British Columbia 2026: Whales, Bears and a Very Special Wolf
by Darren Rees
I’ve just returned from beautiful British Columbia on the west coast of Canada. It was another wonderful trip, with so many highlights I don’t quite know where to start.
There was lots of fun out on the water. We had five boat trips, with fabulous encounters with Orca pods on four of them. We followed two social ‘resident’ pods and two more menacing ‘transient’ pods. Watching Killer Whales in stealth mode as they hunted seals, deftly negotiating the channels and surf around rocky islets, will certainly stay with me.
There were plenty of Humpback Whales to enjoy too, testament to the richness of these waters. We watched several lunge-feeding, chasing bait fish to the surface with their huge gapes. At other times, they simply lay at the surface with their enormous mouths open in so-called ‘trap-door feeding’. We also had close encounters with boisterous Dall’s Porpoises, the fastest of all cetaceans, and more leisurely, bottom-feeding Grey Whales.
We time our visit to coincide with the annual salmon run, traditionally the best time to see Grizzly Bears as they gorge themselves on the seasonal glut. Our excursion by boat to Bute Inlet was a firm favourite, as ever. We watched more Orcas and Humpbacks in the scenic waterways before arriving in Homalco First Nation territory to watch the bears in the most spectacular of settings.
There were lots of Black Bears working the coastlines and rivers too, and we were lucky enough to watch them combing the shore right in front of our idyllic lodge. There was even one there when we arrived on the first night. We watched with our bags still packed in the van!
Other mammal highlights included an American Mink repeatedly catching small fish in rock pools and scurrying back and forth to cache its food; a River Otter bringing a large flatfish to the rocks beneath us; rare Vancouver Island Marmots; and adorable Sea Otters wrapped in kelp or gently sculling along on their backs.
The birds are always special too, with plenty of charismatic Bald Eagles, striking Harlequin Ducks, friendly Canada Jays, noisy Belted Kingfishers and busy shorebirds. Stand-outs included a Pileated Woodpecker chiselling away at a tree in full view and a surprise Northern Pygmy Owl, bobbing its head and tooting away in broad daylight.
My personal highlight? I’ve long read about the famed coastal Grey Wolves, or Sea Wolves, that hunt and forage along the remote shores of the Pacific Northwest, and I’ve often wondered if we would ever come across one of these near-mythical animals.
We were incredibly fortunate when this beauty emerged, walking along the rocks and looking at us nonchalantly, before curling up at the base of a tree. What a magical moment.
You can see why I’m already looking forward to doing it all again next year.
Do join us!
If you would like to join our next trip to British Columbia , you’ll find further information and bookings here. Please email us or phone 01479 812498 if you have any queries.
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