Discovery Islands Kayaking Tour
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Duration
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Tour Overview
In 1987 we built our kayaking lodge in the Discovery Islands, British Columbia with a dream: to craft life-changing multi-day sea kayaking experiences with a few simple ingredients: salt water, forested islands, soaring mountains, kayaks, and delicious, wholesome food.
Our passion for exploring our remote corner of British Columbia by kayak has only grown stronger. We live where we paddle and offer sea kayaking tours with industry-leading professionalism and kayaking equipment. Our guided trips combine skills instruction, wilderness adventure, and abundant meals prepared from our own garden produce, fresh eggs, local seafood, and home baking – both at the lodge and around the campfire.
Our sea kayaking tours explore sheltered routes amid marine parks, wildlife in nature, and rainforest islands – all with spectacular views of the highest peaks of British Columbia’s rugged Coast Mountains. We can’t wait to welcome you to our island home and share with you the best sea kayaking Vancouver Island has to offer!
Included/Exclude
What’s Included
• All kayaking equipment
• Group camping gear and shelter
• Tent (you choose single or double)
• Therm-a-Rest inflatable sleeping pad
• Dry bags for personal gear
• All meals & snacks
• Professional skills training & guiding
• Boat transportation to CME Lodge
You Provide
• Personal clothing and accessories (see our packing list)• Sleeping bag (available to rent)
• Sense of adventure!
Tour Amenities
Tour Itinerary
Why We Love This Trip
This short kayaking tour packs a heaping serving of everything that makes the Discovery Islands special. Secluded paddling routes through forested channels, abundant wildlife, a tranquil swimming lake, and beach camping – it has it all! Because paddling days are shorter than other trips, this trip is perfect for those who are new to kayaking or just want more time to relax and explore on-shore.
About the Area
Nestled between the Coast Mountains and the shores of Vancouver Island, the Discovery Islands are a maze of interlocked channels and forested islets. Sheltered from wind and ocean swell, the seas are remarkably calm, making it an ideal place for kayak touring. Bordered to the north by strong tidal rapids, the islands boast nutrient-rich waters and are home to a spectacular variety of marine organisms – including colorful intertidal critters. A variety of sea birds, as well as seals, porpoises, dolphins, porpoises, and sea lions, share the waters that we paddle. Humpback whale populations once hunted to the brink of extinction have made a spectacular return to the Discovery Islands, and sightings are likely, though not a certainty during summer months. The sheltered water of the Discovery Islands means that paddlers can expect mostly calm seas on this trip.
The islands form a boundary between the traditional territories of the Kwak’waka’wakw (Kwakiutl) and Coast Salish First Nations peoples, at times during this trip we paddle in the traditional territory of the Klahoose, Xwemahlkwe (“Homalco”), and Lekwiltok regional bands. Little remains of their original settlements in the islands, but observant paddlers will spot shell middens and pictographs (rock art) along the shorelines.
Our trip begins with a boat pickup from Heriot Bay on Quadra Island. We’ll take a relaxing boat ride to Coast Mountain Lodge, keeping a keen eye out for wildlife along the way. At the lodge, we’ll get settled into sleeping cabins and then hit the water! We’ll enjoy comprehensive kayaking skills and safety lessons before relaxing in the creekside sauna or wood-fired hot tub. We’ll cap things off with a gourmet lodge-cooked meal featuring local seafood and organic produce from our own garden.
Next morning, we’ll pack kayaks and depart on our trip! Our trip will be a circle route with minimal overlap, meaning you won’t paddle much of the same shoreline twice. We’ll stop to camp in beautiful spots and will have the opportunity to swim in a warm, secluded lake. During our two nights out, we’ll be well-fed with lodge-prepared meals, healthy snacks, and Lannie’s famous cookies. We’ll also have the opportunity to catch fish and forage for shellfish.
Our final day is a full day of paddling as we follow the shoreline of Read Island back to Coast Mountain Lodge. After unpacking kayaks, we’ll return to Heriot Bay by boat and hopefully spot a humpback whale or two!
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