Spirit Bears and Humpback Whales of British Columbia

Spirit Bears, Whales and Wolves; an adventure exploring the coastline of British Columbia - From £4,450 per Person Sharing, Excluding International Flights

In the wild valleys of the Coast Range on Canada’s far western edge, the planet’s oldest and tallest trees rise along salmon-studded rivers that rush to the Pacific. Thousand-year-old cedars, and Sitka spruce soaring 350 feet into the clouds, provide shelter for the white spirit bear of native legend. Here, too, are grizzlies and wolves, and eagles nest in ancient branches. At sea, humpback whales ply the pristine fjords. We join them as we sail a maze of inlets on the central BC coast – a wilderness voyage into one of the earth’s most magnificent – and most at-risk – natural worlds.

Important Note: The itinerary below details the Bella Bella to Prince Rupert itinerary. The Prince Rupert to Bella Bella itinerary begins with an overnight in Prince Rupert and makes all the same stops in reverse order. Please call our office for details.

Day 1
We fly as a group from Vancouver to Bella Bella. This isolated village on the central coast of British Columbia is the traditional home of the Heiltsuk Nation people. At the Shearwater Resort & Marina we enjoy a welcome dinner.

Day 2
Board the Island Roamer, a comfortable 68-foot ketch that will be our home for the next seven nights. Sailing from Bella Bella, we depart for the sheltered inlets of the Great Bear Rainforest, stopping each night in a different secluded anchorage. Our first destination is the Fiordland Conservancy, which offers some of the most dramatic examples of glacially gouged scenery on the British Columbia coast. Sheer granite cliffs rise more than 3,000 feet, and waterfalls plummet from their faces into the sea.

Days 3, 4
As we navigate the fjords, we pass native communities and explore remote estuaries up close, hoping to see grizzly bears attracted by spawning salmon. The combination of lush vegetation and salmon-rich streams in Fiordland makes it ideal grizzly habitat. Black bears are also prolific in these ancient forests, and we keep an eye out for wolves, though they are elusive.

Day 5
This morning we visit the First Nations village of Klemtu, home of the Kitasoo Band. Our native guide shares history and cultural traditions, including a tour of the ceremonial Big House, painted with totems. We sail northward, hugging the indented shoreline of Princess Royal Island. This is the best-known area for seeing the rare, all-white Kermode bear, also called spirit bear, reflecting its legendary status among the Tsimshian peoples as a creature to be revered. Spirit bears are actually a unique subspecies of North American black bear in which about one in every 10 bears is white or cream-colored due to a recessive gene. We go ashore to visit Kitasoo Spirit Bear Conservancy. We’ll hope to spy the pale bears against the evergreen backdrop along the creeks and estuaries. Only 400 or so spirit bears are thought to exist, living exclusively along this portion of the British Columbia coast. The campaign to save the Great Bear Rainforest has heightened efforts to conserve this dwindling habitat from further logging, the greatest threat to the future of the bears.

Day 6
As we cruise today we have excellent chances to see porpoises, orcas, Steller sea lions and the charismatic humpback whales. These gentle mammals, which can grow to 50 feet and weigh 40 tons, may entertain us with breaching, spy-hopping or slapping their flippers. They congregate in these waters in late summer and fall on their annual migration. We go ashore again today in an area where spirit bears are often spotted.

Days 7, 8
We’ll spend two more days at the northern end of Princess Royal, looking for bears and whales. We indulge in a soak at Bishop Bay Hot Springs, accessible only to boaters. On our second day, we join a Gitga’at native guide who takes us to locally known wildlife viewing areas. With patience and perseverance, we’ll hope to see more black bears and the elusive white spirit bear.

Day 9
Our voyage ends in the Gitga’at community of Hartley Bay. Before departing by floatplane to Prince Rupert, we have time to walk the boardwalk trail to the lake or visit the community big house. On arrival in Prince Rupert we transfer to our group flight to Vancouver, with onward departures.

Location of Adventure
British Columbia, Canada

Group Size Limit: Approximately 14 travellers
A very important feature of our trips is the limited group size, as nature expeditions are best experienced with smaller groups of travelers.

Included
Internal floatplane flight from Hartley Bay to Prince Rupert (or from Prince Rupert to Hartley Bay, depending on itinerary direction), accommodations, meals from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on final day, bottled water, services of our Expedition Leaders, local guides and boat crew, most gratuities, airport transfers in Bella Bella or Prince Rupert on Day 1 and final day, permits and entrance fees, all taxes.

Not Included
Travel to and from start and end point of trip (Bella Bella and Prince Rupert), alcoholic beverages, some gratuities, passport and visa fees, optional activities, items of a personal nature (phone calls, souvenirs, etc.), airline baggage fees, airport and departure taxes, optional travel insurance.

Physical Requirements
Easy / Moderate / Flexible; this adventure does not require a high degree of physical fitness although some short walks may be required should you wish to participate in every activity. Kayaking will be an option available to guests. It is easy to learn, and we expect that most of our guests have little or no experi­ence. It does, however, take an adven­turous spirit.

Important Information about This Trip
While this adventure focuses on spirit bears and humpback whales, our guests are immersed in one of the most magnificent natural landscapes on earth, which we will also experience through land-based exploration. It should be noted that spirit bears are rare and the coastal rainforest is very dense and sightings can never be guaranteed. That said, the areas we visit provide the best chance for seeing these elusive creatures and our naturalist and crew are adept at finding them.

Getting There & Getting Home
We have pre-booked spaces for our travellers on flights from Van­couver to Bella Bella and from Prince Rupert to Vancouver (or the reverse direction, depending on the direction of your itinerary). These flight times are not determined until late spring. We will notify you at that time so you may book your arrival and departure flights in and out of Vancouver. Please note that the cost of these flights is not included in your trip fee and will be assessed separately.