Itinerary Highlights
- Experience indigenous-led grizzly bear viewing at the Great Bear Rainforest
- Go hiking and flightseeing in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park
- Visit ancient petroglyphs and hot springs at Thorsen Creek
- Explore rugged landscapes in the Chilcotin region, Canada’s ‘wild west frontier’
What's Included
- Accommodation Throughout
- Car Hire
15 nights from £6,115 - £6,825 per person
Sarah Frankish
Travel Specialist
Embark on this adventurous 15-night Circle Route through the Great Bear Rainforest and Chilcotin regions of British Columbia. From Vancouver, travel to northern Vancouver Island’s Telegraph Cove, Alert Bay and Port Hardy. Explore the area with indigenous-led grizzly bear and wildlife viewing, optional sea kayaking, a visit to the renowned U’Mista Cultural Centre and tour of San Josef Bay.
From here, board the scenic full-day ferry through the world-famous Inside Passage to Bella Coola. Spend your days watching grizzly bears on the Atnarko River, hiking and flightseeing in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, and visiting ancient petroglyphs and hot springs at Thorsen Creek.
The road trip continues east to the Chilcotin region, Canada’s ‘wild west frontier’, where landscapes are rugged and the outdoor adventure activities endless. Stay at family-run lodges or extend your stay at a classic Guest Ranch, before making your way back to Vancouver through the scenic ‘Sea to Sky’ highway – where you can choose to extend your trip to discover more of this diverse province.
Note, this is an example tour. To create your own tailor-made itinerary, please speak with our Travel Specialists.
Itinerary
Day 1 | Fly to Vancouver
Fly from the UK to Vancouver, a city with everything from stunning landscapes to remarkable cultural diversity. Each neighbourhood has its unique characteristics, whether that’s Gastown and its historic area of humble shops and restaurants or Chinatown with its traditional architecture and open-air markets. It’s no wonder that Vancouver has been named one of the world’s most beautiful and liveable cities. Check in to your hotel for the next three nights.
Day 2 | Vancouver
Vancouver
Today is at leisure in Vancouver. Some popular attractions you may want to visit include Granville Island and Stanley Park. Granville Island is home to dolphins, porpoises, bald eagles and a majestic whale population, the latter of which you can see from April to October. Stanley Park, on the other hand, is ideal for biking. While riding through the 400-hectare natural rainforest, you could potentially spot threatened species such as barn swallows and elusive species like American mink.
Day 3 | Vancouver
Vancouver
As there are no plans for today, you’re free to explore Vancouver at your leisure. In the heart of Chinatown, you’ll find the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. Explore winding paths mingled alongside rocks, plants and beautiful vistas. You may even want to cross Capilano Suspension Bridge and keep an eye out for Douglas squirrels or great blue herons in the vibrant rainforest. A trip to Grouse Mountain allows you to see resident grizzly bears, who emerge from hibernation in spring.
Day 4 | Vancouver to Telegraph Cove
Telegraph Cove
Get the ferry to Nanaimo before departing for Telegraph Cove. Uniquely built on stilts above the water and connected by a boardwalk, the quaint fishing village welcomes you to explore its colourful past. Many historic buildings still stand since it was established in 1912, from the salmon saltery to the general store. Following leisure time exploring, check in to your resort for the next two nights.
Day 5 | Telegraph Cove
Telegraph Cove
For your second day in Telegraph Cove, enjoy leisure time or choose between four optional tours. These include half or full-day sea kayaking on the Johnstone Strait, grizzly bear viewing at Telegraph Cove and searching for marine life in Port Hardy. The latter allows you to potentially see species such as humpback whales, Dall's porpoises, Steller sea lions and more. You may wish to simply relax in the village or check out the local hiking trails.
Day 6 | Telegraph Cove to Alert Bay
Alert Bay
The morning is free to explore the town before departing for Alert Bay. A 500-strong proud and active 'Namgis First Nation community resides here, along with a mix of Kwakwaka'wakw tribes and small settler population. During your visit, head to the U'Mista Cultural Centre, which features the renowned potlatch collection and other exhibits on the history and culture of the 'Namgis First Nation. Then check in to your hotel for the next two nights.
Day 7 | Grizzly & Wildlife Tour
Alert Bay
Today, you join local indigenous guides on a well-equipped vessel for a day on the water. Heading deep into the channels and many islands of the Broughton Archipelago, you may witness humpback whales, orcas, dolphins, eagles, bears and seabirds. From boat to Zodiac to cruising the shoreline and then on foot, you’ll utilise multiple methods in search of the resident grizzly bears, who are regularly found feeding on salmon in the nearby streams. Along the way, the guides will share stories behind the scenery, of the First Nations who’ve called these lands home for millennia.
Day 8 | Alert Bay to Port Hardy
Port Hardy
Spend some free time in Alert Bay before continuing to Port Hardy. The ‘last coastal community at the end of the road’ is where the rugged beauty of Vancouver Island meets the enduring legacy of its indigenous people. Enjoy leisure time in Port Hardy, where you can trek through Fort Rupert – a historic walk through Kwagu’l territory – relax on Storey Beach or hike Quatse River Estuary – where you may see harlequin ducks and hooded mergansers. Check in to your hotel for the next two nights.
Day 9 | San Josef Bay Tour
San Josef Bay
Join local guides for a day tour of San Josef Bay. After travelling west from Port Hardy, you'll reach the park entrance – where a boardwalk through the dense forest brings you out to the beach. Spend a few hours exploring the expansive two-kilometre beach and unique geology of the area, including impressive sea stacks, tidal pools and sea caves. Then enjoy a light lunch to cap off your experience.
