- Grizzly Bear Viewing (on July departures) or Whale Watching Tour (on Aug-Sep departures)
- BC Ferry Crossing
- Naikoon Provincial Park
- Tow Hill and Agate Beach
- Haida Gwaii Museum
- Excursion to Skedans on Aug-Sep departures
- The Balanced Rock
- Old Massett and Tlell Artisans
- Port Clements
- Haida Feast
- 7 nights hotel accommodation (3 - 4 star, or best available)
- Professional Tour Leader
- Transportation from local company
- 13 meals: 6 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 5 dinners
- Expert local Step-on-Guide on Days 5 and 6
- 5% provincial tax on top of tour base rate
- Gratuities to driver (Recommend $3-$4 per person per day)
- Gratuities to guide (Recommend $5-$7 per person per day)
- Meals not listed
- Attractions not listed
- Credit card payment fees, where applicable
- Airfare — domestic and international (Unless Specified)
- Travel insurance (Strongly recommended, ask us for a quote!)
- Items of a personal nature
AVAILABILITY
START DATE
END DATE
PRICE
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
DEPOSIT
AVAILABLE
Mon, 12 Aug 2024
Mon, 19 Aug 2024
$980 USD
$500 USD
The difference between these two packages will the activity that occurs on Day 5.
Haida Gwaii and Prince Rupert Adventure includes a 15 hour excursion to Ninstints (SGang Gwaay) via boat that is not for the faint at heart.
Welcome to Prince Rupert, a scenic coastal town, and a gateway to British Columbia's pristine north. Our arrival at the Prince Rupert airport, located on Digby Island, and the following transfer to the main town, located on Kaien Island, introduces the lush coastal temperate rainforest environment that we will explore over the following days. This evening, you will meet your tour leader in the hotel lobby and enjoy a welcome dinner and a meet & greet with your fellow travellers.
Overnight: Prince Rupert
Meals: Dinner
We discover more of the Great Bear Rainforest Coast today on our full-day tour on a catamaran boat to view the wildlife of the area. In July, we prepare for a full day of bear watching at the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, part of the Great Bear Rainforest of Northern British Columbia. On our September tour, we board the vessel for a full day of whale watching off the rugged coastline of Northern British Columbia.Upon return, there will be some free time to explore Cow Bay and the many shops and restaurants along Prince Rupert's waterfront. Evening is at leisure for dinner.
Overnight: Prince Rupert
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast, we will drive a short distance to the magnificent Northwest Coast longhouse overlooking Prince Rupert Harbour which is home to the Museum of Northern BC. Internationally known for its exceptional collection and quality of its exhibits, this museum draws visitors from around the world. Prince Rupert is in the centre of a culturally rich area and the gateway to the northern part of British Columbia’s coastline with diverse Indigenous groups. The history and the culture of this region find expression in the museum’s existing and expanding collection of artifacts and research material. From the Museum we will drive 25 km to the community of Port Edward, just south of Prince Rupert and the National Historic Site of the North Pacific Cannery, the oldest West Coast cannery still standing. Typical of most canneries in its isolation and operations, North Pacific relied more on Indigenous labour than those closer to urban centres like Vancouver, was slower to adopt new technology, and had lower production costs. Ethnically segregated living and work areas divided Chinese, Japanese, Indigenous, and white workers. There will be a guided walk through the many buildings of the complex and then lunch served in The Mess House within the cannery.This evening there will be some free time to explore Cow Bay and the many shops and restaurants along Prince Rupert's waterfront.
Overnight: Prince Rupert
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
On board a BC Ferry ship we begin our scenic journey across the Hecate Strait to the Islands of Haida Gwaii. Haida Gwaii, meaning "Islands of the People" is an archipelago of over 150 islands with an incredible history surrounding the culture of the Haida People who first inhabited these islands over 10,000 years ago. We sail through the scenic Hecate Straight, named for the HMS Hecate used for surveying these waters in the 1860's. Thousands of years before being named the Hecate Strait, the strait was both a transport route to the mainland land, with its shallow waterways providing a navigational challenge to outsiders and a source of protection for the Haida people. This afternoon we arrive in Haida Gwaii and travel to our modest Queen Charlotte City accommodation. Enjoy the evening at leisure to explore this island village.
