Kayaking Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii, and the Great Bear Rainforest

Four to Fifteen Day Fully Outfitted Guided Kayak Tours

Kayak With Whales

Four Days
Base Camp Kayaking

Begin Your Adventure

Whales and Grizzly Bears

Four Days
Base Camp Kayaking

Begin Your Adventure

Family Kayak With Whales

Four Days
Base Camp Kayaking

Begin Your Adventure

Central Gwaii Haanas Explorer

Five Days
Expedition Kayaking

Begin Your Adventure

Whales and Wildlife Explorer

Six Days
Expedition Kayaking

Begin Your Adventure

Sea Otter Explorer

Six Days
Expedition Kayaking

Begin Your Adventure

Northern Gwaii Haanas Explorer

Eight Days
Expedition Kayaking

Begin Your Adventure

Southern Gwaii Haanas Explorer

Eight Days
Expedition Kayaking

Begin Your Adventure

Great Bear Rainforest Explorer

Ten Days
Expedition Kayaking

Begin Your Adventure

Ultimate Gwaii Haanas Explorer

Fifteen Days
Expedition Kayaking

Begin Your Adventure

Kayaking Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii, and the
Great Bear Rainforest

Four to Fifteen Day Fully Outfitted
Guided Kayak Tours

Kayak With Whales

Base Camp Kayaking

Whales and Grizzly Bears

Base Camp Kayaking

Family Kayak With Whales

Base Camp Kayaking

Central Gwaii Haanas Explorer

Expedition Kayaking

Whales and Wildlife Explorer

Expedition Kayaking

Sea Otter Explorer

Expedition Kayaking

Northern Gwaii Haanas Explorer

Expedition Kayaking

Southern Gwaii Haanas Explorer

Expedition Kayaking

Great Bear Rainforest Explorer

Expedition Kayaking

Ultimate Gwaii Haanas Explorer

Expedition Kayaking

Kayaking Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii, and the Great Bear Rainforest

Welcome to British Columbia, one of the premiere destinations for sea kayaking in the world. Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures has been running fully outfitted guided kayak tours on the coast of British Columbia since 1999. Our experienced guides will take you on an adventure through stunning waterways and lush temperate rainforests, with incredible wildlife sightings.

We pride ourselves on keeping our group sizes small, allowing for close personal attention and minimal impact on the environment and wildlife we view from our kayaks. Our experienced kayak guides are passionate about kayaking and the wilderness and will eagerly share their knowledge with you, ensuring that your trip is full of memories that will last a lifetime.

With 25 years of experience, we offer unparalleled sea kayaking adventures in some of the most beautiful wilderness areas in the world, including northern Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii, and the Great Bear Rainforest. Whether you’re a seasoned kayaker or just starting out, we have the perfect tour for you.

Experience the unparalleled beauty of British Columbia from the comfort of your kayak. Book your sea kayak tour with Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures today and discover the natural wonders of this breathtaking region.

KAYAK WITH
WHALES

Base Camp Kayaking
4 days / 3 nights

Begin Your Adventure

base camp

Imagine waking to the sound of a humpback’s breath as it glides past your tent. Later, take in a moment of awe watching a pod of orcas from your kayak, while the rest of the day is filled with the soft huffs of seals and quiet wingbeats, as bald eagles swoop over the water in search of salmon.

WHALES AND GRIZZLY
BEARS

Base Camp Kayaking
4 days / 3 nights

Begin Your Adventure

base camp

Seeing a humpback whale lunging through a school of bait fish, a grizzly bear chasing a salmon through a shallow river, or a pod of killer whales surfacing in unison are often considered once in a lifetime experiences and all three are possible on this tour..

FAMILY KAYAK WITH
WHALES

Base Camp Kayaking
4 days / 3 nights

Begin Your Adventure

base camp

Searching under rocks for crabs, watching humpback whales feed on a school of small fish, or being surprised as a harbour seal pops up right next to their kayak, are all memories children cherish for a lifetime. This kayak tour is designed for families with children aged six to fourteen.

