British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
British Columbia’s
Great Bear Rainforest
9-days searching for salmon, bears, whales, and wolves
in the largest coastal temperate forest in the world
One of National Geographic’s 20 places to see in 2014
Discover Encounter Learn
Abundant wildlife in the Iconic bears and coastal How wild Pacific salmon
largest coastal temperate temperate rainforests define the ecosystem
forest in the world
British Columbia’s
Great Bear Rainforest
Salmon, Bears, Whales, and Wolves
The Great Bear Rainforest is one of the largest intact
coastal temperate forests in the world. Extending
from northern Vancouver Island to Alaska, and
covering more than 70,000km2 (24,000mi2), this area
is home to spectacular wildlife including whales and
dolphins, bears and wolves, sea lions and sea otters.
This 9-day expedition aboard our classic schooner,
the Passing Cloud, gives us the chance to explore this
beautiful ecosystem and learn how it depends so
critically on wild Pacific salmon.
2
Kitimat
We will have the opportunity to follow the salmon (Haida First Nation)
life cycle, visit the First Nations communities of Bella
Bella and Klemtu, encounter marine mammals on
the open sea, and potentially catch a glimpse of the
rare white Kermode or “Spirit” bear.
Our 9-day expedition through the Great Bear
BRITISH
Rainforest starts and ends in the Heiltsuk First Nation COLUMBIA
community of Bella Bella. Travelling deep into the
heart of the Great Bear, as far north as the Gitga’at
Nation community of Hartley Bay, we circumnavigate Hartley Bay
(Gitga’at First Nation)
Princess Royal Island in search of salmon, bears,
whales and wolves. VANCOUVER
9-days / 8-nights
2015 departures: May 22, 31, Sep 1, 10, 19, 28
Price per person: $5200 CAD PRINCESS ROYAL
ISLAND
Departs from / Returns to: Bella Bella
What’s Included?
Klemtu
All meals, accommodation, transportation, user fees, (Kitasoo/Xaixais First Nation)
use of onboard gear and resources, and rubber boots.
What’s not included?
5% GST, travel and accommodation before and after
the expedition, gratuities, any personal expenses
incurred due to weather, logistical delays, delayed
departures of chartered aircraft, taxis, ferries.
Bella Bella
(Heiltsuk First Nation)
3
Sample Itinerary:
British Columbia’s
Great Bear Rainforest
Day
1
Our adventure begins in the Heiltsuk First Nations
community of Bella Bella, a short flight from
Vancouver International Airport. Upon boarding
our schooner Passing Cloud and settling into
accommodations, we set sail and begin our
journey north into the heart of Canada’s Great
Bear Rainforest. As we slice through the waters of
the Seaforth Channel we’ll be on the lookout for
our first wildlife sightings - humpback whales, sea
otters, elephant seals, and killer whales. Later in the
afternoon, we set down our anchor in a small coastal
estuary and go ashore for our first taste of the coastal
temperate rainforest ecosystem.
It’s virtually impossible to find the
adequate words to express my Day
gratitude and wonder for such a 2
magical week. The fact that such
Today gets started with an early morning visit to one
natural beauty, such isolated of the rainforest estuaries, an enclosed body of water
wilderness, still exists gives me with multiple rivers and streams running into it, to
hope for our world. observe and photograph wildlife. After exploring this
area for the morning, we continue our travels north,
Megan McCaslin, Outer Shores Traveller potentially spotting humpback whales, dolphins, and
porpoises. In the afternoon we visit our first major
river system, where we find a comfortable spot to sit
and wait to observe grizzly bears fishing for salmon.
Day
3
This morning we have breakfast while sailing north
through the Princess Royal Channel, en route to
Khutze Inlet, renowned for its towering granite cliffs,
waterfalls, snow capped mountain peaks, and wildlife
– especially grizzly bears. We’ll use our inflatable
zodiac to travel deep into this coastal estuary
ecosystem, which is an excellent habitat for spawning
salmon, coastal grizzly bears, and wolves.
4
Day
4
We continue our exploration of Khutze Inlet with an
early morning photography and wildlife expedition into
the estuary via sea kayak. Next, we head back aboard
Passing Cloud and travel north in search of the iconic
spirit (or Kermode) bear, which are actually black bears
with a rare gene that produces completely white fur.
After we anchor in Bishop Bay Marine Park for the
evening, we head ashore to enjoy a soak in one of the
natural hot springs in the area.
Day
Day 7
5 Today we hope to catch a glimpse of the coastal
wolves that inhabit the Great Bear Rainforest. We
Today we visit the bear-viewing stands operated by
plan to visit small coastal streams in this region,
the Gitga’at First Nation, where we’ll have an excellent
surrounded by ancient spruce and cedar trees, which
chance of observing spirit bears and black bears
provide ideal habitats for wolves and bears. We also
fishing for salmon in a small coastal stream. We
have time to explore, photograph, and view wildlife
spend the majority of the day quietly observing and
in this area via sea kayaks, inflatable boat, and shore
photographing the salmon, bears, and other wildlife
excursions.
from the viewing stands at the edge of the stream.
Later this afternoon, we travel a short distance to
our overnight anchorage as we begin our southward Day
journey along the west side of Princess Royal Island.
8
This morning we pass through Myers Narrows en
route to the Kitasoo/Xaixais First Nation community
of Klemtu. We are welcomed to this remote coastal
community with a walking tour and a guided visit
of their traditional Big House. In the afternoon we
sail south through Finlayson Channel and Milbanke
Sound, getting to experience the outer coast before
anchoring overnight in the vicinity of Seaforth
Channel, near Bella Bella.
Day
6
Travelling south into Camano Sound, we spend the
morning on the lookout for humpback, fin, and killer Day
whales that congregate here each summer and fall. 9
Weather and time permitting, we’ll go ashore to visit
whale researchers who live in the area year round As we travel the short distance to Bella Bella this
and track the whales in this region. In the afternoon, morning we hope for last minute wildlife sightings,
we spend our time sailing through this stunning area and enjoy the pristine landscapes and seascapes of
before anchoring for the night in Laredo Inlet. the Great Bear Rainforest. Once we arrive, we say
our farewells to the Great Bear Rainforest before
disembarking and heading to the airport.
5
If you have any questions about our 360 B Harbour Road expeditions, or a specific detail about the Victoria, British Columbia expedition you have booked, please let V9A 3S1, Canada us know by phone or visit our website for more information. info@outershores.ca Photo Credits: James Thompson, Ryan Flett, and 1-855-714-7233 (Toll Free in North America) Russell Markel. 1-250-220-2311 (Local and International)
You can also read
