With 107 permanent residents, dozens of miles of hiking trails, and no cell phone service, Jenner was already the perfect respite from hectic city life. (“This place is a cure-all,” says one park ranger while scouting the coast near this secluded town, 90 minutes north of San Francisco.) Then a former flight attendant, Suki Waters, started the eco-tourism company Waters Treks last year, and made it easy to explore the area perched at the confluence of the Russian River and the Pacific Ocean by kayak.

Waters, a descendant of the Kashaya Pomo tribe that inhabited this area for thousands of years, guides several half- and full-day trips, as well as custom-built routes between the river and the ocean, for adventurers of all skill levels.

Beginners who want to experience both the languid Russian and the raging Pacific should try Waters’ private all-day tour from Monte Rio to Jenner. In Monte Rio, you’ll see hundreds of species of birds, like blue heron and osprey, as well as turtles, fish, frogs, and snakes. If you’re lucky, you might even see a bobcat hunting mice on the riverbank. After a leisurely three-mile tour downstream, you’ll take a lunch break in the tiny town of Duncans Mills. The Cape Fear Cafe serves delicious plates, like salmon crab cakes over fresh veggies—filling, yet light enough to keep you paddling.

After lunch, the wind kicks up between Duncans Mills and Jenner. If you’re not up for kayaking against a wet breeze, Waters will take you by truck back down to Jenner, where you’ll paddle from the harbor to Penny Island, then across to the river mouth. There, you’ll see hundreds of harbor seals basking on the beach—look out for Nibbles, a rogue elephant seal who trolls the waters for vulnerable prey. One kayaker reported a love bite from the aptly named beast.

After returning to the harbor, grab a bottle of wine (the selection is local) from the Jenner “C” Store and retire to your room at the Jenner Inn. A quaint set of sun-bleached, salt-worn houses lining the river, the inn offers creekside and waterfront rooms (complete with wine glasses and a corkscrew) or entire vacation homes for extended stays. The waterfront rooms offer the best views and homiest quarters. Catch the sunset while hummingbirds drink the day’s last nectar right outside your window.

-Matt Bloom

JENNER INN: RATES $108–478, 707-865-2377, JENNERINN.COM. WATER TREKS: RATES $100–140 PER PERSON, INCLUDING LUNCH AND SHUTTLE, 888-865-2249, WATERTREKS.COM.