Day 10 | Bella Coola
Bella Coola
Take a scenic ferry journey to Bella Coola. The home of the Nuxalk First Nation, this small town is rich in glacier-fed rivers, fresh mountain streams and diverse wildlife species. By heading to Clayton Falls, you’ll be rewarded with the sight of striking hard granite formations worn by the water and glacier. Also nearby is Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, British Columbia’s largest designated park spanning almost 2.5 million acres. Check in to your hotel for the next three nights.
Day 11 | Grizzly Bear Viewing in Tweedsmuir Park
Tweedsmuir Park
Bella Coola Valley is home to a several dozen grizzly bears, which you’ll set off in search of in their natural habitat. Alongside professional bear viewing guides, the journey takes you on a raft down Atnarko River in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. The grizzlies can be seen feeding and fishing for salmon on the river’s edge. As you’re a safe distance away, this provides a fantastic photo opportunity.
Grizzly viewing tours are available from August 15 - October 15. For earlier summer arrivals, this activity will be substituted with a scenic river drift or other optional tour.
Day 12 | Bella Coola
Bella Coola
Choose from one of two optional tours – a Bella Coola Fjords and Hot Springs Tour or Indigenous-led Petroglyph Tour. The former allows you to venture into the glacial fjords of the Great Bear Rainforest, past hanging glaciers and stunning mountain peaks to sandy beaches and hidden coves. The latter invites you to journey to the ancient petroglyphs at Thorsen Creek, guided by the Nuxalk First Nations, delving into ancient history while listening to traditional songs echo through the forest.
Day 13 | Nimpo Lake & Hunlen Falls
Nimpo Lake
Drive from Bella Coola to Nimpo Lake. The small town, known as ‘the float plane capital of British Columbia’, is a major launch point for aerial sightseeing tours and fishing fly-ins to the West Chilcotin’s pristine wilderness lakes and rivers. Enjoy a scenic flight to Hunlen Falls, during which you’ll soar past alpine lakes and glaciers into the Monarch Icefield. In the afternoon, head to Turner Lakes, where your pilot drops you off at the wilderness campground to explore the rugged trails and scenic viewpoints. Afterwards, return to Nimpo Lake and check in to your hotel for one night.
Day 14 | Riske Creek
Riske Creek
Drive from Nimpo Lake to Riske Creek and continue east along the Chilcotin Plateau. Stop at Bull Canyon Provincial Park and have lunch in Redstone. On the rural stretch, you’ll discover an award-winning pasture-to-plate experience where you may break for lunch – KiNiKiNiK Restaurant. This hidden gem features a timber building and peaceful patio overlooking their well-manicured grounds, as well as a menu offering wholesome food made from scratch. Check in to your lodge for one night.
Day 15 | Green Lake
Green Lake
Drive from Riske Creek to Green Lake. Part of the ‘Land of Hidden Waters’, the lake is a popular recreational area home to a Provincial Park, where you can go hiking, swimming, camping and more. The low flushing rate, chemical composition and warm shallow waters of the lake contribute to the greenish hue that gives Green Lake its name. Check in to your B&B for one night.
Day 16 | Flight Home
Vancouver
Check out and make the approximate six-hour drive to Vancouver. From here, continue towards Vancouver International Airport for your flight back to the UK.
Sarah Frankish
Travel Specialist
Pricing Information & Dates
15 nights from £6,115 - £6,825 per person
Sarah Frankish
Travel Specialist
Price Includes
- Return International Flights as per the itinerary
- All airport taxes and security charges
- Accommodation and meals as specified
- Transfers as specified
- Activities and excursions as specified
- All entrace fees on sightseeing tours as specified
• All accommodation for 15 nights, including three nights in Vancouver, two nights in Telegraph Cove, two nights in Alert Bay, two nights in Port Hardy, three nights in Bella Coola, one night in Nimpo Lake, one night near Williams Lake and one night near Green Lake
• Vehicle rental/usage and fuel
• Three breakfasts, one lunch
• Indigenous-led grizzly bear and wildlife viewing tour from Alert Bay (full day)
• U'Mista Cultural Centre entry (optional add-on: Artist-led tour of the galleries)
• San Josef Bay Tour (full day)
• Grizzly viewing float in Bella Coola (half day)
• Floatplane tour & hike at Hunlen Falls (full day)
• Ferries from Vancouver to Nanaimo and Port Hardy to Bella Coola
• Custom itinerary design, local recommendations and remote support from during your trip
Price Excludes
- Travel Insurance
- Any meals not specified in the itinerary
- Tips and gratuities
- Optional excursions
• Additional meals and add-on activities
• Flights to/from and within British Columbia
• Ferry to/from Alert Bay
• Travel insurance
• Gratuities
Why Choose Us?
Passionate travel experts
- We've been leading wildlife travel since our first South Africa tours over 25 years ago
- Our Travel Specialists have lived in their specialist area for years
- We work with local guides to immerse you deeper in our diverse range of experiences
Personal & tailor-made
- You'll speak to your own expert who'll share their first-hand knowledge
- We'll make your itinerary seamless with 24/7 emergency contact available
- Your Travel Specialist will listen to ensure you have the best chance of seeing the wildlife you love
Responsible by nature
- We take care to actively contribute to the conservation of environments we visit
- For select countries, we make a charitable donation on your behalf when you make your booking
- We've partnered with conservation experts and NGOs to curate responsible tours
For the latest travel advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office check www.gov.uk/travelaware
