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Great Bear Rainforest: Wildlife Viewing Tour
5.0
52 Ratings
Port Hardy
Embark on a thrilling sea otter and whale watching tour in Northern Vancouver Island. Discover diverse wildlife and rich cultural heritage on a 6-hour adventure.
Embark on a thrilling sea otter and whale watching tour in Northern Vancouver Island. Discover diverse wildlife and rich cultural heritage on a 6-hour adventure.
Duration:
5 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Gods Pocket Marine Provincial Park - Travelling through the waters of the Kwakwaka’wakw, we are on the lookout for wildlife in the water, on land, and in the air.
- Queen Charlotte Strait - Explore the wildlife-rich waters, islands, and shores off northern Vancouver Island. Search for sea otters, humpback whales, orcas, porpoises, sea lions, bald eagles, and a multitude of sea birds.
- Gods Pocket Marine Provincial Park - Travelling through the waters of the Kwakwaka’wakw, we are on the lookout for wildlife in the water, on land, and in the air.
- Queen Charlotte Strait - Explore the wildlife-rich waters, islands, and shores off northern Vancouver Island. Search for sea otters, humpback whales, orcas, porpoises, sea lions, bald eagles, and a multitude of sea birds.
What's Included
- Two-piece flotation suits
- Binoculars
- Lunch
- On-board restrooms
- Tea and coffee
- Two-piece flotation suits
- Binoculars
- Lunch
- On-board restrooms
- Tea and coffee
What's Not Included
- On-board WiFi
- On-board WiFi
Additional Information
Embark on an exhilarating wilderness adventure in the culturally rich lands of the Kwakwaka’wakw people. Climb aboard our rigid hull inflatable (RHIB) wildlife viewing boat, equipped with shock-absorbing seats, and discover the diverse wildlife of British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest, located on Canada’s wild West Coast.
Starting from Port Hardy, the…
Embark on an exhilarating wilderness adventure in the culturally rich lands of the Kwakwaka’wakw people. Climb aboard our rigid hull inflatable (RHIB) wildlife viewing boat, equipped with shock-absorbing seats, and discover the diverse wildlife of British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest, located on Canada’s wild West Coast.
Starting from Port Hardy, the day is spent searching for and observing sea otters, humpback whales, orcas, Dall’s porpoises, Pacific white-sided dolphins, Steller sea lions, bald eagles, and a variety of sea birds.
This exclusive 5 ½ to 6-hour tour highlights the unmatched waters of northern Vancouver Island. The speed of the vessel allows for extensive coverage, maximizing the chances of encountering a wide array of wildlife. While not every animal may be spotted on each trip, the guides are highly knowledgeable about the local waters and the prime locations for wildlife viewing.
- Lunch and drinks are provided. Gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, and vegan can be accommodated with at least 24 hours notice. Please note dietary restrictions in the special requirements field when booking.
- Please arrive at Coastal Rainforest Safaris’ office half an hour before your tour’s departure time to be outfitted for floatation suits and sign a waiver.
Location
Coastal Rainforest Safaris
Market Street
Please arrive at Coastal Rainforest Safaris' office half an hour before your tour's departure time to be outfitted for floatation suits and sign a waiver.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(52 Ratings)
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Lovetravel623862
Oct 25, 2025
Once in a lifetime experience - What a fabulous day. Great guides. Fabulous boat. Delicious lunch. Once in a lifetime experience. Couldn't recommend it any higher.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andycmartin
Oct 2, 2025
Coastal Rainforest Safaris: A Journey in Living Well - Some experiences give you a quick thrill; others stay with you forever because they remind you what it means to really live well. That’s what a day with Coastal Rainforest Safaris feels like—not just a tour, but a chance to flourish in the best sense of the word.
The guides are the heart of it. They’re professional, safe, and deeply knowledgeable, yet also warm and welcoming. They balance everything beautifully: giving you enough time with the whales, otters, and eagles so you feel immersed, but never making the day feel rushed or dragged out.
It’s more than sightseeing. The team helps you connect—by sharing stories about the wildlife, the ocean, and the First Nations lands you’re traveling through. You don’t just see incredible animals; you come away with a deeper respect for the place and its rhythms.
