We booked our Homalco Wildlife Tour through Painters Lodge and had an incredible experience. We left the dock at Painters Lodged and enjoyed a two hour scenic boat ride up to the pristine Bute Inlet and Orford River. The boat is covered and has a toilet for those that may have drank too much coffee in the morning. It's not overly large boat, but well equipped and can handle the chop. Our captain (Leith sp?) was so informative and accompanied us throughout the day. Lunch was provided and there was plenty of food. Our Homalco guides were Calvin and Wilson and I can't say enough about them. The respect they demonstrated for the land, wildlife, and culture was first and foremost. They made us feel welcomed and I felt privileged to be there. Their knowledge of the land and inhabitents was all that I had hoped for and more. The weather was warm and sunny, but I felt this tour would have been spectacular even in the rain. Watching the grizzlies in their natural habitat was breathtaking. I thought I knew a lot about grizzlies but I learned so much more by the end of the tour The transportation and viewing platforms was first-rate. Everything was well organized. I hope as many people as possible will go see these magnificent bears in their natural environment ... NOT in a zoo or as a trophy. As a bonus we saw a magnificent Roosevelt Elk on the river. On the boat ride we stopped to see a beautiful black bear near a waterfall, witnessed thousands of birds and a large group of Stellar Sea Lions. If your extra lucky you might see a Humpback whale or a transient orca. To sum it up, we had an amazing day! Worth every penny.
Thank you so much to Herby and Michael our Homalco guides for giving us a wonderful safe viewing of at least nine Grizzly bears on our trip on 23 September . It was a fantastic experience and one we will never forget and wonderful photos to show to family and friends .At times we were only a few metres from the bears but felt completely safe in their hands . We also learnt some of their language and listened to some of their wonderful stories . If you are in this area you must go with these wonderful people .
We booked our tour through Painters Lodge and were not disappointed. The experience of seeing grizzlies in their natural habitat was amazing. Our guides Dude and Anthony were very knowledgeable and helpful with any questions we had. The interpretive center was informative as were all of the Homalco people on site. This was an adventure of a lifetime and would strongly recommend it to anyone. Thank you for our special day.
We booked this tour with Discovery Marine Safaris. Our local Homalco guide Kelvin was determined to find us as many grizzlies as possible It was magic to watch a mother and cub hunting salmon together just metres away, or to watch a older male having a "bath" in the glacial river. We saw 14 grizzlies and took hundreds of photos!
Kelvin also kept us enthralled with stories about the Homalco Nation and their language and at the end of our trip, three of the local guides sang us traditional songs down by the pontoons. The traditional songs along with the beat of the drums to a backdrop of the mountains and the glacial green water of the inlet was moving
Thanks to Kelvin and the team, the whole day was amazing!
Wonderful tour - Cheyanne and Tiffany were great guides! Seeing grizzlies in their natural habitat, surrounded by cloud shrouded mountain peaks, and rivers teeming with salmon and birds was an incredible and magical experience. Also really enjoyed the cultural center and learning about the Homalco. Loved the artwork and carvings in the center. Was travelling with my 75 year old mom, brother and cousin who were visiting from Germany - all of them thoroughly enjoyed the trip and were in awe of the pristine beauty of this area. Would highly recommend this tour!
