Kayaking and paddleboarding
The best places for kayaking and paddleboarding are Key West, Aruba, Juneau, Roatan and St Thomas. Key West has guided paddles through mangrove tunnels in the backcountry, Aruba has a calm south coast with a mangrove-lined lagoon, and Juneau puts paddlers on Mendenhall Lake near the face of Mendenhall Glacier.
Where it's best
The Key West backcountry has shallow water and mangrove tunnels, paddled with a guide who explains the ecosystem or on your own with a map and lesson. Beginners get instruction first.
Kayaking is best on the calmer south coast, with inlets, a mangrove-lined lagoon and shade for breaks. Guided kayak or paddleboard tours explore Spanish Lagoon and Mangel Halto, and operators along Palm Beach rent kayaks and paddleboards from the sand.
Mendenhall Lake lets you paddle a kayak or canoe near the half-mile-wide face of Mendenhall Glacier. Juneau Channel Island State Marine Park has 14 islands for wildlife viewing, photography and sport fishing, reached by boat so the paddling starts on the water.
Roatan has calm mangrove channel tours in Jonesville and St. Helene, and Camp Bay Beach offers kayak or paddleboard drifts through the mangroves from the lodge. Calabash Bight is a calm bay for kayaking and paddleboarding, and kayaks can be paddled along the coastline around Punta Gorda. A kayak hired from TIDE Tours on Front Street goes to Joe Taylor Creek for birdwatching.
St Thomas has guided paddles that add snorkeling and a hike, and a night paddle on lit water off Frenchman's Cove, with tarpon and stingrays below.
Ketchikan's kayak tours paddle the sheltered water of Clover Pass and Knudson Cove, or among the islands of the Inside Passage, in small groups. A 37-foot Alaska Native-style canoe crosses Lake Harriet Hunt in the rainforest.
Guided sea kayak trips paddle along the Rhodes coast.
Playa Palancar has kayaks and paddle boards on the turquoise sea, alongside snorkeling and jet skis. KUZÁ Park includes kayaking in its Escape and Full Experience packages.
Super Paradise Beach offers stand-up paddle boards among its water sports, along with rings, jet-skis and wakeboards.
Tours to book
Prices are per person, booked with our partner, Shore Excursions Group.
