Depart from our Campbell River Marine Adventure Centre aboard our comfortable, heated, covered vessels for a scenic 2 hour boat trip into Bute Inlet. Your arrival at the dock in Orford Bay begins a 3 hour land-based experience led by members of the Homalco First Nations. Local Indigenous guides will transport you by bus to a variety of raised wildlife viewing platforms and prime ground viewing locations to look for the magnificent grizzly bear, elk, bald eagles, and more. The grizzly bears converge on the Orford River valley between August and October every year to feast on the spawning salmon in preparation for the long winter hibernation. During our trip to and from Bute Inlet you may also see killer whales, humpback whales, dolphins, porpoises, black bears, seals and sea lions, and a variety of colourful sea birds – all in an unspoiled natural environment. Lunch is served in Orford Bay with an unobstructed view of the estuary and its spectacular mainland mountain surroundings.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 6.
keeping our eyes open for whales and other marine mammals in the area
After a scenic boat ride we'll arrive at the Orford River in Bute Inlet where you will be met by members of the Homalco First Nations. You will have an opportunity to view Grizzly Bears as they descend on the river to feast on salmon.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
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All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Grizzly Bear Expedition lasts about 9 hours. The itinerary has 2 stops.
Prices start at $598 per person for this Vancouver Island experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 10:00 AM.
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
The meeting point is Guests must check in with our Marine Centre 24 hours prior to scheduled tour for confirmation. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 12 participants.
Confirmation is sent by the operator within 24 hours of booking.
Travellers rate it 4.9 out of 5 across 81 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Big Animal Encounters.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
A really excellent day with friendly, knowledgeable guides and wonderful wildlife viewing. The picnic lunch was also very good. We were lucky to have excellent weather, and we saw 12 grizzlies including a few cubs and yearlings, plus 2 black bears, sealions, golden eagles, humpback whales and lots of beautiful scenery.
Any trip like this depends on the conditions on the day, how you get there (including the captain of the boat), and the cooperation of the animals (grizzlies). We had a long day, starting at 10:30am and not getting back until after 8pm. However, the lateness was due to the dedication of the captain (Chris) to finding a pod of Orcas that were hunting in the locality, so that was fine. The actual boat ride is over 100 miles (160 km) and we had a lovely day for the trip. However, some people on the boat were cold and it would be nice if the boat had some blankets to spread over legs. The lunch om the dock when we arrived was pretty basic, but then we loaded up into a small coach for the trip to see Grizzlies. Unfortunately, we only saw bears at one stop, but that's the luck of the draw. The folks running the tour didn't really seem to know how to find bears - at least that was the impression given as we drove around to no avail. One thing that surprised me is that three coaches of visitors toured the area at the same time. I guess that's commerical reality, but don't think that you'll be on your own in the wilderness. We did see some eagles, which was good, and orca and humpback whales and sealions en route. Overall, it was a very nice day.
An amazing experience! Seeing grizzly bears in British Columbia was truly unforgettable. The boat trip was fantastic, and we were also lucky enough to spot whales. Captain Jason’s explanations made the whole experience even more interesting and memorable. The staff were knowledgeable and professional, and the experience with the local community to see the grizzlies was fantastic. We had incredibly close and emotional sightings, always in complete safety. Highly recommended!
On this tour we saw 8 grizzly bears. Our guide Paul brought us safely back to a rough sea. The trip was fantastic
Such an incredibly brillant day, from our boat ride with Jason, who was found us Orca, to hump backs, to dolphins, to seals, he knew where they hung out and found them. To the scenery and the peacefulness of the land. Then to be greeted by the wonderful Holmalco people, Cheyenne, and James were our guides and welcomed us to their land, where they told us and taught us alot of their stories, language, customs.We found bears or all sizes, mamas with their cubs to one giant loner. It was an experience of a lifetime, one we will never forget and have come to appreciate the beauty of BC
Bear Watching with Paul was a Great Trip, we saw 6 Bears, Golden & Bald Eagle, added bonus of seeing Hump Backs and Orcas on the way to the island. Was a great day with a very professional company and the communication by email and verbally was first class. Want a great trip then book this company for a great day out.
We had a fantastic guide Jason who found us incredible sea life on the way to and from the bear expedition. We saw mating orca, humpback whales, sea lions and an enormous pod of dolphins. With the Homalco wildlife and cultural tour guides for the land based expedition we were lucky enough to see 6 grizzlies, including a mumma and cubs. Would highly recommend.
Fabulous day! Big Animal Encounters is a top-notch company, epitomizing Canadian hospitality at its finest. We first watched a safety video, then boarded the very comfortable enclosed boat. Our guide, Jason, ensured we had time to enjoy watching the humpback whales on the trip out. They seemed to frolic - lots of breaching and waving their large pectoral fins. What a treat! Stellar seal lions, Dall’s porpoises, and Bald Eagles also made appearances. Although we had planned to eat the very yummy sack lunches on board the boat, our First Nation Homalco guides, Kalvin and Wilson, invited us to eat in the Homalco Meeting House. We enjoyed the warmth of the wood fire and time to read several posters to learn more about this First Nation tribe. Then, off on the bus to several grizzly bear viewing sites. Although people returning from an earlier excursion had reported seeing lots of bears, and guide Jason said the same about his outing the day before, our group instead practiced quiet patience. Finally, Wilson announced “Bears!”, and we watched in awe as a grizzly sow fished for herself and her two cubs. Clumsy little tykes! One kept doing belly flops onto the salmon in the river. Cute, but certainly not effective. Good thing Mom had the knack for scooping a salmon at every attempt. We bade farewell to Kalvin and Wilson and returned to the boat. Forty-plus years’ experience on these waters guided Jason’s choice of the safest route back to Campbell River. Still, the tide faced opposing winds, and the seas were rough. We appreciated having a seasoned helmsman whom we trusted completely. We would encourage anyone considering such an excursion to go with Big Animal Encounters- and we hope you will have Jason as your guide.
Had an Amazing Adventure with Big Animal Encounters on Wednesday, September 24th to see the grizzly bears! Our Captain Paul was experienced & knowledgeable. The Homalco guides were fantastic giving us a wealth of knowledge. All definitely made our experience memorable & I highly recommend them! Don & Karen M.
Amazing trip with the Grizzly Bear tour part, but the boat driver, Paul, was rude and aggressive. Saw him yell at a German lady for walking to the tour bus, he had several goes at an Arab guy, not racist but rude. Would not answer questions or engage. Made it really tense. But remove the boat ride there and back, bloody amazing we saw 13 Grizzlys
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grizzly Bear Expedition | 9 hours | 4.9 (81) | $598 | |
 Campbell River Bute Inlet Grizzly Watching Tour and Boat Ride | 8–10 hours | 4.8 (120) | $592 | View |
 Victoria Half-Day Whale Watching Adventure with Free Photos | 3h 30min | 4.9 (2,776) | $154 | View |
 Victoria Whale and Wildlife Cruise | 3h 30min | 4.9 (2,375) | $136 | View |
 Victoria Guided Food and History Tour | 2 hours | 5.0 (2,261) | $83 | View |
 Victoria Zodiac Boat Whale Watching Adventure | 3 hours | 4.8 (1,097) | $147 | View |
 Whistler Tour from Vancouver + Sea to Sky Gondola + Shannon Falls | 10 hours | 4.8 (1,027) | $151 | View |