Great Bears of Bute: Grizzly Bear Viewing & Indigenous Cultural Tour
5.0
202 Ratings
Campbell River
Experience the awe-inspiring beauty of grizzly bears in their natural habitat on this immersive wildlife and cultural tour. Join an Indigenous guide and support the cultural and economic recovery of the Homalco First Nation people.
Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Salish Sea - Journey in comfort on-board a covered, heated boat through the Salish Sea to Orford Bay. Along the way your skipper and First Nation guide will share their knowledge of the human history and legends of this spectacular area while on the lookout for humpback whales, orcas, dolpins, sea lions, bald eagles and more.
What's Included
  • Snacks included
  • All applicable fees and taxes covered
  • On-board restrooms for convenience
  • Lunch provided
  • Complimentary tea and coffee
Additional Information

Witness grizzly bears in their natural habitat on this breathtaking wildlife, cultural and marine tour. Join an Indigenous guide and visit the traditional territory of the Homalco First Nations in Bute Inlet. Bear viewing, whale watching and cultural exploration make for a one-of-a-kind adventure.

This is the only bear tour from Campbell River that is 100% indigenous owned and provides you with an immersive indigenous experience from start to finish. By choosing Homalco Tours you help contribute to the cultural and economic recovery of the Homalco First Nation people and youth. Thank you for choosing us and in the language of our people “ʔiymot” (it is good).

  • Guests must be able to climb stairs
Location
Homalco Wildlife and Cultural Tours
Island Highway
Homalco Tours is located at the Coast Marina, 1003B Island Hwy, Campbell River, BC V9W 2C4. The office is located next to Dockside Fish & Chips. All-day parking is available at the Tyee Plaza Shopping Centre across the street.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(202 Ratings)
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V9860clbrendad
Nov 20, 2023
Splendid - Incredible! We went on the grizzly bear tour, and it was a beautiful experience. The main guide (boat captain) was wonderful and extremely friendly. The bear guides were fantastic, the lunch they provided was delicious, and we were lucky enough to see orcas on the way. Additionally, we had the amazing opportunity to witness a mother bear and her cub enjoying salmon. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bernardienh2023
Nov 9, 2023
Perfect! - Wonderful small-scale excursion, carried out by a dedicated group of professionals from the Homalgo First Nation Tribe. Experienced skipper and on-board guide, high quality lunch ( make sure you inform them in advance of dietary wishes ! ), restroom on board and on the island where the grizzlies live, breathtakingly beautiful scenery and powerful first acquaintance with stories and songs from the Homalgo First Nation culture. Plus a 100% seeing rating for the bears in 2023! We went on the very last excursion of the season and saw grizzlies, bald eagles, fish eagles and Steller sealions.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wanderer51795324139
Oct 23, 2023
The beautiful bears of Bute - We had a fabulous time and the memories of getting up close to these beautiful bears will remain with us forever. Thank you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jess_l_cliffe
Oct 21, 2023
Can’t wait to return on another tour! - Though I am a local, being able to view a Grizzly Bear has been on my bucket list for a while. I felt fortunate that I had waited until now to go. I felt that I was in comfortable hands and was able to enjoy the tour and not worry about my safety. Ron was an excellent captain of the boat. I found our co-pilot, Janet to be extremely knowledgeable on the various wildlife, and her knowledge of First Nations history made the tour enjoyable. Upon arriving at Orford Bay we were met by James and Stu, who were our guides on land, who were also very knowledgeable of the history, culture and stories of the First Nations territory. Again I was impressed by the safety that the whole team had for us guests. Being in the bears territory , one team member would watch in one direction and another would watch in the other direction, while we were told the history and stories of the culture. On our first stop we saw a Grizzly Bear not more than 10 feet from the lookout tower, and we saw many eagles also. On the way back home to Campbell River we saw Sea Lions, seals, eagles, and cormorants. I will definitely go on this tour again next year. Thank you for this amazing experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jasonmf2838zn
Oct 21, 2023
Absolutely amazing! - Such an amazing trip! We went towards the end of the salmon run but still saw some Grizzlies! Even saw a mom and her Cub! The views are absolutely breathtaking on the boat ride and while eating the provided lunch on the dock. The team even tracked some whales on the way back and we saw a family of orcas! Trip is worth the money!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Markv68
Oct 20, 2023
SO GOOD I WENT AGAIN - An excellent day all round and so good, I went again. Worth the time and effort to get to Campbell River. Great service from the office before-hand and Sharon was super helpful when I arrived telling me where to go to see bears locally. One of my better experiences and a really professional outfit.
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Lizguid
Oct 17, 2023
One of the most incredible days of my life - I'm still speechless thinking about the day we had. We came to Campbell river just for this excursion, to go to the land of the Grizzlies, it was a dream I had since I was a child, thanks to Homalco this dream came true and it was much more than I could ever imagine. You are professionals, too good and respectful of the environment. Thank you very much for making a now woman happy, with a dream she had since she was a child. We saw 8 grizzlies and 2 black bears, lots of squirrels, sea lions and porpoises. Thank you truly from the bottom of my heart.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gregd680
Oct 16, 2023
AWESOME - Such a wonderful experience…we saw humpbacks, dolphins, stellar sea lions and of course grizzlies…we have so many great memories of our day. If you can do this excursion, do it! Jared and Wilson were excellent bear guides. They made us feel safe and were just straight up nice people…we never felt rushed and spent a lot of time with different wildlife… It was awesome learning about the Homalco people too… I really can’t say enough about this trip….it’s just amazing!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karenld6222lj
Oct 15, 2023
Beautiful informative tour, tons of wildlife - A beautiful tour with lots of great info from our guides (who were also family!) Cassie, Flavian, Cheyenne and Gary. We saw 13 bears! As well as sea lions, harbor seals, porpoises and bald eagles. Delicious sandwiches for lunch and the scenery was amazing. A special shout-out to family cousin Jadea for being great company on the trip! Would love to come back with my daughter sometime :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wantatan
Oct 14, 2023
Amazing Experience - Amazing tour. We went Oct 14th. Boat was great, guides were great, the whole set up with the viewing towers on land were fantastic. It’s always great to see the guides get excited for viewings too. Saw grizzle’s, sea lions, dolphins and an orca - we were very lucky
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1 Adult
May 2024
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