Orca Expeditions - Paddle with the Killer Whales

Choose your own adventure with 3, 4 and 6-day Orca Explorer trips available. By sea kayak, explore the Johnstone Strait area, the Michael Bigg/Robson Bight Ecological Reserve, and abandoned native sites. Enjoy the comforts of the Discovery Camp, your remote home away from home during each of these excursions.

Orca Explorer (3 Days)   |    Orca Galore (4 Days)    |    Orca Classic (6 Days)

3 Day Option – Orca Explorer

Orca Explorer is a three-day sea kayaking adventure that focuses on paddling the coastline of Vancouver Island to the boundaries of Robson Bight, a great trip for families or couples. The focus of the trip is on viewing wildlife in their natural habitat and visiting the serene waters of the Johnstone Strait area. One of the highlights of this trip is a visit to the surrounding waters of the Michael Bigg/Robson Bight Ecological Reserve. We stay in one comfortable camp located in a remote setting, where wildlife viewing opportunities are unannounced and spontaneous.

The route we paddle daily is the path frequented by pods of Orca and Minke Whales, Dall's and Harbour porpoises, White-Sided dolphins and a following of other small marine mammals. Keep on the look out for Bald eagles, if they are perched close by it is a sure sign that salmon are abundant - and where salmon gather in large numbers it means the Orca are not far off. Take walks along the rugged beaches of Kakash Creek or into the rainforest to enter a whole new world of plants and animals that you’ve never seen before. Steep pebble beaches and a view of densely forested mountains characterize the coastline. The mosses and lichen of the rainforest create wonderful backdrops for memorable photos.

Orca Explorer Itinerary

Day 1:

• Guides pick you up at Bed & Breakfast and deliver you to Telegraph Cove at 9am
• Take a quick shuttle to Discovery’s camp ~ your home for the next three days
• Paddle the remote shorelines of Johnstone Strait
• View Orca in this sensational setting
• Explore beaches, rainforest trails, observe natural wildlife
• Salmon feast dinner cooked over an open fire with fresh salad and vegetables
• Enjoy a sunset paddle followed by an evening beach fire

Day 2:

• Join us for an early 6am morning paddle (if you like)
• Head to the Michael Bigg/Robson Bight Ecological Reserve Area
• The route to "the bight" is a comfortable paddle along a rugged scenic shoreline
• View salmon, eagles and Orca cohabitating in this epic wilderness location
• Lunch is often spent on a beach talking to the summer wardens
• Spend the afternoon fishing, hiking or paddling in search of Orca
• Dinner is salmon and wine, followed by the ceremony of the 'giving of Orca eyes'
• Enjoy a sunset paddle followed by an evening beach fire

Day 3: 

• Enjoy an early morning paddle before Huckleberry Pancake breakfast
• Coffee, Hot water for the Solar Showers, and the convenience of a composting toilet make the experience that much better
• Paddle along a sheltered remote part of Johnstone Strait
• Visit the habitat of black bear and otter, always keeping an eye open for Orca
• Take a short hike to visit with summer researchers
• Bask in the stunning view of Robson Bight and the Vancouver Island mountains
• Catch a glimpse of White side dolphins, Dall’s porpoise or Humpback Whales
• Reflect on your adventure during the shuttle ride home

Trip Cost: $950 per person (CDN) (Family Rates Available)
Deposit Required: $250 per person (CDN) (based on double occupy)

 2012 Departure Dates

June 25-28, July 3-5, July 10-12, July 17-19, July 24-26, Sept 3-5, Sept 10-12, Sept 17-19, Sept 24-26           

4 Day Option – Orca Galore

Orca Galore is an amazing four-day sea kayaking adventure designed for paddlers to explore the shorelines, passages and amazing wildlife of the Johnstone Strait area. We have had the pleasure of serving over a thousand guests on Orca Galore Trips over the past twenty plus years, with our footprint remaining virtually unseen. Adventurers will experience the wonders of sea kayaking complimented with a daily moderate hike into the rainforest. This adventure allows you time to enjoy paddling the waters that surround the Michael Biggs/Robson Bight Ecological Reserve, an area that only guests of Discovery Expeditions can explore.

Our intact rainforest ecosystem camp is located seventeen kilometers from Telegraph Cove on a small, secluded island that offers a central location in the core area for whale viewing in Johnstone Strait. This location allows us to access both sheltered and open water passages. Our camp is comfortable and sheltered from the elements. Tent sites are located at the waters edge with adequate spacing for privacy, with a backdrop of towering fir trees, groves of ferns and mosaics of green mosses. Without leaving camp, we are often visited by Orcas, eagles and seals. At the shoreline the marine life is abundant and alive. At low tides you will be introduced first hand to the amazing number of critters and organisms of this saltwater environment. After warm afternoons it is possible to catch a gleam of the bio-luminous microorganisms in the water, or the northern lights. All this makes for a remarkable summer sea kayaking experience.

