Vancouver Island kayaking trips
| country: | Canada |
| location: | Vancouver Island, British Columbia |
| departures: | This trip can be tailor made throughout the year |
| price: | From CA $825 (3 days) excluding flights. Price includes meals as per itinerary, kayaking equipment, drybags, tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, jackets, guiding and park fees |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Vancouver Island kayaking trips
Looking for the perfect weekend escape? If so, then this kayaking tour is definitely for you!
Launching from "Cedar by the Sea" early Friday morning and arriving back Sunday afternoon will give you just the right amount of time to relax and enjoy the warm, Mediterranean like Northern Gulf Islands. Intricate honeycombed sandstone cliffs, warm swimming bays with white clamshell beaches, and spectacular bird watching.
12,000 years ago as the great glacial ice made its way through this region, it carved what is now one of the most dramatic landscapes in the southern reaches of Vancouver Island.
Rare Garry oak trees and the unique Arbutus tree are common on the islands. In the early spring the Arbutus form bountiful white blossoms, unless it is surviving a harsh previous summer’s dry spell. In the fall clusters of orange red berries feed the birds and deer. In the summer, the reddish brown bark sheds its skin just like a snake!
Towering cliffs of honey-combed sandstone host many plants that are at the northern extreme of their range as well as nesting sea birds. Wildlife found in the Gulf Islands is very diverse and includes eagles, deer, porpoises, sea lions, seals and otters. Hundreds of seabirds, shorebirds and waterfowl thrive on the nutrient-rich ocean waters and intertidal marine life abounds.
Launching from "Cedar by the Sea" early Friday morning and arriving back Sunday afternoon will give you just the right amount of time to relax and enjoy the warm, Mediterranean like Northern Gulf Islands. Intricate honeycombed sandstone cliffs, warm swimming bays with white clamshell beaches, and spectacular bird watching.
12,000 years ago as the great glacial ice made its way through this region, it carved what is now one of the most dramatic landscapes in the southern reaches of Vancouver Island.
Rare Garry oak trees and the unique Arbutus tree are common on the islands. In the early spring the Arbutus form bountiful white blossoms, unless it is surviving a harsh previous summer’s dry spell. In the fall clusters of orange red berries feed the birds and deer. In the summer, the reddish brown bark sheds its skin just like a snake!
Towering cliffs of honey-combed sandstone host many plants that are at the northern extreme of their range as well as nesting sea birds. Wildlife found in the Gulf Islands is very diverse and includes eagles, deer, porpoises, sea lions, seals and otters. Hundreds of seabirds, shorebirds and waterfowl thrive on the nutrient-rich ocean waters and intertidal marine life abounds.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 0: | Arriving on Vancouver Island. Your Gulf Island Hopper expedition begins with a “Day 0”. This is the day that you should try and arrive on Vancouver Island. For example, when the brochure trip date is July 10th you should arrive on Vancouver Island on July 9th. Day 0 is really meant for international travel and getting to Vancouver Island. |
| Day 1: | Kayaking. We will meet in Duncan at 7:30 a.m. From there we will travel to Cedar by the Sea, our launch point. At the launch site our guides will discuss sea kayak safety principles and then we will depart for historical Pirates Cove on DeCourcey Island and enjoy a delicious salmon dinner. Accommodation: camping. (L, D) |
| Day 2: | Valdes Island. After an early breakfast we will pack our kayaks for a day trip to the sandy beach of Blackberry Point, on Valdes Island. Accommodation: Camping. (B, L, D) |
| Day 3: | Our final day. We will rise to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and a yummy breakfast. After breaking camp we will take a leisurely paddle back up the coastline to our launch at Cedar, enjoying lunch along the way. We will arrive back at the launch at approximately 1:30, allowing sufficient time for connections and travel. (B, L) |
B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner
how this holiday makes a difference
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Our company is a Vancouver Island based, Canadian owned company. We are longtime residents of Vancouver Island and are connected to the communities we work in on many levels. We contribute to the neighbouring communities by purchasing all of our ingredients locally, using fresh organic items whenever possible.
We take our commitment to environmental responsibility very seriously. We believe that everything we do has the potential to impact our world. Our goal is to not only provide kayaking tours that allow our guests the opportunity to form an intimate bond with Vancouver Island, but to do so through sustainable sea kayaking programs that promote environmental awareness and safety. Our commitment to sustainability means environmental stewardship is a primary focus for our company. Our company is dedicated to supporting our local First Nations through open dialogue, respect of First Nation culture, consultation and by hiring First Nations to work with us. Our goal is expose our customers to the rich and unique history of the local First Nations by having our guests join tours organized and operated by the First Nations people whenever possible. We continue to remain in contact with local First Nations, offering input to their consultants as well as to them directly when requested. All of our campsites have undergone a referral process with local First Nations involvement. We strive to reduce, reuse and recycle in all aspects of the operation of our business, and to reduce or eliminate the consumption of non-renewable resources whenever possible. Our office supplies are all made from recycled materials and all resources used on our kayaking tours are brought back and recycled at the end of our kayaking tours. As stewards of the land our goal of conservation is achieved by following the principles of low impact camping and environmental responsibility while we are on our kayaking tours. We dissuade the use of soap in freshwater streams and lakes, deal with human waste in the most appropriate manner and endeavor to lessen our impact by using established camps and trail networks. The Pacific Ocean is rich with a diverse range of Intertidal life and marine mammals, some endangered. Preservation of these unique habitats is a primary concern for our company and we achieve this by educating our guests on the importance of preserving these varied eco systems. Your involvement on our tours assists us in achieving our goals of raising awareness of these sensitive areas. |
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. |
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