Description
Toba or Bute Inlet Grizzly Bear viewing in their natural habitat catching salmon.
Price: from 1500$ + 500$ (fuel) = 1 day
Duration: 3 days
Maximum: 10 guests with a captain and chef included.
Once we are in Toba or Bute Inlet, we will take you to the local Indigenous people. Here, you will learn about the Indigenous history of the area and other interesting stories. You will also learn how to act in bear country and will be taken upstream to the viewing towers to watch the grizzlies catch and eat salmon. This area is known as the Great Bear Rainforest. British Columbia has over 14,000 grizzly bears, and in many regions, bears outnumber people.
ABOUT THE GREAT BEARS OF BUTE GRIZZLY BEAR TOUR
Witness grizzly bears in their natural habitat on this breathtaking wildlife tour. Join an Indigenous guide and visit the traditional territory of the Homalco First Nation in Bute Inlet. Bear viewing and cultural immersion make for a one-of-a-kind adventure.
The Grizzly Bear, knows that around mid-August the annual salmon run begins in Orford Bay on the edge of the Great Bear Rainforest. Bears journey long distances to Algard Creek and the Orford River to feast on the spawning salmon and their eggs. It’s part of a quest to fatten up before their long winter hibernation. In doing so, they continue a cycle that has taken place for millennia on the traditional territory of the Homalco First Nation people. Be our guests as we enter their world.
Your full-day grizzly bear tour begins in Campbell River journeys up through the Salish Sea. Your guide will teach you about the lands of the First Peoples as you enter one of British Columbia’s greatest Fjords; Bute Inlet. As an abundantly rich area for wildlife, there are many opportunities to view marine animals while discovering the breathtaking scenery of Homalco territory.
Your arrival in Orford Bay begins a 3-hour stunning land-based grizzly bear experience. Guides will transport you by bus to a variety of raised grizzly bear viewing platforms and prime ground-viewing locations to look for the magnificent χawgəs (grizzly bear). Along the way, guides will share knowledge about the bears, salmon, Homalco people and their ties to the land.
Lunch will be served on picnic tables on the dock in Orford Bay with an unobstructed view of the estuary and its spectacular mountain surroundings. Perhaps χawgəs will make one last appearance before your return journey back to Campbell River.
WHY CHOOSE US?
Homalco Wildlife & Cultural Tours is 100% owned by the Xwémalhkwu (Homalco) First Nation and the land you will visit is the traditional territory of Xwémalhkwu First Peoples. We have been providing visitors with world-class grizzly bear viewing experiences for over 20 years. The Great Bears of Bute experience includes both a skipper and an Indigenous guide to provide a full First Nation experience right from Campbell River.
PLUS, our new custom tour boats are unique on the coast, built for comfort and safety, and allow us to access shore locations (specific tours only) without a dock.
TOUR DETAILS
- All participants must be physically capable to walk off vessels onto land, and up/down stairs. Please contact us if you have any mobility concerns
- 8 hour tour
- Lunch, snacks, and beverages are included
- Heated and covered boat with onboard toilet
- Minimum age is 10 years old (all passengers aged 10 to 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult 19+)
- Check in: Early departures are from 7:00am to 8:00am depending on seasonal time change. Later departures (limited dates) are at 10:30am.
- Disclaimer: Time and tour components subject to change based on safety considerations
- We require all guests and staff to wear face masks while inside closed spaces (boat cabin and tour bus) and in viewing towers. This is for guest, staff and Homalco community safety
WHAT TO BRING
- Durable shoes
- Warm layered clothing and rain gear
- Hat (toque, beanie, sunhat)
- Water bottle to help us in our efforts to reduce single use plastics
- Insect repellent
- Camera – tripods restricted. Monopods considered
- Binoculars
- Curiosity and a smile!
Grizzly Bears and deep water salmon fishing!
The area Grizzly Bear Lodge uses for viewing bears. The viewing stands are a fifteen minute van ride up the river and are located right on the river a few meters (yards) from the waters edge. Some parts of the viewing area are in shallow water where the bears are seen chasing the salmon and catching them on the surface. This takes quite a bit of energy and time as the fish are fast. Other bears prefer to conserve their energy and fish in the deep water, which requires bears to dive to pick up dead or wounded salmon that have drift down from up stream. When deep water fishing it is often easier to walk to shore to eat than constantly diving to retrieve the dropped meat.
What is the relationship between the grizzly bears and salmon?
Bears are apex predators and influence their ecosystems through predator-prey relationships. Likewise, salmon “feed” the ecosystem not only by feeding bears, but also with the nutrients their carcases provide to streams and riparian vegetation.
Not sure which tour to choose?
Please fill out the trip planner, which will help us plan out!