Farewell Harbour Lodge
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Farewell Harbour Lodge
4 nights- 16 May-19 October
From: £2985 per person

Price Includes: Round trip water taxi from Alder Bay to Farewell Harbour Lodge and complimentary round trip ground shuttle from Port Hardy Airport to Alder Bay if require. 4 nights' accommodation in a private room with private ensuite bathroom and shower. Welcome briefing and orientation to the tours, viewing opportunities and facilities. All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and snacks starting with dinner on day 1 and ending with lunch on last day. All transportation on all wildlife excursions. Marine tour excursion on arrival day. One full day excursion to one of the grizzly viewing areas. One full day on marine tour excursion or an additional grizzly viewing opportunity. Options for additional marine excursions, bear viewing trips, sea kayaking or First Nations cultural explorations. Short optional excursion on marine tour or sea kayaking on departure day. Evening guide presentations/slide shows.
Bears, Whales and First Nations Culture

In Johnstone Strait, the sea is teeming with wild salmon as they try and elude their mighty predator, the blackfish, or orca, whose northern resident pods congregate in these waters from July to September as the salmon return to spawn in their natal rivers. Earlier in the spring you will seek out other marine life such as the Steller sea lion, Pacific white-sided dolphins, Dall’s porpoises and humpback whales.

The Great Bear Rainforest has some of the most spectacular and wild rivers on the BC coast whose wild salmon nourish the planet’s largest intact temperate rainforest. A key benefactor of the annual spectacle of the salmon spawn is the region’s wild grizzly bears. The grizzlies will forage on sedge, roots and berries in the spring and summer in the broad, braided estuaries as they await the autumn feast of salmon. Farewell Harbour Lodge takes guests on daily excursions into the heart of these systems in search of wild bears at home in their natural ecosystems.

Of course, a visit to the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest wouldn’t truly be complete without experiencing some of the wealth of First Nations Kwakwaka’wakw (pron. Kwok-walk-a-walk) culture that surrounds Farewell Harbour Lodge. The Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations have inhabited this region for thousands of years, developing artistic and cultural traditions that are admired for their subtlety, grace and beauty. Many Kwakwaka’wakw creations were found in some of the world’s leading art museums. Many pieces have now been rightfully repatriated back to their traditional lands and have found a home at U’Mista Gallery in Alert Bay, just a short boat ride from Farewell Harbour Lodge.
 
The Lodge
The primary lodge building and common area features a comfortable lounge and dining room, bar and a large brick fireplace surrounded by large windows and a wrap around deck boasting spectacular views of the harbour with its south and west exposure (great sunsets!). The expansive decks continue as a boardwalk along the shore, leading to eight, private oceanside suites with ensuite bathrooms, a cozy stove and 2 double size beds. A ramp leads off the main lodge to the floating lodge below featuring four additional suites each with a private bathroom for twelve rooms in total. All lodge suites and common areas have unique design features incorporating natural cedar and local materials and art from the area that offer a distinctive, relaxing ‘west coast’ feel.
 
Wildlife Adventures
Farewell Harbour Lodge offers 4 day all-inclusive packages departing daily from Alder Bay on northern Vancouver Island to Farewell Harbour and into the heart of the rainforest featuring a full day marine excursion in search of marine mammals and a full day excursion in search of bears. We also offer 5, 6 or 7 day all-inclusive packages with additional days spent marine mammal viewing, on bear safaris, sea kayaking, First Nations cultural site visits or a host of other options.
 
Holiday idea:
Dates: 16 May - 19 October
 
Day 1
Depart Alder Bay aboard our high speed water taxi for the scenic 25 minute service to Farewell Harbour. Greet Farewell Harbour Lodge staff at the dock. Check in, receive welcome orientation and welcome appetisers. After settling into your accommodation, join an afternoon tour in search of marine wildlife in the waters of the famous Johnstone Strait and Robson Bight Ecological Reserve. Return to the lodge by 6pm. Buffet dinner at 7pm, followed by next day activity briefing. Evening presentation at 8pm on some aspect of coastal ecology.

Day 2
After breakfast, meet on the dock at 8am for first full day bear viewing adventure to one of the main grizzly viewing estuaries! Bear viewing takes you to one of several estuaries where you view either from a zodiac or on foot depending on the tide. We do not use viewing platforms, preferring to view wildlife at eye level in their natural habitat. Return by 6pm; buffet dinner at 7pm followed by evening presentation on some aspect of Great Bear Rainforest, Bears or First Nations' culture.

Day 3-4
7am breakfast, then on the water at 8am for your choice of another bear viewing safari or a more extensive exploration of the incredibly rich waters of Johnstone Strait and the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve. Orcas typically return to these waters mid July although humpbacks and other marine life can often be seen in May and June. Return by 6pm for dinner and evening programme.

Day 5
Choose from one of the following options:
A short morning sea kayak excursion in the protected and crystalline waters near Farewell Harbour Lodge
A marine excursion
Guided interpretive rainforest hike
Return to the lodge for the return water taxi back to Alder Bay arriving for ongoing connections.
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