Kayaking & Canoeingin in British Columbia
We bring you the best guide for Kayaking & Canoeingin in British Columbia. Few areas in the world are as beautiful to explore by kayak as the coastal waters of BC, with its jagged coastline and thousands of islands, inlets and coves. British Columbia is one of the premier adventure destinations in the world for ocean kayaking, whether you’re new to the sport, looking for an exciting adventure getaway, or simply out to improve your paddling skills. The kayaking season is mid-May to September.
The best guide for Kayaking & Canoeingin in British Columbia
Vancouver Island & the BC Gulf Islands
Vancouver Island’s vast number of lakes, rivers and ocean inlets are a pleasure to explore by canoe or kayak. The large, relatively isolated lakes of the north and central portion of Vancouver Island are enclaves of solitude. Kayakers glide through marine parks into scenic bays and lagoons and go ashore on secluded sandy beaches and uninhabited islands.
- Canoeing & Kayaking Services: North Vancouver Island and Broughton Archipelago
- Canoeing & Kayaking Services: West Coast Vancouver Island (Ucluelet, Tofino & Barkley Sound)
- Canoeing & Kayaking Services: Desolation Sound and BC Sunshine Coast
- Canoeing & Kayaking Services: Vancouver Island and BC Islands
- Canoeing & Kayaking Services: BC Gulf Islands and Discovery Islands
- Canoeing & Kayaking: Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC Gulf Islands
- Sea Kayaking: Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC Gulf Islands
- Whitewater Kayaking: Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC
Vancouver, Coast & Mountains
Exquisite kayaking adventures await paddlers in the crystal-clear waters of Desolation Sound and Sechelt Inlet, and the Powell Forest Canoe Route on the BC Sunshine Coast is considered one of the more significant paddle routes in the province. Closer to Vancouver, kayakers can explore Bowen Island, Burrard Inlet, Deep Cove, Howe Sound, and the numerous rivers and lakes of the Fraser Valley.
- Canoeing & Kayaking Services: Vancouver, Coast & Mountains
- Canoeing & Kayaking Services: Desolation Sound, Sunshine Coast
- Canoeing & Kayaking: Greater Vancouver, BC
- Canoeing & Kayaking: Fraser Valley, BC
- Canoeing & Kayaking: North Vancouver & West Vancouver, BC
- Canoeing & Kayaking: Squamish, Whistler & Howe Sound, BC
- Canoeing & Kayaking: Desolation Sound and Sunshine Coast, BC
Thompson Okanagan
The BC interior offers unlimited paddling and kayaking delights, including the challenging Thompson River, while Shuswap Lake, and its many arms, is one of the most popular canoeing locations in the Southern Interior. Peaceful paddling can be enjoyed on Kinbasket Lake, Murtle Lake in Wells Gray Park, Clearwater and Azure Lakes, and the various lakes around Lac Le Jeune.
- Canoeing & Kayaking Services: Thompson Okanagan
- Canoeing & Kayaking: North Thompson and Nicola Valley, BC
- Canoeing & Kayaking: Okanagan Valley, Shuswap, Similkameen, BC
Kootenay Rockies
The region boasts some huge lakes with endless paddling excursions, including Slocan Lake, Upper and Lower Arrow Lake, and Kootenay Lake in the heart of the B.C. Rocky Mountains of the West Kootenays. Paddling down the Fraser and Columbia Rivers in the Rocky Mountain trench, flanked by the Canadian Rockies, is an inspiring near-wilderness experience.
- Canoeing & Kayaking Services: Kootenay Rockies
- Canoeing & Kayaking: Nelson, Castlegar, Slocan, Kootenays, BC
- Canoeing & Kayaking: BC Rockies & Columbia River Valley, BC
Cariboo, Chilcotin, Coast
The wild and remote Central Coast offers spectacular kayaking opportunities, with coves, lagoons, sandy beaches, and rugged coastline. Kayakers explore the Fjordland Recreation Area and Princess Royal Island, home to the famous white Kermode (spirit) bear. Paddlers seeking a challenge can tackle the Bowron Lakes Chain, one of British Columbia’s most popular canoe routes.
