Great Bear Adventure

Days 1-3  Vancouver    
A cosmopolitan metropolis encircled by nature’s great beauty, this thriving city boasts a diverse cultural mix and a modern outlook. Glistening skyscrapers beautifully contrast with the surrounding mountain peaks and its dynamic dining and social scene should not be missed.    

Day 4  Vancouver to Ucluelet    
Pick up your car and drive north to Horseshoe Bay to catch a ferry to Nanaimo on the east coast of Vancouver Island. After a scenic drive across the island, you’ll arrive in the welcoming community of Ucluelet.

Days 5-6  Ucluelet  
This waterfront village offers plenty of outdoor adventures and friendly locals to help guide you around. Glide onto the calm ocean by kayak to explore hidden bays and pretty inlets or stay on dry land and hike in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. The area is also home to North America’s largest concentration of black bears so take a cruise to search for these inquisitive creatures on the scenic shoreline.    

Day 7  Ucluelet to Campbell River
Drive back across the island and travel north to Campbell River, a bustling town known as the angling capital of Canada.    

Day 8  Campbell River to Great  Bear Lodge    
Continue your journey this morning to Port Hardy, on the northern tip of the island. In the mid-afternoon depart on a floatplane to 3★ Great Bear Lodge, a floating lodge retreat located in a remote coastal valley in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest.  

Days 9-10  Great Bear Lodge    
Over the next two days experience the thrill of bear watching on a variety of excursions in a truly wild setting, either by boat or at dedicated viewing areas. Accompanied by an experienced wildlife biologist throughout, twice daily bear viewing excursions are planned to coincide with times when the bears are most active.  Back at the intimate lodge, enjoy tasty, locally-sourced meals and relax in the serene setting.    

Day 11  Great Bear Lodge to Port Hardy
Enjoy a final bear viewing excursion and a farewell lunch, before travelling back to Port Hardy by floatplane in the late afternoon for a one night stay.    

Day 12  Port Hardy to Courtenay    
Hit the road again today for a scenic drive south to the small city of Courtenay.  

Day 13  Courtenay    
Use Courtenay as a base to explore the wineries and orchards of the picturesque Comox Valley or visit the rugged wilderness of Strathcona Provincial Park.    

Days 14-15  Courtenay to Vancouver    
Drive back to Nanaimo and enjoy the fresh sea air aboard a ferry back to the mainland, before enjoying a final night in Vancouver.