Bear watching holiday in British Columbia
| country: | Canada |
| location: | British Columbia |
| price: | From CA $1100 (4 days) excluding flights. Price based on two sharing. Departures are available any time from 20th May - 30th June |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
description
Ever seen a wild bear with cubs? We offer superior bear viewing in relaxed comfort at our beautiful secluded British Columbia lodge.
Our valley and its environs are a naturalist's paradise. As well as black and grizzly bears it is home to dozens of other species of wild animals. During the spring, when we offer these holidays, the wild animals begin to emerge from their dens, often with their young. At these times it is common to see them on little-used roads and tracks in the wilderness that surrounds our ranch.
You will almost certainly see black bears, deer and hummingbirds You may also see grizzly bears, wolves, moose and coyote Experience our secluded stands of huge old-growth cedar All tours guided. Travel in our 4x4s and by Zodiac powerboat
Among the animals you may see at this time of year are black bears (very common), white-tailed deer (very common), mule deer (very common), hummingbirds (very common), coyotes (fairly common), elk (fairly common), moose (fairly common), grizzly bears (fairly rare), porcupine (at higher elevations), grey wolves (rare) and wolverines (very rare).
As well as a grand showing by the animal kingdom, the area around the ranch also has remarkable trees and forests. It is home to old-growth forest where there are stands of huge, ancient cedars, some of them 1,000 years old or more. We are on the southern marches of an inland temperate rainforest, a unique eco-system which preserves these giants. As part of your holiday, we will take you for a hike through stands of old-growth cedar to let you experience the untouched wilderness as it stood for millennia before the arrival of the settlers.
For guests who join us in the spring we offer four night stays with all meals, accommodation and tours included.
Your stay will typically include the following: A day of wildlife and nature-viewing in our Zodiac on local lakes A guided walk through a secluded old-growth cedar forest A number of bear and wildlife-spotting trips in our 4x4s
Our valley and its environs are a naturalist's paradise. As well as black and grizzly bears it is home to dozens of other species of wild animals. During the spring, when we offer these holidays, the wild animals begin to emerge from their dens, often with their young. At these times it is common to see them on little-used roads and tracks in the wilderness that surrounds our ranch.
Among the animals you may see at this time of year are black bears (very common), white-tailed deer (very common), mule deer (very common), hummingbirds (very common), coyotes (fairly common), elk (fairly common), moose (fairly common), grizzly bears (fairly rare), porcupine (at higher elevations), grey wolves (rare) and wolverines (very rare).
As well as a grand showing by the animal kingdom, the area around the ranch also has remarkable trees and forests. It is home to old-growth forest where there are stands of huge, ancient cedars, some of them 1,000 years old or more. We are on the southern marches of an inland temperate rainforest, a unique eco-system which preserves these giants. As part of your holiday, we will take you for a hike through stands of old-growth cedar to let you experience the untouched wilderness as it stood for millennia before the arrival of the settlers.
itinerary
For guests who join us in the spring we offer four night stays with all meals, accommodation and tours included.Your stay will typically include the following:
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.how this holiday makes a difference
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The ranch was opened in its present incarnation in 2006 in a remote part of southern BC with high local unemployment and few non-winter tourist facilities. We have committed to buy all our groceries and the vast majority of our non-grocery supplies from local retailers. More than 85 percent of all food and drink that we serve is grown or produced in British Columbia. We also encourage our guests to make use of local businesses and other tourist-related facilities in the area.
Prior to its reopening in 2006, the ranch operated as an ATV Centre and its perimeter was littered with old fridges, freezers and other junk. The pristine river that runs along the edge of the property was frequently used as a garbage point and toxic compounds were used in everything from lawn care to building maintenance. Since taking over we have reversed these policies and enacted a series of measures to turn our lodge into a model eco-facility. We phased out the ATV tours because of environmental and safety concerns and, instead, introduced trekking, tree-viewing, scenic rafting, wildlife-viewing and mountain tours. We take our guests to view ancient stands of remarkable cedar threatened by logging and encourage them to carry home a message that such natural treasures should be saved from harvesting.  On the construction front, in our latest cabins we have installed modern composting toilets and high-efficiency on-demand water heaters. Finally we are investing in new high-efficiency appliances including a very high-efficiency SunFrost fridge. We are off-grid and our generator, which we use sparingly, runs on a biodiesel blend. Although we have no full-time employees, all paid help is sourced as close to the ranch as possible. We make a particular effort to use the various skills of the five or six families living in our remote valley, whether as carpenters, mechanics or in their other capacities. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |