Bear watching on Vancouver Island is something we’ll never forget and it was one of our favourite experiences in Canada. Vancouver Island has its own unique species of black bear - the cleverly named Vancouver Island Black Bear - which is larger and a more deep shade of black than their mainland counterparts. Seeing these incredible creatures in their natural environment was truly special and we were mesmerised for hours watching them forage for crabs on the shore.
Whilst Vancouver Island does not have its own Grizzly Bear population, it is one of the best launching points in the province for Grizzly watching tours. These tours depart from the north of the island and head for the world famous Great Bear Rainforest for some exceptional up-close (but safe) encounters.
A Grizzly Bear on one of the tours from Vancouver Island
Bear Watching on Vancouver Island
Can you find bears without a tour?
We’re not huge fans of tours - and almost always look for ways to do things independently - but bears are definitely best watched from the safety of a boat or with an expert guide.
We learnt the hard way that freak accidents can happen when we were attacked by bears in Nepal, so we can’t recommend highly enough that if you want to see a bear in the wild it’s best to take a tour.
Whilst you may - although it’s very rare - run into a bear on a hiking trail, they are very likely to run off as soon as they see you. Although there have been extremely few bear attacks on Vancouver Island (we read just two in 50 years), it is always best to treat bears as unpredictable and potentially dangerous, and keep your distance.
One of the native Vancouver Island Black Bears
It’s also worth noting that when we have encountered Black Bears on hiking trails (in other parts of Canada and the US), it isn’t quite the relaxed experience you may be looking for: you are wary and on guard and don’t really have the chance to observe them like we did from our tour in Tofino.
The tours on Vancouver Island are all carried out by boat and you keep your distance to ensure safety, and to make sure the bears are not disturbed. The exception to this is if the Grizzlies cannot be found by the water in which case you will go into the forest on foot (with your group and a trained guide).
The guides also add a lot of knowledge and expertise to your trip - not just where to see them, but telling you a lot about their habitat and behaviour.
Black Bear watching in Tofino
The best place to take a Black Bear watching tour on Vancouver Island is in Tofino on the West Coast. Vancouver Island has a very healthy population and whilst spotting them isn’t guaranteed, our captain had never run a trip without seeing at least one. Our trip continued that perfect record!
No matter which company you choose, all tours are run by boat and they head into the pristine wilderness of Clayoquot Sound which is just a 20 minute boat ride from town. You’ll be surrounded by mountains, forest and untouched beaches.
It’s the kind of scenery which would be worth the boat trip alone, even if it weren’t for the endless wildlife watching opportunities.
The reason your chances of seeing Black Bears are so good is that they head out of the forests to the beaches in search of shellfish. The bears turn over rocks hunting for crabs and you can sit and watch them crunching away in delight.
The beaches are wide and completely exposed, so spotting them is easy. Their black fur against the whitish/yellow pebbles makes them stand out from quite a distance! We saw a lone female on the first beach we visited, followed by a mother & cub, courting pair and even a large male that dived in the water to grab more crabs right beside the boat!
It was amazing, and you were given plenty of time with each bear, so you really felt like you could observe (it’s great to have binoculars for a really detailed look, and they have several spare pairs on the boat if you don’t have your own) and photograph them. You’ll also see other wildlife along the way including seals and Bald Eagles.
The whole trip was incredible and the 2 and a half hours went by in a flash, it was definitely our favourite experience in Tofino.
Choosing the right Black Bear watching tour for you
The most important thing for me when I was researching which tour to book was the type of boat used - and in particular how much outdoor seating it had, as well as the group size.
I knew I wanted to sit outside and not have to rush to get one of the few spots as can often happen on boat trips. I also prefer small groups, especially for wildlife watching where you want it to be as quiet as possible.
For these reasons I chose Adventure Tofino Wildlife Tours - just in case your wondering it wasn’t sponsored and we paid full price for our trip : )
I’m really glad I picked them because the trip was fab, the guide was really friendly and knowledgable, and the 12 seater zodiac boat they use only has outdoor seating and everyone got great views - there are no best seats! It gets pretty cold on the water (even in summer) and you’re given these incredibly glamorous flotation suits to keep you warm - marshmallow man photos are pretty much obligatory!
Other boats I checked tended to have bigger capacities and one didn’t even have a single outdoor seat, so definitely do your homework to make sure you pick the best trip for you. Also, in case you’re prone to seasickness like I am, you don’t need to worry on this trip because it’s an inlet meaning it’s not wavy at all.
The tour we took cost CAD $109 for adults and $79 for children (6-12 years) not including tax. Other tours were in the same ballpark.
The tours only run from late spring to October when the bears are out of hibernation and on the beaches gorging on crabs.
Other bear watching Tofino tours you might want to look into
Other companies operating in the Tofino area include Ocean Outfitters (has two boat choices, one indoor and one outdoor), Jamie’s Whaling Station (indoor seating), Tofino Whale Centre (outdoor boat), Remote Passages (outdoor seating - zodiac boats).
