Unesco Biosphere and Bowen Island Tour

Discover Bowen Island’s beauty with a boat tour. Explore marine wildlife, enjoy scenic views, and savor drinks at Snug Cove. Book your adventure now.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Bowen Island - Disembark at Bowen Island’s Snug Cove, where you can explore the local shops and restaurants. Your tour includes a complimentary beer, wine, specialty coffee, or ice cream. Snug Cove is a charming town on the edge of Bowen Island, offering a nostalgic escape to simpler times. With numerous attractions, this town is sure to delight.
  • Lighthouse Park - We’ll pause at Lighthouse Park for photo opportunities before entering the UNESCO Reserve known as Howe Sound. This stop is perfect for wildlife spotting and appreciating some of Vancouver’s history. Nearby, we’ll visit a seal colony.
  • Horseshoe Bay - We’ll approach Bowyer Island to discuss the glaciers and mountains while observing Horseshoe Bay, where island ferries come and go.
  • Sea to Sky Highway - Although we won’t drive on the Sea to Sky Highway, we’ll navigate the Sea to Sky Corridor by boat, which includes the Tantalus Mountain Range, Tantalus Glacier, Howe Sound UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bowen Island, seal colonies, and much more.
  • Stanley Park - We’ll view Stanley Park from the boat as we depart from Vancouver.
  • Gambier Island - We’ll explore the coastline of this island, enjoying the coastal temperate rainforest and looking for sea lions, bald eagles, porpoises, and other wildlife.
  • Granville Island - Our journey begins here. Please arrive 30 minutes before your tour start time.
  • False Creek - Our tour will start and end in these waters.
  • Downtown - We’ll pass by Downtown while exiting False Creek and entering English Bay.
  • Vancouver Downtown - We’ll pass by Downtown while exiting False Creek and entering English Bay.
What's Included
  • Beer, wine, specialty coffee, or ice cream included
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities for the guides
Additional Information

Explore our UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the Howe Sound Fjord. Here, you can ride alongside the Tantalus Mountain range, discover the islands and marine wildlife conservatories, and enjoy a complimentary beer, wine, coffee, or ice cream at Snug Cove on Bowen Island.

This is one of the top experiences you can have while in Vancouver. Reserve your spot on this trip and prepare for an adventure you’ll be eager to share with your friends and family.

  • Alcoholic beverages are only for ages 19 years old and above
Location
1832 Mast Tower Ln
Mast Tower Lane
Give yourself ample time to find parking. Finding parking can be burdensome on Granville island during busy days.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(23 Ratings)
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Jessicawg5031or
Aug 19, 2024
the best tour we could have picked - The views were amazing....we had such a great time out on the water. Bowen Island was so cute....I got a glass of wine of course. We saw so many seals and even Orcas on the way home! Definitely trying this again next time I have friends/family visit
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Manon
Aug 13, 2024
Top and nice experience. - Had a nice trip, clear and careful explanation and most importantly very nice! Really recommended for everyone if you want to visit the city flying over the water!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tiabv811dr
Aug 13, 2024
AWESOME EXPERIENCE - AWESOME EXPERIENCE-HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! My friends and I loved it. We will definitely take any friends visiting us on this tour again. It was so fun!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
D9164tjmarkusb
Aug 13, 2024
Spontaneously done, and an amazing experience. - A fun tour with lots of explanations and plenty to see. Simply put, if you have the time, just do it! We had a great time !!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jaime_v
Aug 7, 2024
Amazing tour! - Our guide Graydon was very fun knowledgeable and I learned alot about the area. The scenery is beautiful and we saw many seals! Highly recommend this tour and company.
Review provided by Viator
Christinedp5675ey
Aug 5, 2024
Do it! Run! Fantastic Tour xoxoxo - What a great day! This tour exceeded my expectations! The boat ride was such a thrill! Had some moments that reminded me of river rafting in the sense of fun and adventure ,not at all slow and boring. (But responsible) The tour guide was a young man named Graydon. He was very professional, super friendly and knowledgeable. I highly recommend taking a tour with him ( and he picked great tunes!) I told my daughter in law and son about our trip today and they booked one for them before we left Granville Island. If you’re thinking about a tour, pick this company, just do it! I shouldn’t have waited so long, I had a great day! We saw Sea to Sky Gondola, Shannon Falls, Lighthouse Park, seals, Black Tusk and Panorama Ridge, Bowen Island and had ice cream.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kira
Aug 5, 2024
Environmental good news story - Our guide Paul provided an excellent informative and fun trip in the Howe Sound Biosphere Region. We learned a lot and saw a bald eagle, deer, seals and various bird species. We also had a pleasant stop on the lovely Bowen Island. Highly recommend this trip, especially if you want some environmental good news.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ben_r
Aug 4, 2024
Great boat ride - Great boat ride , beautiful scenery. Graydon was very knowledgeable about the area and allt of fun. We were locals just looking for a little adventure and this trip fit the bill. The itinerary of the trip was great , having the Bowen Island stop towards the end was nice. Broke up the boat ride with a little walking and a bathroom break before heading back.
Review provided by Viator
K_girl883
Aug 3, 2024
A blast on the water - Had a great time with Paul! The tour was fantastic for looking at the scenery and the Vancouver tourist spots from a water’s perspective. We stopped over at some island to watch some seals and jetted to Shannon Falls. Along the way Paul would stop and point out points of interest and tell us about the history and natural phenomenons in the area. We had 40 minutes on Bowen island to enjoy a complimentary ice cream and poke around the little shops. (Check out the smallest candy store) What I appreciated the most was the shocks installed under the seats. I’ve travelled a lot and done many half day and full day boating tours and this was truly the smoothest I’ve ever experienced. If we hit a wave we barely bounced around. It was spine saving. I wish all boat tours had this technology.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tourist10957320688
Jul 29, 2024
Thrill ride. Unesco Biosphere tour - Best experience we had in our 5 day vacation in Vancouver. 60mph on a zodiac boat is beyond thrilling. We had no idea in advance a zodiac boat would be better than any Six Flags ride. Our guide Jiri was an expert Captain handling the boat and very informative. A little bit of wildlife. We happened to enjoy the views of the North Vancouver real estate. Overall very pleased!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
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September 2024
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