The tortured winding coastlines beloved of sea kayakers also happen to be some of the most beautiful places in the world with breathtaking vistas, dramatic wildlife and spades of wilderness. This set of simply breathtaking sea kayaking and canoeing photos from our collection of sea kayaking holidays are simply breathtaking.

1. The Twin Lakes, Alaska

The Twin Lakes are set in the heart of Lake Clark National Park, where turquoise lakes nestle beneath vast cirques of rock and ice and bears, caribou and Dall sheep wander the tundra.

2.Johnstone Straight, Canada

Johnstone Strait is an approximately 70-mile long expanse of water cut into Vancouver as a result of glacial activity millions of years ago, and is a physically beautiful place to explore. The channel is unique in its standing as the best place in the world to observe orcas (killer whales). 250 salmon-eating "northern resident" orcas congregate in Johnstone Strait each July through Sept to feast on salmon runs. 

3. Baja, Mexico

The Gulf of California (popularly known as the Sea of Cortez) was formed five million years ago as the result of tectonic activity, separating the Baja Peninsula from the mainland of Mexico. What is left today is a haven for marine and coastal life. Species found in the area include the gray, blue, fin and humpback whales.

4. The Broken Group Islands

There are over one hundred small islands in the Broken Group which can only be reached by boat, and, of course, sea kayak. This is a favoured site for kayaking since it is sheltered enough for beginners and offers unobstructed access to the Pacific for experts.

5. Milos, Greece

A Mamma Mia-like setting of turquoise blue seas, matching skies and pale golden sands taking in places like Tria Pigadia – a secluded beach with a natural spring, the Grandfather Cave – one of Milos’ biggest caves, and the beach at the old sulphur mine.

6. Bowron Lakes, Canada

Dramatic mountainous provincial park in British Columbia with a 116 km canoe circuit through the Cariboo Mountains.

7. Milford Sound, New Zealand

Milford Sound is a massive fjord formed over millions of years of glacial activity. It is the biggest tourist attraction in New Zealand, offering unequalled beauty, the scale and majesty of which sets it aside from anywhere else on the planet. The mountains are huge and lush with vegetation, waterfalls cascade hundreds of metres down vertical cliff faces and the seas coursing through the valleys are as clear as anywhere else on Earth.

 

8. Argyll & The Hebrides, Scotland

The West Coast of Scotland is home to a myriad of sea lochs, inlets and islands dotted amongst an achingly beautiful highlands panorama and it is hard to think of a better way of exploring the area than in a sea kayak.

9. The Amazon, Ecuador

The Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve in North East Ecuador is a protected area of Amazonian tropical rainforest. The reserve is a complex of rivers, lagoons and floated forest characterised by intense biodiversity and navigable waterways. The area encompasses 604,000 hectares of primary rainforest and boasts river dolphin, tapirs, caimans, anacondas, ocelot and piranha as well as 515 species of bird.

10. The Selinda Spillway, Botswana

The Selinda Spillway carves a path through the heart of this epic nature reserve. The area is home to about 300 species of birds, so there’s ample chance you’ll spot many on the four days you’ll be out here. But it’s not just birds that flock here. Because no hunting has taken place here since 2004, bigger creatures like elephants, buffalo and sable antelope are also often spotted.