I flew into the tiny airport of port hardy from vancouver and the views along the way were well worth the trip. The air fares as quoted are also way out of lineall of a piece with the constant nonsense posted by that particular contributor. Bear watching on vancouver island bears are an iconic canadian creature and vancouver island has more than its fair share of these beautiful beasts that play within plain sight. Many serious hunters are realizing that the north coast of b. Safety guide to bears vancouver island news, events, travel. C, we invite you to experience some of the best killer whale and humpback whale sightings on vancouver island. Feb 01, 2011 amazing grizzly bear tour with tide rip in the knight inlet. Sea wolf adventures grizzly bear tours in vancouver island give you the. Bear tours vancouver island wildlife adventure tours. Bear tours from tofino and ucluelet are considerably shorter, more affordable trips to see black bears on local shores. Tide rip grizzly tours telegraph cove 2020 all you. Getting to port hardy on vancouver island great bear lodge. Dock in swartz bay, and visit the famous butchart gardens, exploring the grounds at your leisure. There are 3 ferry routes from vancouver to the island.
Vancouver island is definitly one of the best places to see bears in canada, because as well as seeing grizzly or brown bears in the inlet off the east coast of the island, there are also some fabulous black bear viewing opportunities off the west coast of the island in towns such as tofino and zeballos. Until recently there were no grizzly bears on vancouver island, and there are few or no grizzlies in the heavily settled lower mainland or the dry, southern areas of british columbia. West coast grizzly bear tours campbell river vancouver. If you want to guarantee seeing grizzly bears in western canada then this is a must visit trip we changed our itinerary specifically to go to telegraph cove on vancouver island for this trip. Black bears are remarkable roadside attractions along highway 19 during the spring and summer and can be spotted fishing for salmon in local rivers in the fall. Tours are scheduled to depart from port hardy by seaplane at 3pm, so our guests typically check in around 2pm. Kayaking british columbia is the ultimate way to view bcs abundant wildlife. When booking accommodation, please be aware that nearby island such as alert bay limit our accessibility for morning water taxi pick up. Wildlife watching vancouver island photo tours british. A day tour to view the grizzly bears of the wild in british columbias knight inlet and. Tofino bear watching tours are only offered in summer time, as in winter the black bears go into hibernation after they feast on the salmon run in october. Most of these day bear tours on vancouver island include lunch, an expert guide and around 45 hours bear viewing after you have taken into account the transfer times.
Grizzly bear viewing on vancouver island the best places to go on your bear safari. Different scale of trip time and cost wise, and different species of bear. Canadas enchanting vancouver island 4 day road trip. Come to a place where you can see whales or bears making a memorable appearance on their terms, in their natural environment. Toba inlet grizzly bear cruise remote west coast adventures. Explore the pristine natural world of british columbias coastal grizzly bear. All tours require a minimum 4 persons in total per day in order to operate. Grizzly bear watching, whale watching, marine wildlife viewing and adventure tours from campbell river on vancouver island in british columbia, canada. The ferries are too slow for a day trip that is not in any way the truthin fact hundreds of people a day use the ferries for day trips as anyone whos ridden them knowsits a long day but doable.
Our coordinates grizzly bear tours knight inlet, bc. Tripadvisor full day grizzly bear tour provided by. Victoria, tofino, salt spring island, the gulf islands, and the sunshine coast of bc. This trip is designed for outdoor enthusiasts, offering a number of opportunities to view whales and bears, and to experience two very different settings. We are vancouver island s most diverse marine adventure company offering a wide range of adventures including. Mammoth grizzly bears, meanwhile, thrive not far from the. To find out more about why way west coastal ventures should be your choice or to book a tour, please contact us.
British columbia boasts the highest populations of black bear in north america with vancouver island having the highest density of black bears in british columbia, canada. We regularly visit vancouver island as part of our canada wildlife holidays and have put together an expert guide on bear watching tours vancouver island. Stretching from vancouver island, north along the mainland coast, it forms a significant section of the famous inside passage route to alaska a name that. Aboriginal journeys wildlife and adventure tours campbell. The trips you are thinking of are up further north on the coast. Or, venture into the great bear rainforest by sailing along the bc coast. Vancouver island is big, approximately 6 hours to drive from one end to the other.
