As if our BC coast wasn’t sufficiently blessed with spectacular coastline, even more remote grandeur beckons the eco adventurer to our upper coast rainforest. The vast area between the northern end of Vancouver Island and the BC / Alaska border embraces the largest tract of intact temperate rainforest left on earth. Here, within some 100 unspoiled watersheds, thousands of grizzly, black bear, wolf and eagle still co-exist and prosper. The vast seasonal spawning migrations still feed the forest’s diverse ecosystems which in turn feed the salmon. Here the ancient rainforest still reigns supreme.

Our wilderness voyages of discovery offer exploration of the Great Bear Rainforest with the comfort and security of a mothership. Access to the Great Bear Rainforest is via Port Hardy on Vancouver Island. BC Ferries offer daily sailings to Bella Bella or choose the morning flight out of Vancouver International aboard Pacific Coastal Airlines with a stop in Port Hardy and a midday arrival in ‘Bella.’ This tiny but colourful native fishing village, together with nearby Shearwater, are our supply bases for explorations into the ancestral lands of the Heiltsuk, Kitasoo and Owikeeno.

Southwest lie the island mazes of Hunter and Goose Islands, sandy beaches, sea otters and outstanding ocean kayaking. The Koeye River estuary: prime habitat for the grizzly and wolf. Hakai Pass / Rivers Inlet: world class salmon fishing. Northwest lies the Inside Passage route to Alaska which leads us to the grandeur of Mussel and Kynoch Inlets within Fiordland Recreational Area. The elusive white Spirit Bear of native legend, or Kermode, frequent the estuaries of nearby Pooley and Princess Royal Islands. Keep your telephoto lens handy…your mothership stops for all species of whales: humpback, orca, minke and gray. Pacific white-sided dolphin and Dall’s porpoise entertain with wave riding and impromptu aerial antics.

A broad variety of ecosystems are supported in the vastness of this rainforest. Towering snowfields and sub alpine lead to countless waterfalls cascading into steep, glacially carved fiords. Rich estuarine habitats, explored by inflatable / kayak, afford sightings of salmon-eating wolves, grizzlies, otters and eagles. Thriving seabird colonies of puffins, auklets, murres and cormorants populate the windswept outer islands. Bring your binoculars, cameras and curiosity for an eco sensitive journey into the heart of the Rainforest.