Unique exploration cruise aboard a comfortable sailing ship in the calm and protected waters of the northern coast of British Columbia, an area of primary naturalistic importance known as the Great Bear Rainforest. This narrow strip of coast is home to a rich and unique ecosystem with impressive biodiversity. The sea is rich in herring, salmon and marine mammals while the land is home to large carnivores. The Great Bear Rainforest is home to Brown Bears, Black Bears, Sea Wolves and the mysterious Spirit Bear, while the sea is inhabited by Humpback Whales, Sea Eagles and Sea Lions. We will disembark every day to explore different estuaries and areas hosting high concentration of wildlife and also traditional native villages. This voyage is designed exclusively for our group limited to a maximum of 12 people.
PROGRAM
03 October
Flight to Vancouver (not included).
Overnight stay at Hotel Georgian Court**** or similar.
04 October
Flight Vancouver – Bella Bella (not included).
Once we reach our destination we will be transferred aboard a boat to Denny Island where we will spend the night.
Overnight at Comfort Inn & Suites Hotel***or similar.
05 October
After breakfast we will transfer to the port to board the Island Solitude, a 25 meters motorsailor launched in 2018, 6 cabins with private services, 2 zodiacs and 5 kayaks. The boat is fully chartered by our group.
*MOST PART OF THE NAVIGATION WILL BE IN PROTECTED WATERS, FIORDS AND STRAITS THUS THIS ADVENTURE IS SPECIALLY INDICATED TO PEOPLE PRONE TO SEA SIKNESS.
We will then leave for the Great Bear Rainforest where we will spend the nights at anchor in particularly sheltered, quiet and always different bays.
06-11 October
In the following days we will explore the protected area deeply exploring the fjords and narrow channels that characterize the mountainous coast of the region. We will spend a couple of days between Milbanke Sound, Finlayson Channel and Douglas Channel. Entering the waters of Milbanke Sound we will have an excellent chance of meeting Sea Otters anchored to the kelp in the Pacific Ocean.
Douglas Channel features impressive rock walls and waterfalls. We will sail along the coast of Princess Royal Island, the best area to observe the rare Spirit Bear, also called Kermode Bear. These bears are Black Bears which have a genetic variation whereby they are completely creamy white in colour; they represent approximately 10% of the total black bear population.
We will sail particularly wild and remote areas where we will have excellent chances of meeting bears: Brown, Black and Spirit; as well as Sea Wolves, endemic of this area these animals have a diet based mainly on salmon, and a large quantity of sea birds attracted by the Salmon which in this period come to spawn and then die in the streams of the Great Bear Rainforest. We will spend a day with a native of the Tsimshian ethnic group who will guide us in some areas known to him in search of the Spirit Bear, thus increasing our chances of sightings. There are two native villages in the area: Klemtu and Hartley Bay.
In the Whale Channel we expect to encounter Humpback Whales and we will certainly spend some time with these giants of the sea, and perhaps even Orcas. The Principe Channel, will offer us the greatest opportunities in the entire region to use our sails.
After leaving the part of the forest that offers the best chance to see the Spirit Bear, we will sail towards the Douglas Channel passing Hawkesbury Island. We will scan these coasts in search of Brown Bears found in this season in the estuaries of the streams busy hunting salmon.
Overnight stays on the boat in a double cabin with private facilities.
12 October
After breakfast we will arrive in the Village of Kitimat from where we will be transferred to Terrace Airport in time for our flight to Vancouver (not included).
Overnight stay at Hotel Georgian Court**** or similar.
13 October
Return flight (not included).
Included in the price:
– Double room/cabin accommodation with breakfast included.
– All meals on board the boat.
– All excursions included in the program.
– English speaking guide.
Not included:
– Not mentioned meals.
– Flights
– Canadian GST tax.
– Any unexpected additional costs due to delays and/or forced stops due to flight connections, including flight changes, hotels and additional meals.
Voyage Map
PRICE PER PERSON Euro 8700,00
*Exchange rate 1 CAD = 0,65 Euro.