Kayaking on the Maas River

Yesterday I took a kayak trip on the Maas River. There are a couple companies that offer canoe, raft, and kayak rentals on the Maas. I went with Kajak Maasland simply because I knew where it was located from a hike I did in the area two years ago. I am not promoting the company but I will provide my observations.

To find a company and a route that suits your needs you will have to do a couple of searches because of the languages used. In French, the Maas River is known as the "Meuse". Try the following search strings:

1. Kayak on the Meuse

2. Kayak on the Maas

3. Kajak Maas

4. Kajak Maasland

5. Kajak Meuse

You will get a lot of duplicate hits but this should cover all the possibilities.

Kajak Maasland is located on the Belgian side of the Maas just outside of Maastricht near Smeermaas.

They offer routes of 10, 11, and 21 kilometers. All of them start and end at clearly defined spots. I did the 21 km route and it is suggested that you figure on 4-5 hours for this route. I was poking along and taking frequent breaks and I was done in just over four hours. I have no experience kayaking and was by myself and I had no problems at all. I took my own food and drinks on the trip. The company provides a watertight container big enough for one person's stuff if you rent a one person kayak. The canoes and rafts have bigger containers.

It is highly suggested by the company that you make a reservation to ensure you can get the boat you want. I made my reservation in the morning of the day I took the trip. But I was not on their list when I arrived three hours later. They still provided a kayak for me.

The Maas between the start point and the E314 is fairly placid with only one set of minor rapids. This gives you a good chance to get used to the boat and get your stroke down. The slow moving water also means that you must paddle to move forward though. I found it better to float on the outside of any curves; the water is moving faster there then on the inside of the curve. There are a couple small villages along the river and supposedly there is a place to get out and have a drink and snack at a cafe but I didn't really see where that would be. 

When I wanted a break, such as to eat lunch, I just pulled over and got out and had my break on the shore. I think that is far more enjoyable than sitting at a cafe, you can do that in any town. I took three 15-20 minute breaks and still made the longest trip in four hours. You have plenty of time so just relax and enjoy the river.

There is lots of wildlife as well as domestic animals on and along the river. I saw several sorts of ducks, sea gulls, geese, fishing hawks of some sort, herons, and other birds that were just passing over.  There are no motor boats on this section of the Maas. I did pass by one boat with a gas motor on it tied up at a dock but it might have been for rescue or work use. 

I highly recommend that you use liberal amounts of sunscreen since you get direct sun light as well as reflected sun light from the water. At the end point I saw many lobsters sitting and having a beer and french fries. They will be hurting the next day I am sure. I also highly recommend that you wear a wide brimmed hat and sun glasses to protect your face, head, and eyes.

I put all my sensitive gear such as my wallet, cell phone, camera, etc. inside ziplock bags and then in the container that came with the kayak. My camera I had in a small float bag on a cord around my neck so that I would have access to it.

You are going to get wet so wear appropriate cloths. I had on swim shorts and a sleeveless shirt and an old pair of sneakers. I had a change of clothes and a towel in my car.

The only problem, or inconvenience really, was the bus transportation back to the start point where my car was parked. The bus only comes once every hour or so and then it makes stops on the way back. So there was a two-hour delay getting to my car once I was done with the trip. You can take your bikes there and they will haul your bikes to the end point. That would be a good option. The other option is to park one car at the end and take another car to the beginning point if possible. Perhaps ask a friend for a ride.

I paid €17 for a single person kayak and another €4 for the bus ride. I think the trip and experience were well worth €21.