Kayaking to Île aux Fous, Îlot Hollandais, and Île aux Diamant from Port Mathurin, Rodrigues

We did this paddling trip on Monday the 23rd of May, 2022. The route went from Pointe Monnier in Port Mathurin to the artificial Îlot des Hollandais, Île aux Fous, and Île aux Diamant. All these islands are located in the gigantic lagoon of Rodrigues, Mauritius. Contents1 The Idea to Paddle to Île aux Fous2 Where to Rent a Kayak in Rodrigues?3 Kayak Time!4 Paddling to Îlot des Hollandais5 Paddling to the Main Objective: Île aux Fous6 Hiking to the Beacon of Île aux Fous + Lunch7 Paddling to Île aux Diamant8 The Cave + Peak of Île aux Diamant9Continue reading

Île aux Bénitiers + Crystal Rock by Kayak! (Mauritius)

All this happened on the 10th of January, 2022. After asking around far and wide for a place that would rent us a kayak, someone came through. The caveat? The two-person kayak only had one paddle. But we made do and paddled to île aux Bénitiers and Crystal Rock. Watch the vlog to see what that’s like! Contents1 Green Village Saves the Day2 Paddling to Île aux Bénitiers3 Mystery Rock + Crystal Rock4 Crossing Île aux Bénitiers on Foot/Paddling Around the North5 Paddling Back to Green Village/La Gaulette6 Contact Info7 Good intel? Consider buying me a tamarind juice! Green VillageContinue reading

Kayak Trip Day 8: Neu-Ulm to Günzburg

The events of this story happened on Monday the 27th of May 2019. We paddled our inflatable canoe from Neu-Ulm just across the border in Bavaria to Günzburg. This was a trip of 23.9 kilometers, I think. If you’re lost as to what these blog posts are about and why they’re not about hitchhiking, I suggest starting at Day Zero in Donaueschingen. Packing Up Our stay at the Brickstone hostel in Neu-Ulm had been very pleasant. They had a funny map of the entire Danube River, which also happened to be incredibly biased towards the upper two countries: Germany andContinue reading

Kayak Trip Day 7: Dettingen to Neu-Ulm

This is about our paddle day from Dettingen to Neu-Ulm on the 24th of May, 2019. We paddled a total distance of about 25 kilometers. It was our first state border crossing from Baden-Württemberg to Bavaria.  Letting the Hochwasser Pass We stayed in Dettingen for two nights and work a little. On Thursday, the flood we’d experienced its humble beginnings of would reach its peak. After that, it would go down again slowly to safer water levels and speeds. Dettingen/Berg has a Pegel (water level monitoring station), which remained in the green the whole time. But the one at Neu-Ulm (ourContinue reading

Kayak Trip Day 5: Sigmaringen to Mengen + Munderkingen

This story is about us when paddling our inflatable canoe from Sigmaringen to Mengen on the 20th of May, 2019. The total distance was 16.1 kilometers. Our original plan was to kayak to Hundersingen, some 4.8 kilometers after Mengen – a total distance of 20.9 kilometers – followed by a train ride to Munderkingen. We had a permit to go from Sigmaringen to Hundersingen, after which the river becomes a natural protected area until Munderkingen. Click here for information on how to get a permit to paddle this stretch of the Danube. The Second Permit Jonas learned that we neededContinue reading

Kayak Trip Day 4: Hausen im Tal to Sigmaringen

This article is about our paddle day from Hausen im Tal to Sigmaringen on the Danube river on Monday 13th of May, 2019. We’re trying to paddle this 2850 kilometer long European river. If you’re wondering what this article series is about, read the article about Donaueschingen, the source of the Danube. To see previous entries, visit paddle Day 1, Day 2, or Day 3. We’re still quite early in this trip! If you want to kayak here yourself, click here to get all the necessary information and steps to get your own permit. The Forbidden Stretch Between Mühlheim andContinue reading

Kayak Trip Day 3: Immendingen to Mühlheim via the Donauversickerung

Our Events chronicled happened on the 8th and 9th of May 2019. Jonas and I paddled our canoe/kayak over the young Danube from a small town called Immendingen to another small town called Mühlheim over 20.1 kilometers. On the way, we passed the ‘Donauversickerung’ – where the Danube river sinks or goes underground for 155 days a year. The water levels were high enough for us to paddle it.  If you want to know what this kayak trip is about, I wrote a detailed article about how we came up with this trip idea. You can also read about Day 1Continue reading

Kayak Trip Day 2: Geisingen to Immendingen, Hiking the Donauversinkung

Events described happened on the 6th and 7th of May 2019. We paddled 9.7 kilometers on the Danube (Donau) river from Geisingen to Immendingen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. This was the second day of our kayak/canoe trip. Click here if you’d rather read about the planning of kayaking the Danube, or read about Day 1. The Off-Day at the Arena Gästehaus On Monday the 6th we had an off-day. No paddling, just recovering from our muscle aches. It’s always difficult to start a very physical trip like this out of nowhere. Our tired arms felt awkward and our backs hurt aContinue reading

Donaueschingen: Danube Kayak Trip Day Zero

Contents1 Mind of a Paddler2 Why the Danube?3 Researching & Planning3.1 Kayak Tours3.2 What Kind of Kayak?3.3 Mapping & Scheduling3.4 Ordering & Booking3.5 Unlucky Planning Jackpot4 Testing & Packing4.1 In the Netherlands4.2 In Germany5 Traveling & Preparing6 Donaueschingen: Origin of the Danube6.1 The Town6.2 The Hike to the Confluence6.3 The Zusammenfluss of the Brigach and Breg6.4 The Source of the Danube6.5 Visiting the Pegel (Water Depth Gauge) in Donaueschingen7 Share This Story on Pinterest! Mind of a Paddler I’ve decided to expand my mode-of-transport horizon beyond hitchhiking. This is because hitchhiking is kind of like my comfort zone by now,Continue reading