Seeing Grizzly’s in Canada
“In 2 hours, we saw about 25 Grizzly bears. Some walked right under our platform without being bothered by us for a second.”
Travel Agent: Askja.nl
Location: Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Whistler – Canada
Lodging: Knight Inlet Lodge, Painters Lodge, Heron’s Landing, Blackcomb Lodge
Travel Dates: September
Temperature: 18-24°C
Day 1: Flight from Amsterdam to Vancouver
On Friday, we finally started our journey to the far west of Canada. We had planned a short trip of 9 days, booked through Askja Travel from the Netherlands. If the trip would reach the same level as the service we received from Askja, it promised to be a great journey. During our trip, we would also stay three days at the Knight Inlet Lodge, a top destination for spotting Grizzlies! However, note that if you want to secure a spot in this lodge, you must book a year in advance.
Direct flight from Schiphol to Vancouver with KLM. Great service from the Dutch. Upon our arrival in Vancouver, we did lose an hour at passport control. From Vancouver, we headed with the rental car to Tsawwassen, where we crossed with BC Ferries for 1.5 hours to Vancouver Island (cost: 80 CAD). The first night we spent in Victoria, a very cozy town with a beautiful harbor and a magnificent parliament building. Especially in the evening, when the building is atmospherically lit and surrounded by street musicians, you quickly get a postcard feeling. Due to the 9-hour time difference between Canada and Europe, we were glad we could go to bed on time. We quickly fell asleep and then, from 5 am, were wide awake admiring the ceiling of our hotel room.
Day 2: Victoria, looking for whales
That day, a cool activity was on the schedule, namely whale watching. We had booked with Springtide and were ready at 10:00 am to dive into the Zodiac under a shining sun. After a short briefing and putting on a float suit, which looks like a space suit, we were ready for our whale search. Around Victoria, there are three pods of Orca’s which form 1 mega pod of about 84 orcas during the mating season in September. Unfortunately, this large group of Orca’s was spotted near Vancouver the same morning, meaning the distance was too great to sail to during our three-hour tour. If you want a chance to see Orca’s, I definitely recommend booking a full day trip. You pay a bit more, but you can also cover a much greater distance. As an alternative, we decided during our Zodiac ride to follow a female Humpback whale with her calf. It provided some beautiful images, especially when the tail came above the water surface. A bit further, we also passed a large colony of sea lions. The sound but especially the smell they produced will undoubtedly stay with us for a while.
Day 3: Knight Inlet Lodge
After a hearty breakfast, we left around 9:00 am by car towards the starting place of the seaplanes. It turned out to be a fifteen-minute drive. To board the seaplane to Knight Inlet Lodge, we were allowed to take a maximum of 14 kilograms of luggage. The weather was a bit disappointing, and with a trip to the Great Bear Rainforest, we were actually fearing a dose of wetness. After a flight of about half an hour (80 km), we landed between the fjords at the foot of our Lodge, a floating eco platform. In the Knight Inlet Lodge, a maximum of 40 tourists can stay, and fortunately, there is no mobile phone connection. In short, really completely away from the world! We were greeted by Moira, one of the super friendly and hospitable guides. She runs the day-to-day affairs together with camp manager Gary. We were asked to quickly sign a document wherein we waive claims, read: if you get eaten by a grizzly, you cannot file a complaint. And from that moment we were immersed in three days of “full activity”. And you can take that quite literally. There is even a different range of waterproof clothing and footwear provided for every activity. Even for a shoe size 46, everything was available.
Day 4: Knight Inlet Lodge
The weather initially didn’t look much better, so I feared the worst regarding the light. At 7:30 am, we were already in our kayak for a delightful trip to a place where bears often come forage in the morning. And bang, there was already a female bear right on the shore. Afterward, we paddled back to the Lodge and gradually spots of blue sky appeared in the sky. After a short coffee break, it was time for our second bear session and then we went sailing again. Only now did we see how beautiful the surroundings were once the sunlight properly peeped through the clouds. However, the weather can change there in no time. After a while, it became gray again, it started raining again but when we arrived at the other viewing
platform, the sun was back out.
In the following hours, we enjoyed a succession of bear sightings. There were also two young bears that made it a true spectacle by regularly playing in the water. The images shot there are really incredibly beautiful and we had to pinch ourselves regularly to make sure it was real. After the sighting session, we quickly returned to the Lodge because the barbecue was ready. Meanwhile, the light became even better, and I just couldn’t sit still. So after lunch, I quickly went out again. Luckily, because in the following 2 hours, we saw about 25 Grizzly bears. Some walked right under our platform without being bothered by us for a second.
