Great Bear Rainforest: Wildlife Viewing Tour

Embark on a thrilling sea otter and whale watching tour in Northern Vancouver Island. Discover diverse wildlife and rich cultural heritage on a 6-hour adventure.

Duration: 5 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Gods Pocket Marine Provincial Park - Travelling through the waters of the Kwakwaka’wakw, we are on the lookout for wildlife in the water, on land, and in the air.
  • Queen Charlotte Strait - Explore the wildlife-rich waters, islands, and shores off northern Vancouver Island. Search for sea otters, humpback whales, orcas, porpoises, sea lions, bald eagles, and a multitude of sea birds.
What's Included
  • Two-piece flotation suits
  • Binoculars
  • Lunch
  • On-board restrooms
  • Tea and coffee
What's Not Included
  • On-board WiFi
Additional Information

Experience an exciting wilderness experiences rooted in the culturally rich territories of the Kwakwaka’wakw people. Hop aboard our rigid hull inflatable (RHIB) wildlife viewing boat with shock mitigating seats and explore the diverse wildlife of British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest, on the wild West Coast of Canada.
Departing from Port Hardy, we…

Location
Coastal Rainforest Safaris
Market Street
Please arrive at Coastal Rainforest Safaris' office half an hour before your tour's departure time to be outfitted for floatation suits and sign a waiver.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(37 Ratings)
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U2736bnlees
Aug 12, 2025
Don’t miss out on this - Fantastic experience, highly recommend these guys. Friendly, very knowledgeable reception and guides, great lunch, fabulous area. Definitely would go again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ralf
Aug 8, 2025
Great Trip - Great tour. Lots of animal sightings and a great guide. Thomas had a lot of detailed knowledge about the wildlife but also the indigenous culture.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Charlotte
Aug 6, 2025
An amazing experience! - An amazing experience from start to finish! Will and Thomas were fantastic guides, super friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about the wildlife and the area. We were lucky to see several humpback whales, adorable otters, and so many other fascinating animals. The 5–6 hours honestly flew by! A magical tour we’ll never forget. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hannekeo17
Aug 6, 2025
Highlight of our holiday - An incredibly beautiful day, this tour with tour guide Thomas. From fifteen minutes we got on board we saw whales. DE whole day came EN we were EN short; everywhere were whales, otters, porpoises, sea lions and seals and a lot of seabirds. At the end of DE day orcas even came close to DE boat. DE boat was very comfortable EN DE lunch tasty EN healthy. DE tourgui DEs hebb EN much respect for DE nature and tell about DE Indigenous culture which gives the tour more depth. Best of all that we were always DE only boat on the water, that makes a tour with Coastal Rainforest Safaris extra special!
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Paulgx4201at
Aug 4, 2025
Epic day with Coastal Rainforest Safaris - What an amazing day! Thank you for letting us visit your lands and enjoy the beauty and natural bounty of the waters around Port Hardy. Thomas and Tyler were engaging, knowledgeable and dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the area. We saw so much. Numerous Humpback whales, Stellar Sea Lions, Harbour Seals, Bald Eagles, Sea Otters, Dall's Porpoise, so many sea birds and the beauty of the area. We were very well looked after and were provided with a lovely light lunch in the most amazing location. Would recommend to all.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Evelyn
Jul 31, 2025
Amazing - What a fantastic day we had with our 2 guides at the sea otter and whale watching tour. We will never forget this trip. We saw Orcas, Humpback Whales, a Minke Whale, Porpoises, Sea Otter, Sea Lions, Bold Eagles, lots of birds and and and but especially the knowledge of our Tourguides made the day so very special. We learned so much about wildlife and the history of this amazing and so beautiful region. Eating a delicious lunch in between the sound of the Orcas was incredible. The boat is very comfortable, no problem sitting there for over 6 hours. Thank you so much for the super cool tour we had with you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
X849yltracyh
Jul 11, 2025
Fabulous Experience - We saw so many whales! Lots of other amazing creatures, too. The boat was very comfortable. Thomas (guide) and Gabe (driver) were respectful of the wild life and very knowledgeable about this area. The lunch provided was nutritious and delicious! Exceptional value. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
694ardenp
Jul 9, 2025
A truly incredible experience - My wife and I are nature lovers and birders. We chose Coastal Rainforest for a pelagic birding tour of the northern tip of Vancouver Island. Our first indication that this operation was legit was when our trip was delayed by one day due to poor weather and ocean conditions that were deemed unsafe. I've been on tours where this was not done, and the results were near disastrous. The operators and guides were among the best, and we've done tours all over the world. Our guides over the two days we spent in Port Hardy were AJ, Thomas, Scotty, Andrew, and Will. They all have great knowledge of all things marine (birds, otters, sea lions, whales), respect for the environment (witnessed removing trash and pieces of fishing gear from the water during our tour), and respect for the traditional First Nations territories that we were touring upon. They work closely with MERS (Marine Education and Research Society) to monitor and report whale activity and are wonderful stewards for our ocean and inside passage waters. The boats are very comfortable, even when we hit ocean swells and chop but prepare for some 'roller coaster' action and sea spray, but it all adds to the experience. What more can I say than my wife and I will not hesitate to tour with Coastal Rainforest again. I hope it happens sooner than later.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jancy2874sy
Jul 8, 2025
Fantastic - Sea was very calm Took 3000 photos of birds Weather was fantastic Operator and skipper very helpful and knowledgeable Would recommend this company to any birdwatcher
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aleshahoney23091986
Jul 5, 2025
Sea otter and Whale tour - Was such an amazing tour and tour guides were fantastic so welcoming and shared loads of knowledge. Stopped for us to see loads of Whales super happy thank you so much
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $259
up to 12 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).