Packrafting in Stabbursdalen National Park. 9 days


 

Stabbursdalen National Park is one of Norway’s most remote and inaccessible National Parks. The diverse landscape varies from mountain dessert like areas to lush birch forests, vast plateaus to narrow canyon like valleys.

On this expedition tour, we travel with Packrafts through the entire park from southwest to northeast along the Stabbursdalen River. The river offers a great variety of challenges from calm lakes to unnavigable, but beautiful waterfalls. The inflatable and lightweight packraft is a perfect way of travelling down this river. They are stable and easy to maneuver even for beginners. You will learn from your experienced guide how to maneuver your packraft and you will gain valuable experience about camping in the wilderness. 

The highlights of this trip are the landscape and the variety of the river and collecting foods from the land. 

 

 

Other trips with packrafts on request.

Packrafting gives a totally new form of access to the wilderness! Some would say it is the perfect way of travelling during the months when the snow is not covering the ground. Packrafts are inflatable rafts that pack down as small as a one-man tent, and weigh as little as 2,5 kg. They are easy to carry, inflate, paddle and float.

In the second half of August the infamous Finnmark mosquitoes are gone, leaving the land open and free for people to enjoy the remainder of the Arctic summer in peace. This is the richest time of year in the Arctic: Berries are ripe, mushrooms are ready to be picked and Trout, Arctic Char and other freshwater fish are plentiful in the thousands of lakes and rivers scattered across the tundra.

As we travel down the Stabursdalen River from inland Finnmark to the Arctic coast in Porsanger Fjord you will witness a beautiful landscape varying from vast mountain plateaus to narrow valleys. You will see snow clad mountain peaks and green hillsides. The river offers a variety of challenges from calm lakes to white water rapids and unnavigable waterfalls. It starts out nice, calm and quiet - giving you time to get comfortable with your packraft and the maneuvering. As we travel further and further downstream the obstacles get even more challenging, giving you a nice progression in skills and thrills. But don't worry! Our packrafts are easy to handle on land and taking them out of the water to walk around an obstacle is no hassel at all. Along the way there will also be time for fishing, small excursions away from the river, picking berries and other edible plants, taking a bath or any other activities that you find interesting.

In Stabbursdalen National Park
You can find iconic animals like Golden eagles, Lynx, Wolverines, Brown bears, Moose and in some years even the rare and elusive Snow owl. You can also find species like the endangered Lesser White-fronted goose nesting here.
Moreover, the Stabbusdalen National Park is not only wild and untouched nature, it is also the summer pasture and calving grounds for Sámi reindeer herds.
The small geological formations in the park are mostly from the last ice age, but the history of the 1000 meter high mountains dates back more than 600 million years.
There are many vulnerable species, both plants and animals, in the Stabbursdalen National Park and we emphasize making this a very low impact expedition.

This packrafting trip is suitable for any adventurous person, whether you are an experienced paddler or a first timer. Your guide are well experienced, knowledgeable, welcoming and a great teacher and will give you all the necessary instructions. You will learn how to:

  • Paddle and handle the packraft both on and off the river.
  • "Read" and "run" the river in safety and confidence.
  • Pack your backpack and camp comfortably in the wilderness. 

Safety is always our number one priority. Our guides embody that with years of experience, training and knowledge of the river. The maximum guest to guide ratio on this trip is 4:1. All participants wear life jackets. Each trip will carry at least one emergency communication device. They are always carried by the guides in separate waterproof containers. Each trip also carries extensive first aid kit. 

Day 1        Arrival in Alta, supper, briefing about the details of the trip and checking your personal equipment. Packing everything ready for the expedition. Lodging at guesthouse/cabin.

Day 2        Last minute purchasing and a short drive to where the Expedition starts.

Day 2 - 8   Packrafting from the Finnmark Plateau to Stabbursneset by the Porsanger Fjord. Camping in tents.

Day 8        Arrival at Stabbursnes.

Day 9        Breakfast and journey home.

 

Day 1
Arrival in Alta. Your guide will meet you at Alta Airport and take you to a local guesthouse/cabin where you will stay the first night. You will be served dinner and your guide will go through the program for the trip and other details for the expedition. Your guide will also go through your personal outdoor equipment to make sure everybody have brought everything they need for the trip and that the equipment meets the standards that the Arctic environment requires. Finally everything is packed ready for the expedition.