Day 5: Leaving Knight Inlet Lodge
Leaving this beautiful place is quite difficult, especially when the weather is just good. You can leave your wet clothing at the Lodge, they will ensure that it is dry again upon your return. After the flight back, we left by car towards Campbell River, where we spent the night in the beautiful Heron’s Landing. Here we could enjoy our first hot shower in three days, which felt fantastic. The food at Heron’s Landing was delicious, with a friendly host. This was the most wonderful trip ever, thanks to the beautiful weather, the incredible sightings, and above all, the incredibly sweet and passionate people we met. And yes, nature there is like in the best documentaries: unspoilt and overwhelmingly beautiful. If you ever get the chance, be sure to book a trip like this!
At 10:00 am, the seaplane was to come back to pick us up at the Lodge. We had one more activity scheduled; we went on foot searching for traces that might lead us to bears. We found enough tracks, and the necessary droppings, but no sign of bears. Clearly, they were all by the Salmon-rich river. After the return flight to Campbell River, we spent the night in Painters Lodge, beautifully located by the river. They organize whale-watching tours on-site, but unfortunately, we did not have enough candidates to sail out. So, we decided to go hiking in the Elk Falls Provincial Park. A pretty park, but with very poor signage. On the way back to the Lodge, we saw a bald eagle in a tree. But even after an hour and a half of waiting, he did not feel like flying away… We then had a delightful dinner in the Lodge itself.
Day 6: Whistler, BC
We left on time to catch the 10:40 am ferry from Nanaimo to Horse Shoe Bay. From there, the journey continued towards Whistler along the beautiful Sea to Sky Highway 66. Along the way, we stopped at the impressive Shannon Falls at the base of Stawamus Chief Provincial Park. From there, we hiked to an impressive viewpoint: only 2.5 km in distance but a climb of 550 meters. Quite exhausting. A local Energy drink provided the necessary energy and helped us on our way to Whistler. As a Bald Eagle fan, I, of course, had to make a stop in Brackendale, the capital of the bald eagle. Here, thousands of bald eagles gather between November and February because the salmon run is very late, and the river never freezes. Now, of course, there were few bald eagles, but it was clear that the town is all about the Bald Eagles. Half an hour later, we finally arrived in Whistler. It immediately struck us what a cozy town this is. And it can only be more striking in winter. We stayed here in the Blackcomb Lodge, at the foot of the lift that would take us to Whistler Mountain the next day.
Day 7: Whistler, BC
Of course, we woke up way too early again… After breakfast at Starbucks, we went for a walk to a lake nearby. We saw quite a few fresh bear tracks. In our excitement to spot the bear, we got seriously lost. A short 30-minute walk turned into a 2-hour one… Next, we drove our rental car back to Whistler and then took the Gondola to Whistler Mountain. There, we walked to the beautifully serene Harmony Lake. Then we took the famous Peak to Peak Gondola to the other peak, that of Blackcomb Mountain. From here, we had a magnificent view of Whistler and the surrounding area. By 5:00 pm, we were back in the center of Whistler among the downhill racers. It must give quite an adrenaline rush to come down that mountain with this kind of bike. Then we had to start leaving because we still had a journey of nearly two hours ahead, towards Vancouver. There, we stayed two days in the Best Western Hotel “Sands by the Sea”. Through a drop-off box system, we parked our car at the Vancouver station and were then taken back to the hotel by a van. The driver was so sympathetic that he wanted to transport us for free, because “on Thursdays, the bus is free for the Belgians”. Throughout the entire trip, we noticed how hospitable the Canadians are.
Day 8: Vancouver city
Right across from our hotel was a bicycle rental service. This was the ideal mode of transport to explore Vancouver City and certainly Stanley Park. We were on the road for about five hours, passing by the most beautiful spots in the city. Of course, the famous totem poles were a must-see. After returning our bikes to the neighbor, we went shopping in Robson Street. At the end of the day, we had dinner at Ciao Bella, a very tasty Italian restaurant in Denman Street.
Day 9: Vancouver – Amsterdam
We enjoyed Stanley Park a bit more and then took the Canada Line to the airport. Super quick service, for barely 2.5 CAD. After a 9-hour flight, we landed in Amsterdam on the morning of Sunday, September 16. End of a (too) short trip to a beautiful country.
Stijn Cavens
Reisagent: Askja reizen