- Canoeing & Kayaking Services: Cariboo, Chilcotin, Coast
- Canoeing & Kayaking: Cariboo, Wells & Bowron Lakes, BC
- Canoeing & Kayaking: Chilcotin River, Tweedsmuir, Chilcotin, BC
- Canoeing & Kayaking: Bella Coola, Discovery Coast, Tweedsmuir, BC
Northern BC and Haida Gwaii
The lure of kayaking around Haida Gwaii is strong, with every place as magical as the next. The former Queen Charlotte Islands offer prime paddling, with the tiny islands, secluded coves, and sheltered coastline of the southeast being the most popular kayaking destination. The north coast of BC is wild, with wonderfully varied shores – an exceptional destination for kayakers.
- Canoeing & Kayaking Services: Northern British Columbia
- Canoeing & Kayaking: Gwaii Haanas, Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands)
- Canoeing & Kayaking: Prince George & North East BC
- Canoeing & Kayaking: Nechako River, Tweedsmuir, North West BC
Premier Listings
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#1 Attraction in Golden on TripAdvisor. Glacier Raft Company has been running rafting trips on the Kicking Horse River since 1982. Our Kicking Horse River trips include whitewater rafting, kayak tours scenic floats, and heli rafting. Half-day and full-day adventures are offered, along with multi-day trips that include the Kootenay River. Raft and Play packages combine rafting with golfing, skydiving, ATVing, horseback riding, and visits to the Kicking Horse Grizzly Bear Refuge, Kayak rentals are also available.
Given the experience, passion, professionalism and camaraderie we share, we’re extremely proud of our rafting crew. Whether it’s your first time, or you make an annual appearance, we will welcome you into our rafting family. We truly love what we do, and we hope to share it with you!
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Whether watching whales, dipping into Hot Springs Cove, or kayaking to a rainforest trail, people of all ages have enjoyed our excursions since 1986. We launch out of Tofino in Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island, just minutes from Long Beach and Pacific Rim National Park. We look forward to welcoming you aboard for a Clayoquot Sound adventure by Remote Passages.
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The Flow Wilderness Retreat is located on the wilderness Maurelle Island, just east of Quadra Island in the Discovery Islands, surrounded by emerald green waters offering some of the finest kayaking in the world. Our central location allows us to explore three unique provincial marine parks and return to our luxury base camp each evening.
Enjoy a fresh shore lunch at a different scenic location each day. Relax after a day of adventure with our cedar-wood-fired hot tub, hot showers, hammocks and your private, cozy, cabin accommodation. Three-course gourmet meals with wine are served each evening on our seaside patio overlooking the islands of the Surge Narrows Marine Park.
Water-taxi pick up from Campbell River on Vancouver Island or Heriot Bay on Quadra Island can be arranged through our office with Discovery Launch Water Taxi. Kick back, relax and enjoy a scenic cruise through the enchanting archipelago that is the Discovery Islands.
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Ocean Light Adventures introduces their new vessel for summer 2021. The powerboat Afterglow is a 60ft Monk designed Gulf Commander with 5 staterooms and 3 heads, offering amazing wildlife viewing from all windows and from the spacious top deck. Her crew has 34 years of experience offering natural history and photography tours on the BC Coast, including Haida Gwaii, and specializing in grizzly viewing tours in the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, and spirit bear and grizzly tours in the Great Bear Rainforest. We also offer whale watching and eco tours, from totems to intertidal treasures, rocky shores to sandy beaches, and spawning salmon to towering trees. We offer five spectacular adventure trips between May and October, each to a different region and each highlighting the awe-inspiring beauty of the beautiful BC coast.
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Adventure Seekers & Nature Lovers – OCEAN OUTFITTERS is the place to kick off all your Tofino activities! Our experienced, local guides will pilot you through beautiful Clayoquot Sound to view gray whales, humpbacks, orcas (killer whales), black bears, sea otters, sea lions, wolves, eagles and other seabirds aboard one of our luxury covered boats, or one of our Zodiac boats.
Whether you’re headed to Hot Springs Cove, joining us for an inlet tour to view Black Bears, or wanting to meet up close and personal with our local gray whales, humpbacks, and orcas… we are your gateway to adventure!
Looking for a calmer and more intimate experience? Join us on a beautiful 4.5 hour guided kayak trip in a remote part of Clayoquot Sound. While kayaking through the calm waters and discussing the history of Clayoquot Sound, we will also be looking for Harbour Seals, Black Bears, Bald Eagles and various other forms of wildlife that out populate humans in this area!
