On the water. Between the mountains.
Some have called Haida Gwaii Canada's Galapagos North - and it's easy to see why. Both are home to amazing wildlife and offer unique and spectacular natural environments. Both have a mystical appeal, but are difficult to reach. As an added bonus, Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) also features a fascinating indigenous culture, past and present.
Our first stop will be Port Hardy, the most northerly community on Vancouver Island, where we will visit tiny Telegraph Cove. Next up is a day-long cruise through the Inside Passage to Prince Rupert. Fortunately, BC Ferries are small enough to reach the most direct (and scenic) parts of the waterway. Some say this makes the BC Ferry scenery better than an Alaskan cruise!
While in Prince Rupert, we will take a grizzly bear tour and visit a historic cannery. After our second ferry ride, we'll enjoy four days on Haida Gwaii visiting cultural centres, sharing a meal with indigenous elders, boating to an ancient Haida settlement, hiking through the rainforest, seeing how they make totem poles, and more.
PHYSICAL FITNESS: This tour involves a lot of walking and some modest hikes. As such, guests should be able to manage 10,000 steps a day, together with a few hills and irregular stairs.
ADD-ON IDEA: This tour begins and ends in Vancouver, so guests can easily add a few days there (or elsewhere) before or afterwards.
TOUR DETAILS
LAND PACKAGE: C$6,680
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: C$1,400
TYPE: Active Sightseeing (lots of walking)
HOTELS: 4 star & 3 star
GROUP: Max 16 guests
DURATION: 10 days (9 hotel nights)
DAILY AGENDA
Each day's title includes the initials of the meals provided: B for breakfast, L for lunch, and D for dinner.
DAY 1 (Tue Jun 3) Meet at Vancouver Airport; fly YVR to Port Hardy (D)
Guests must get themselves to Vancouver Airport to catch our late afternoon Pacific Coastal fight to Port Hardy. Upon arrival, we will transfer to the Glen Lyon Inn, where we will enjoy a group dinner.
DAY 2 (Wed Jun 4) Storey's Beach; Telegraph Cove (B,L)
After breakfast, we'll shuttle to Storey's Beach for a refreshing walk. Afterwards, we'll drive to Telegraph Cove for a leisurely visit and lunch. In late afternoon, we'll return to the hotel for a free evening.
Telegraph Cove, Vancouver Island
DAY 3 (Thu Jun 5) BC Ferry through the Inside Passage (B)
We will check-out early to catch the ferry headed north to Prince Rupert. This journey will provide many spectacular sights, including whale watching. PLEASE NOTE: Cabins and VIP loungers are available for a fee to those wanting a place to rest during the day. Upon our late arrival, we will transfer to our hotel.
DAY 4 (Fri Jun 6) North Pacific Cannery Historic Site (B,L)
This will be a busy day in Prince Rupert as the Princess Cruise Ship Ruby will be in port from 7 am until 2 pm. After an easy morning around town (with 3,000 cruise passengers, we will shuttle 25 km down the coast to the North Pacific Cannery Historic Site for a late lunch and tour. After returning to town in the late afternoon, guests have a free evening.
BC Ferry plying the Inside Passage
DAY 5 (Sat Jun 7) Museum of Northern BC; Grizzly Bear Tour (B)
After an early breakfast, we will enjoy a guided tour of the Museum of Northern BC at 10 am. After some time for lunch in town, we will next board the Prince Rupert Adventure boat for a tour up the coast to the Khutzeymateen Valley, the densest grizzly bear habitat in North America.
DAY 6 (Sun Jun 8) BC Ferry to Skidegate; Traditional Dinner (B,D)
After an early breakfast and check-out, we will transfer to the wharf to catch our ferry at 10:00 to Skidegate. Upon arrival at 17:00, we will transfer to our hotel. For dinner, we will enjoy a traditional dinner in Keenawaa's Kitchen.
Grizzly Bear Adventure, Prince Rupert
DAY 7 (Mon Jun 9) Haida Immersion (B,L,D)
After breakfast we will begin a tour of the local community, beginning with a visit to the Haida Heritage Centre and its Saahlinda Naay Haida Gwaii Museum. After lunch, we will take a walk through the forest on the Spirit Lake Trail.
DAY 8 (Tue Jun 10) Ancient Haida Village (B,L,D)
For many this day will be the crown jewel of our tour, a day-long trip by boat to visit the Haida village of K'uuna Llnagaay. We are only able to visit with the blessing of the Haida Watchmen, a group of men and women who's ancestors lived in this magical place.
Historic Haida Village totems
DAY 9 (Wed Jun 11) Massett's Totem Pole Sheds; North Beach; Haida House dinner (B,L,D)
There are two major communities on Graham Island: Daajing Giids/Skidigate at the south end and Massett at the north. Massett is best known for its active totem pole carving community, which we will visit on this day. We'll take a walk on North Beach and on our way back to our accommodation, we'll stop at Haida House for a memorable meal.
DAY 10 (Thu Jun 12) Louise Dover trail hike; fly Sandspit to Vancouver (B,L)
After breakfast and check-out, we will take the ferry across to Moresby Island and hike the Louise Dover Memorial Trail before heading to Sandspit Airport to catch our flight to Vancouver. Upon arrival at YVR, our tour will formally end.
Massett Totem Pole & Hall