Nootka Island and the Nuchatlitz Archipeligo
If you really want to get away to a remote world still echoing the fiercely proud Nootka (Nuu-chah-nulth) heritage, Captains Cook, Bligh, Vancouver, Spanish explorers and fur traders, all amidst some of Vancouver Island’s most spectacular scenery, this is the adventure you seek.
6 Day Nootka Islands Tour
The waters off the west coast of Vancouver Island offers the intrepid paddler some of the best paddling in the world. As one journeys further up the coastline, small settlements are left behind and a true sense of solitude evoked by the timeless beauty of coastal mountains, ancient rain forests and the raw energy of the Pacific Ocean surround us. This is the Wild West Coast of Vancouver Island
Launching from the small town of Zeballos on Vancouver Island’s west coast, we will spend 6 days paddling in some of the most isolated waters of Nootka Sound. The days promise aquamarine lagoons and hidden coves, sand strewn beaches and the raw drama of the open coast, ancient native villages, black bear, cougar, deer, seal and porpoises, chance encounters with both Orca and Grey whales, thousands of sea birds and colourful inter tidal marine life. This fantastic area is also home to one of the largest sea otter populations on our west coast and encounters with large rafts of sea otters is not uncommon. Protected waters, ocean swells and surf all await our paddling pleasure and the fishing will “blow you away”. Join us on one of our premier adventure destinations.
| Notes
Max of ONLY 10 guests with 2 guides; can increase to 12 guests and 3+ guides with custom experiences or group bookings. Transportation: We can arrange transport for an added fee, otherwise me meet at ………. “Fees”: a booking fee of 3% applies per reservation, regardless of whether for 1 or more people; this is not per person”, but “per booking”. However, there may be a National Park fee and or First Nations Fee |
Rates & Details
Meet at put in 50% deposit reserves seat; full payment is due 75 days before trip start Groups of 4 or more can request custom dates for private trips (custom pricing will apply). |
Dates
2023: See calendar to the right to see availability of currently offered dates. If no date work for you and you have four or more people, Get in touch to see what we may be able to create for you. 2024: |
What we Provide:
- All kayaks, paddling and safety gear.
- Certified and skilled guides.
- All meals and snacks while on tour with us
- Beverages – We supply a wide range of teas and coffee as well as juices. You are welcome to bring along soda pops or alcoholic beverages. Please note however that we do expect our guests to consume alcoholic beverages responsibly and we strictly enforce a no alcohol on the water policy.
- All cutlery, plates, bowls
- All Group Kitchen supplies and Group Shelters
- Re Usable Cup per person for drinks
- Paddle Jackets with hoods for rainy cold paddling days, lets you save your rain jacket for in camp warmth and comfort.
- Wilderness Toileting Essentials
- Deck chart (maps)
- Gear Haul bags – Ikea bag for hauling all your dry bags, one time, too and from your kayak.
- Waterproof dry bags
Our Nootka Islands Tour embarks from the village of Zeballos on Vancouver Island, B.C.
DAY #1:
All participants meet on Day#1 in Zeballos at 8:00 am. at the government boat launch in the township, located at the end of the main road in Zeballos, just before the General Store. Participants should arrange to have breakfast prior to meeting. We recommend Cedars Inn both for the night prior, and as a good place for breakfast. At the boat launch, we’ll load kayaks and all personal and group equipment onto our boat shuttle for the outside coast and the gorgeous Nuchatlitz Archipeligo. After disembarking the boat, the guides will assign you to a kayak and help you get your personal gear stowed away. When everyone is ready, we’ll go over some basic paddling fundamentals and a safety orientation and then launch into the pristine west coast waters and six days of discovery and enchantment.With helpful advice and instruction from your guides, it won’t take long till you feel you’re getting the “hang of it” as we paddle amongst gorgeous islets and explore
inlets and coastline of this Vancouver Island paradise. These waters are home to a large variety of different marine wildlife and it is not uncommon for us to encounter everything from Grey whales, sea lions, otters, porpoises, and eagles throughout your time in this spectacular area. Sea otters are especially common here and rafts exceeding one hundred otters is far from a rarity. Along the way, we’ll land on one of the pristine beaches in the area and you can sit back and enjoy a delicious lunch the guides will prepare. After lunch, there is always time to explore, take some photo’s, read a book or have a swim…then we’ll launch the kayaks and make our way to our campsite for the next 2 nights. We’ll then make camp, set up our tents and you are free to explore the area, go fishing, beach comb…whatever your fancy…A sumptuous dinner around a cozy campfire with a canopy of stars above is the evenings entertainment.
DAY #2:
With another spectacular day ahead of us, we’ll wake to a hearty breakfast. After everyone has had their fill, we’ll pack for the day (we return to our site in the later afternoon) and launch yet again into the pristine waters of this magnificent area…bring along lots of film today because you’ll need it! it Bears and wolves are just some of the wildlife we may see along the coastline of north Nootka Island and
in the early morning, it isn’t uncommon day to see black bears along the coast, lifting up rocks and eating the small crabs underneath.
Bald Eagles watch over us from a towering canopy of cedar and fir.
Our destination today is a paddle further out along the outer islands of Nuchatlitz. Depending on the conditions and weather, we may visit
the outer coastal area of Ferrer Point. The Nuchatlitz area of northern Nootka Island, with it’s variety of islets and inlets, allow us to meander through a myriad of different paddling environments…one minute we’re in the protected solitude of tiny islands and inlets paddling over a kaleidoscope of intertidal colors and next we can be crossing channels with ocean surge (thrilling yet very safe) and curious seals following close behind…we’ll lunch on one of the inner coastal beaches and after a relaxing sojourn, make our way back to our campsite for the late afternoon . Another delicious meal and warm campfire to put a great end to a magnificent day!
DAY #3 and #4:
We’ll wake to the aroma’s of coffee, a tasty cooked breakfast and the sounds of the gently lapping waves and the cry of a loon or eagle. After
breakfast, we’ll break camp because today we venture across the Esperenza Inlet and the open coast to one of the jewels of Vancouver Islands west coast, Catala Island. Definitely one of the highlights on our Nuchatlitz trip, Catala Island boast several ancient native summer village sites, burial caves, fantastic sea caves, and a gorgeous coastline where sea otter colonies abound. The fishing on this outer island is especially good, with great opportunities for both salmon and bottom fish. We’ll camp for 2 nights on Catala Island and wish we had more time there.
DAY #5:
Today after another great breakfast, we’ll break camp and pack up our kayaks for the morning’s paddle up Esperenza Inlet to Garden Point. Arriving in the early afternoon, this gorgeous campsite boasts a fresh water creek, a forest of massive cedar and fir trees and a beautiful beach…the perfect place to relax and enjoy our final night together reminiscing over the experiences and sights of the past week.
DAY #6:
Our last breakfast, another cup of coffee and we break camp for the paddle up Espinosa and Little Espinosa Inlets to our disembarkation point at the “Causeway”. Here we will unload the kayaks and be shuttled back the twenty minutes to Zeballos. We should be completely unloaded and back in Zeballos by noon to 2:00pm. at the very latest, enabling those driving back down Island plenty of time to catch an evening ferry or head back down to Nanaimo or Victoria.
