Our 54th paddle day was on Wednesday, the 10th of April, 2024. Our hosts in Ilok helped us cross the land border bridge between Ilok and Bačka Palanka to get the paperwork right. They dropped us off at a suitable launch spot on the Serbian side and we immediately began paddling to Novi Sad. This was our fifth day on the Danube in 2024 and our 54th day in total. Contents1 Croatia to Serbia via the Ilok–Bačka Palanka Bridge2 Kayaking Out of the Croatian–Serbian Border Zone3 Making Distance4 Two Ferries + Paddling Past Fruška Gora5 Dredging Fuckery6 Entering Novi SadContinue reading
Danube Trip
Ahhh, the mighty Danube!
I’ve had an obsession with the idea of kayaking the second-longest river in Europe – after the Volga – since 2013. In 2019, that dream came half-way true.
Jonas and I began paddling at the source in Donaueschingen, Germany. From there we continued downstream to the border with Austria, which we crossed. Then we paddled a short distance in Slovakia, followed by a lengthy stretch in Hungary. The original plan was to end in Budapest, but we had enough summer days left to continue another 200 kilometers. We came to a stop in the last Hungarian town on the Danube: Mohács.
We planned to continue this trip in 2021 after 18 months of traveling in Asia, but then 2020 happened. One day, the trip will continue into Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, a touch of Moldova, and Ukraine.
To the Black Sea. That’s where this river ends.
I wrote about each and every kayak day, which resulted in some 50 Danube-themed articles. I recommend you to start at Day Zero in Donaueschingen. If you’re searching for the statistics of our trip, look no further than the interactive Danube kayak map page with our spreadsheet. We did this entire trip while also working online on our non-paddle days, hence the name Kayak+Work.
The first half of the Danube trip was a literal dream come true. I can’t wait to continue this journey once the world opens up a little more again.
Kayak Trip Day 53: Vukovar to Ilok, Croatia – Zucchini Leaks
Our 53rd paddle day was on Saturday, the 6th of April, 2024. We kayaked from Vukovar to Ilok in Croatia along the Danube. Our inflatable kayak Zucchini was unfortunately malfunctioning, which resulted in a lot of stops. This was our fourth day on the river in 2024 and our 53rd day in total. Contents1 Excitement for Today + Taxi to Vukovar Kanu Klub2 Are We Paddling in the Danube, or in Denial?3 Egrets and Regrets4 Kayak Sailing + Opatovac Channel5 Mohovo + Šarengrad + Lovka6 Arriving in Ilok + Finding the Leak7 Punctured Inflatable Kayak: Fixing Zucchini’s Hole8 Four NightsContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 52: Erdut to Vukovar – Entering Croatia Legally
The events in this story happened on Wednesday, the 3rd of April, 2024. We paddled our inflatable canoe Zucchini from Erdut to Vukovar in Croatia. This was our third kayaking day down the Danube in 2024 and the 52nd in total. Though we had slept in Croatia the night before, we hadn’t properly entered Croatia on paper yet until Vukovar. Contents1 Paddling Two Days in a Row + Zucchini Leaks2 Stress About Sinking Before Vukovar3 Paddling Past Dalj + Our First 100 Kilometers4 Borovska Ada + Borovo5 Arriving in Vukovar + Bad Information6 Croatian Police, Customs, and Immigration in Vukovar7 ThreeContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 51: Apatin in Serbia to Erdut in Croatia – Straddling Schengen
The events in this story happened on Tuesday, the 2nd of April, 2024. We paddled our inflatable canoe Zucchini from Apatin in Serbia to Erdut in Croatia. This was our second kayaking day down the Danube of 2024 and the 51st in total. Since Croatia is in the EU and Schengen and Serbia isn’t, we had to deal with immigration—on one side of the river… Contents1 Preparing to Cross Back to Schengen2 Starting to Erdut from Apatin3 A Beachy Break in Croatia4 The Confluence with the Drava5 Aljmaš + Kayak Sailing Around the Bend6 Croatian Police Boat + Arriving inContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 50: Mohács in Hungary to Apatin in Serbia – We Meet Again, Danube
The events in this story happened on Thursday the 28th of March, 2024. We paddled our inflatable canoe Zucchini from Mohács in Hungary to Apatin in Serbia. This was our first kayaking day down the Danube of 2024 and a continuation of this trip in 2019. We intend to paddle to the Black Sea in 2024 this year. Since we’re crossing from a Schengen country to outside of the EU, this required some paperwork at the police. Contents1 Our (Second) Stay in Mohács2 Hungarian Immigration + A Call with a TID Participant3 Leaving Mohács for Apatin: Day 50 or DayContinue reading
Zagreb by Kayak: Paddling the Sava River from Brežice in Slovenia to Croatia’s Capital
We kayaked down the mighty Sava River from Slovenia to Croatia on Friday the 15th of March, 2024. This was the first time since 2019 that we loaded Zucchini with full luggage—including our laptops in a dry bag. We started at the reaction ferry in Mostec near Brežice in Slovenia. The Sava is fast, so we arrived in Croatia’s capital city Zagreb in no time after 32.5 kilometers. Contents1 One Day in Brežice: Sava Rapids, Research, Pizza and Beer2 A Terrible Taxi Driver + A Terrible Entry Spot3 A Fast Flow on the Sava4 Crossing the Border from Slovenia toContinue reading
Ljubljanica Kayaking: Vrhnika to the Ljubljana Marsh and the Capital’s Iconic Bridges
We did this kayaking trip down the Ljubljanica River on the 7th of March, 2024. Starting in Vrhnika, we paddled down through the largest marsh in Slovenia to the capital city Ljubljana. In Ljubljana we paddled through the center a bit before returning upstream to go home and deflate our boat. This trip is in preparation for paddling the Danube again. Contents1 Ljubljana, Slovenia: the Long Way to the Danube2 Taxi to Vrhnika + Inflating Zucchini Under Pressure3 Down the Ljubljanica to Podpeč4 Kayaking the Ljubljana Marshes + Lunch Break5 Entering Ljubljana + Ljubljana Kayak and Canoe Club6 Padding UnderContinue reading
Kayaking the Agger, Sieg, and Rhine – Zucchini’s Recertification River Trials for the Danube
We kayaked the Agger, Sieg, and a bit of the Rhine rivers on Thursday, the 29th of February, 2024. Besides having fun, this was also an important test for our inflatable kayak Zucchini, which had been in storage for over 4 years since paddling the Morava River. Will she float? If she passes her shakedown cruise on these three rapid rivers, we shall take her to Mohács to kayak the rest of the Danube River this year. Contents1 Four Years, Four Months, and Twenty-Nine Days of Slumber2 Inflating Zucchini + Testing for Leaks3 Planning the Agger Trip4 Zucchini’s Shakedown Cruise5Continue reading
2021 Is Coming, Kayak+Work Danube Part 2 (The Sequel) is Canceled
Planning ahead is canceled. That has been the case since March-ish 2020 and doesn’t seem to stop in 2021. Jonas and I already knew back in July that continuing our Kayak+Work trip down the Danube in our trusty Zucchini would probably not happen. Now I’m ready to call it. And oof, last year’s happy 2020 post aged so badly. I’m keeping it just to remind myself how happy and positive I was at the start of it all. This year hasn’t been full of suffering for me – thank goodness – but it has been thoroughly mind-numbing Although I did accomplish the thingsContinue reading