Monday

Haida Gwaii Adventure Tours And Travel For BC Visitors

By Tonia Merritt


Visitors planning an itinerary for Haida Gwaii adventure tours and travel can easily spend the entire week exploring the waters and the amazing world beneath. The entire stay could also be spent on land, discovering both manmade as well as natural wonders. A flexible tour itinerary can be comprised of elements from both aquatic and terra firma plans. Here's a look at all such components that go into making this visit an adventure to remember.

There are 138 islands in this archipelago located 62 miles offshore from the BC mainland. The Island of Graham is the commercial base, offering the best Haida Gwaii accommodations in and around communities such as Masset and Queen Charlotte. The Island of Moresby is the preferred choice for national park visitors, since it is home to the magnificent Gwaii Haanas National Park.

This archipelago was known as the Queen Charlotte Islands before being renamed as Haida Gwaii (Islands of the People). The change in name hasn't affected their appeal as a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Tour groups often encounter the world's largest species of black bear which roam the forests. Adventurers entering this wilderness must have the physical strength and endurance to tackle nature in the raw.

Boats will take visitors out into the ocean where they can get up close to migrating whales and a dazzling array of thousands of sea birds nesting on remote islands. For a bigger adrenaline rush, try kayaking tours or a deep-sea sport fishing expedition. The biggest challenge on land is simply getting through the rain-forest in one piece.

It's always possible to wander around with a map in hand or take a scenic road trip on Highway 16 which connects both islands and all their villages. However, this is a huge place with a total landmass of 3,931 square miles. Things will go a lot better if there is a planned itinerary and a guide who knows from experience what visitors like to see and do.

A charter boat can be booked for fishing expeditions. It's also possible to book fishing lodges on one of the smaller islands, which are usually desolate apart from a boat ramp and the lodge. Local nature experts who double as tour guides can lead visitors on nature trails and bird-watching expeditions. Many will take a group camping for a week, engaging them with kayaks and surfboards, hikes, beaches, tree-climbing and so on.

The Gwaii Haanas National Park presents a unique challenge. This tour starts from Cumshewa Inlet and heads south, or heads north after starting from at Ninstints aka SGaang Gwaay at the other end. Along the way, visitors will experience a thrilling week in the outdoors where they must fish for food, hike and use kayaks to move forward. It also provides opportunities for nature exploration and an up-close look at ancient Haida heritage sites.

All said and done, Haida Gwaii adventure tours and travel offer visitors a rare opportunity to get away from modernity and rediscover the simplicity and pleasure of life in the outdoors. But this is no ordinary camping trip, so be prepared for a wild patch of land and sea as yet untamed by man in North America. The best part is that it's not necessary to fly half-way around the world to find this adventure.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment