Clayoquot Sound
Kayaking Tour
In our hearts, we all live on the land. That is the real world. We take away the obstacles to experience what is real, to experience your bliss. We show you the way. That's Coastal Bliss Adventures.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT --OPERATIONAL IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON COASTAL BLISS ADVENTURES
We Take Care Of You
We do the planning, logistics, and support. You do the experience and the fun.
All-inclusive Tour
From pickup to return, we cover everything you need, except your personal items. We take you to and from the trip start, and feed you well along the way. We can't guarantee weight loss on our tours.
Knowledgable Guides
Our guides get out into our areas. They know the ins and outs of the trip and provide exceptional interpretation of flora, fauna and history. You'll know more after you leave.
Supportive Preparation
We give you an entire packet of information on how to prepare, what to bring, how to pack, and a plan for training so you can fully enjoy the trip. Our care for you starts before you even arrive.
CLAYOQUOT SOUND
6-day KAYAking Tour
Clayoquot Sound is the inlet on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Tofino is at the southern entrance to the sound. It is the home of Flores, Meares and Vargas Islands, as well as five Nuuchahnulth Nations, the Ahousaht, Tla-o-qui-aht, Hesquiaht, Toquaht and Ucluelet First Nations. It is also BC's first UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. It is a place full of history and controversy.
- KAYAKING DAYS: 4.5
- TRAVEL DAYS: 1.5
- RATING: MODERATE
-
Dates And
AvailabilityBook Your Tour Now
Searching Availability...
-
Itinerary
Itinerary
This is our typical itinerary for this tour. Because we are travelling in wilderness, itineraries can change. There are many factors that can affect how a tour actually runs. We confirm pickup times by phone, email or SMS at least 12 hours before.
This trip begins in Nanaimo, where we will arrange your pickup to drive to the location where we begin the activity.
-
Day One
Meet at designated location in Nanaimo. Drive to Tofino where we will spend the night and prepare ourselves and the kayaks for launching on day 2.
-
Day Two
Load kayaks and launch. Time will be devoted to developing paddle strokes where necessary before and during our journey to our campsite in the sound, depending on conditions and the group.
-
Day Three through six
Conditions permitting, we will embark in the morning, prepared to arrive at camp in the early afternoon. Depending on the group and conditions, we will travel to another campsite or travel from a base camp for several days.
-
Day Seven
We will journey back to our put-in at Tofino, load the kayaks back onto the trailer and pull into a place in Tofino for lunch. Then we will drive back to Nanaimo, arriving sometime in the late afternoon /early evening.
-
-
What's Included
Included Not Included Transportation from and to the departure location (pick up and drop off) Your transportation to the departure location (from your home) All kayaking gear Water Boots or shoes Dry bags to keep your things dry Sleeping bags or mats (available for rent) All backcountry park fees and camping fees National Park entry fees (may change as Parks alters their policies) All meals (except on any travel days) Some food (on travel days) Professional guides Gratuities are not included. Recognizing your guide for their hard work and care is always appreciated; $10-20/day per guide is recommended. Tent (shared) A substantial preparation guide Gear rental options -
Getting There And
Where To StayGetting There
If you are travelling into the Vancouver, Victoria, or Nanaimo area from afar, you should arrive at the departure location (in Nanaimo) for your trip the day/evening prior to the trip start date and plan to leave the day following trip return.
You can fly to Vancouver (airport code YVR) or Seattle (airport code SEA) then connect to Vancouver Island using ferry, bus, or air, or arrange flights directly to Vancouver Island.
Flying to Victoria (Airport code YYJ)
Flying to Nanaimo (Airport code YCD)
Nanaimo Airporter shuttle service.
Servicing all of Vancouver Island from airports to ferrys to cruise ship terminals. Tel: 1 250 758-2133BC Ferries 1-888-BC FERRY (1-888-223-3779)
We will let you know the ferry to take for travelling to Vancouver Island, but if you want to check out times, you can go the the BC Ferries website at:
www.bcferries.com/schedules/Where to Stay
Naniamo Pick up & Hotels
Pick up: Departure Bay, Duke Point Ferry Terminal, or the following Accommodations:
Days Inn Harbour View Nanaimo
Address: 809 Island Hwy South, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, V9R 5K1
Phone (250) 754-8171
Website: www.nanaimohotel.com
Best Western Dorchester Hotel
Address: 70 Church, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, V9R 5H4
Phone: (250) 754-6835
Website: www.dorchesternanaimo.com
Painted Turtle Guesthouse
Address: 121 Bastion Street, Nanaimo, British Columbia CANADA, V9R 3A2
Toll Free: 1-866-309-4432
Phone: (250) 753-4432Getting There
Vancouver
Many of the major North American carriers fly into Vancouver or alternately, Seattle. Check with your travel agent for details. There is a bus service, Quick Shuttle at www.quickcoach.com, from Seattle’s airport to hotels in Vancouver. These run daily and are affordable.
For more information, in North America, phone 1/800/665-2122 or 1/604/940-4428 – Fax 1/604/940-4429.
Information regarding shuttles and other airport information is available at www.yvr.ca/
On Your Own:
We can pick up in Quesnel or meet you at Bear Mercantile, on Bowron Lake.
Air: Daily flights with Central Mountain Air and Pacific Coastal Airlines
Bus: There is no longer bus service to Williams Lake or Quesnel.
Car: Take Barkerville turnoff just north of Quesnel on Hwy 26. It is 89 km (53 mi) to Wells. Proceed through Wells toward Barkerville. Look for signs for Bowron Lakes. A 28 km gravel road will lead you to the Bowron Lakes.
Journey with us from North Vancouver (only): You must make it to North Vancouver for pickup. From Vancouver Airport there is an Airporter Bus, as well as the SkyTrain, which takes you to Downtown Vancouver, Water front (Sea Bus terminal) Transit Link. Take the Sea Bus to North Vancouver.NORTH VANCOUVER ACCOMMODATION
It is difficult to recommend accommodation as needs and price considerations vary. Tourism British Columbia can help you locate the accommodation that best suits your needs. In North America phone, 1-800-HELLO BC 1-250-387- 1642 or visit www.HELLOBC.com/ We do recommend that accommodation be selected in North Vancouver, as this is our point of departure for this tour. We have suggested 3 inns, but more are possible. However, we only pick up from these three locations.
SureStay Hotel by Best Western North Vancouver Capilano
https://www.bestwestern.com or +1 (604) 987-8185
Econo Lodge Inn & Suites
https://www.choicehotels.com or +1 (604) 337-8393
North Vancouver Hotel
https://www.northvanhotel.com/ or 1-800-663-4055 or +1 (604) 987-4461PICK UP
We will pick up from the above 3 accommodation locations. If you choose to stay in Downtown Vancouver or Richmond (location of airport) it will be up to you to meet us at one of the above stated pick-up locations. Your guide will contact you the day before your tour with final confirmation of pick up time (very early, generally between 6-6:30am) and to check that you and your belongings have arrived.
-
Preparing
Preparing For Your Trip
How you prepare for your adventure is important. Being well prepared will enhance the quality of your experience. Because we are travelling in wilderness, it is very important for you and for the rest of your adventure group that you are fit enough to handle the level of difficulty and demand with no problems. Our guides know how to minimize the impact of these demands as much as possible, but they cannot remove them. The depth of your experience can only increase if you have made sure that you have prepared well.
Your preparation will be different for different activities. Preparing for a kayak trip is different from preparing for a hiking trip. We have provided some basic information that can be downloaded through the following links to pdf documents. If you do not have the Adobe Reader, you can download it from the Adobe site by clicking here.
Use the links below to download some of the preparation files for this hiking or kayaking tour. When you book your tour, we will send you a complete preparation packet to help you get ready.Please take this seriously. Most people are unaware of the demands of a coastal environment, particularly with keeping dry and warm. Your preparation will really help make your coastal hiking or kayaking tour a great experience.
Packing List
Important Details-Preparing Yourself For Kayaking or Canoeing
Hints and Tips-Mostly for Backpacking, but lots of good overlap -
Gear Rental
Need Gear?
We have gear available to rent if you don't want to buy a particular piece of equipment, or need to travel without it.
Look over the following list to help you decide whether you want to rent. If you decide to rent gear, you can tell us on the phone or book it online with your tour.
Item Price Sleeping Bag Rental $35.00 Thermarest Rental $15.00 Water Booties Rental $15.00 Wetsuit Rental $20.00 Helmet Rental $10.00 Rental Bundle 4-sleeping bag+sleeping pad+water booties $60.00