Jakob and Adam are both from Stockholm. Both grew up as scouts. Both spent their childhoods exploring the forests, lakes, and archipelago around the city. And both fell in love with the Stockholm Archipelago long before they ever met.
Jakob has been a sea scout since he was seven years old, and a sea scout leader from the age of seventeen. He spent his summers sailing through the outer Stockholm Archipelago with his troop, visiting the very islands that are now part of Nämdöskärgården National Park. For him, these islands have always held a special place.
Adam’s uncle introduced him to kayaking when he was twelve years old, taking him out into the same archipelago waters. Different boats, different years, but the same granite islands, the same Baltic light, and the same feeling of being somewhere that matters.
They met at Stockholm School of Economics, where they were both studying business. Both had just completed their military service, which in Sweden means spending the better part of a year in the forest. They bonded immediately over their shared love of nature, and it did not take long before they decided to do something with it. They started an outdoor club at the university to bring their fellow students out into nature. After all, they had spent their entire childhood exploring the area around Stockholm and the archipelago. Creating outdoor experiences there was fun, easy, and felt completely natural. It was their home turf.
The guided kayak activities were particularly popular, and for good reason. With no tidal waters, no underwater currents, rarely strong winds, and thousands of remote islands, the Stockholm Archipelago turned out to be an ideal place for kayak tours, especially combined with wild camping.
This is the place we call our home, and it just happens to be one of the best places in the world to kayak and wild camp.
Over the years, that university outdoor club developed into a real business idea: to offer premium guided and self-guided kayak trips to travellers from across the world. Since 2019, Jakob and Adam have been working full-time together with a lovely group of guides, welcoming well over 2,500 guests from all over the world.
They set up the operation at Stavsnäs Vinterhamn because it is as close as you can get by road to the outer archipelago. It is the ideal starting point for kayak tours into the waters they grew up in.
The Kayak Trail was built around a simple idea: take care of everything so the guest can focus entirely on the experience. The equipment, the logistics, the planning, the safety. All handled. The guest just shows up, and we prepare them to explore on their own. That idea still drives everything we do.
WHAT THE KAYAK TRAIL STANDS FOR
These are the principles that guide how we run the company, treat our guests, and care for the archipelago.
Full service
We take care of everything. Transfers, equipment, food, route planning, and 24/7 support. Our guests arrive with their clothes and personal items. We handle the rest.
Genuine care
Every guest matters. We learn about their experience, plan their route personally, and make sure they feel confident and prepared before they set out. When they come back, we want to hear their stories.
Quality equipment
We equip our guests with gear from trusted Swedish and international outdoor brands. Comfort and reliability in the wild are not optional. They are the foundation of the experience.
Sustainability
We teach every guest about the Right of Public Access, leave-no-trace principles, and bird protection. We use eco-friendly products and locally produced supplies wherever possible. The archipelago is our home, and we treat it that way.
Empowerment
Our goal is to prepare people to explore on their own. We do not create dependency. We build confidence. After our introduction, our guests are ready to navigate, camp, cook, and handle whatever the archipelago brings.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE KAYAK TRAIL
Jakob
Co-founderBorn and raised in Stockholm. Sea scout since the age of seven, sea scout leader from seventeen. Jakob spent his summers sailing through the outer Stockholm Archipelago, visiting islands that are now part of Nämdöskärgården National Park. If you give us a call or send us an email, chances are Jakob will be the one to answer your questions.
Adam
Co-founderBorn and raised in Stockholm. Adam’s uncle took him kayaking in the archipelago from the age of twelve, and he never stopped. His hands-on experience on the water and his passion for sharing the archipelago with others are central to everything The Kayak Trail does.
The Kayak Trail is run by a small group of warm-hearted, down-to-earth, certified kayak and wilderness guides. During the summer season, our team grows with dedicated guides and seasonal staff based at our kayak centre at Stavsnäs Vinterhamn. Our guides are carefully selected, trained, and certified. They lead the introduction sessions, plan routes with guests, provide 24/7 phone support, and are the people our guests remember long after their trip is over. Since 2019, we have welcomed well over 2,500 guests from all over the world.
WHERE THE KAYAK TRAIL OPERATES IN THE STOCKHOLM ARCHIPELAGO
The Kayak Trail operates from Stavsnäs Vinterhamn, on the eastern edge of the Stockholm Archipelago. Stavsnäs is the gateway to the outer archipelago and the closest point you can reach by road to the wild, open waters where our tours take place.
From Stavsnäs, our guests paddle out into thousands and thousands of islands just outside Stockholm, slowly carved out by the pressure of kilometre-thick ice during the last ice age. The outer Stockholm Archipelago, including the brand-new Nämdöskärgården National Park inaugurated in 2025, offers some of the most spectacular kayaking waters in Scandinavia: over 24,000 islands, skerries, and rocky reefs stretching out into the Baltic Sea.
The Stockholm Archipelago was named one of National Geographic’s 25 “Best of the World” destinations for 2025. The Stockholm Archipelago Trail, a 270 km hiking trail across 20 islands, was listed among Time Magazine’s best new hiking trails. And in 2026, Travel + Leisure named Nämdöskärgården National Park a Global Vision Honoree for sustainable travel.
This is where we work. This is what we share.