WHALES AND WILDLIFE
EXPLORER

Expedition Kayaking
6 days / 5 nights

Begin Your Adventure

explorer

Sea kayaking in the wildlife-rich waters of Johnstone Strait, Blackfish Sound, and the Broughton Archipelago is unforgettable. Paddle past clam beaches harvested for millennia by First Nations, spot black bears flipping rocks for food, and watch humpback whales feeding as you explore these stunning coastal landscapes.

SEA OTTER
EXPLORER

Expedition Kayaking
6 days / 5 nights

Begin Your Adventure

explorer

Watching a sea otter crack open a sea urchin, waking to fresh wolf tracks on the beach outside your tent, or silently observing a humpback whale feeding along the tideline are unforgettable moments. These experiences connect you to the natural world, immersing you in the beauty and wonder of the wild, leaving lasting memories.

CENTRAL GWAII HAANAS
EXPLORER

Expedition Kayaking
5 days / 4 nights

Begin Your Adventure

explorer

Highlights of the Central Gwaii Haanas Explorer tour include soaking in the natural pools at Gandll K’in Gwaay.yaay (Hotspring Island) and kayaking the wildlife rich waters of Juan Perez Sound. This five day tour has a more relaxed pace than our longer Gwaii Haanas Explorer kayak tours

NORTHERN GWAII HAANAS
EXPLORER

Expedition Kayaking
8 days / 7 nights

Begin Your Adventure

explorer

The Northern Gwaii Hannas Explorer tours travel between Tanu Island and Burnaby Island in the northern half of Gwaii Haanas. Paddle sheltered channels, secluded bays, and exposed coastline, visit Haida cultural sites T’aanuu Llnagaay (Tanu) and Hlk’yah G̱awG̱a (Windy Bay) and soak in natural hot springs.

SOUTHERN GWAII HAANAS
EXPLORER

Expedition Kayaking
8 days / 7 nights

Begin Your Adventure

explorer

The Southern Gwaii Haanas Explorer tour kayaks the southern end of Gwaii Haanas, from K’iid Xyangs K’iidaay along the rugged coastline to Rose Harbour. Fantastic wildlife viewing opportunities, colourful inter-tidal life, wonderful campsite locations, and a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of SG̱ang Gwaay.

ULTIMATE GWAII HAANAS
EXPLORER

Expedition Kayaking
15 days / 14 nights

Begin Your Adventure

explorer

This trip is our longest offering, and provides visitors the opportunity to explore almost the entire Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site. This experience starts near the northern boundary of Gwaii Haanas, and culminates near the south end after a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of SG̱ang Gwaay.

GREAT BEAR
RAINFOREST

Expedition Kayaking
10 days / 9 nights

Begin Your Adventure

explorer

Stretching for 400 kilometres along British Columbia’s central coast, the Great Bear Rainforest is the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world. This beautifully rugged coast offers the adventurous traveller with diverse kayaking routes, abundant wildlife, and a rich First Nations culture.

PRIVATE
GROUP TOUR

Base Camp or Expedition Kayaking
varies

Begin Your Adventure

custom

We offer two types of tours for those wanting to organize a private tour for their own group of family, friends, colleagues, or paddling club.

