Day 1: Arrive in Victoria and transfer on your own to your centrally located hotel. Amidst the wild beauty of the Pacific coast, this charming city boasts the mildest climate in Canada.
Day 2: After an early morning departure from the downtown area, your scheduled coach begins its journey up the east coast of Vancouver Island. We pass by small towns, separated by forests and rolling hills. After Campbell River, the Island Highway takes us into the sparsely populated Nimpkish Valley - keep your eyes peeled for Roosevelt Elk and black bears. The coach tour concludes in Port McNeill in time to make the 5:00 pm ferry sailing to Alert Bay. After a 35 minute voyage, a taxi will take you from the ferry terminal down the ocean road to Alert Bay Lodge. (D)
Day 3: We've set this day aside for you to explore the village of Alert Bay. After breakfast, the lodge manager will provide you with a map highlighting attractions on the 5 kilometer long Cormorant Island, tickets to U'Mista Cultural Centre and a picnic lunch. The village can easily be explored by foot from your accommodation. Attractions include the village of Alert Bay including the Tourism Information Centre, and shops and galleries featuring native art, the U'Mista Cultural Centre featuring historic and contemporary artwork, including First Nations reclaimed potlatch collection (admission included), First Nations dancing at the Big House (schedule permitting), the Ecological Gardens and Big Tree Trail: a series of easy walking trails located at the top of the island. These attractions are about 2 kilometers from the village. (B,L)
Day 4: We’ve organized this day to take you off Cormorant Island to historic
Telegraph Cove, the departure point for your whale watching tour.
As your whale watching tour begins in early afternoon, you’ll have some time
to explore Telegraph Cove. You’ll be able to
stroll along the boardwalk, admire the historic buildings and perhaps
decide to take lunch at the local pub. We also recommend visiting the
displays at the Whale Interpretative Centre that highlight the biology,
habitat needs and threats to orcas and other local marine mammals.
Your wildlife watching tour departs Telegraph Cove at 1:00
pm. During the tour, the onboard naturalist will lead the search for
orcas, humpback and Minke whales. Other marine life sighting
opportunities include Dahl Porpoises, Harbour Porpoises, Pacific White
Sided Dolphins and sea lions. Bald eagles and many species of birds are
plentiful and, along the shore, black bear, deer and cougar may be
spotted. You’ll also learn about how local whale watching practices
conform to "Be Whale Wise" guidelines established by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The tour returns by about 4:30 pm – plenty of time to stretch your
legs for a few minutes before boarding a high speed boat to whisk you
across Johnstone Strait back to Alert Bay. (B)
Day 5: We depart at 6:45 am from Alert Bay for a full day on the water to seek out grizzly bears in their natural habitat. Our destination is Knight Inlet, a two hour ride by covered boat into Johnstone Strait. Becoming famous for its population of Grizzly bears, Knight Inlet is surrounded by snow-capped mountains, steep-sided, forested cliffs and active marine life.
Here we drift, paddle and motor quietly around an estuary, looking to spot grizzly bears as they feed on the sedges and grasses at high tide. Low tide brings more bears out, and we may see them turn over large boulders in their search for crabs, isopods and beach barnacles. On some tides we transfer to our flat bottomed skiff to get into the shallows. Please bring your binoculars and camera! (B,L)
Day 6: After breakfast we'll call your taxi and get you on the right ferry to Port McNeill. Your up-Island journey continues when you’re picked up by taxi at the Port McNeill Ferry Terminal and escorted to Port Hardy Airport. Here, you catch an afternoon scheduled flight to Vancouver, BC. (B)
Note: The order of activities on Days 3, 4 and 5 may vary due to weather conditions and tour operator logistics. Once your booking is confirmed, we will provide you with comprehensive pre-departure information.