You can depart from northern vancouver island on daytrips or multi day trips. Take the ferry to vancouver island, and enjoy fine views over the beautiful gulf islands. Unless you are a local with a car, then flying from either vancouver or victoria is the easiest way to get to north vancouver island. Bear watching on vancouver island discover vancouver. Bear trips vancouver island message board tripadvisor. Day 6 guided ecotour or guided bear watching excursion depending on the season use of sonora. Visit our marine adventure centre in campbell river. A day viewing grizzly bears in knight inlet estuary viewing may 24aug 24, river viewing stands aug 25oct 15 a day viewing sea mammals orca, humpback whale, sea lions, dolphins etc our 4 night trip. Add on beach, culture, city, trek find out about our bespoke wildlife tours. Grizzly bear viewing tours\grizzly bear watching tours run from august 20th to october 15th 2019. Vancouver island outfitters have done a great job putting our coastal bears in the spotlight.
Vancouver islands rugged wilderness, fresh lakes and rivers offering excellent opportunities for gaming and fishing enthusiasts. Do some research first, and read some of the trip reports from the top questions. Game records show the vancouver island region to have produced more successful black bear hunts than any other area in british columbia. Grizzly bear watching, vancouver island travel nation. They were eating salmon, running, playing, swimming, standing on two feet and even fighting over salmon. Visiting toba inlet, a hidden gem in the world of bear viewing, while travelling with remote west coast adventures allows for an upclose and personal experience with these majestic animals.
British columbias vancouver island is well known for its coastal black bears and our outfitter here holds the exclusive rights to a guide concession of over 4,000 square miles of prime bear habitat. Vancouver island in one day vancouver island forum. Central coast and northern vancouver island in one unforgettable selfguided circle tour. Bear watching season starting in april, black and grizzly bears begin emerging from hibernation and. There are black bears on the island but it is more luck than anything to get to see one and often seen on a boat tour out of tofino on the west coast. Giant jetblack bears roam the island and are hunted with fair chase, spotandstalk hunting tactics. Bear tours from campbell river and telegraph cove are all day or multi day trips that leave vancouver island to see grizzlies in remote inlets on the bc mainland. British columbia has about onequarter of all black bears in canada, and half of all grizzly bears. Tofino bear watching tours navigate the calm inside waters around meares island daily on the low tide. Bear watching in tofino can be done during low tide when the bears are searching the shoreline for clams and crabs. Is it best to concentrate on vi and take day trips to see bears or to split between vi and a trip like spirit bear tours. Vancouver island, off the west coast of bc, canada, has the highest density of black bears in north america. Campbell river whale watching and adventure tours wants you to see grizzlies. Grizzly bears of the wild tour sea wolf adventures.
Our grizzly bear watching tours will give you an unforgettable experience of the west coast. Getting to port hardy on vancouver island our tours depart from port hardy, which is located on the northern end of vancouver island in british columbia. The bear watching trips from tofino are short excursions along local shores to view black bears, which are common on vancouver island. If staying on other islands, this service may not be available. With an estimated 7,000 12,000 black bears living in the region, a guided tour is a smart way to see these gorgeous creatures in their natural habitat, eating. First things firstno trip to vancouver island is complete without visiting victoria, british columbias capital city.
It looks like we may have to do a couple of night on a bear watching trip. Day trips around vancouver island visitor in victoria. Desolation soundthe largest and perhaps best known marine park in british columbiaand downtown vancouver. Vancouver island tofino has the perfect coastline for bear viewing from a boat or by kayak, its very impressive to watch them rumble through the rocks on the beach searching for food. Grizzly bear viewing day trip kayak tours of vancouver. Grizzly bears of the wild tour kingfisher 20200305t23. For over 15 years, tide rip has been leading daily boatbased expeditions to view and photograph the wild grizzly bears and other spectacular wildlife native to coastal british columbia. The definitive grizzly bear watching tour in british columbia.