Day 2       
After breakfast there will be time for some last minute shopping before we travel to the mountains where the trip starts. We start of softly on the first day with packrafting on lakes and there will be some hiking before we find our camp spot.

Day 3 to 8
After breakfast by the shores of Upper Stabbursdalen lake we reinflate our Packrafts and padle accross the Upper and Lower Stabbursdalen lakes before we start on the river. This gives you plenty of time to familiarize yourself with the convenient, light weight, stable and easily manouverable Pack rafts. On our way down the river we will be in and out of the river several times, giving you a nice combination of "resting" on the river and streaching your legs by walking past the rougher sections of the river.
We will be camping in tents along the river, but please feel free to sleep next to the camp fire under the open sky if you like. The river is rich in brown trout so if you would like to catch your own food you are welcome to (fishing license can be purchased before leaving Alta. Not included in the tour price).

Day 8
We arrive at the coast and Stabbursneset in the Porsanger Fjord. We will stay overnight in a cabin, where warm showers, soft beds and our last dinner together awaits us.

Day 9     
Breakfast and journey home.

Wind- and waterproof jacket (e.g. GoreTex, BreTex or similar membrane fabric)1
Wind- and waterproof pants (Like the jacket)1
Thick woollen sweater or fleece jacket1
Sweater1
T-shirts, thin woollen shirts or other technical underwear2
Warm underwear (longjons and top with full length arms). Preferably wool or woollen terry1 set (minimum)
Warm hat, sun hat / cap and (insect head net)1
Gloves, preferably waterproof gloves for padling or fishing (e.g. neoprene).1 pair
 Thick woollen socks 2 pair
Thin socks2 pair
Shorts1
Extra set of dry clothes (t-shirt, sweater, pants, underwear and socks)1 set
Pair of shoes for the river (suitable also for walking / scouting)1 pair
Pair of shoes for the camp 
Small dry bags 
Back pack, big enough to fit all your personal equipment inside + 15 liters (normally 65 to 110 liters)1
Sleeping mat / roll mat or inflatable mat1*
Sleeping bag (minimum comfort temperature >/=0Celsius) and liner for sleeping bag1* (NOK 600)
Headlamp1
Sunglasses1
 Helmet 1
 Toilet articles, towel (small quick dry), sunscreen, insect repellent and other private equipment 
  
  

- Items marked with * can be provided by Turgleder for free on request. Information about equipment you need must be conveyed to Turgleder minimum 1 week before arrival. Items with an additional cost are noted with the price.
- Please note that this is the minimum required clothing and equipment for this holiday. You are of course welcome to bring other clothes and equipment in addition to this. Remember it need to be lightweight and you will need to carry it. 

- You should pack your clothing in waterproof bags to avoid equipment from becoming wet during the tour.

- If you choose to bring your own sleeping bag, this needs to have a minimum comfort temperature >/= 0˚ Celsius.

- We do also recommend that you bring a camera with extra memory cards and battery. Remember to bring waterproof casing or waterproof bags for your camera.

- You are of course welcome to bring your own Packraft if you prefer that.

 

Turgleder also provides:

          • Packrafts with oars and PFDs (Personal Floating Devices)
          • Tents and group camping equipment
          • Stoves, cutlery and cooking equipment
          • Safty equipment, incl. first aid kit, location beacon and satellite phone
          • Other common equipment necessary for this trip
  •  

 Equipment that you do not need on the expedition can say in Alta during the trip.

Dates 2024:

Dates on request.


Min. 3 and max 6 guests + guides
Private trips are available on request from 1st July to 15th September.

The price includes:
All meals from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 9, lodging in Alta and Stabbursnes and some equipment (see eqiupment list).

The price does not include:
· Travel to Alta and from Stabbursnes.
· Personal equipment (please check the equipment list)
· Travel insurance
· Alcoholic beverages

If you need more information about this adventure before you make your reservation/booking, please feel free to contact us via mail@turgleder.com or call us on +47 90855556 (Liv).

When you are ready to book, please go to “booking” under the «general information» tab and fill in and submit the booking/registration form. When we receive your booking/registration form we will reserve a place for you and send you a booking confirmation also including some questions if necessary. When all details surrounding your participation are in place, we will send you an invoice. Your reservation is valid for 7 days after the invoice is sent.
For more information, please see our booking terms and condition under the “general information” tab.

Note: If you do not receive a reply right away, please be patient with us. We might be out on other adventures without any internet connections. However, if you have not received a response within 3 days, let us know.

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