I had high expectations for this trip to Haida Gwaii. They were exceeded!
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We take pride in accessing remote areas and this trip is no exception. This trip includes return air from Vancouver to Port Hardy and taxi fare to Port McNeill. Here, you take a 30 minute BC Ferry to Alert Bay – “Home of the Orca”. This remote village on Cormorant Island will be your launch point for a nine hour boat trip to view grizzly bears. Across Johnstone Strait lies the historic Telegraph Cove, from where your whale watching boat departs. A day is also set aside to explore the Village of Alert Bay, one of the friendliest villages on the North Island. Click here for more information about Alert Bay Lodge.
We are honored to live and work on the traditional, ancestral and unceded Kwakwaka’wakw territory of the Kwakkiutl, Mamalilikala and ‘Namgis nations.
5 Days, 4 Nights. Explore pristine waters and wilderness areas to see Orcas (“killer whales”) and grizzly bears off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. This self-guided wildlife tour is designed to provide you with authentic wildlife and cultural experiences while staying on a remote island in the Northern Gulf Islands. This area sports sheltered waters and plentiful land and marine life, including the largest population of orcas in western North America. At the end of the Strait lies Knight Inlet, home to a thriving population of grizzly bears.
During the course of your three full days on Cormorant Island, one day will be occupied by whale watching and another day will focus on a grizzly bear viewing tour. We’ve set aside a third day to explore the Village of Alert Bay (pop. 1,200), one of the few remaining authentic coastal communities on the west coast of British Columbia. Day 1 and 5 are occupied by return transportation to Alert Bay from Vancouver or Victoria (included).
You’ll be treated with a high level of service at the waterfront inn and will also be afforded time to explore the colourful village that is Alert Bay. Overlooking Johnstone Strait, the log lodge offers panoramic views of sunsets, mountains, local marine traffic and sometimes pods of orcas. A large common room and sundeck are favourite places for guests to gather, converse and dine. From the lodge, Alert Bay Village is two kilometers along the ocean-front road. On the way, you’ll pass the ‘Namgis Burial Grounds. From the Village the U’mista Cultural Centre, Big Tree Trail and Ecological Gardens are short walks away.
Restrictions on our wildlife excursions include those 8 years of age or younger and women in their final tri-semester. Days 2,3,4 and interchangeable and activities such as the bear watching can be changed right up to the night before the tour due to weather, tour operator logistics and other unseen circumstances.
After making your way to Vancouver International Airport, head to the South Terminal and check in at Pacific Coastal Air for your flight. Your 70 minute flight crosses Vancouver Island’s Inside Passage and lands at Port Hardy, near the Island’s north tip. At Port Hardy Airport, a taxi will be waiting to escort you to Port McNeill. Here you’ll board a coastal ferry as a foot passenger for a 35 minute voyage to Alert Bay, an island commuity with a thriving First Nations culture (please call 250.974.2410 to let us know what ferry you’re on). A lodge employee will meet you at the ferry terminal and escort you to the lodge. Please advise the manager what time you would like to take dinner.
Today is yours at leisure to explore the village of Alert Bay. After breakfast, the lodge manager will provide you with a map highlighting popular attractions on the 5 km long Cormorant Island and tickets to U’Mista Cultural Centre. Hiking trails encircle the island, there are beautiful ocean views from nearly every home, and the eclectic, small-town feel make Alert Bay a jewel for year-round residents, vacation home owners and visitors.
We depart at 6:45 am from Alert Bay for a full day on the water to seek out grizzly bears in their natural habitat. Our destination is Knight Inlet, a two hour ride by covered boat into Johnstone Strait. Becoming famous for its population of Grizzly bears, Knight Inlet a long and deep glacier-carved fjord surrounded by snow-capped mountains and steep-sided, forested cliffs. Here we drift, paddle and motor quietly around an estuary, looking to spot grizzly bears as they feed on the sedges and grasses at high tide. Low tide brings more bears out, and we may see them turn over large boulders in their search for crabs, isopods and beach barnacles. On some tides we transfer to our flat bottomed skiff to get into the shallows. Please bring your binoculars and camera! Lunch is included.
It’s time explore Johnstone Strait the Broughton Archipelago for whales and dolphins, areas home to some of the most spectacular marine wildlife viewing in Canada. On this excursion, you’ll also be able to explore the village of Telegraph Cove, once the northern terminus for the telegraph line from Campbell River and now a launch point for eco-tourism.
After breakfast we call your taxi and get you on the right ferry to Port McNeill. Your up-Island journey continues when you’re picked up by taxi at the Port McNeill Ferry Terminal and escorted to Port Hardy Airport. Here, you catch an afternoon scheduled flight to Vancouver, BC.