Orca Galore Itinerary

Note: This itinerary is flexible.

Day 1: 

• Take a short but scenic boat transport to our secluded island base camp
• Paddle around two small islands where pods of Orca often pass by
• Watch eagles soar, fish, and play in their natural habitat
• Explore coves, beaches, and small islands on the sunny side of Johnstone Strait
• Enjoy a sunset paddle followed by an evening beach fire

Day 2:

• Venture out to hike a trail through a lush rainforest with monstrous large trees
• View the range of wildlife from squirrels to deer
• Spend the remainder of the day Paddling in a new direction to see the rich marine environment that support Orca Whales around Robson Bight

Day 3:

• Paddle to meet summer researchers and discuss why Orca must be protected
• Enjoy a little fishing or catch pictures of our resident eagles nest
• Explore larger passages, hike a trail to see the sights
• Capture some remarkable photos of whales, porpoise or Minke whales
• This evening is spent around the beach fire after a stroll around the island

Day 4:

• Depart to yet another different shore in Johnstone Strait
• Spend more time exploring and seeing Orca for the last time
• July and August are the summer months that attract large salmon runs and numerous pods of Orca to Johnstone Strait
• Your trip ends with a scenic boat ride through the path of whales at 3:00pm

Trip Cost: $1099 per person (CDN)
Trip Deposit: $250 per person (CDN)
Guests: Maximum of 6

 2012 Departure Dates

June 29-July 2, July 2-5, July 6-9, July 9-12, July 13-16, July 16-19, July 20-23, July 23-26, July 27-30, Aug 4-7, Aug 11-14, Aug 18-21, Aug 25-28, Sept 3-6, Sept 10-13

6 Day Option – Orca Classic

Orca Classic is a six-day nomadic expedition. You will embrace the wilderness, wildlife and rainforests of Johnstone Strait, Blackfish Sound and the islands of the Village Group. The focus of this expedition is kayaking, wildlife observations and native site visitations. Two campsites are used on this trip to allow us time to explore the vastness of the intertidal waters of the area.

Join the Summer Orca as they return to the pristine waters of Johnstone Strait to feast on salmon. The summer spectacle also includes Bald Eagles, Dall's porpoises and white side dolphins making their way through the inside passage. Highlights of this trip include the walk through the abandoned village of Mi'mkwamlis, the exchange of information with summer researchers, hikes through the enchanting coastal rainforests of the region, and a visit to the waters of Robson Bight. Learn more about the Native History of the Area.

Orca Classic Itinerary

Note: Discovery Expeditions reserve the right to alter the itinerary of this trip due to weather or unexpected circumstances.

Day 1:

• Start at Telegraph Cove, where Guides demonstrate the safety procedures
• Stop on a sheltered beach for our first walk into the coastal rainforest
• By early evening we will arrive at our first camp

Day 2:

• Embark deeper into Johnstone Strait, visit Robson Bight Ecological Reserve
• Lunch is often spent with the wardens' of the Reserve on a open beach
• Late afternoon is a great time to wash up at a local stream.
• Make our way back to camp and catch an evening paddle after dinner

Day 3:

• Journey to a small group of islands rich in marine life and eagle rookeries
• Explore small remote beaches that catch the afternoon sun
• Walk into the rainforest in the mid-morning
• Share lunch with whale researchers on a bluff high atop Johnstone Strait
• If Orca pass by you have the best seat in the house.
• Make our way back to camp and catch an evening paddle after dinner

Day 4:

• Resume our journey through remote passages to twenty uninhabited islands
• Explore the site of the last potlatch and walk an ancient pathway to carvings, totems, and abandoned residences of a distant past
• Paddle a different route back to camp and explore more wonders of this area

Day 5:

• Return to the waters visited by Orca, White-sided Dolphins, and Minke Whales
• Listen to the shoreline, alive with the sounds of kingfishers, eagles, and raven
• Enjoy dinner and reflect on a complete day of pleasant experiences

Day 6:

• Take a short journey to explore an island with unique small beaches and plants
• Guide will lead you on paths used by Orca Whales, Eagles and other wildlife
• Arrive back to Telegraph Cove in late-afternoon (3:00pm)

Trip Cost: $1395 (CDN) per person
Trip Deposit: $250 (CDN) per person
Guests: Maximum 6

 2012 Departure Dates

June 25-30, July 2-7, July 09-14, July 16-21, July 23-28, July 30- Aug 4, Aug 6-11, Aug 13-18, Aug 20-25, Aug 27-Sept 1, Sept 3-8, Sept 10-15