Bear Watching Knight Inlet
Wildlife & Scenery Photo Tour
8-12 hour boat tour into Knight Inlet, British Columbia, Traditional Territories of the Kwakwaka'wakw People, for grizzly bear watching, the stunning scenery of the Great Bear Rainforest and other wildlife like humpback whales, killer whales, dolphins, eagles and more.
4 guests maximum!
The Knight Inlet photo tour does it all in one full day from the northern part of Vancouver Island. If the wildlife cooperates, we will watch grizzly bears, orca whales, humpback whales, other marine wildlife, birds and the stunning scenery along the Great Bear Rainforest and Knight Inlet in British Columbia, Canada.
We are not just going bear watching. We design the tour as we go, as we like, depending on weather, tides, wildlife sightings and whatever helps to make it the very best day ever.
Important notes:!!!
No wildlife sightings can be guaranteed (expect nothing and be happily surprised). The tour is not recommended for pregnant women or guests with back problems. I never had anyone getting seasick on my boat. I operate only in protected waters, not the open ocean.
Nothing I can guarantee but that I will do everything in my power to make it the best day of your life (at least one of them - lol).
A "typical day" on the Knight Inlet wildlife & scenery photo tour:
Depending on the time of year, tides and weather, we usually leave between 5.00 - 6:00 am from the northern part of Vancouver Island either from Alder Bay, Port McNeill or Telegraph Cove.
Normally it takes about 1.5-2 hours by boat to reach the area where we start looking for the coastal grizzly bears. If we see other wildlife, such as whales, dolphins or black bears en route, we will spend time with them. However, we usually endeavour to get to the grizzly bears as fast as we can.
We may have to spend some time searching for the grizzly bears or simply wait and see. During this time, we often have a snack. Depending on the tides, we may have to leave even if we don't find any bears and look for other wildlife and some beautiful scenery in Knight Inlet and return to the bears later. We will decide as soon as we know "what's going on".
We cannot guarantee sightings, but so far, we have seen bears on 9 out of 10 tours. We spend as much time with the bears as possible or requested. We will decide together when we are ready to leave the bears behind.
Depending on the wind and weather, we may explore some inlets on the way back. These inlets are always full of surprises and amazing scenery.
We will also spend time in the Broughton Archipelago. This is where we keep our eyes open for humpback whales, killer whales, minke whales, dolphins, sea lions and bald eagles, and we will spend as much time as possible enjoying, watching and photographing the wildlife.
One of the biggest advantages of this tour is that we are not on a schedule. If "things are happening," we are not leaving!
You will be surprised how fast the day goes, normally, we stay out for over 10 hours if the wildlife cooperates, but we stayed out as much as 15 hours before (only if my guests agree!).
If you need to be home early then, we also can shorten the tour.
So far, we haven't gone a day without seeing something very special. Even when we did not see bears, there was always something else to make it an incredible day. I never had anyone disappointed or not happy, and I sure want to keep it that way😀.
It is an individual and private tour with a maximum of 4 guests, and you decide where we will spend your time. We are flexible and cater to your desires, although we have a rough outline for the day based on our experience.
We offer our wildlife & scenery photo tour because we love to share this amazing place with our guests. Rolf loves to show people around, share his photography knowledge and make sure you get some amazing photos to share back home.
Please understand that this is not a "learning photography" tour, the day is too busy, BUT Rolf will share as much of his knowledge, tricks and tips with you as possible and also answers your question, no matter if photography is related or not. You still will learn a lot about photography!
Knight Inlet is the longest inlet (fjord) along the British Columbia coast and is also part of the Great Bear Rainforest. It is very scenic and full of wildlife, but it also can be a bit unpredictable at times.
If the winds are too strong, we might not go into Knight Inlet and stay more protected. It normally wouldn't be a safety issue, but it can be uncomfortable fighting wind, tides and waves.
So far, we have only had to divert TWO tours in the past seven years.
In case of high wind predictions, we will make a decision TOGETHER if we cancel the tour OR do the Broughton Archipelago photo tour instead. The Broughton is very sheltered and offers almost everything BUT chances to see grizzly bears are slim.
If Grizzly bears are not most important to you and you may prefer to do more whale watching, then I would recommend the Broughton Archipelago Photo Tour.