I had high expectations for this trip to Haida Gwaii. They were exceeded!
Our tour in Haida Gwaii with Midnight Sun was an excellent experience, we learned and saw so much in a short time.
Everything went well from the beginning…Nina was very thorough with all the paperwork, making the process easy.
David was an excellent guide…and everything went so smoothly. We saw incredible things and had fantastic experiences because David, knew where to go, he has connections and his love and respect for Haida Gwaii is clear. We felt completely taken care of and shown so much, we learned a lot and felt quite grateful for his leadership and knowledge
The accommodation was very good at all three places. At Jags in Skidegate, incredible sunrises…we were sad not to be able to enjoy the much praised breakfast at Jag’s cafe, but our coffee conversation with Jags gave us much more than food…stories and knowledge. Haida House in Tlell, being close to the ocean and a river was very special as was the cooked breakfast. Ben our personal chef at Alaska View in Masset made us feel so welcome and taken care of, the food and service was so beautiful with a view from the dining room that takes your breath away.
The food…some absolute gems…dinner at Keenawail’s Kitchen was gorgeous to the eyes, and the ears (hearing about the food we were served) and the palate. Salmon everywhere (Ben’s was excellent), halibut, and the surprise on the last night of crab on the beach at a friend of David’s who treated us as friends and family.
The Island, the trees, the water, the air, the eagles, the ravens…the history in remains of a village, the horrors of colonization, the tales of the totems and the Haida people…and the trees…and paths made so you can walk among the trees and not damage the forest floor…Haawa to the builders of these for giving us a way to experience the trees.
And the art…the carvers who make those magnificent totems, and argillite pieces and the painters who set the Haida symbols and colours alive on a canvas.
Too many pictures to post…and so many are on-line…but truly an amazing tour it was, being on Haida Gwaii and being able to see and experience and learn so much.
An unforgettable week on Haida Gwaii, meeting with Haida carvers and other artists, Skidegate’s internationally renowned museum, hiking along rainforest trails, heartache tours through abandoned, moss-covered villages in Gwaii Haanas, humpback whales, comfortable lodgings, meals to suit a range of diets, a treasure chest of crafts in Masset, and much more, all led by our guide David, whose easy, relaxed style, flexibility and knowledge made for a lifetime of memories.
My trip on Haida Gwaii in July with Midnight Sun was spectacular. Our driver/guide was extremely knowledgeable and took us to wonderful places we would never have found on our own. Highlights included a tour of artist/carver Christian White’s longhouse carving shed and a day-long boat trip with Haida guides who answered innumerable questions about the history, culture, present and future aspirations of the Haida Nation. Spectacular beaches, deep forests and soaring eagles abound. It was a priceless trip
I toured Haida Gwaii with Midnight Sun Adventure in July 2025 and absolutely loved it! David was an amazing guide with so much knowledge to impart and the wisdom to know when to let us just explore. I got to experience the beautiful nature, experience Haida cultural and art and just generally revel in the place. I had so many experiences that I doubt I could have found on on my own. Thank you!
Hi Scott, I had an amazing experience, at every step.
The lodge hosts were very welcoming, accommodating and kind. I had a delicious supper my first night and enjoyed the uniqueness and warm atmosphere of the lodge. My breakfast was excellent, as well. Delicious egg dish and tasty bacon, too.
The excursion with Sea Wolf was incredible. I was fortunate to have a pretty diverse group of people on the tour. Our guide and deckhand, Karissa and Tyler, were top notch. I would book that experience again. Highly recommended.
I enjoyed my time at your property. Warm atmosphere, kind people, tasty food and a great view. I’d stay at Alert Bay Lodge again. If the opportunity happens and will recommend it to colleagues and friends.
Hope the rest of summer treats you well.
All the arrangements worked really well, the whale and bear watching were completely awesome (not a word I use often or lightly!). We loved Vancouver Island and Alert Bay, and we’d love to be back there again one day.
Fantastic Alert Bay adventure! Nina and Scott went out of their way to make our experience in Alert Bay special. We had a great trip up from Victoria with stops and stories along the way. Toured Alert Bay and learned a lot about the locals and the history of the area. Very special visits at the lodge from First Nation members who shared songs, lore and salmon preparation. A memorable experience!
The whole trip went very well and I was very lucky with both whale and bear sightings. I would also like to mention Rich and Emma as they made my stay at the lodge excellent and were always available to help with any of my travel or trip arrangements.
The whole tour could not be faulted, supremely well organised from start to finish. They even organised the bears to come and see us as well as the whales. If anybody wants to reconnect with nature, quietness and learn some Culture then I can’t recommend this highly enough. I left the Island a different person and couldn’t fault one part of this trip. I want to thank everybody involved in this Adventure because you are all Bloody Brilliant!