If you’ve ever wanted to see a grizzly bear up close, personal, and safely, head to the Great Bear Lodge on the tip of Northern Vancouver Island.
Located within the Great Bear Rainforest (the only place on the planet where you can see an elusive white Kermode bear), the floating lodge is a perfect home base for photography and wildlife viewing tours. It features gourmet meals and personalized adventures for up to eighteen guests.
From early May through October, Great Bear Nature Tours (which National Geographic named as one of the best adventure travel companies on Earth) at the Great Bear Lodge offers grizzly bear viewing excursions from Port Hardy to the Great Bear Rainforest.
The secluded floating lodge is situated at an outstanding wildlife viewing location, where one can find silence and solitude amidst the unparalleled natural beauty of bear country.
Spanning 400 kilometres, the rainforest is most easily explored by boat or plane, making it a remote and scenic retreat in BC’s temperate rainforest. During your visit, you might also encounter orcas or view the ancient petroglyphs of the Nuxalk Nation.
One of the best times to book your trip (if you want to see the most bears) is during the late summer and fall when a higher concentration of bears is drawn to the area due to the salmon spawning streams.
If you get really lucky, perhaps you’ll be able to see a pod of humpbacks, too — much like this group did. The video shared on the lodge’s YouTube page went viral with over 1.9 million views.
If you are planning on staying here, it is good to book the accommodation in advance. These trips tend to be considered “bucket list” adventures.
If you want to plan for fall 2024, you can book without worry (mostly) since you can cancel 121 days or more before the trip and receive a full refund, less $100, per person.
Great Bear Lodge
Where: 6420 Hardy Bay Road, Port Hardy