Mothership Adventures > Kayaking Tours of BC > Great Bear Rainforest Kayak Tour > Itinerary

The BC Great Bear Rainforest Kayak Tour

Kayak Tour Itinerary

grizzly bear Day 1: The Columbia III will be waiting for you at the government dock in the BC First Nations village of Bella Bella where you’ll be greeted with a warm welcome from the captain and crew. Our departure time coincides with the arrival of the daily Pacific Coastal flight from Vancouver (their summer schedules are not confirmed until April). Once all our guest have boarded, we’ll untie the lines and head into the wilderness of BC's Great Bear Rainforest. Our kayak guides will give an introductory "paddle talk", fit everyone to their kayaks, and with spray skirts and life jackets donned, we’ll soon be paddling!

Kayakers approaching shore Days 2-6: Each morning after breakfast, we’ll launch our kayaks and begin our day of paddling and exploring the wilderness of Canada's central coast. Delicious lunches and snacks are packed into the kayaks to be savoured on a sandy beach or rocky knoll. Later on in the afternoon the Columbia III will be awaiting our arrival in a completely different place. We never have to backtrack. After a day of kayaking it is a welcome sight to come around a point of land and see the mothership tucked into a sheltered anchorage. When the kayaks are aboard and guests are relaxing in the bright, cheery salon, the Columbia III will head off towards the next day’s paddling location.

On the June 24 - 30 and July 1 - 7 Great Bear Rainforest tours, we’ll paddle amongst the maze of spectacular rocky islets and white beaches of the Hakaii Conservancy, Goose Islands and Spider Islands. One could spend months exploring the narrow channels, and hidden coves and bays of these remote islands. We’ll also paddle in Roscoe Inlet, a stunning steep-sided fjord with several river estuaries and kayak past the First Nation’s pictographs in sheltered Troop Narrows. The weather will determine which days are best for each area and with the mothership it is easy to be flexible. During the week we may see humpback whales, orcas, sea otters, black bears, eagles, wolves and harbour seals, as well as a huge diversity of inter tidal creatures. The Great Bear Rainforest is habitat for many fascinating species!

On the Aug 24 - 30, Aug 31 - Sept 6, Sept 7 - 13 and Sept 15 - 24 tours, we’ll paddle the spectacular outer island areas of the McMullens, the Goose Islands, and Stryker Island and then head north to the salmon-spawning river estuaries of the steep fjords. Again, how many days we spend in each area and where we go first, will be determined by the weather. A flexible itinerary is one of the advantages of mothershipping. In the river estuaries we’ll look for grizzlies and black bears fishing and perhaps a spirit bear. As we paddle and travel aboard the Columbia III we may see humpback whales, orcas, sea otters, eagles, wolves and harbour seals, as well as the huge diversity of inter tidal creatures that all make the Great Bear Rainforest their home.

"Hello Ross, Miray, Luke and Farlyn. Thanks for once again making our travel dreams come true - and more! We spent the year checking out your website and imagining what our tour with our friends would be like. Maybe again next summer? You are the best!"
- Bill and Donna, California 2007 & 2008 kayakers on beach

Day 7: On the last day our return to Bella Bella again depends on Pacific Coastal Airline’s schedule. We always make sure our guests arrive at the airport at the correct time and plan the morning accordingly. There may be a before- breakfast paddle for the early risers. The Columbia III then makes her way back to Bella Bella as we keep a watchful eye for wildlife and experience the beautiful sea, forests and mountains of the Great Bear Rainforest one last time before leaving.

9 Night Tour: Again for 2012 we are offering a 9 night tour into BC's Great Bear Rainforest departing from and returning to Bella Bella. As well as paddling the outer islands and the steep-sided inlets, the extra days gives us more time to explore the remote corners of this wilderness and more time to devote to wildlife viewing, especially one full day for hopefully seeing the spirit bear!

Get More Information