5/5
British Columbia: the Inside Passage, Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii
10 days from Vancouver: up Vancouver Island to Port Hardy, the 15- to 16-hour Inside Passage ferry to Prince Rupert, a grizzly boat into the Khutzeymateen, the 7-hour crossing to Haida Gwaii for four nights, and a flight home.
10 days · Round trip from Vancouver · up to 12 guests
Old Haida poles at a village site on Haida Gwaii Photo: Yvrsigmatech, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Totem_pole_ruins_in_Haida_Gwaii.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Vancouver
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Moderate because of the boats, not the walking. Two long ferry days (about 15 to 16 hours and about 7 hours) with lounges, decks and restaurants, a full day on a covered bear-viewing boat and a full day in an open Zodiac with beach landings, where you step over the side in waterproof boots. Walking is easy to moderate: up to about 5 km a day, with steep wooden stairs at Tow Hill. You can sit out any walk.
- Meals included
- 9 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 3 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,340 (estimated price)
- Season
- June to August
Highlights
Why this trip
- The Inside Passage by day on the BC Ferries summer sailing, on deck for whales, porpoises and eagles in about 16 hours of daylight
- A full day by boat into the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, watching grizzlies on the sedge flats from the water
- The crossing of Hecate Strait to Haida Gwaii, about 7 hours, with lunch on board
- The Haida Heritage Centre at Kay Llnagaay, its poles facing the beach at Skidegate
- A full day by Zodiac in Gwaii Haanas, ashore at an old Haida village site with a Haida Watchman, weather permitting
- Tow Hill and the North Beach of Naikoon Provincial Park, at the northern tip of the islands
- Four nights in one base on Haida Gwaii, and the flight home instead of the ferry back
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,340 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Vancouver
Vancouver International Airport to your hotel downtown
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Vancouver
- Drive about 30 min

Fly into Vancouver International Airport (YVR), about 15 km south of downtown, and a driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the half-hour drive to a central hotel. Plan to land by about 3 pm; the latest arrival time is confirmed with your final itinerary.
Afternoon
The afternoon is free and easy on foot: the seawall around Coal Harbour, the seaplanes landing beside Canada Place and the North Shore mountains across the water.
Evening
In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the days ahead, and it is worth hearing: one night here, the drive up Vancouver Island, the two long ferry days and why we sail them, and how the weather shapes the Haida Gwaii days. Then we walk into Gastown, the oldest part of the city, for a welcome dinner of west coast food. Get some sleep: tomorrow is the one long road day.
Included
- Pick-up at Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner in Gastown
Free time: Free until the early-evening briefing
Up the Island Highway to Port Hardy
Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay, ferry to Nanaimo, then north via Campbell River to Port Hardy
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Port Hardy
- Drive about 5 h
Evening
This is the one long road day, and it is long for a reason: the Inside Passage ship leaves Port Hardy, at the northern end of Vancouver Island, early tomorrow morning, so we must sleep there tonight. We leave after breakfast for Horseshoe Bay and the BC Ferries sailing to Nanaimo, about an hour and forty minutes across the Strait of Georgia, best spent on deck. From Nanaimo the Island Highway runs north, about 390 km. We break it into three parts: a stop at the beach at Qualicum, a sit-down lunch in Campbell River on Discovery Passage, and a leg-stretch on the quiet last stretch through forest where black bears often feed on the verges. We reach Port Hardy in the early evening. The hotel is close to the Bear Cove ferry terminal, and the evening is free for a walk along the harbour and an early night.
Included
- BC Ferries from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo
- Stop at Qualicum Beach
- Lunch in Campbell River
Free time: Evening free in Port Hardy
Activity: About 4.75 hours on the road plus the ferry, with three stops. Over our 4-hour cap because there is no shorter way to the morning sailing.
The Inside Passage by day
Port Hardy to Prince Rupert on the BC Ferries Inside Passage sailing
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Prince Rupert
- Drive about 18 min

Morning
The one very early start of the trip: we check in at the Bear Cove terminal about an hour before the early-morning sailing, because the ship sails once and does not wait. The summer sailing runs in daylight for most of its roughly 15 to 16 hours. The first two hours cross Queen Charlotte Sound, open to the Pacific, where the ship can roll; after that it slips into Fitz Hugh Sound and a chain of narrow channels between forested mountains, with no road anywhere beside them. Your guide spends the day on deck pointing out landmarks and watching for humpback whales, orcas, Dall's porpoises and bald eagles, and there are lounges with big windows when it rains.
