Vancouver Island’s Wild Side (Northwest) with Canadian Geographic
7 Days | Port Hardy Roundtrip | Small Ship Expedition Cruise
Explore Vancouver Island’s rugged and beautiful north coast with local guides, Indigenous hosts, and an expert in history or geography from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Go beyond our classic Wild Side itinerary and dive deeper into learning about weather systems and local culture.
Prices from $8,520 CAD per person based on double occupancy
Departs July 10, 2025
Port Hardy
Port Hardy
Brooks Peninsula (a glacial refugium), Solander Island (home to puffins), Kyuquot Sound (including sea otters and the village of Kyuquot), lush inlets and sandy beaches, as well as a cruise around the northernmost tip (Cape Sutil) and on the protected eastern coast.
Wildlife includes otters, black bears, whales, sea lions, and seabirds.
This trip is for those who love to adventure beyond the norm. It explores a mostly un-roaded area. You’ll walk in the rainforest, beachcomb on the sand, boat into wild creeks that empty into the sea, and cruise around Brooks Peninsula, which juts out almost to the offshore continental shelf.
Seven miles off Brooks, the coastal world changes to the oceanic one, and on a fair day we might cruise to the shelf, where the ocean turns from green to blue, and wildlife goes to feed in the upwelling (albatross, puffins, fulmars, dolphins).
This trip takes place in the traditional territories of Kwakwaka’wakw and Nuu-chah-nulth peoples.
We’ll explore indigenous culture and history with our friends from the village of Kyuquot, just a little bit north of Yuquot, or Friendly Cove, where in 1778 the English captain Cook was the first European to step onto what is now British Columbia.
Welcome aboard, orientation, exploring “hanging rainforest gardens” or abundant intertidal life onshore. Optional evening kayak, Quatsino Sound. Cruising to Klaskish and East Creek. Bear viewing, shore walk in East Creek meadow and along river. Evening lecture.
Cruising around the wild Brooks Peninsula. Weather permitting, cruising the continental shelf region, where seabirds (albatross, puffins) and marine mammals forage. Wildlife viewing. Solander Island (from the water), an ecological reserve for puffins. Anchorage and remote beach exploration.
Rainforest and beach walks. Optional morning kayak. Anchorage in Nesparti Inlet. Exploring beautiful Nesparti Inlet by boat and on land. Geography lecture.
Kyuquot Sound exploration, sea otter viewing, visit village of Kyuquot. Special guest visit.
Exploration of offshore group of islands and Rugged Point with sandy beaches and salal-rich headlands. Heading north around Brooks Peninsula. Evening anchorage in Vancouver Island inlet, and exploring ashore. Possible black bear viewing, creek and meadow exploration.
Cruising and exploring the Cape Scott area, rounding Vancouver Island’s northern tip. Bear viewing
Whale watching on Vancouver Island’s northeast side, and cruising to Port Hardy