And what truly makes it special is the feeling of care on our full day bird tour. You sense it in the way they look after every guest, the way they respect the environment, and the way they create moments, for instance, like eating lunch while orcas call in the background—that you’ll never forget.
In the end, this isn’t just a trip on the water. It’s an experience that builds into who you are: joyful, meaningful, and lasting. If you’re looking for more than just a tour, they went above and beyond to get us out to that island, despite the rough conditions, and stayed out longer because the weather was great. If you want an adventure that leaves you better for having taken it, Coastal Rainforest Safaris is exactly where you’ll find it. And yes, it was so good that we went back for more.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jessie_anne_ww
Sep 30, 2025
Absolutely amazing! Loved seeing the animals - This was an amazing experience for my husband and I. The guides were so knowledgeable, kind and patient. We saw many humpbacks, sea otters, sea lions, eagles and many other birds. While I am not knowledgeable on all the birds - we learned so much about them while on this tour. I was also grateful for Tyler sharing his heritage and culture with us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Traveler43341610036
Sep 29, 2025
Great cultural and natural experience - Tom and Tyler were experienced, informative and really nice to spend the day with.
Lots of whales and sea otter viewing but also eagles, herons, seals and a black bear.
It’s beautiful coast and islands. Tyler explained some areas of cultural and historical significance to his family and how they are working on various projects on their lands.
It’s remote but you’re on the only tour in the area so not chasing around with other people.
Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nweatsout
Sep 27, 2025
A great day out on the water - A great day out very professionally run by Andrew and Tyler. Saw multiple whales, otters, sea lions, eagles and huge variety of seabirds. Weather wet at times but kit supplied warm and waterproof and we had a dry interval at lunchtime. Food excellent and trip highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Culture66927180516
Sep 12, 2025
Highly recommended - AJ and Will provided a knowledgeable and informative trip. We saw many humpback whales, sea otters, seals and sea lions. A 5 star day ✨️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
P7029lemaureenk
Sep 11, 2025
Unforgettable experience in the wilderness of Vancouver Island - An unforgettable excursion with our guides Thomas and Sherry. We've seen dolphins. Sea otters, a black bear, sea lions, orcas and spent an hour surrounded by six humpback whales by a bright sun. Our picnic on board was excellent and Thomas' explanations exciting.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shellyh350
Sep 8, 2025
Amazing Day! - Outstanding! I have never seen so much hard to find wildlife in my life. We saw otters, eagles, sea lions, harbor seals, Dall’s porpoises, and an entire group of humpback whales we watched for at least 45 minutes. The custom designed boat was surprisingly comfortable and the gourmet deli lunch was delicious. The First Nations guides and staff made this the most memorable wildlife tour of my life!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tmljm2
Sep 7, 2025
Porpoise, sea otters, stellar seals, humpback whales, eagles and even a great lunch! - Excellent! Jamie greeted us cheerfully and helped us get started with warm pants and float jacket. We then met our captain and guide who took us to the boat and we saw all the sea life we could have hoped for and then some! A highlite was all the humpback wales! It was a memorable day and worth every penny spent for the trip. Thanks for a great day
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sylvia_t
Sep 23, 2025
Great excursion, but unfortunately without orca - The team is great, competent and friendly and the equipment/facilities are high quality.
We saw fin whales, sea lions and sea otters, the scenery was also very beautiful. The boat was great and the ride with it alone brought fun.
The weather was unfortunately not so nice anymore (a bit cold with about 13 degrees), so we had probably taken over with almost 6 hours on the water.
Since we are not on Vancouver Islands for the first time and had already seen sea lions and sea otters in all variants anyway, this was not such a highlight anymore, especially since you can find them very reliably 😉.
Unfortunately, our hope or wish to see orcas did not come true, so surely the feeling was that the excursion time was a little too long.
Nevertheless, the tour is definitely recommended, if the weather is right and you are doing such a tour for the first time, you will not be disappointed here.
Thanks to the whole team.
Review provided by Viator