Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The paddling route
Put in at the paddlers' rest place by the Spreewaldhof inn in Leipe and pass the small lock beside it, which you work yourself or carry round. Then follow the Spree and turn into the Eschenfließ, a long, straight channel through the alder forest of the Innerer Oberspreewald nature reserve, where the water lies still and green under the trees. It brings you to Lehde, a village of wooden farmsteads on little islands, reached only by boat until 1929. Turn at the landing by the open-air museum and come back the same way.
It is 8.1 km there and back; allow about 2 hours in a canoe or kayak and 2½ on a paddleboard, with the lock to pass at each end. The grade is Easy: the channels are held level by weirs and have almost no current.
The Spreewald is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Motorboats are banned, punts always have right of way, and paddling is not allowed at night. Your own boat must carry a name and the owner's address. Lübbenau asks paddlers to keep out of Lehde from 11:00 to 16:00 in the busy season, and to leave the boat only at rest places, locks and fixed landings: the farmsteads are not fenced. Some channels are closed to boats and signed as such. Wear a buoyancy aid and check the conditions before you set off.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap waterways (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Along the Eschenfließ through the alder forest of the Innerer Oberspreewald nature reserve
- Turns at Lehde, a village reached only by water until 1929 and protected as a whole since 1984
- One self-service lock beside the start at Leipe: work it yourself or carry round
- Spreewald punts have right of way on every channel
On the water
- Put in: Leipe, Spreewaldhof paddlers' rest place (landing) 51.85741, 14.03887
- Lock: Leiper Wehr Nr.47 · 0.2 km (0.1 mi) from the start · through the lock, or carry round
- Rules and licences: Landesamt für Bauen und Verkehr Brandenburg, Biosphärenreservat Spreewald. Check whether you need a licence before you go: on many inland waters in England and Wales you do, and Paddle UK membership includes one for many of them.
- Suits canoes, kayaks, paddleboards.
Getting there
Start: Leipe, Spreewaldhof paddlers' rest place. 51.85741, 14.03887
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Leipe: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Water levels, flow and the weather decide the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; wear a buoyancy aid, check the river levels and the forecast, keep well clear of weirs and powered boats, and don't go out in flood.