Destination visited: Mountain West

Activities included: Birdwatching, Mountain Climbing, Scuba Diving, Sea Kayaking, Walking, Whale Watching

Spent a week kayaking along the Inside Passage amid beautiful scenic islands and the largest resident population of Orca in the World.

Drive from Seattle to Telegraph Cove, meet the guides and the rest of the crew. Spend the night at the hotel and start kayaking in the morning. Spend a week kayaking around the Queen Charlotte Islands with the Orcas and camping and then back to the hotel. Spend the next day on a whale watching boat and then down to Nanaimo for some bungy jumping.

We saw a “super pod” the first day of over 100 whales all playing together. Indian Island has (had) the last standing Native American totem pole from the area. Many old totem poles around on the ground. Burial boxes on nearby cliffs that had fallen appart and a skull that had fallen out of one. Moonlight paddling while watching the phosflourecent plakton and listening to the Orca on the hydrophone.

Absolutely spactacular scenery. We saw Orcas every day and had a few very close encounters with Orca swimming within 10 feet of our kayaks. Breathtaking. The guides from Northern Lights Expeditions are fantastic and really take care of everything for you down to a detailed list of what to bring. 2-man sea kayaks are very stable and people with no kayaking experience at all will feel comfortable in a short time. All meals are provided (and cooked). It’s a very magical adventure. Oh, and try to find a kayaking partner who is stronger than you (wink).

The whale watching cruise would be great if you only had a day in the area, but was rather anti-clamatic to watch them from a ship after spending a week with them in a kayak.

Bungy jumping in Nanaimo is a must-do. Even my mother (age 55) went so no excuses.

Hiking & Walking, Hiking/Trekking
Birdwatching, Inside, Kayak Trip, Mountain Climbing, Passage, Scuba Diving, Sea Kayaking, Walking, Whale Watching