Wildlife holiday in British Columbia
| country: | Canada |
| location: | British Columbia |
| price: | From CA $900 (3 days) excluding flights. Price based on two sharing, includes accommodation, all meals and equipment for tours |
description
Our spring season, which usually runs from May 20 until the end of June, is the best time of the year to see a whole range of wild animals that are just emerging from denning as the winter snows recede. To take advantage of this, we take our guests on several trips in one of our 4x4s along local gravel roads and old logging tracks to places where the animals gather.
We also plan a day on one of our local lakes in our Zodiac powerboat which is a great time not only to see animals but also enjoy the silent remoteness of the country where we live. We usually combine this with a walking tour through a remarkable old-growth cedar rainforest where some of the trees are more than 1000 years old.
The second half of May is usually sunny and warm; June is more variable but both months are vibrant with the sense of the arriving spring. The rivers also flow noisy and fast at this time of year as the snows melt. Among the many animals you may see during the spring season are: black bears, moose, mule deer, white-tailed deer, humming birds, coyotes, elk, grizzly bears, porcupine, beaver, otter, occasionally grey wolves and, very occasionally, a wolverine.
See below for what is included in a typical 3 day itinerary.
After breakfast your guide, usually Julius, will take you out for a day-long guided tour of the surrounding forests, lakes and mountains. Depending on the day we may head off to one of our unspoilt lakes, taking the Zodiac powerboat with us for a day of cruising on the water, relaxing in the sun and wildlife-spotting.
On other days we may hike in the ancient rainforest that surrounds us or head into the lower reaches of the high country to the retreating snowline. At this time of year the sense of renewal is particularly vibrant and many animals can be seen abroad with their young. Lunch is a picnic of home-made sandwiches, fruit and chocolate that we take along on our day tour or eat back at the ranch sitting by the river or in the sun.
Our tours typically end about 4 or 5pm and dinner, a sit-down affair where we serve fine freshly-cooked local food and the best of British Columbia's beer and wine is served around 7pm in the main house.
We also plan a day on one of our local lakes in our Zodiac powerboat which is a great time not only to see animals but also enjoy the silent remoteness of the country where we live. We usually combine this with a walking tour through a remarkable old-growth cedar rainforest where some of the trees are more than 1000 years old.
The second half of May is usually sunny and warm; June is more variable but both months are vibrant with the sense of the arriving spring. The rivers also flow noisy and fast at this time of year as the snows melt. Among the many animals you may see during the spring season are: black bears, moose, mule deer, white-tailed deer, humming birds, coyotes, elk, grizzly bears, porcupine, beaver, otter, occasionally grey wolves and, very occasionally, a wolverine.
See below for what is included in a typical 3 day itinerary.
itinerary:
A typical day would see you waking up in your own cabin to the sound of the fast-flowing river that runs alongside our property. For the early birds among you, we offer early coffee and then breakfast in the main house at 8.30am. Kristin, who spent several years cooking on the diplomatic circuit, serves a large, healthy breakfast with plenty of piping-hot tea and coffee. After breakfast your guide, usually Julius, will take you out for a day-long guided tour of the surrounding forests, lakes and mountains. Depending on the day we may head off to one of our unspoilt lakes, taking the Zodiac powerboat with us for a day of cruising on the water, relaxing in the sun and wildlife-spotting.
On other days we may hike in the ancient rainforest that surrounds us or head into the lower reaches of the high country to the retreating snowline. At this time of year the sense of renewal is particularly vibrant and many animals can be seen abroad with their young. Lunch is a picnic of home-made sandwiches, fruit and chocolate that we take along on our day tour or eat back at the ranch sitting by the river or in the sun.
Our tours typically end about 4 or 5pm and dinner, a sit-down affair where we serve fine freshly-cooked local food and the best of British Columbia's beer and wine is served around 7pm in the main house.
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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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. We also take guests in the spring to view a local environmental project to save the population of the local Gerrard trout, the largest rainbow trout in the world, from extinction.
On the construction front, in our latest cabin we have installed a modern composting toilet and a super-high-efficiency on-demand water heater. The body of the renovation is carried out using local wood and all the finishing uses organic products. The floors are treated with a mixture of tung oil, linseed oil, citrus essence and bee's wax, giving a wonderful aroma to the cabin and a long-lasting organic finish. Well over 80 percent of our waste and all our paper and cardboard is recycled at our local transfer station. Finally we have invested 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. We conserve power using a large battery bank. All our light bulbs are CF. Our lawn maintenance is organic. We do not offer guests bottled water but instead provide water from our well. All our showers are fitted with low-flow heads. Of the food we serve more than 80 percent is organic. 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. The ranch was opened in its present incarnation in 2006 in a remote part of southern BC with high local unemployment and very 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. We buy many of our vegetables direct from local farmers. 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. 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. For the latter we use a reconditioned Toyota Land Cruiser operating on a biodiesel blend and only travel on existing logging and mining trails. We have a no-litter policy in place for our activities and encourage guests to pick up litter left by others. Before each of our day tours we hold a safety and environmental briefing during which we instruct guests in no-impact trekking and touring. |
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. |