Black Bear kayaking
This is the trip for you if you’re looking for an adventure. It’s the option we’d have gone for if we weren’t visiting Tofino with family because we love kayaking and it feels a bit more wild than going on a boat trip.
Tofino Kayaking Adventure Tours run this trip and it’s a little more intrepid than the traditional boat tours because you will also moor up on the beaches beside the bears (at a respectful distance of course) which allows you to get closer than any other boat trip.
You don’t need previous kayaking experience and the water is calm which should make for relatively easy paddling conditions.
The only potential drawback is that we doubt you would be able to cover as much ground as one of the boat tours, meaning you may not see as many bears.
The tours are longer than the traditional boat trips at four hours and they are also slightly more expensive at CAD $149.
Grizzly Bear watching Vancouver Island
As we mentioned Grizzly Bears don’t actually live on Vancouver Island itself, but it’s in close proximity to prime grizzly territory around the Great Bear Rainforest on the mainland.
We really wanted to take one of the tours, but sadly they were out of our budget (all Grizzly tours are expensive, no matter which company you choose). Grizzlys were top of Joe’s dad’s Canadian bucket list though, so we organised a trip for him to go into the Great Bear Rainforest, a special place with a high density of bears. If you’re lucky enough to be able to do one of these trips it could well be the best thing you do on Vancouver Island!
There are a couple of different departure points for the Grizzy tours, usually Telegraph Cove but this one went from Port McNeill and also picks up from Alert Bay. If you get the chance to stay at Alert Bay and you love nature and old fashioned charm you will be in for a treat. They even saw Orcas from their hotel balcony!
There are various Grizzly Bear tours available and which one you choose will be partially dependent on where you are staying and which is the most convenient for you.
The Seawolf Adventures Grizzly tour
We chose Seawolf Adventures based on its great reviews and also because it is an Aboriginal owned company that supports First Nations communities. The guides share the cultural significance and stories behind the scenery which I think adds an extra something special to the trip.
Joe’s dad saw seven Grizzlies including a couple of cubs as well as Black Bears, and got close enough to get some fabulous shots, all pictures of Grizzlies in this post are his - thanks John (if you love historical travel check out his blog).
As well as seeing the incredible bears and spending lots of time observing them, one thing that I thought sounded wonderful about this trip were the guides. They were never looking at the clock and wanted everyone to see as much as possible, even looking for Humpback Whales in addition to the bears. They also offered the group the chance to go over the allotted time schedule and look for Orcas but unfortunately a couple of people had transport connections to make otherwise that would have been an incredible addition to the trip.
The Seawolf Adventures tour lasts for a full day, usually around 10 hours long! Their catering was fantastic, providing really good home cooked meals for breakfast and lunch.
It’s a pricey trip at CAD $495 per adult (children are $100 less but must be older than 10 to participate) but it truly is the trip of a lifetime for wildlife lovers and photographers. The maximum group size is 12 and tours only operate between June and October.
Other Grizzly tours you might want to look into
Knight Inlet Grizzly Bear Viewing Tours (unfortunately their website is not very informative but it does look amazing, trips are made in conjunction with staying in their lodge on Knight Inlet), Campbell River Grizzly Bear Tours (this is a part boat trip part walking tour), Tide Rip (trips go to Knight Inlet, and this is the cheapest company I found).
Kayaking with Grizzly Bear tours
Kayaking to see Grizzly Bears in the wild sounds pretty incredible! Whilst several companies operate these tours, it looks like all but the one with Knight Inlet Lodge are multi day adventures that also include kayaking with whales. They sound amazing but prices come in at just below CAD $2,000 per person so they are quite an investment.
From the limited information available on the Knight Inlet Lodge website it looks like you can do shorter trips with them but it would mean you have to stay in their lodge - not a hardship I guess when they have one of the highest concentrations of Grizzlies in Canada!
The Great Bear Lodge
The Great Bear Lodge has been on my bucket list since I first saw pictures shot there by Nat Geo! It’s also the filming location for the BBC series Secrets of Our Living Planet. Basically it’s a remote floating lodge with eight rooms in the Great Bear Rainforest. It’s an off the grid experience, so there isn’t an internet connection, but you won’t be roughing it, each room is ensuite and meals focus on local ingredients, like freshly caught salmon.
They run twice daily tours into the rainforest searching for Grizzlies which are run by wildlife biologists and have outstanding reviews.
Needless to say the experience doesn’t come cheap with a three night minimum stay starting at CAD$2495 per person. Prices include the seaplane to the lodge, lodging, all meals, all tours and gear if you need (such as raincoats, insulation suits etc).
I hope to make this trip in my lifetime and if you have been or are planning to go, I’d love to know how it is!
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Are you planning a trip to Vancouver Island? Have you seen wild bears before? Let us know in the comments below!