Evening
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are in the ship's restaurant. Grenville Channel, long and narrow, comes in the evening light. We reach Prince Rupert late in the evening and transfer straight to a hotel near the waterfront.
Included
- BC Ferries Inside Passage sailing from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner on board
- Transfers to the Port Hardy terminal and to the Prince Rupert hotel
Optional experiences
- A private cabin on the ship for the day (price shown at booking)
Easier option: Book a cabin and rest between the best stretches; your guide will knock for whales.
Activity: About 15 to 16 hours on the ship, with lounges, open decks and a restaurant. Bring seasickness tablets if you need them for the first two hours.
Grizzlies in the Khutzeymateen
Prince Rupert by boat to the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Prince Rupert
- By boat

The Khutzeymateen, about 45 km northeast of Prince Rupert, was set aside in 1994 as Canada's first area protected for grizzly bears, and it is managed jointly with the Tsimshian First Nations. Only a few licensed boats go in, and nobody goes ashore: you watch from the water. After the late arrival we take the latest departure the operator offers, timed with the tide, from the harbour at Cow Bay. The boat runs up the coast for about two hours, watching for whales, seals and eagles, then idles along the estuary, where in June and July grizzlies graze the sedge flats, sometimes with cubs.
Afternoon
Lunch is on board. Grizzlies are often seen in season, though not on every trip.
Evening
We are back in Prince Rupert in the late afternoon, with a free evening in the cafes and seafood places of Cow Bay. On August departures, when the bears have moved up the rivers, the same day is a whale-watching boat in Chatham Sound.
Included
- Full-day Khutzeymateen grizzly-viewing boat from Prince Rupert, with lunch (June and July)
- Whale-watching boat in Chatham Sound in place of it on August departures
Easier option: Skip the boat: the Museum of Northern British Columbia in the morning, then the North Pacific Cannery at Port Edward in the afternoon (price shown at booking).
Free time: Evening free in Cow Bay
Activity: About 7 to 9 hours on a covered boat with a toilet. Dress in warm, dark layers; no perfume.
Across Hecate Strait to Haida Gwaii
Prince Rupert to Skidegate on the BC Ferries Haida Gwaii crossing, then Daajing Giids
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Daajing Giids (Haida Gwaii)
- Drive about 18 min

Morning
The second long ferry day, and a shorter one: about seven hours across Hecate Strait to Skidegate, on a BC Ferries sailing that leaves Prince Rupert mid-morning on the days it runs by day. The first hours follow the sheltered coast; then the ship heads out into the open strait, one of the shallowest and roughest stretches of water on this coast, though summer is its calmest season.
Afternoon
Lunch is on board. Your guide brings a map and the background for the islands: the Haida Nation, their villages and poles, and why the islands took back the name Haida Gwaii. In the late afternoon the low green line of Graham and Moresby islands rises ahead, and we land at Skidegate Landing, a few minutes from the Haida Heritage Centre.
Evening
A short drive takes us to our base for four nights in Daajing Giids, on the water, and we sit down to an arrival dinner together.
Included
- BC Ferries from Prince Rupert to Skidegate (Haida Gwaii)
- Lunch on board
- Arrival dinner in Daajing Giids
Activity: About 7 hours on the ship. Hecate Strait can be rough; bring seasickness tablets if you need them.
The Haida Heritage Centre at Kay Llnagaay
Daajing Giids to Kay Llnagaay and Skidegate, then Balance Rock
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Daajing Giids (Haida Gwaii)
- Drive about 30 min

A slow day after two days on the water. We reach the Haida Heritage Centre at Kay Llnagaay, beside the beach at Skidegate, when it opens, before the ferry foot traffic. Its cedar longhouses hold the Haida Gwaii Museum, a carving shed and canoes, and in front stand poles raised for the southern Haida villages, facing the sea. A local guide walks us through the galleries and the poles, and the guide's stories here make the Gwaii Haanas day mean more.
Afternoon
Before lunch we sit through the Gwaii Haanas orientation at the centre, about an hour, which the Haida Nation and Parks Canada ask of every visitor. Lunch is at the centre or nearby in Skidegate. In the early afternoon we drive a few minutes along the shore to Balance Rock, a boulder left perched on the shore by the glaciers, and walk the beach. Then the afternoon is free: the shops and galleries of Daajing Giids, where Haida artists sell carving and jewellery, or a quiet walk by the water.