Commonly called the city of gardens, charming, relaxed victoria occupies the southern tip of vancouver island and you can get there easily by taking a scenic ferry ride from vancouver or a short flight. From vancouver, it will take you about four hours one way. Often the best times to see these beautiful creatures is at low tide and cooler periods of the day. British columbias grizzly bears have attracted travellers from all over the world. The cheapest way for you would be to hop on the ferry. Comparing bear tours in campbell river or telegraph cove with those in tofino is apples to oranges. Its also the easiest place to reach from the mainland, with regular ferries and seaplanes departing from both vancouver and various locations in washington. Grizzly bear tours bc, knight inlet grizzly bear lodge. Seeing a humpback whale lunging through a school of bait fish, a grizzly bear chasing salmon in a shallow river, or a pod of killer whale, also known as orcas, surfacing in unison are often considered once in a lifetime experiences and all three are possible on kingfisher wilderness adventures whales and grizzly bear base camp tour.
See the grizzly bears in the great bear rainforest, knight inlet, rivers inlet, or bute inlet, with a guided tour by covered boat or floatplane from the north end of. Local food, craft beverage and estate winery tour of cowichan valley. Spirit of the west kayaking operates sea kayaking adventures around vancouver island, canadas coastal kayaking paradise. Tide rip grizzly tours specialises in grizzly bear sightings at knight inlet on the mainland. Bear watching vancouver island vancouver island forum. Bear watching on vancouver island discover vancouver island. How to spend 4 days exploring vancouver island culture trip.
Campbell river grizzly tours located on vancouver island, bc, canada experience grizzly bears in the wild in bute inlet on the orford river. The grizzly details our excursions begin in picturesque telegraph cove, british columbia on northern vancouver island. Full day grizzly bear tour provided by campbell river whale watching and adventure tours. Sorting through the photos after the trip is such a lovely way to relive the day. On these tours, we visit the rocky beaches along the wild west coast, sandy beaches of cape scott provincial park as well as beautiful scenic spots on northern vancouver island. You can experience the area by ferry through bc ferries inside passage route and the discovery coast connector. Sightseeing tours, guided tours, circle tours, scenic drives, b. Along the east side of vancouver island, we travel in the south through coast salish territory, where we work with guides from the penelakut andor tsawout territory. Grizzly bear tours and lodge packages our 3 night trip. Trip to victoria, nanaimo and tofino 5 days in vancouver.
Nov 04, 2019 if you want to guarantee seeing grizzly bears in western canada then this is a must visit trip we changed our itinerary specifically to go to telegraph cove on vancouver island for this trip. Vancouver island encompasses many indigenous peoples traditional territories, and we work with indigenous guides all along it. There are some flyin lodges but they are very expensive. Hi, will have 4 days in vancouver next summer i was wondering if we should try and get over to vancouver island for a day. I can put together flights, accommodation, bespoke touring and vehicle hire to suit your plans simply contact sam for firsthand advice and to start planning. Many of our guests add a grizzly bear viewing day trip with sea wolf adventures before or after they join us kayaking. Knight inlet is located on the bc mainland, but access is by float plane from campbell river on the east. Grizzly bears are not normally found on vancouver island but are regularly seen on the nearby mainland coast. The knight inlet photo tour does it all in one full day from the northern part of vancouver island.
We make a donation on behalf of each guest we see towards protecting old growth forest in the toba river valley. The trips from telegraph cove and campbell river are full or multi day trips across the strait to remote inlets on the mainland to view grizzlies, which are not found on vancouver island itself at least not. Is it best to fly into eg tofino or come over via the ferry and drive. Great bear rainforest tour with bluewater adventures.
If youre interested in a grizzly bear tour, i can tailormake your entire trip to canada and recommend the best lodges for your stay on vancouver island and in british columbia. Between vancouver island and knight inlet, the broughton archipelago also offers some incredible bear watching. The definitive grizzly bear watching tour in british. With an estimated 7,000 12,000 black bears living in the region, a guided tour is a smart way to see these gorgeous creatures in their natural habitat, eating berries, snacking on salmon, or munching sweet grass. If you do not see a grizzly on your tour with us between september 15 th and october 7 th, then we will take you out again at no charge, on a standby basis, until we do see one. September is usually the best month for seeing grizzlies. If the wildlife cooperates we will watch grizzly bears, orca whales, humpback whales, other marine wildlife, birds and the stunning scenery along the great bear rainforest and knight inlet in british columbia, canada. Enjoy round trip travel from vancouver to victoria, and discover top attractions in british columbia on this victoria and butchart gardens day trip from victoria. The natural beauty of vancouver island in british columbia must be seen to be believed. Spirit of the west kayaking in british columbia vancouver. Day trips to see the grizzly bears in knight inlet.
