Kayaking 5+ Days
Seat yourself in a unique front row position for spotting whales and exploring pristine marine environments at a pace all your own. There’s something about the air up here. It’s a crispness, a mist laden with salty sea-spray. It’s, unmistakably, a departure from urban living. Morning mist rolls off the ocean and you’re surrounded, not by skyscrapers or urban skylines, but by unfettered, untamed wilderness.
Itinerary
Travel to Vancouver Island North
Day 01 - 06
Day 07
Day 08
Additional Activities
Day 01 - 06
EXPEDITION GUIDED KAYAK TOUR
Find yourself surrounded by the pristine marine environment of the Vancouver Island North region on a multi-day expedition guided kayak tour, departing from Telegraph Cove, Port McNeill, Port Hardy, and Alert Bay. Your trip will be nomadic and you will campout at different sites, forested sites or right on the beach.
All options have a similar focus: marine wildlife – orca and humpback whales, Dall’s and harbour porpoise, Pacific white-sided dolphins, Minke whales, Steller sea lions, and Pacific harbour seals.
Day 07
INTERPRETIVE HIKING TOUR
Reestablish your connection with nature on this tour through lush temperate rainforest surrounding Telegraph Cove. This area is a living museum flourishing with unique flora and fauna. Learn about nature and history as you go. The big finish will bring you to a beautiful lookout point, an excellent whale and bird watching spot.
Day 08
NATURAL HISTORY
The small-but-mighty community of Telegraph Cove is a top-10 winner of ‘best towns to visit’ in a poll of Canadian travel writers. It is among the last surviving boardwalk communities on the west coast and it has built its current identity around its strong connection to the marine environment. Learn about the biology, habitat needs and threats to local marine mammals at the Whale Interpretive Centre. Exhibits include skeletons of killer whale, river otter, Pacific white-sided dolphin, and a 60 foot long fin whale.
Or make your way up to the Quatse Salmon Centre in Port Hardy to learn about the critical role salmon play in nourishing the environment and the continuation of a healthy life cycle for our forests. Hands on exhibits and hatchery tours tell the hardship of the life of a salmon and their importance to the ecosystem.
Additional Activities
- Stretch your legs with a stroll along the Port McNeill harbourfront walkway or Rotary Trail, or head inland for a forested hiking trail or recreation site
- Dig your toes into the sand at Storey’s Beach, at low tide this wide, sandy beach is a prime location for picnics and beachcombing, or an evening beach fire (check seasonal restrictions), Tide Guides available at the Port Hardy Visitor Centre
- Listen to stories, witness traditional song and dance, and learn how to weave cedar or make drums through an aboriginal cultural experience
- Walk the network of trails in the Alert Bay Ecological Park and 20 km of trails throughout the Island, pick up a map and a brochure at the Alert that identifies the plants found in the park
- If you are visiting during July and August see traditional dance performance in Big House or take a guided Circle Tour of Cormorant Island
GETTING HERE & GETTING AROUND
The North Island may feel like a remote destination, but it’s certainly not a challenge to get here. With a fully paved highway leading you North, to daily flights and multiple ferry options, you have your pick of ways to travel! Read the Getting Here page to learn about getting around in Vancouver Island North.