10 Hour Wildlife Tour
$485 per person
Now Booking for 2019!
Get up close and personal with Musgamakw Dzawada‘enuxw’s grizzly bears on an immersive and intimate wildlife viewing experience! Check us out on TripAdvisor!
- Daily, July through October
- Exclusive and private tours available
Get up close and personal with British Columbia’s grizzly bears on an intimate and immersive wildlife watching experience. Join First Nation guides on a tour through the awe-inspiring waterways of their people’s traditional territories.
Join with us to reconnect with nature and learn about First Nations culture in an all-in-one experience that combines respectful wildlife viewing with a sustainable tour through the super natural scenery of northern Vancouver Island and coastal mainland BC.
Low volume tours take a maximum of twelve guests on authentic adventures through the natural habitat of Western Canada’s grizzly bears. Pacific white-sided dolphins dance alongside the bow of our boat, Sea Wolf, as we make the one hour and 45 minute journey from Port McNeill or the First Nations’ village of Alert Bay into the beautiful territory of the Musg̱a̱makw Dzawada̱’enux̱w. Eagles soar overhead and wolves roam the shell-strewn beaches where ancient villages were once occupied by our people. Enjoy a continental breakfast as we navigate waters favoured by migrating orcas, and listen to your guide’s Indigenous interpretation of local landscapes.
Your adventure continues to wherever the best bear viewing opportunities are. Earlier in the season (June and July) we usually stay on the boat and view grizzly bears foraging along the shoreline as we explore the Kwakwaka‘wakw Nation’s beautiful coastline. If you have mobility issues or have anxiety around hiking on trails in bear country, viewing grizzlies from the boat is the best choice for you.
Later in the season (August through October) the grizzly bears might be up the river fishing for salmon. If we head up the X̱a̱ḵwika̱n or Hada river to discover the backcountry home of the grizzly bears we will leave the boat and respectfully place ourselves at a quiet and safe sitting area while we wait for our friends to show up. This experience is best for guests with proper footwear and good physical fitness who are keen to get off the boat and out into the forest.
It is important to note that every season is different and we will take you to wherever we believe you will have the best experience.
After lunch, our traditionally trained guides chart us past old village sites, the birthplace of our ancestors, in the Broughton Archipelago. There we share stories about the historic and cultural significance of our existence and occupation of the area. This truly unforgettable wildlife experience ends in the Broughton Archipelago and Queen Charlotte Strait, where we often encounter the gentle giants of the Pacific: migrating humpback whales.
This is the "Go To Company"
"I felt compelled to write a review after taking a trip with Sea Wolf Adventures this year, on 17 September 2018. I could have written a short version which would have just said “ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC”, but that says little about them and their tours.
My daughter did all the arranging after much investigative trawling on the internet and reading in-depth reviews about the various operators. She picked out Sea Wolf Adventures based on all the information available. We stayed at Telegraph Cove and travelled to Port McNeil where the tour departed from. We were all optimistic about what we might or might not see and was the boat going to be suitable for the trip as you never know what you’re getting into until you see it from the dockside.
We were introduced to our guides for the day K'odi (Boat Captain/First Nation Canadian) & Julia (Guide/Hostess) by a member of the company and headed to the boat. The tour was full with 12 passengers and the boat was a 33-foot vessel named Mayumi after the owner's daughter if I remember correctly. After being briefed about safety, using the radio for a distress call and handed a life jacket, we were off on the tour. The boat was extremely comfortable with seating for all 12 passengers within a heated cabin which was nice as it was a bit chilly that morning, an onboard toilet(although never had the need to use it) and there was ample viewing from the rear open deck and out on the bow.
We saw everything we wanted to on the tour and more, would like to have seen more bears than we did, but hey, nature waits for no one and if you’re in the right place at the right time count yourselves lucky. This wasn’t just a joy ride out on a boat to see wild animals, but a truly educational experience from beginning to end learning about the animals, the islands and the First Nation people’s culture and struggles which was very humbling, and to listen to the stories told by K’odi which was from first-hand experience and not learnt from a book.
The tour also went on land to one of the islands to learn about village life and to see some of the structures still standing of the longhouses that were lived in many years ago.
We did another whale watching tour with a different company on the South of the Island which was cheaper, but to be fair there was no comparison. You get what you pay for and with the Sea Wolf Adventure company, we got exactly that. We had food and drinks, snacks, the weather was good to us. Chilly to start but with calm waters and then sunshine all day. Saw two Grizzly bears and two Black bears seen searching for food on the shorelines, Killer Whales hunting for prey, Minki & Humpback Whales feeding. Seals and Harbour porpoises here and there. Bald Eagles in the air and on the way back Dall’s porpoise riding the surf from the boat's wake.
ǥilakas'la (Thank you) K’odi, Julia & Sea Wolf Adventures……
You made us ixḵ̕a̱sa̱la (happy)
Was totally x̱a̱nyasa (amazed)
Put a ma̱nx̱wałala (smile) on all our faces and we left i'k̓iḵa̱la (feeling good).
IF YOU WANT THE ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE, THEN SEA WOLF ADVENTURES are the people to go to."
Allen, Christina & Becky - TripAdvisor
Safety and reliability is a high priority for you and your family, click here to learn about our vessels.
2 people minimum. 12 people maximum.
Minimum age for the Grizzly Tour is 10 years old. If you are interested in touring with children under the age of 10, check out our Family Tours.
Departing Port McNeill 7am daily (July through October) from North Island Marina. Meet at MacKay Whale Watching at 6:45am, 1514 Broughton Blvd. Click here for directions.
Tours average 10 hours but may run shorter or longer depending on weather and other factors. Included in your trip:
- boat transportation
- breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks
- binoculars
- rain poncho
- cultural sustainability fee
Important message for Grizzly Tour! From August through to October this is a wilderness trip that requires participants to be able to walk through the forest on uneven ground. Guests joining our tours at this time must come prepared with proper footwear and clothing for moderate hiking in the forest and on rocky terrain. Bear viewing areas are subject to change without warning due to weather or lack of sightings. If you like to adventure off the beaten path then you’ll like this experience!
Click here to view our Booking and Cancellation policies.
Please download your trip details and joining instructions here!