Evening
This evening your guide briefs the group on tomorrow's boat and the forecast.
Included
- Haida Heritage Centre at Kay Llnagaay, with a guided tour of the galleries and poles
- Lunch in Skidegate
- Balance Rock and the beach
- Gwaii Haanas orientation
Easier option: Stay at the Heritage Centre after lunch and skip the beach walk.
More active option: In the free afternoon, walk the Spirit Lake trail above Skidegate, a loop of about 3 km through the forest.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: Easy: about 2 to 3 km on foot in short sections.
Gwaii Haanas by Zodiac
Daajing Giids to Skidegate Landing, ferry to Alliford Bay and road to Sandspit, then by Zodiac into Gwaii Haanas to K'uuna Llnagaay (Skedans) and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Daajing Giids (Haida Gwaii)
- Drive about 45 min

Gwaii Haanas, the southern third of the islands, has no roads: the only ways in are by boat or floatplane. The Zodiac operators are based at Sandspit on Moresby Island, so we leave the hotel at about 8 am for the 20-minute BC Ferries crossing from Skidegate Landing to Alliford Bay, then drive about 15 minutes to the boat base. Weather permitting, we spend the day in an open Zodiac with a licensed local operator, in survival suits, heading south along the east coast of Moresby Island to K'uuna Llnagaay (Skedans), an old Haida village site where Haida Watchmen live through the summer. If the sea demands it, the operator chooses another site on the day. A Watchman welcomes us ashore and walks us past house pits and weathered poles, and the stories are theirs to tell. On the water we watch for humpback whales, sea lions, seabirds and eagles.
Afternoon
Lunch is a packed meal with hot drinks on the beach.
Evening
We are back on Graham Island in the early evening, with the evening free. If the forecast is better tomorrow, we swap this day with the north island day.
Included
- BC Ferries from Skidegate Landing to Alliford Bay and back
- Full-day Zodiac trip into Gwaii Haanas from Sandspit with a licensed operator, survival suits and boots provided
- K'uuna Llnagaay (Skedans) or another Haida Watchmen village site, with Gwaii Haanas fees
- Lunch with hot drinks
Optional experiences
- Floatplane day to SGang Gwaay, the UNESCO World Heritage village site, in place of the Zodiac day (price shown at booking)
Easier option: Stay on Graham Island: a gentle day on the beaches near Tlell with the vehicle, then the Heritage Centre again.
More active option: Choose the floatplane to SGang Gwaay, the farthest village site, with a longer walk ashore.
Free time: Evening free
Activity: About 8 to 10 hours in an open boat, which can be bumpy, with beach landings in shin-deep water. Not suitable in pregnancy or with back problems.
Tow Hill and the north island
Daajing Giids up Highway 16 via Tlell and Port Clements to Masset, Old Massett and Tow Hill, then back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Daajing Giids (Haida Gwaii)
- Drive about 3.5 h

We drive north on the island's one highway, about 110 km to Masset (about 280 km and 3.5 hours of driving for the whole day, within our 4-hour cap), stopping at Tlell, where the river meets the beach, and at Port Clements on Masset Inlet. Tow Hill rises at the edge of Naikoon Provincial Park, about 26 km east of Masset, a basalt headland above the sand of North Beach. We walk the boardwalk to the blowhole, which spouts on a rising tide, then climb the wooden stairs to the lookout, where on a clear day you can see Alaska across Dixon Entrance. Then down to the long beach and the dunes for a walk at your own pace.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in Masset, and in the afternoon we visit Old Massett, a Haida village where carvers often work in open sheds, before driving back.
Evening
Tonight is the farewell dinner, with your guide's notes on the islands and a toast to the boat crews.
Included
- Tlell and Port Clements stops
- Tow Hill: the blowhole boardwalk and the lookout, Naikoon Provincial Park
- North Beach and the dunes
- Lunch in Masset
- Old Massett
- Farewell dinner
Easier option: Walk the flat boardwalk to the blowhole and skip the stairs to the lookout.
More active option: Add the beach walk along North Beach toward Agate Beach while the group has coffee, about 4 km.
Activity: About 3.5 hours of driving in short legs. Tow Hill lookout is a climb of steep wooden stairs, about 1 km each way.