Amazing! Organized very well, great and attentive guides.
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Katharina
11/02/2025
Simply a Must Do My Daughter and I have recently returned from the whales and wildlife, 5 night tour.
From a personal perspective, if you do nothing else when you visit Vancouver Island, do this. We cannot over emphasise how knowledgeable and professional our guides were.
Both Nick and Lauren, as well as the close proximity of the whales, made this a trip that will leave a lifetime of memories. Further, the food, especially the fresh egg omelettes, were superb and one can only be impressed with Lauren’s culinary prowess. However, Nicks eloquent talks relating to the First Nation peoples were a wonderful addition and totally unexpected.
To both of you, from both of us, thank you!
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Fraserrich
8/22/2023
Amazing Kayaking experience off Northern Vancouver Island The Whales and Wildlife Expedition trip with Kingfisher was the highlight of my summer. From the pre-departure videos guiding my packing list to the amazing guides, Claudio and George and the stunning environment - it was a fabulous experience. Kingfisher provided us with reliable camping equipment. The camp sites were wonderful and the kayaking itself was just challenging enough. Claudio and George took such good care of us - with humour and deep care and delicious food! I would highly recommend this trip !
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Pam J.
11/10/2023
Tausend Dank an Kelsie und das Team für die tolle Tour, die wir in den letzten 4 Tagen hatten. Ganz viel erlebt, viele Tierbeobachtungen, tolles Essen, super Betreuung und Anleitung, und dann auch noch sehr gutes Wetter - wenn wir nicht so eine weite Anreise aus Berlin hätten, würden wir immer wieder mit den Kingfishers fahren.
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Gabriela T.
8/16/2023
I loved it!
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Lisa K.
12/18/2022
Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures is the best. My wife and I did the 4-day Base Camp Whale and Bear Adventure. The base camp accommodations with the tent cabins were super comfortable and located on a strategic point where we could see so much just from camp. Brenda and Ben, our guides, were kind, fabulous and shared SO much valuable information about the water, sea and animal life we were immersed in. We woke up every morning to laughter, hot coffee and breakfast. Our days were filled with great kayaking and animal sightings. We saw everything we were hop[ing to see and more - dolphins, sea lions, bears (mama and cub), orcas, humpbacks, sea otters, eagles, and a lot of underwater life. I would recommend these guys to anybody without hesitation.
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Les B.
8/13/2024
Fabulous Kayaking Hanson Island and Johnstone Strait Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures is the best. My wife and I did the 4-day Base Camp Whale and Bear Adventure. The base camp accommodations with the tent cabins were super comfortable and located on a strategic point where we could see so much just from camp. Brenda and Ben, our guides, were kind, fabulous and shared SO much valuable information about the water, sealife and animal life in and around the Johnston Strait are we were immersed in. We woke up every morning to laughter, hot coffee and breakfast. Our days were filled with great kayaking and animal sightings. We saw everything we were hoping to see during our trip and more - dolphins, sea lions, bears (mama and cub), orcas, humpbacks, sea otters, eagles, and a lot of underwater life. I would recommend these guys to anybody without hesitation.
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292lesb
8/13/2024
Exceptional- the trip of a lifetime. We had the best time with Kingfisher. They made the trip approachable and we felt very prepared. We had never done anything like this before and were understandably a bit nervous, but the team made it easy and fun. I highly recommend it.

I was intimidated by the amount of kayaking having a pretty casual background in it but it was not an issue. The campsites and locations were beautiful and we saw all kind of amazing wildlife. The guides were incredible.

I cannot recommend this enough.
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nadijar2013
8/14/2025
We did the 4 day base camp kayaking and grizzly tour and it was fantastic. The base camp was well maintained, the food at camp was excellent. We saw lots of wildlife. The kayaking guides were very knowledgeable and courteous, Jeff was exceptional. The boat captain for the grizzly tour was lovely. All the guides were always delighted to share fun wildlife facts and never compromised our safety. Constant changing tides and mountain weather affects the waters around the island and the day to day itineraries, so you may not get to kayak every day. The only reason for 4 stars rather than 5 is that we are Australians and did the camp with a local Canadian family. At times, I felt like my partner and I were a bit of an afterthought to the two younger guides. They seemed much more focused on chatting with the Canadian family, and a lot of the conversation was content we couldn’t really join in on. It left me feeling kind of awkward and, honestly, a bit like a pest (like we were intruding just by being there). That said, I know this is just my personal take on the social dynamic. Aside from that, I’d still absolutely recommend the company and the experience. It’s clearly a well-run operation and overall was a great trip.
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Nicole F.
7/30/2025
Experience of a lifetime! Kayaking with the whales with Kingfisher was the experience of a lifetime. It was humbling and inspiring to spend time in a thriving marine environment amongst some of the giants of the ocean. Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures were exceptional hosts and with a very genuine love of nature. They were knowledgeable about the wildlife, local culture and the local waters. We were in good hands paddling with Jen and Ben and had some amazing wildlife encounters. Great days on the water were topped off by good food, good humour and good company. Take a trip with Kingfisher - it will be awesome!
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Andrea Y.
8/15/2024