It is a terrific walking and cycling city and offers a unique blend of old. Because of this, its no surprise that bear watching tours are one of the top things to do on vancouver island. We watch black bears on the west coast of vancouver island. Get close to the action with our privileged access to special viewing stands. We went on a full day bear watching tour and from start to finish it was everything we had hoped for. These black bears are well known for being the largest bodied bears of their species so large that they have now been reclassified as their own subspecies of black bear, the island black bear. Watch black bears forage on crabs and fish at low tide.
Our tours run between august 20thoctober 15th annually. British columbia s bear population is incredibly strong. Please check in the day before the tour to confirm departure time. The trips from telegraph cove and campbell river are full or multi day trips across the strait to remote inlets on the mainland to view grizzlies, which are not found on vancouver. Amazing grizzly bear tour with tide rip in the knight inlet. An evening boat cruise for black bears on the afternoon of your arrival. Tofino bear watching tour the whale centre, tofino, bc. They were eating salmon, running, playing, swimming, standing on. They can be found pretty well anywhere on vancouver island, but there are definite clusters in places like the pacific rim national park. You would need to travel to vancouver island and from there you can do a day trip i think these run in july but it would take at least 3 days to get up there and back. You will experience excitement and adventure on either a fishing, whale watching, bear watching or hunting trip. We offer grizzly bear tours, grizzly bear watching and wildlife adventure tours. Most tours run between mayoctober, with the west coast tours ending sooner than those on the east coast of vancouver island. Hoping to visit vancouver island next june and wondering where the best and most accessible place is to go on a bear watching trip.
Please download your trip details and joining instructions. Save on a spectacular bc coast tour package with bc ferries vacations. Giants roam on vancouver island north and remote sections of neighboring mainland coast. Our expeditions grizzly bear tours knight inlet, bc.
Enjoy your morning coffee or tea and the fresh air of the clayoquot sound as you marvel at the. Area where you choose to take your bear watching tour from determines the type of bears youll see. There are a few of them, but they are on the page for all of british columbia. We are a proud member of the campbell river whale watching group of companies. Island black bear hunts vancouver island, off the west coast of bc, canada, has the highest density of black bears in north america. Grizzly bears tour with tide rip vancouver island canada. You may also like to checkout the events and festivals happening this weekend in victoria. Youll find some trips listed in both sections because a day trip can easily be extended if youre having too much fun to go back right away. Grizzly bear sightseeing tours campbell river bc vancouver. Grizzly bears knight inlet bc best time to visit top tips. There are 27 tours going to british columbia, with the most popular time to go being july, which has the most number of tour departures. We are listed in the top adventure tour companies, wildlife adventure tours, bear tours vancouver island. Kayaking is a very popular sport as the island has many bays and inlets with calm waters. All trips departarrive at the discovery harbor marina, main walkway, campbell river, vancouver island, bc british columbia, canada.
Bear watching tours boat ride from tofino through tranquil and sheltered inside passages by meares island, fortune channel or tofino inlet. Bear watching on vancouver island watch black bears live and play in ucluelet, tofino, telegraph cove, campbell river, port mcneill, and many other locations around the island. If you do not see a grizzly on your tour with us between september 15 th and october 7 th, then we will take you out again at no charge, on a standby basis, until we do see one guarantee available to full fare paying grizzly tour clients and is valid for 24 months. North vancouver island travel tips ordinary traveler. Vancouver island tofino has the perfect coastline for bear viewing from a boat or by kayak, its very impressive to watch. Take an unforgettable day trip from port mcneill, or stay at farewell harbour lodge for a multi day experience. Your final destination for the day will be the fishing community of port hardy. How to visit the great bear rainforest in british columbia. Grizzly bear watching journey 2020 grizzly bear viewing season august 20 to october 15 on our grizzly bear journey which departs from campbell river on vancouver island, you will enjoy a scenic 2 hour boat ride on our highspeed, covered vessel to toba inlet.
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