Brilliant thing to do - it wasnt too cold but we did have to break through some ice to get to shore which was unexpected!. Excellent guides and a fun thing to do

Would Def recommend all to leave some time for this experience if you are in helsinki and haven't tried this yet! Amazing View along the route, and our guide just perfect in all ways. Suitable for both beginners and experienced. Five star equipments plus a nice forest for a hike afterwards. Had a drink in the paddle center cafe with the lake breeze. Will come again for sure!

We've done similar guided kayaking tours but this was one of the best. Tiina, our guide, was engaging, knowledgeable and made everyone feel included despite the differences in kayaking experience in the group. Her safety and paddling technique briefing at the start was excellent. Although we had kayaked before this tour is suitable for beginners as well as those with some experience. Our group managed to kayak quite a distance, despite the fact that there was some wind. And Tiina was considerate enough about the weather conditions on the day, that we used an alternative, sheltered start point. We appreciated the water and snack given by the tour as our trip ran over lunchtime. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

Wonderful kayak tour. Really beautiful scenery. Easy paddling and a great day out. The guide was very professional. 5 star expeience

Michele and I took leave of our ocean cruise to kayak the Finnish Archipelago. Of all our experiences while visiting 10 countries during 20 days abroad, this was a Top 3 highlight! The setting was unforgettably beautiful. And it was so serene on the water. Natura Viva provides the best equipment. Our guide, Tinna, made sure we knew how to use it. Good thing, as we went out WAY farther and longer than I expected. Who gets to do this? We did!

Our family of three did the "Helsinki by Kayak" guided tour of about 3 hours' length. We've done a very tiny bit of kayaking before on very calm waters, but are pretty close to being beginners, so we can say that this tour is (as they say in their promo materials) perfectly suitable for those with little or no kayaking experience. Aniinna was our guide and she was fantastic, very friendly, informative, and watching out for how we were doing at all times. The tour started on the body of water near the "Long Bridge," just in front of the Botanical Garden, went west under a railroad bridge into a bigger bay with fantastic views of downtown Helsinki buildings, then we went east into other bays, beached on a small city island for a snack (which they provided) and bathroom break, and paddled into slightly more industrial parts which was fun too. Other than when the weather got a bit rainy and windy near the end requiring us to paddle a little harder, the waters were generally super gentle and easy to glide around. This tour gives you a wonderful perspective on the city that you can't experience in any other way. The waters in and around Helsinki are so integral to the geography and the very nature of the city that you will come to a deeper "feeling" for the city if you participate in this tour. For our family I can say we will never forget this experience. And again, we are pretty close to being kayaking rookies. Natura Viva seems like a great outfit, run by folks with a great love for their land and the desire to share that with visitors.

On a recent weekday evening my family took the guided tour from Mattinkyla Beach in Espoo. We were completely inexperienced but Tiina was the perfect teacher and tour guide, teaching us the basics and many tips, taking our lack of experience into account but also challenging us. Her love of the sport really came through. We had a wonderful time and look forward to more kayaking in the local archipelagos.

Natura Viva's booking application in Finland charged double the price after making a one-day reservation at the accommodation. The receipt I received didn't really show that there was a mistake, but I assumed that the price for the Friday-Saturday reservation was double. I couldn't find the price list for the reservation or the price breakdown on any site, so it was difficult to determine what the issue was. I sent an inquiring e-mail to Natura Viva's customer service and after the weekend Natura Viva promised to refund the extra price they charged. I assumed they would provide additional compensation due to the system error I found. Yet, they did not offer any additional compensation and, despite my request, they did not agree to pay. If I hadn't noticed the double charge myself, Natura Viva wouldn't have noticed it either, and I would have paid the price of two days for a one-day reservation, i.e. €149 too much. I hope no one else has had to pay double the price for booking Natura Viva. A warning about possible double charging should also be visible to the booker. Now apparently the system error is being fixed, so it may be that this error will no longer occur. However, I urge Natura Viva customers to check the charges for their own previous bookings, if it is still possible. However, Natura Viva did not praise me in any way for finding a system error and reporting it, which raised my doubts about Natura Viva as a reliable operator and a party benefiting from double billing.

Tiina was a perfect guide for our Natura Viva kayaking experience, taking three totally untrained Americans and teaching us proper kayaking techniques while exploring the islands off of Helsinki. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience, would most certainly go again. Thanks, Tiina and Natura Viva team.

Had a fantastic private kayak trip under the expert guidance of Tiina. The initial briefing was thorough but swift and the paddling itself was stunning. The four of us all have different levels of experience and everyone enjoyed it. 3 hours was just about the perfect duration. The facilities on land are also great. Clean, secure etc. Would highly recommend this excursion to anyone wanting to see the beauty of the islands around Helsinki.

We had a two day kayak trip around the islands in the Helsinki area. So amazing - excellent kit provided and tuition. The area we were in was breathtakingly beautiful, we went wild camping, went to a sauna on a small remote island and were served gorgeous food. The kayaking was superb. Our guides Juha and Sana was so friendly, helpful and knowledgeable - lovely people. 100% recommended.

Just back from an unforgettable two day kayaking trip, guided by the wonderful Sanna and Juha. What an experience - rain, sunshine, wind, sauna, swimming, laughter, great food, great company and a big of paddling too. They listened to us, and tailored the trip to match our capabilities, our requests and the weather. We were always in safe hands.

Superb place for our first time supboarding. Chris was a great guide. We used the Riptide boards which apparently are good for beginners. Thanks!

Great place for kayaking but I am a bit concerned about customer service. Staff were friendly and welcoming on a previous visit but yesterday was a bit disappointing. There is a sea plane in the bay and it came out and started preparing to take off as we were returning. We stopped and waited for the aeroplane to take off and arrived on the beach seven minutes late. Their first concern was to say it was twelve minutes (it wasn't, it was seven) and that they have to charge another €20. It makes my safety feel a bit cheap when I am on the water in a kayak with a sea plane taking off. Not an ideal situation for a sports club. It is a pity because otherwise it is a great place. I hope that they will address the issue.

We nearly cancelled our trip as it was such appalling bad weather - very heavy rain. We are so relieved that we didn't as we had such a wonderful day. We were provided with waterproofs that kept us nice and dry. Sonya was an exceptional guide - friendly, informative and patient (it took us a while to work out how to steer the canoe). The lake and the forest were so beautiful and we feel that this trip was the highlight of our stay in Helsinki.