Interested in fishing? We are proud to bring you some of the best fishing itineraries that Tofino has to offer! Charters are available for both experienced fisherman and families looking for fun. Tofino offers world-renown deep sea salmon fishing, as well as excellent ‘family friendly’ fishing areas with calm, protected waters, and LOTS of fish. Helping kids and novice boaters explore the wonders of our area and wildlife is a big part of what we love to do. Also available on our Fishing Charters, is our sea-to-fork ‘Gourmet At Sea’ add-on, where our guide (who is a professional trained chef) will prepare your freshly-caught seafood for you while you’re still on the water!
Our programs are not only a ton of fun, but they are also educational and encourage stewardship. We are a certified green business and are committed to connecting you with nature and to inspiring conservancy. Live the experience with Ocean Outfitters!
Our waterfront location on Main Street, in the Shore building, has all of gear needed to get you out there, as well as organic coffee to fuel your adventures! We are proud retailers of Arcteryx, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, Vortex binoculars, Pendleton, and a great collection of books. Feel free to enjoy our lounge/cafe before or after your trip.
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Orca Dreams offers twenty years experience hosting people from around the world in the wildlife-rich waters of Johnstone Strait and Broughton Archipelago, off the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Orca Dreams now offers Canada’s first whale-watching camp, with BC packages that include 4 days of luxury camping.
Watch surfacing humpback whales, a passing pod of orcas, or a curious seal pass by while sipping your morning coffee from your waterfront safari-style tent. Whale watch from camp, kayak or boat, surrounded by the rich wildlife of coastal BC.
Orca Dreams is situated within the traditional territory of the Mamalilikula-Qwe’Qwa’Sot’Em First Nation, on Compton Island on the edge of Blackney Pass, one of the most wildlife-rich marine ecosystems in the world. Blackney Pass connects Queen Charlotte Strait with Johnstone Strait where the strong currents churn up nutrients from deep below, feeding everything from small herring to the 40-ton humpback whales.
Blackney Pass is also one of the best places in North America to view Orcas – also known as Killer Whales – as they make their way to and from Johnstone Strait and the rubbing beaches of Robson Bight on Vancouver Island.
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Located in the quaint fishing village of Ucluelet, close to Barkley Sound, the Broken Group Islands, and the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, our kayaking and hiking tours range from short half-day tours to week-long adventures. Whether you are an experienced or novice sea kayaker and/or hiker looking for a new and exciting adventure, or someone who is not really sure what the west coast of Vancouver Island is all about, we promise we will find the right experience for you.
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Kayaking and hiking are great ways to explore the beautiful beaches, peaceful coves, offshore islands, wildlife and the native forests that make up our coastline. Participate at your own pace by sampling a half-day trip, full-day trip, or come on a guided overnight trip and allow us to take you to all of our favorite places.
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Experience exceptional fishing for Salmon, Halibut, Red Snapper and Ling Cod in our protected, uncrowded waters in Hakai Pass on the West Coast of BC. Fishing within 5 minutes of our comfortable, clean full-service floating Lodge, everything is taken care off by our experienced, enthusiastic young staff. Fabulous Food, private accommodation, world-class fishing and genuine hospitality are what you can expect from this family-run Fishing Lodge.
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Kayaking British Columbia is the ultimate way to view BC’s abundant wildlife.
We want you to fall in love with kayaking and our unique coast, and our passion shows in everything we do. Choose among several professionally-guided 4-8 day trips for all experience levels around Vancouver Island. ‘Glamping’ basecamp-style with wood-fired hot tub overlooking the Pacific Ocean, or expedition-style paddling from camp to camp and paddling between 100s of islands through the Broughton Archipelago, famous Desolation Sound and the wild Great Bear Rainforest on the Central Coast. Savouring a fresh salmon BBQ in the open air, explore and view fascinating wildlife and wilderness and wake up on remote islands with the sound of the whales. Unique and breathtaking.
Our adventures are for everyone and are designed to cater to all levels of experience and abilities. We take care to introduce you to the sport in a fun and safe manner. All that we ask is that you welcome adventure with an open mind and are able to laugh and have fun when encountering the unexpected. Our groups are small, ranging from 8 to 13 people, depending on the trip, in order to provide you with the best experience possible. We provide everything you need for a once in a lifetime kayaking adventure. We provide high-quality fiberglass kayaks, paddling equipment, camp cookware, eating utensils, and camping gear.