Fly back to Vancouver
Daajing Giids to Skidegate Landing, ferry to Alliford Bay, then Sandspit Airport to Vancouver
- Breakfast
- Stay in Vancouver
- Drive about 45 min
Morning
A free morning on the islands: a last walk on the beach, coffee by the water or a final hour in the galleries. If yesterday's Gwaii Haanas day was cancelled for weather and today's forecast is fair, your guide will tell you whether a shorter boat trip is possible this morning.
Afternoon
Around midday we drive a few minutes to Skidegate Landing for the short BC Ferries crossing to Alliford Bay on Moresby Island, about 20 minutes, then on to Sandspit Airport. The scheduled flight to Vancouver takes under two hours, and the view of the mountains and islands on the way south is a last look at the route you came up by ferry. In Vancouver a driver takes us to a hotel near the airport or downtown, depending on what your flight home needs.
Evening
The evening is free; your guide is happy to suggest a place for dinner.
Included
- BC Ferries from Skidegate Landing to Alliford Bay
- Scheduled flight from Sandspit (YZP) to Vancouver (YVR), with checked bag
- Transfer to the hotel in Vancouver
Free time: Morning free on Haida Gwaii, evening free in Vancouver
Activity: Flight checked-bag limits apply; we confirm them with your final itinerary.
Depart Vancouver
Your hotel to Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
- Breakfast
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
The trip ends after breakfast. A driver takes you to Vancouver International Airport at a time that suits your flight, or you stay on in the city on your own.
Evening
Because last night was in Vancouver, you can book any flight home today, morning or evening, without the risk of a ferry delay or a fog-bound island airport getting in the way. If you have a free morning before an afternoon flight, the seawall at Coal Harbour, Stanley Park and Granville Island are all close to downtown, and your guide will have left suggestions the night before. If you want more of British Columbia, our Vancouver Island trip covers Victoria, Butchart Gardens and Tofino in the south of the island, which this route does not reach, and our Vancouver to Anchorage trip carries on north from Prince Rupert to Alaska and the Yukon. We can also add extra nights in Vancouver before or after the trip.
Included
- Transfer to Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
Free time: Free until your airport transfer
Activity: Any flight time works today.
- Vancouver1 night
- Port Hardy1 night
- Prince Rupert2 nights
- Daajing Giids (Haida Gwaii)4 nights
- Vancouver1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: June to August is the calm, long-light season on this coast: about 16 hours of daylight in June, cool days around 13 to 18 C, and rain or fog on any day. On the Inside Passage, humpback whales, orcas, Dall's porpoises and bald eagles are often seen, but never guaranteed. In the Khutzeymateen, grizzlies feed on the estuary sedges from late spring to about July; in August they move up the rivers for salmon, so August departures take a whale-watching boat from Prince Rupert instead.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want the north coast of British Columbia and Haida Gwaii without arranging ferries, boats and flights themselves
- Wildlife watchers happy to spend long hours on deck for whales and grizzlies
- Anyone interested in Haida art and history, told at the Heritage Centre and by a Watchman on site
- Solo travellers who want a small group and a guide for every ferry and boat
Not for you if you want
- Anyone who dislikes long days on the water: two ferry days of about 16 and 7 hours and two full boat days
- Travellers prone to bad seasickness: Queen Charlotte Sound, Hecate Strait and the Zodiac can be rough
- Hikers after long trail days
- Anyone needing a guaranteed grizzly or a fixed day in Gwaii Haanas: wildlife and weather decide
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
9 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Vancouver1 night
- Port Hardy1 night
- Prince Rupert2 nights
- Daajing Giids (Haida Gwaii)4 nights
- Vancouver1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 9 nights in hotels of at least 3-star-plus standard: 1 in downtown Vancouver, 1 in Port Hardy near the ferry, 2 in Prince Rupert, 4 in Daajing Giids on Haida Gwaii, 1 in Vancouver
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on day 1 and drop-off there on day 10
- Our own vehicle and driver from Vancouver to Port Hardy, and a local vehicle and driver on Haida Gwaii
- BC Ferries from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo
- BC Ferries Inside Passage sailing from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert (about 15 to 16 hours)
- BC Ferries from Prince Rupert to Skidegate (about 7 hours)
- BC Ferries from Skidegate Landing to Alliford Bay and back on day 7, and again on day 9
- Scheduled flight from Sandspit (YZP) to Vancouver (YVR)
- The Khutzeymateen boat (or the August whale boat) and the Gwaii Haanas Zodiac
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip, with licensed local boat crews in the Khutzeymateen and Gwaii Haanas, a local guide at the Haida Heritage Centre and a Haida Watchman at the village site
