Given that Tyrol is landlocked there is a surprisingly high amount of water-sports going on.
We’ve covered the lakes in tyrol on a separate page and are now focussing on the sports.

In Tyrol you can sail, kayak, wakeboard, waterski, go blobbing, wind- and kitesurf, go canyoning, go rafting, surf, go SUP (stand-up-paddling), hit some waterslides, relax and, of course, swim. Here you’ll find some examples on where to do what.

Sailing – Tyrol offers the unique experience of sailing in the alps, which not only comes with a picturesque backdrop but strong winds as well. You have the possibility to do so at the Achensee, the Plansee and the Durlaßboden reservoir. If you have a license you can rent a boat there or, if not, you can join one of the sailing schools and earn one. More details on sailing in Tyrol can be found here.

Kayaking – There are plenty of options to kayak in Tyrol with various difficulties suited for advanced riders as well as beginners. Find an extensive list of kayaking possibilities here. Should you be completely new to kayaking you can also take kayak courses at Natterer See.

Wakeboarding, waterskiing and surfing – Wherever you’re able to wakeboard you’re usually also able to waterski. This is also the case in and around Tyrol. If you’re not getting your hand on a motorboat at one of the lakes you can do so via cable in either Area 47 or, just across the border in Germany at wetsport in Kiefersfelden. You can get there by car in about an hour.

Another, fairly new option in Innsbruck, is surfing. Not kite- or windsurfing (which is covered in the section below) but upstream surfing. Here you surf directly on the Inn. A newly developed mechanism pulls you upstream via cable which is attached to the nearby bridge. Beginners also have the option to simply hang on to one of the cables and practice standing up first. Courses for beginners start at 39€ for 90 minutes. Check out all the details at upstream surfing.com (GER)

Another initiative called Surf’Inn is trying to develop a standing wave in Innsbruck. You can keep up with their progress on their Facebook page here (GER). Their aim is to create a permanent wave to surf on similar to the one already existing in Munich. Here are more details about the extremely popular standing wave in Munich.

Kite- and windsurfing – Thanks to various kinds of strong winds both wind- and kitesurfing are surging in Tyrol. The many suitable lakes offer conditions for all levels of expertise. You can find an overview here.

Rafting – There are quite a few options to go rafting in Tyrol. For example the Imster and Ötztaler Gorge are very popular destinations to do so. Depending on the water levels these offer various kinds of difficulties but also allow for people with no experience to enjoy this amazing sport. S2S is one operator offering rafting tours as is tirol-rafting. I had the pleasure to join Remko de Wit, owner of tirol-rafting, on one tour and can highly recommend it. While safety is always the top priority he knows tons of cool little secrets along the river and has lots of activities ins tore to keep everyone engaged and entertained. There are for example quite a few possibilities to jump into the river from various platforms along the way. Something he knows about as he also offers…

Canyoning – another exciting activity, also offered by tirol-rafting. Different routes allow you to abseil, jump into the river from various heights, float and enjoy natural slides. A great experience for people of all ages. Another operator is canyon.at

SUP – Stand up paddling – Most lakes in Tirol will offer some sort of SUP rental and you can also do it on certain rivers. You can find an overview here. One option that we find particularly intriguing is to do SUP at night on the Inn right through the city center. 129€ is definitely not cheap but the experience sounds pretty great and it also comes with a separate training at a nearby lake. The cheapest option available is 24€. You can find the details to either at tiroladventures here.

Waterparks, swimming and spas – All of these are plentiful in Tyrol. An extensive list of pools, spas as well as swimming lakes and thermal baths/springs can be found here. A personal favourite and quite unique experience is the L2 double loop waterslide at the Wörgler Wasserwelten Wave. It is the world’s first double-looping water slide. Yes, you heard correctly – a water slide with double looping.

Blobbing, Cannonballing and the Waterramp – even more cool water activities can be found at Area 47, where you can get shot up in the air either by blobbing, as human cannon ball or via their water ramp. A ramp also used by skiers and snowboarders practicing some of their tricks in the summer. All details here.

Tubing – there are multiple places you can go tubing in Tirol. At the Achensee, about 45 minutes from Innsbruck, you can choose between different routes down the river in various difficulties costing between 55€ and 66€ (April 2020). The duration ranges between 4 and 6 hours. Details can be found at the alpinsport-achensee website here. Alternatively you can also go tubing on the Tiroler Ache. The trips also costs between 55€ and 65€ and are operated by mountain high adventure center. Alternatively they can also be booked here via checkyeti. The duration is approximately 3h and the meeting point is 70 minutes away from Innsbruck in Kirchberg.

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