Broughton Archipelago (25.200)

Itinerary

• Day
  1

  The Broughton Archipelago is a beautiful maze of islands situated between Johnstone Strait and the mainland coast. Called the ‘mainland’ by locals, it’s a fascinating area with a rich background. A BC Marine Park, The Broughton Archipelago is rich in First Nations culture; the Kwakwaka'wakw have called this area home for countless millennia, and the abandoned villages and other cultural sites that we visit attest to this. An important ecological area that acts as a nursery for millions of fish, it’s also abundant in wildlife, with bears, eagles, deer, and seabird colonies all feeding off its’ plentiful waters. These six-day tours will focus on exploring these areas from a series of island campsites. Meeting at 7:30 am in the lobby of the Haida Way Inn on day 1, we’ll head down to the marina to load our water taxi. It’s just a short walk from the hotel, and all your equipment can be transported by our van. Vehicles and extra bags can be left at the Haida Way while you’re on the trip – just ask at the front desk. The hour-long water taxi ride takes us to our campsite, where we’ll settle in. The guides will provide a site orientation, a paddle briefing, and you’ll have time to set up your tents. The first day is generally spent getting familiarized with the camp, wilderness kayaking and each other before heading out for a short paddle.

  Meals: Lunch, Dinner

  Accomodation: Camping
• Day
  2

  During this nomadic tour, we’ll normally break camp 3 – 4 times, exploring the area around each camp before moving on.

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

  Accomodation: Camping
• Day
  3

  The Broughton Archipelago is a literal maze of islands, and no day’s paddle will be the same. If the weather conditions allow, we’ll paddle along the edge of the Archipelago in Queen Charlotte Strait, home to sea bird colonies, sea lions, and a view equaling the west coast. Turning into the sheltered waters of the Archipelago, we can explore this mystical area and it’s first nations sites, hidden bays, and rich rainforest.

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

  Accomodation: Camping
• Day
  4

  Along the way, we may stop at the small community of Echo Bay and visit Billy Proctor’s museum, where he has gathered up thousands of artifacts from the area. As well, we may plan a stop at the ancient native village of Meem Quam Leese and explore its decaying totems and long houses.

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

  Accomodation: Camping
• Day
  5

  Each trip is different, and your guides will change the itinerary from daily based on weather, tides, and group interests. But rest assured, exploration, wildlife viewing, and relaxing are a part of every trip.

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

  Accomodation: Camping
• Day
  6

  On our last day, we’ll linger over breakfast, snap a few last photographs, and enjoy one last short paddle before our journey ends. After lunch, we’ll pack up camp, and board our water taxi for the return journey to Port McNeil, arriving by about 3:00 PM. We usually arrive back in Port McNeil in enough time for you to fly out of Port Hardy or catch a late ferry back to the mainland, but delays do happen. We suggest that our guests spend the last night in Port McNeil, enjoy the hot showers, and slowly transition out of vacation mode. Most guests choose this, and we often get together for a no-host farewell dinner at the Haida-Way Inn.

  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

  Accomodation: Accommodation by Customer