keeps a lively character. In spring, ice jams and fallen trees may block part of the river, making the descent more adventurous. Canoeing on the Ourthe offers all canoeists exhilarating sensations without great risk. Difficulty WW I / I +.
The Ourthe consists of a set of relatively easy and varied sections. Between Hotton and Durbuy, the river winds widely and calmly through the vast plain of the Famenne. While downstream from Durbuy, the water makes its way between the hills of the Condroz. Canoeing on the Ourthe is a joy for beginning and advanced paddlers. Some technical background is required however since we’re paddling the river in spring with potentially high water levels and sometimes a powerful current.
Sunday March 19, 2023 // €75 pp
Day trip on the Meuse River
Canoeing on the Meuse is a real treat. The cross-border Meuse Valley River Park forms for 40 km the border between Belgium and The Netherlands and is one of the biggest and most successful projects on ecological river recovery in Europe. It’s also the only part of the Meuse in the Low Countries that’s not extensively diked and stowed. The Rivier winds through a varied landscape with a jumble of old river arms, bank embankments, trenches and gravel banks.
The Meuse has a – by Dutch and Flemish standards – great fall, high flow speed and enormous dynamics. That’s why canoeing on the Meuse River can be quite exciting at times especially in the middle part where a succession of rapids forces any paddler to keep her or his guard. Other parts of the river have a more peaceful and tranquil quality giving you the time to enjoy the surroundings and the bird life and maybe spot a beaver.
Sunday April 16, 2023 // €75 pp
Weekend canoe trip on the Regge River
Join us for a wonderful weekend of canoeing in Overijssel. A region laced with canals and small rivers such as the Regge and Linderbeek. It’s the perfect destination to get away for the weekend and to enjoy the silence. The spacious landscape is dotted with cattle farms. We will be staying on a beautiful farm camping on the water’s edge.
The main focus for the weekend is the Regge. This river, once channeled, has been restored to its old, winding glory. It meanders through the landscape as before.
Saturday May 20, 2023 to Sunday May 21, 2022 // €250 pp
Weekend canoe trip on the River Somme
The Romans called her Samara, adopting Gallic terms: samo (quiet) and ar (river or valley). And it is true, the Somme is a very peaceful stream. Her valley forms a complex set of rivers, marshes, ponds and canals we will paddle between Amiens and Abbeville.
It winds through a quiet landscape where hundred-year-old weeping willows greet you from its banks. In the fields you are likely to see herons and, between the trees, a few stately residences hardly daring to reveal themselves. During this weekend canoe trip historical treasures await you. The Reims cathedral but also the medieval character of the villages. In the evening, after dinner, take a tour in the marshes where the trails will lead you to discover the specific flora and fauna of this place.
Saturday June 10, 2023 to Sunday June 11, 2022 // €250 pp
Canoe trekking in the Ardennes
Join us for an open canoe trekking as we paddle through Lorraine and the scenic Ardennes in the north of France. The Meuse River is considered one of the oldest rivers in the world because it flows through the Ardennes massif which was formed during the Paleozoic era. This makes her at least 250 million years old.
Adventurous days on the river will be balanced by tranquil nights in the campsites where we prepare tasty meals each evening leaving you ready for the challenges of the next day.
The Meuse is a beautiful river to make a multi-day canoe trekking. The river is class I everywhere or very limited class II. In other words, she is certainly suitable for novice canoeists with a good physical condition. Keep in mind that there are regular portages because the river is dammed and there are no facilities to transfer canoes.
Friday July 21, 2023 to Sunday July 23, 2022 // €395 pp
Canoe camping in the Weerribben-Wieden
For multi-day canoe camping trips in Europe you have to go to Sweden. At least that is the widely held opinion. Well, for those who don’t want to drive endless kilometers, there is good news. The largest peat bog area in northwestern Europe is located barely 300 kilometers from Brussels. The Weerribben-Wieden National Park is a true canoe paradise. Go canoe camping in the Weerribben-Wieden with us and fall in love with this amazing area.
The area is a gigantic cultural landscape that, thanks to excellent and active management, houses an enormous diversity of species and ditto landscape types. During this 4-day canoe camping trip of about 60 km you have good chances of spotting grass snakes, otters, ospreys, egrets, storks, purple herons and a plethora of other birds. All this in a surprisingly diverse landscape. From swamp forests over reed and hay meadows to large open water areas.
Saturday August 12, 2023 to Tuesday August 15, 2022 // €530 pp
Day trip on the Rur River
Canoeing on the Rur is a unique experience for the Netherlands, because it is one of the last major Dutch rivers to meander freely. There are many places with gravel banks, but the river also has real steep banks where Kingfisher and Sand Martin nest. The river itself is rich in stream-loving aquatic plants, which, in a canoe, can be a hassle sometimes.
The day trip on the Rur is approximately 22 km long. The meandering course is largely quiet with, nevertheless, a noticeable current. Along the Roer there are mainly agricultural lands, meadows, poplar stands and willow thickets.
Sunday September 17, 2023 // €75 pp
Day trip on the Leie River
Canoeing on the Leie between Astene and Ghent means looking inside the most impressive villas and country houses of Flanders. But it’s not just bon chic bon genre. The Leie is particularly picturesque and it is not surprising that its valley was the source of inspiration for many painters of the Latem School. Permeke, De Smet and Minne, they all used to live here.
The Leie is also an ideal river to practice your paddling skills. You are rarely alone on the water and motor boats and yachts come and go. Keeping your canoe straight on the stern waves is a great exercise to hone your paddling skills.
Sunday October 15, 2023 // €75 pp
Canoe trip on the Semois
During this canoe trip on the Semois the enchanting valley with its steep rocky slopes is our guide. We’ll paddle through dense forests and green meadows but also charming villages and towns. The famous castles of Herbeumont, Bouillon and Monthermé tell us the history of this region, which has been traversed by the most powerful world armies. Majestic bridges or narrow passerelles across the river lead to sometimes surprising places.
The Semois Valley, in the southwest of Belgium near the French border, is a gem between Gaume and Ardennes. Canoeing through the splendid scenery of the beautiful meanders of the Semois makes you appreciate this region to the fullest. It is the only Belgian river where you can paddle for hours through nature and get a real sense of wilderness travel.
Saturday October 28, 2022 to Monday October 30, 2023 // €395 pp