We have just returned from a memorable trip to British Columbia, the highlight being two fantastic grizzly adventures with Discovery Marine Safaris. We chose two consecutive days to enhance our chances of sighting these magnificent creatures at the peak of the salmon run, we were not disappointed. The two hour trip from Campbell River to Bute Inlet in stunningly beautiful scenery was a treat in itself with views of Orca en route a real bonus. Arriving at Bute Inlet we are met by Calvin one of the First Nations Homalco Band guides who ensured our safety throughout. There are several viewing platforms along the banks of the Orford River where most of the viewing is undertaken but we also stopped off on the rivers edge to view them at a safe distance, it was amazing. Our first sighting was a huge male who had just caught a salmon and dragged it off to eat in the woodland but then we saw a female with 2 cubs just 30 metres from us, so we had a cautious approach to a platform to view her but she was busy feeding and just ignored us, though the cubs were making themselves heard . The smell from thousands of dead salmon on the waters edge was something to behold but the bears were hunting the live fish swimming upstream to spawn.These trips are well organised, we saw 7 grizzlies on day 1 with another 5 on day 2, we loved it. The sheltered waters around Campbell River up to Bute Inlet ensures a relatively smooth trip but there are some challenging moments for boat Captain Bob, as we encounter deep swirling water and whirlpools but he was an amazingly experienced & accomplished skipper. Thank you to all at Discovery Marine Safaris you were great.

We had pre-booked our grizzly bear trip well in advance and had big expectations - we certainly weren't disappointed !
Every member of staff we encountered from reception to Captain Ted and his on-board team were polite, friendly and knowledgeable and went out of their way to make this a day to remember.
The boat ride in itself was fantastic with breathtaking scenery and we even spotted humpbacks on the way!
When we arrived at the Orford River we were greeted by Homalco First Nation people, who took us to various points along the river in the hope of seeing some grizzly bears. You have to remember that this is wildlife and nothing is guaranteed (you'd have to go to a zoo for a guaranteed sighting!) however our hopes were high and we were completely blown away when we caught sight of our first bear! It's really hard to put into words the sound of the river and the birds singing, the smell of the salmon and the sight of bears, just "being bears" in their natural habitat - but suffice to say that feeling will stay with us forever!
I wholeheartedly recommend this company if you're thinking of booking a grizzly bear expedition.

We were fortunate to get 2 places on the Grizzley Bear trip and what a day it was. We managed to see Orca whales on the trip out and Captain John managed to get us close without being intrusive to the whales. After a very nice sandwich lunch and coffee, we were met by some local Hidalco Indians who were to be our guides. They were very knowledgeable and knew exactly where to take us to view the bears. We were lucky enough to see 13 grizzlies including 1 mother with 2 cubs and another with 3 cubs. We also saw 2 bald eagles, and then on the way back we were treated to a viewing of a small group of humpback whales. Captain John and Johanna were really great, and very informative about the local wildlife. In fact all of the team from start to finish, were really helpful. The whole trip was very well organised and we would not hesitate to recommend this company.