Overnight: Haida Gwaii
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
*Important Note: The planned boat tour excursions in Haida Gwaii are heavily dependent on the constantly changing weather. Our aim is to include these boat tours but please be advised that we could be providing alternative programs if unfavourable weather, wind, and sea conditions. * **Due to the liability reasons, the boat company has the right to refuse passengers if they have mobility restrictions ** Today will be a day tour to the ancient village and UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ninstints or SGang Gwaay, in the Haida language. The trip can take up to 14 hours and involves high physical demand. We will learn about the lifestyles and Haida lineage. Located on the southern most part of Haida Gwaii, you will experience storytelling, song and local history as we enjoy a catamount boat tour of the eastern shores. During the boat tour guest will have a glimpse into how Haida Gwaii heritage and how they protect their land and waters.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Our first stop on a full day of touring is a visit to the magnificent Haida Heritage Centre. The Haida Gwaii Museum is a magnificent showcase of the Haida People, culture, and way of life, highlighting the traditions of all fourteen Haida Clans. With an interpreter of the museum, we enjoy an interpretive tour of the facility followed by some time to experience the exhibits at leisure.We then visit Balance Rock, a remnant of the Ice Age that looks precariously posed on the coast, but is in fact, firmly in place and immovable. The trail to the rock may be slippery and we may opt to view this from a distance. We drive to Tlell, home to a variety of local artisans and take time at leisure to visit their shops and learn of their crafts firsthand. A short distance from the village of Tlell is the south entrance of the Naikoon Provincial Park. Part of the traditional territory of the Haida people, the park figures prominently in their culture and history and holds many sites of cultural importance as well as historic villages and important traditional food gathering locations throughout the park. A walk along the East Beach Trail is a great experience. We strongly suggest bringing a pair of binoculars and your camera and reading up in advance about the natural and human history of Haida Gwaii before you start to gain in-depth knowledge and appreciation of the landscape you are travelling through.
Overnight: Haida Gwaii
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Travelling a short distance further to Port Clements, an active forestry area, we visit the Port Clements Museum and learn about the past conditions of the forest industry in Haida Gwaii. Nearby is a short, easy hike from the museum to the Golden Spruce Trail. The trail is named after the Golden Sitka Spruce that grew at the end of the trail for nearly 300 years and had a mutation causing the spruce to grow needles of a golden yellow colour. The tree was cut down by a protester in 1997 leading to a Canada-wide outcry. A sapling was saved when the original tree grew and had been nurtured and grown at the Port Clements Memorial Park which we will visit after our walk along the trail. The village of Masset is located at the entrance to the Masset Inlet, an important centre for sport fishing. A short walk takes us to the Dixon Entrance Maritime Museum housed in a restored heritage building. The museum offers a look back at the early settlement and maritime history of the Greater Masset area.We will then do a quick drive through nearby Old Masset, located 2 km north of Masset. The community of Old Masset is connected by road and a well-used sidewalk and sits on the site of three traditional Haida villages. Old Masset is one of 2 villages where the Haida Nation regrouped in the late 1800s, having been forced to leave most of their ancient villages due to their declining numbers, a severe consequence of smallpox introduced by Europeans. The Hudson's Bay Company operated a trading post at the far end of the village from 1869 to 1898. Old Masset is named after Maast Island, a small island in Masset Sound, which is believed to have been named after an early European sailor who was buried on the Island. Today, Old Masset is the administrative seat of the Council of the Haida Nation and is home to about 800 Haida people, including some well-known Indigenous carvers. 10 km east of Masset is an easily walkable boardwalk trail that allows access to a blowhole as well as to Tow Hill, both important landmarks in Naikoon Provincial Park.
Overnight: Haida Gwaii
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
We bid farewell to Haida Gwaii as we board a transfer to Sandspit Airport to begin the journey home.**Due to the remoteness of the area, one group transfer will be arranged to the Sandspit airport for 1 PM, please book your flights accordingly**
Meals: Breakfast