Activities
- Vancouver Island: Qualicum Beach and Campbell River
- Inside Passage: a day on deck with your guide
- Prince Rupert: full-day Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary boat (June and July) or a whale-watching boat (August)
- Skidegate: Haida Heritage Centre at Kay Llnagaay with a guided tour
- Skidegate: Balance Rock
- Gwaii Haanas: full-day Zodiac trip from Sandspit, a Haida Watchmen village site, orientation and fees
- Naikoon Provincial Park: Tow Hill, the blowhole and North Beach
- Masset and Old Massett
Meals
- Breakfast daily (9)
- 7 lunches: Campbell River, on the Inside Passage ship, on the Khutzeymateen boat, on the Haida Gwaii ferry, Skidegate, Gwaii Haanas and Masset
- 4 dinners: welcome dinner in Vancouver, on the Inside Passage ship, arrival dinner and farewell dinner on Haida Gwaii
Not included
- International flights to and from Vancouver
- An eTA or visa for Canada, if you need one
- Travel insurance, which should cover trip interruption by weather
- Meals not listed: dinners on day 2 in Port Hardy, day 4 in Prince Rupert, days 6 and 7 on Haida Gwaii and day 9 in Vancouver, lunch on day 9
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities: a cabin on the Inside Passage ship, the floatplane to SGang Gwaay, the North Pacific Cannery
- Excess baggage on the Sandspit flight
- Personal expenses
- Extra nights before or after the trip
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,340 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
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Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Nine nights in hotels, breakfast daily, seven lunches and four dinners, airport transfers, our vehicle and driver, all four BC Ferries sailings, the flight from Sandspit to Vancouver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, the full-day Khutzeymateen grizzly boat, the full-day Gwaii Haanas Zodiac with its fees, and the Haida Heritage Centre.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, never more. That size fits one bear-viewing boat and one or two Zodiacs, so the group stays together on the water, and everyone hears the Watchman at the village site.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the airport on day 1 to the airport on day 10, on every ferry and boat. Licensed local crews run the Khutzeymateen boat and the Gwaii Haanas Zodiac, a local guide leads the Heritage Centre tour, and a Haida Watchman hosts us at the village site.
How long are the ferry days, and will I get seasick?
The Inside Passage sailing from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert is about 15 to 16 hours, early morning to late evening; the Hecate Strait crossing to Skidegate is about 7 hours. We confirm the exact summer times at booking. Queen Charlotte Sound and Hecate Strait can roll, so bring seasickness tablets if you need them; summer is their calmest season.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately. The walking is easy, up to about 5 km a day, with steep stairs at Tow Hill. The demands are the boats: long ferry days, a full day on a covered bear boat and a full day in an open Zodiac with beach landings in shallow water. You can sit out any walk.
I am travelling solo. What will I pay?
A room of your own is CAD 1,340 on top of the shared-room price, shown up front with nothing added at checkout. Solo travellers share the same table, deck and boat as everyone else, and are often a good part of a small group.
When is the best time to go?
June to August only. That is when the Inside Passage sails by day, Haida Watchmen are at the village sites and Hecate Strait is at its calmest. June and July are best for Khutzeymateen grizzlies; in August the bears move up the rivers, so August departures take a whale-watching boat instead.
Will we see grizzlies and whales?
Likely, but no one can promise it. In June and July grizzlies graze the Khutzeymateen estuary and are often seen from the boat, though not on every trip. Humpback whales, orcas and porpoises are often seen from the ferries and the Zodiac. Your guide is on deck to spot them, and the boat days are worth it for the coast itself.
What happens if the weather stops the Gwaii Haanas trip?
We have two chances: the Gwaii Haanas day and the north island day swap if the forecast is better on the second day. If the sea is too rough on both, the operator cancels for safety, we refund the Gwaii Haanas cost, and your guide plans a day on Graham Island instead.
How does booking work?
Pick a start date and request to book. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. Dates are set around the ferry timetables. The small group starts from CAD 7,885 per person sharing, taxes included, and the private trip from CAD 14,195 per person.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose that fits the ferry schedule, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same ferries, boats and hotels.
Do I need a visa for Canada?
Most visitors flying in need either an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), applied for online before you fly, or a visa, depending on your passport. US citizens need only a valid passport. Check the Government of Canada rules for your nationality before you book flights.