Willkommen im Elfenland – Expeditionstour Polarkreis 2024

When the first pictures of this long-planned, adversity-ridden and ultimately magical tour appeared in the LWA Messenger, Cora and I probably thought the same thing: “Wow, they were traveling in elf-land”. I myself was strolling through sunny Trondheim, shortly after the end of my tour, when the lovely news came from a few degrees north that the group was safely back from this pilot venture. Willi captured some of his moments and the pictures speak for themselves, as far as they can. You can never capture all the magic of such places. But have a look for yourself. – Sebastian

A text by Willi, who has been part of the LWA team for what feels like years, always throwing infectious joy, energy and lightness into the ring and has quickly become indispensable both in the waves of the LWA world and at the pizza oven! He can also be found behind the camera with the same passion. You can find out more about Willi on his profile.

I'm lying comfortably on a mossy hill full of birch trees and heather, eating a handful of nuts and watching a small bird through my binoculars. A golden plover, as I now know. The sun shines on my head and I wonder if it's time to go for a swim again. We are in the Arctic Circle. The real "we" - Jannis and the group of participants - are not in sight, they are probably already several kilometers away in pathless terrain, past glacial rivers, waterfalls and snowfields in Saltfjellet & Svartisen National Park. Suddenly I lose sight of the cute squeaking bird. Something seems to have spooked it. The "something" is carrying a red rucksack with a paddle and a colorful boat attached to it. We are delighted to have found each other in this vast Nordic landscape. After a few kilometers of pathless trekking, we first meet Jannis and then, late in the evening, the whole group.

The "we" is together again, finally complete, the group is united. The joy of the reunion is huge, especially for the participant with the red rucksack, whose luggage only arrived in Bodø on the same day, while the rest of the group had already completed the first two days of our Arctic Circle expedition.

We now have another 6 days of adventure ahead of us in the vastness of the polar landscape, whose absurd beauty we can hardly believe. The weather in the Arctic Circle has spoiled us completely - bathing weather and omnipresent sunshine instead of fog and sleet showers ensure that sunscreen became a scarce resource on this tour. Accompanied by the sunshine of the first days of the tour, we paddled fantastic technical white water despite low water levels, camped at waterfalls, enjoyed freshly caught fish around the campfire and bathed in ice-cold mountain lakes. The feeling of this tour can't really be captured in pictures, but we'll try anyway with this gallery.

Immediately after the end of the tour, Sebastian received totally enthusiastic feedback from participant Sabine, which we can share with you here:

"First of all, the guides. A harmonious, professional, but also wonderfully playful team. Jannis with his dynamic sense of humor and Willi, our river dummy (he drove every rapid for testing), with his ever-present composure, proved to be a top team. I felt completely safe and accompanied by them throughout the entire tour. I would particularly like to emphasize how they integrated themselves into the group, not overlooking anyone without giving up the lead. Also that they spared no effort to catch up with Gosia on the second day, chapeaux!

The actual tour was simply perfect. The ratio between walking and paddling was balanced, the camps were a dream and the river sections with their wonderful rapid drops and pop-up stones were exciting. I didn't just whoop once. There were always opportunities to swim throughout the tour, whether at the waterfall or the lake, the water was crystal clear and drinkable everywhere. At the camp, Willi and Jannis caught us fish while we made a fire. André was able to prepare the fish brilliantly on the fire. Gourmet in the Arctic Circle. The atmosphere in the group was friendly. No one was left out. There was a lot of joking, laughing and joking around, despite the exertions. And of course it was exhausting but still enjoyable. A boot camp of a different kind. The crowning glory was the last spot at the hut on the Arctic Circle. What a way to finish.

I know nobody has any influence on the weather, but it couldn't be better!

A big thank you for your job, Land Water Adventures and your staff making it possible for such a large group of over-50s to experience such expeditions and adventures! Thank you!

Totally flashed greetings from Bodø, Sabine"

You can find more information about a planned repeat of this expedition tour on our website.

The way to participate in an expedition has campfires and waves

For all those you see in the film and in the pictures, the way to the expeditions led via Multiday Trainings in the Hunsrück or the Bavarian Forest and whitewater trainings like those in the Alps or at the Soča.

It takes a lot of skills, to enjoy and master expedition locations like Albania, Albania, Iceland or Canada. That's why we have our course program.

Would you like to become part of an LWA expedition? Then get in touch with us and we'll take a look at your personal route.