Johnstone Strait Kayaking
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.
Look For Your Bliss Now
We Take Care Of You
We do the planning, logistics, and support. You do the experience and the fun.
All-inclusive Tour
We take care of the logistics so you don't have to. From pickup to return, we facilitate everything you need, except personal choice items. We take you to and from the trip start, and take care of you along the way.
Great Food
We are known for our food. We have researched and developed our balanced, natural and healthy menus over years and years to feed you with the best food all along the way. We can't guarantee weight loss on our tours.
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.
Johnstone Strait
6-day Kayaking Tours†
*$2724 + 3% booking fee + 5% Goods & Services Tax
On our kayaking with Orca Whales Trip we will be on the lookout for orca pods while exploring the strait. Although there can be no guarantees, our dates represent the most opportune time to sea kayak and have an encounter of the orca kind. Combine the exhilaration of kayaking beside these breaching, spouting, power swimming orcas, with rugged coastal scenery, magnificent west coast rainforest, and you have the ultimate personal and coastal kayaking experience.
†This tour is provided by our sister company, Sea to Sky Expeditions
- KAYAKING DAYS: 5.0
- TRAVEL DAYS: 1.0
- RATING: Beginner
-
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 Zero
Arrival in Vancouver/Nanaimo. This denotes the day or days spent in Vancouver/Nanaimo before the listed start date of the trip.
-
Day One
If you stay in Vancouver, you will take the BC Ferries route from Tsawwassen to Duke Point (Nanaimo) or Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay (Nanaimo) on the departure day. The crossing is about 2 hours. We will pick you up at the ferry terminal. Or, you have spent the night at a hotel/accommodation in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island and we will pick you up from a designated location in downtown Nanaimo. We will drive north along the Island Highway to our put-in point in Johnstone Strait & our first night’s campsite for this BC kayaking trip.
-
Day Two through Day 6
Several factors, such as weather, tides, current, group ability, group goals, and the distribution of pods will ultimately decide our campsites, paddling time, and route, and as such, a day by day, precise itinerary, is undesirable & impractical. We have developed an itinerary which focuses on the areas in Johnstone Strait and which present the best chance of viewing orcas. By so doing, we hope to avoid the busier marine traffic around Telegraph Cove and the islands in that area. Along the way, there will be opportunities to explore the many coves, beaches, and marine life that characterize the strait. Different campsites are planned throughout our paddle. We will return to our put-in point on Day 6 and return to Nanaimo sometime in the 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 single tent may be substituted for a supplemental charge. Single travellers that cannot be placed in a shared tent will be charged the single supplement charge. 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) 753-4432 -
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.
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. -
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 (per day) Sleeping Bag Rental $6.50 Thermarest Rental $2.25 Water Booties Rental $1.25 Wetsuit Rental (for specific trips) $6.50 Helmet Rental (for specific trips) $2.25 Single Tent Supplement $6.50