Spirit of the West Adventures

One price per trip, per person, plus 5% GST and a $25 sustainability fee. For 2027: the 4-day Johnstone Strait Expedition $1,795, Desolation Sound 5 days $1,945, the Ultimate Family Adventure 4 days $2,395, Johnstone Strait Glamping 4 days $2,595, Whales & Wilderness Glamping 5 days $3,295. Nuchatlitz (6 days, $2,695) and the Great Bear Rainforest (8 days, $3,995) were priced but not yet dated. There is no single supplement.

The basecamps stay put: Whales & Wilderness Glamping on Swanson Island in Blackfish Sound, and Johnstone Strait Glamping, the Ultimate Family Adventure and Wellness in the Wilderness at the West Cracroft Island camp across from Robson Bight. Beds, linens, hot showers and a hot tub, day paddles out and back, and you can skip a day. The expeditions, Johnstone Strait, Desolation Sound, Whales & Wilderness, Nuchatlitz and the Great Bear Rainforest, move camp most nights with everything in the boats. No experience is needed for any of them except Nuchatlitz and Great Bear, which ask for prior paddling and camping.

Most meet at Alder Bay Resort and Marina on northern Vancouver Island, about 5.5 hours' drive from Victoria or 4 from Nanaimo: Whales & Wilderness Glamping at 2 pm for a 40-minute water taxi into Blackfish Sound, back by 11 am to 12:30 pm on the last day; Johnstone Strait Glamping, the family trip and Wellness at 12:15 pm for a 45-minute crossing, back between 12:30 and 1 pm; the Whales & Wilderness Expedition at 11:30 am, back 12 to 1 pm. Your parking at Alder Bay is paid by the operator.

The Johnstone Strait Expedition meets at Bauza Cove, outside Telegraph Cove, at 11:30 am and paddles in and out, back by 11 am to noon. Desolation Sound meets on Quadra Island at 8 am, or at Squirrel Cove on Cortes Island at 10:15, and returns to Quadra between 4 and 6 pm; pack a breakfast, as there is little open early on either island. Nuchatlitz leaves from the Tahsis dock at 8:30 am and Great Bear from Shearwater on Denny Island at 9 am. Nights before and after are yours to book; the operator runs a carpool sign-up for guests without a car.

Both basecamps have eight guest tents on wooden platforms: large cotton canvas walk-ins with two single beds that push together, bedding, pillows, towels, a lamp, outlets and a headlamp. Each tent has its own composting toilet and sink. Blackfish Sound has two hot showers with ocean views, an AlumiTubs hot tub on the water, a covered lounge and the Blackfish Sound Bistro with an on-site chef; West Cracroft has two hot showers, an oceanfront hot tub, a sauna and a driftwood-style covered kitchen and dining area. Solo tents are limited at the basecamps and should be confirmed before you reserve. On the expeditions the tents and tarps travel with you and campsites are undeveloped: forest clearings, bluffs or beaches, with pit or portable toilets and seawater for washing.

Generally four to six hours in the boats, not counting lunch and breaks, on days 2 to 4 of a basecamp trip; the first and last days are shorter because of the water taxi. On the expeditions it is four to six hours, roughly 6 to 8 nautical miles, to the next camp, at a pace set for the whole group with stretch stops. A mix of single and double kayaks goes on every trip, with at least two doubles; if most people want singles everyone rotates through the doubles for part of a day. No one paddles without a guide, and the group cannot split up on its own.

The operator follows the marine mammal viewing regulations, does not guarantee sightings and gives no refund if the whales or the weather do not cooperate. Blackfish Sound and Johnstone Strait are where most of British Columbia's northern resident orcas return each summer, with humpbacks, dolphins and porpoises; black bears forage the shores at low tide. Desolation Sound is about mountain scenery and warm swimming water, Nuchatlitz about sea otters, sand and sea stacks.

A moderate level of fitness: a few hours of moderately paced exercise a day, uneven and slippery ground, and a hand with lifting the boats. You do not need to be a strong swimmer; PFDs are worn on the water. Minimum age is 12 on most trips, 14 for the Great Bear Rainforest, and 5 on the Ultimate Family Adventure, which is built for children under 12 with child-sized equipment and folding cots so they can share your tent. If you are over 6 ft, over 250 lb or petite, tell the office so the right kayak is on your departure.

Fresh meals cooked by the guides, or by the chef at Blackfish Sound: hot breakfasts, picnic lunches on a beach, appetizers and a glass of wine before a plated dinner at the basecamps. Vegetarian, no red meat, no pork, no fish and no seafood cost nothing extra; gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free and vegan menus are $75. It is not a nut-free operation, and severe or complex allergies may not be possible in a wilderness kitchen; ask before you book.

The basecamps run on solar: enough to charge a phone or camera, not a hair dryer, and less after cloudy days, so bring a battery bank. Blackfish Sound has fairly strong cell service through the camp; West Cracroft is just outside it, with a signal to be found on the water. The expeditions have no power at all, pockets of signal off northeastern Vancouver Island, and none at Nuchatlitz or Great Bear; guides carry satellite phones. A CPAP can come to a basecamp with the humidifier off.

Everything for kayaking and camping is supplied except a sleeping bag on the expeditions and rain gear, both rentable if reserved ahead, plus your clothes and toiletries. Layers for a coast that runs cooler than Campbell River's forecast, sometimes by 10 degrees, with fog most summer mornings; sturdy strapped sandals or water shoes for the boats and closed shoes for camp, and closed toes for the oyster-covered beaches of Desolation Sound. The full list arrives in your guest handbook after you book, with the medical form and waiver due 30 days before departure.

Open the sea kayak base camp packing list →

Cancel 60 days or more before departure and you get everything back less $150 per person; 59 to 30 days, half; inside 30 days, nothing. The 25% deposit is paid at booking and the balance at 60 days. Leaving a tour early is not refunded. The operator strongly recommends cancel-for-any-reason travel insurance.

Gratuities are not in the price and are pooled for the guides and base crew by the trip leader. The booking terms suggest 10% of the tour cost; the FAQ says 5 to 10% is the industry standard. Cash is preferred; card tips carry a 3% charge.