Kinda: Caves, lakes and hiking trails

In the Trollegater Nature Reserve, an orange-marked hiking trail leads from the car park to one of Sweden’s largest systems of ancient bedrock caves. The main cave is 110 metres long in total; you have to crawl through some passages. This example alone shows how varied Kinda is to explore on foot: from unusual rock formations to trails through lake and cultural landscapes.

Hiking trails among caves and cultural landscapes

The Östgötaleden connects Kinda with Linköping, Åtvidaberg, Ydre and Boxholm. From Kisa, there is also a southern connection to the Sevedeleden in Småland. For a specific hike, the Kisa–Horn stage offers a green-marked route classified as easy. The summer route from Kisa to Pinnarp, on the other hand, includes a hand-operated cable ferry across Lake Övre Fölingen. The ferry is part of this seasonal route.

An approximately 200-metre-long, orange-marked trail leads from the car park to the caves. The car park has space for about 15 cars; there is a separate area for buses. This makes it easy to plan a visit that combines a hike with a trip to the caves. The passages you can crawl through in the 110-metre-long main cave are very different from an ordinary trail.

Hallstad ängar Nature Reserve has a natural sandy beach on Lake Järnlunden. More than 200 regularly pruned lime trees grow in the reserve. An approximately three-kilometre circular trail connects Hallstad ängar, Borgarmon and Klevberget. The Östgötaleden also climbs Klevberget, which rises about 50 metres above Lake Järnlunden. From there, the view stretches across the deciduous forests of Borgarmon, the meadows of Hallstad and the lake’s broad expanse of water.

Hackelboön also combines trails with nature experiences. An approximately 500-metre-long trail leads from the car park to a shore with a natural sandy beach. The first 300 metres of the shore path are wide, level and surfaced with fine gravel; this section is suitable for prams and walkers. Five Nature Agents activities are designed for children aged eight to twelve. The island therefore offers both a short, explicitly described accessible trail section and an activity for young explorers.

Lakes, waterways and other activities

Kinda is a distinctive lake district: Åsunden and Järnlunden define the area, while the Kinda Canal winds through the municipality. The canal is an 80-kilometre waterway with 15 manually operated locks. Day, evening and shorter trips are offered on the canal aboard a passenger boat. The canal and its lake system provide good waters for paddling for much of the year; canoe landing stages for portaging are available at every lock. This means you can choose between passenger-boat trips and independent paddling excursions.

If you prefer to stay on land, there are more striking landscapes to explore: the area around Kinda includes pastureland, deep forests, hilly terrain, ravines, rocks and numerous lakes. The Östgötaleden passes through Humlehögsravinen, an 800-metre-long ravine with steep sides, where a river valley has cut deep into the rock. At Kisa MTB Park, the mountain-bike trails range from blue flow trails to black tracks.

For a day at the beach, the shore at Åsunden offers sand, jetties, a diving tower, a toilet and an accessible ramp. The Värgårdsudde bathing area is centrally located in Kisa on Lake Kisasjön and has a jetty and a small sandy or grassy beach. The two spots differ in their facilities, so you can weigh up which details matter most for your stay.

History and culture in Kinda and the surrounding area

The Kisa Emigrant Museum is housed in one of Kisa’s oldest cultural buildings, dating from the 18th century and associated with Sundius’ emigration agency. Exhibitions and sound installations convey the stories of individual emigrants, alongside photographs, letters, documents and objects from the local area. In May 1845, Peter Cassel led the first organized emigration of 21 people to North America. The museum’s personal stories and this event connect individual life journeys with a specific chapter in the history of local emigration.

Churches, too, preserve different traces of the region’s history. Tidersrums kyrka is the oldest wooden church in Östergötland and dates from the 13th century. Its furnishings include High Gothic paintings, early medieval sculptures, an altarpiece from 1695 and an image of Saint Olaf from the 13th century. Horns kyrka was inaugurated in 1754. Its distinctive tower has a tall spire; the church also preserves much of the furnishings from the medieval church in Ekeby.

The cultural landscape of Idhult has roots stretching back to the Middle Ages. The village was farmed for many centuries and has preserved its historic character to this day. An orange-marked circular trail there is about two kilometres long. Föllingsö lies in a valley beside Lake Nedre Föllingen and features an 18th-century estate landscape, with old, varied open farmland and wooded hills. There is also a nature trail and information boards.

Discover more destinations: Kisa, Rimforsa, Västra Eneby, Horn, Motala, Ödeshög, Linköping, Vikbolandet.

Back to the main travel guide: Östergötland.