- The Dumpling Trail
- Guided Half-day Grizzly Viewing and Rafting Tour
- Nuxalk Petroglyphs Tour
- Nature Interpretive Hike & Bears Tour
- Totem Pole Tour of Bella Coola Village
- Bella Coola Museum
- The Kopas Store and Copper Sun Gallery
- 5 nights of accommodations (3.5 - 4 star, or best available)
- Professional Tour Leader
- Transportation including flight, boat, motorcoach
- 11 meals: 4 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 4 dinners
- Transportation from local company
- Credit card payment fees, where applicable
- Attractions not listed
- Meals not listed
- Items of a personal nature
- Gratuities to guide (Recommend $5-$7 per person per day)
- Gratuities to driver (Recommend $3-$4 per person per day)
- Winter Clothing Rental Package
- Airfare — domestic and international (Unless Specified)
- Travel insurance (Strongly recommended, ask us for a quote!)
AVAILABILITY
START DATE
END DATE
PRICE
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
DEPOSIT
AVAILABLE
Mon, 16 Sep 2024
Sat, 21 Sep 2024
$100 USD
$500 USD
AVAILABLE
Mon, 21 Oct 2024
Sat, 26 Oct 2024
$100 USD
$500 USD
Arrive in Vancouver and check in to your Richmond hotel. There will be some free time to explore the heart of interesting Richmond and we highly recommend walking the well-known ‘Dumpling Trail’ to get a feel of the city as well as its rich Asian heritage. A fast elevated metro train service also allows quick access to Vancouver city center and its attractions. This evening, we will walk to a nearby restaurant and enjoy a welcome dinner to get acquainted with our group.
Overnight: Vancouver
Meals: Dinner
We will transfer to Vancouver’s South Terminal for a short flight to Bella Coola. Flying over the fiords, high mountains and rugged terrain will give you an idea why so few roads exist in this relatively pristine part of British Columbia’s coastline.
On arrival, we will transfer to the Bella Coola Valley Inn before heading out on a walking tour to visit the Kopas Store, the Copper Sun Gallery and the Bella Coola Museum. The museum provides an insight into the area’s varied history starting with the Indigenous people who have inhabited the region for thousands of years, then the early explorers, the coming of the first pioneer European settlers and the building of the ‘Freedom Road’. The Kopas Store and the Copper Sun gallery provide a showcase for the traditional Nuxalk peoples artwork and handicrafts as well as maps, jewellery and masks typical of the area. The evening is at leisure to explore
the area and try local cuisine.
Overnight: Bella Coola
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
We board our ocean going boat and depart on a guided day tour of the ocean fiords and inlets to see several sites built by settlers and learn about the history and settlement of the area. We cruise by Hanging Glaciers and stop in Bachelor Bay at the sandy beach and visit Seal Rock. The views to the east of Mt. Nusatsum and to the west of Bentinck Spire are spectacular.
All the while, our captain and Tour leader will be on the lookout for wildlife as we cruise into the mouth of the Salmon Spawning Creek at Green Bay to view the tidal estuary in search of grizzlies, black bears and wolves. Heading out around the point into South Bentinck Arm we may have opportunity to see seals, dolphins, humpback whales and orcas.
You will have the opportunity to enjoy a soak in the natural and remote natural mineral hot spring nestled in a rock crevice with crystal clear waters. After a soothing soak in the hot springs, we cruise to a quiet little emerald green harbour at the trailhead of the famous Big Cedar Tree while our captain prepares a nice onboard lunch as we enjoy watching the seals and eagles.
Departing the sheltered bay, we cruise up to a vertical granite bluff to view a very impressive display of ancient First Nation pictographs that tell stories of long ago. Heading north out of the fjord we keep an eye out for dolphins. Our cruise ends with arrival back at the Bella Coola Harbour late afternoon. The 8-hour cruise covers approximately 50 nautical miles of remote marine wilderness with many spectacular sights.
Overnight: Bella Coola
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
British Columbia’s central coast swathed in temperate rainforest hosts a tremendous variety of habitats. Today, we will depart on a tour of the beautiful Bella Coola region and learn about the geography and history of this stunning area. Some of the highlights of this tour include the Tweedsmuir National Park, Clayton Falls, Purgatory Lookout and the Snootli Creek Hatchery.
Overnight: Bella Coola
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
We will venture up river to today view the bears and wildlife. Grizzlies feed on the estuaries and the spawning salmon in this area and our guide/naturalist will walk us slowly upriver on an active grizzly bear trail. Along the estuary game trail, our guide will point out grizzly digs, territorial rub trees, claw marks, bite marks, grizzly day beds and old grizzly tracks sunk deep in the moss. We will likely see river otters, blue herons, kingfishers, mink, marten and bald eagles living in this watershed. Moving slowly and always watching for grizzlies we make our way upriver to the natural old growth wildlife viewing stand.
We hope to have excellent unrestricted views of the grizzlies, bears and wolves on the white sandbars upriver and downriver in a large old growth stand of cedar and spruce timber. This area is home to bears, wolves and blacktail deer who use the game trails year-round. This is an excellent location for photography and an ideal spot for photographers to set up their tripods amongst the timber canopy. We will remain at this natural wildlife viewing stand during prime time and enjoy the wilderness and wildlife.
Note that wildlife has their own mind and while we plan our trips during the best seasons and visit areas known for wildlife viewing, accompanied by experienced guides, we do not guarantee sightings
Overnight: Bella Coola
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
We transfer to Bella Coola airport for our return flight to Vancouver and the end of our Great Bear Rainforest tour
Meals: Breakfast