Our guides take care of you for the entire duration of your tour, prepare delicious, organic and local meals, and have extensive training and experience in sea kayaking and in sharing the natural and cultural history of the area.
During the Northern Hemisphere winter, we also offer kayaking trips to the glacier-fed South American wildlife paradise, the Chilean Patagonia Archipelago, and multi-day escapes to sun, sand, remote beaches and the warm crystal clear waters of the Bahamas. Please contact us for all details of these amazing winter getaways!
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Outpost Location:
Bedwell Sound
West Coast Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island’s celebrated luxury outpost Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge skirts the banks of its namesake ocean inlet, Clayoquot Sound, and offers an escape to the still, tranquil beauty of Canada’s remote wilderness. Set among magnificent conifer forests, the lodge offers guests an unforgettable experience of the landscape and its wildlife. Twenty-five canvas tents designed with contemporary interiors complement period and local artisan-designed pieces to offer a decadent retreat.
Guests have direct access to 600-acres of gloriously wild nature reserve where opportunities for adventure, education, natural enrichment and personal connection abound. Experiences span equestrian, marine-based, land-based, helicopter and fishing adventures.
Drawing inspiration from Vancouver Island’s wild beauty, Executive Chef Asher Blackford translates the landscape to the plate through the sights, scents and tastes of the region and uses premium sustainable, locally grown and foraged ingredients to deliver a 5-star taste of the destination.
Adventure-filled days are bolstered by the freedom to unwind at the spa, where physical and spiritual sanctuary are found in restorative treatments for body and soul. Featuring a waterfront massage tent, saunas and cedar hot tubs for relaxing and drinking in the view.
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Wildcoast provides memorable kayak vacations for adventure travellers that combine spectacular scenery, scrumptious food, and abundant wildlife encounters, including whales, dolphins, bears and eagles. Kayak with Killer Whales at our Orca base camp in Johnstone Strait, or take one of our kayak expeditions to Desolation Sound or the Discovery Islands. Our top-rated service caters to both local and international clientele. All kayak tours are fully inclusive and no kayaking experience is required. Only have a day? Visit our storefront for paddleboard and kayak Rentals or Day Tours in the stunning vistas surrounding Quadra Island.
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Sea Kayak in comfort based from our ocean-side, or float-house accommodations in the wilderness of the Broughton Archipelago, a kayak paradise. The phrase ‘Walking Softly in the Wilderness’ has always been a guiding principle for our homesteading lifestyle and approach to developing our inn. Paddlers Inn has earned a Gold rating from Green Tourism Canada for our efforts to continually reduce our impact on the environment, while supporting others to do the same. We also offer Acupressure massage on-site. Surround yourself with ocean, beaches, trails, an inland lake, and quiet beauty.
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Sewell’s Marina at Horseshoe Bay is one of the premier moorage locations in Greater Vancouver, offering exciting 2-hour Sea Safari wildlife eco-tours, self-drive boat rentals, guided salmon fishing charters, moorage and Group Sea Quest corporate Scavenger Hunts. Howe Sound is just minutes away, 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver. Come visit our Ocean Playground! Scheduled shuttle-bus service to and from downtown Vancouver.
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Kayak the Majestic West Coast waters of British Columbia. Our ecotourism adventures will take you to Barkley Sound, the Broken Group Islands, Pacific Rim National Park, Clayoquot Sound and the Deer Group Islands. We provide Part-day, Full-day, and Multi-day trips. Camp on pristine beaches, eat gourmet food, hike through dense rain forests, and learn about the rich variety of Pacific Coast seashore life. Rental kayaks available.
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In 1987 we built our off-grid kayaking lodge in the Discovery Islands with a dream of crafting life-changing multi-day sea kayaking experiences. We still live where we paddle, and our passion for exploring our remote corner of British Columbia has only grown stronger.
Guided trips combine skills instruction, wilderness adventure, and meals prepared from our own garden produce, local sea foods, and home baking. Our kayaking tours explore sheltered routes amid marine parks, abundant wildlife, and rainforest islands – all with spectacular views of the highest peaks of the rugged Coast Mountains.
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