Highlights
- Immerse yourself in two of Canada's most remote landscapes
- Enjoy the charm of privately-owned and family-run wilderness experiences
- Choose your daily adventure, from heli-tours to grizzly bear viewings
- Escape off the grid completely and reconnect with nature & the outdoors
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive in Vancouver | Vancouver |
| Day 2 | Explore Vancouver's Downtown & Neighborhoods | Vancouver |
| Day 3 | Fly from Vancouver to Tweedsmuir Park Lodge | Tweedsmuir Park Lodge |
| Days 4-5 | Mountains & Rivers of Tweedsmuir Provincial Park | Tweedsmuir Park Lodge |
| Day 6 | Fly from Tweedsmuir Park to Nimmo Bay Resort | Nimmo Bay Resort |
| Days 7-8 | Immerse Yourself in the Great Bear Rainforest | Nimmo Bay Resort |
| Day 9 | Fly from Nimmo Bay Resort to Vancouver | Vancouver |
| Day 10 | Depart Vancouver |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Vancouver
Fringed by the Pacific Ocean and backed by the coastal mountains, Vancouver is one of the world's most livable cities, with some of North America's best cuisine and opportunities for outdoor activities.
It takes around 30 minutes to get from the airport to the downtown core. The city center and surrounding neighborhoods and attractions are within easy walking (or biking) distance. Start with a stroll along the seawall from English Bay to False Creek to get your bearings. Better yet, rent a bike and spend the afternoon exploring Stanley Park, Kitsilano, and the seawall to work up your appetite for dinner.
With over 60 different cultures, pick from a variety of international restaurants serving anything from Asian cuisine to seasonal farm-to-table dishes. For dinner, choose from a selection of top-notch eateries—from downtown and the West End to the North Shore and Kitsilano. Keep in mind, Vancouverites love eating out any day of the week so be sure to make a reservation if it's a popular restaurant.
Day 2: Explore Vancouver's Downtown & Neighborhoods
Most of Vancouver’s highlights, galleries, and colorful neighborhoods (as listed, below) are within easy walking distance. Better yet, rent a bike and explore on two wheels as Vancouver is well set up with bike lanes.
Stanley Park: A 400-hectare park coastal rainforest park reserve in the heart of Vancouver with dozens of walking and biking trails and over half a million trees. The most popular route is to follow the seawall loop 6-mile (10-km) around the entire park with views of the city and North Vancouver. It's a great place to exercise, have a picnic, or simply relax on the beaches on its western edge.
Granville Island: An eclectic collection of art galleries, studios, boutique shops, and the vibrant Granville Island Public Market (not to mention the Emily Carr University of Art + Design). Best to come around lunchtime when the markets are full of life or in the evening for dinner.
Kitsilano ("Kits"): Just west of Granville Island, this lively neighborhood has some of Vancouver's best shopping streets, restaurants, and beaches. Grab a bite to eat along 4th street and then head to Kits Beach and walk or bike the seawall around Kits Point. Kits Beach is another great spot to enjoy an evening picnic and bottle of wine as the sun goes down.
Day 3: Fly from Vancouver to Tweedsmuir Park Lodge
Today, you'll be heading roughly 250 miles (400 km) north into the remote wilderness of British Columbia's largest provincial park. It's a scenic flight—either by commercial flight or private seaplane—along the spine of the Coastal Range from Vancouver to Bella Coola, which lies on the coast of the Great Bear Rainforest. From here, you'll be transferred, inland, by vehicle to Tweedsmuir Provincial Park.
Originally built as a fishing and hunting lodge in the 1920s (now turned eco-friendly wilderness retreat), Tweedsmuir Park Lodge is one of the first lodges built on the west coast of Canada and the perfect place to unplug from it all. Enjoy the intimate and rustic charm (as well as luxurious accommodation) while being surrounded by dense forest, rivers, and deep glacier-cut fjords. It's the perfect base camp to experience the true wilderness of British Columbia—either by horseback, by foot, or helicopter tour.
Flying time (Vancouver to Bella Coola): 1 hour
Driving time (Bella Coola Tweedsmuir Park Lodge): 45 minutes (40 miles / 60 km)
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.
Days 4-5: Mountains & Rivers of Tweedsmuir Provincial Park
Tweedsmuir Provincial Park is located on the eastern (interior) edge of the Great Bear Rainforest, nestled in the heart of the Coast Mountains—the planet's largest expanse of coastal temperate rainforest. There is a variety of outdoor adventures and wellness options to choose from each day, depending on how you feel. Some of the most popular activities are grizzly bear viewing (best in late summer/fall), wilderness river floats, guided fishing trips, and horseback riding.
Day 6: Fly from Tweedsmuir Park to Nimmo Bay Resort
Leaving Tweedsmuir Park behind, head to Bella Coola for your floatplane flight to Nimmo Bay Resort on the remote coast of the Southern Great Bear Rainforest.
Nimmo Bay Resort's mission is to bring travelers remarkably close to nature through wilderness adventure—whether that be fly fishing, hiking, or accessing remote landscapes by helicopter. Its high standard of experience has led National Geographic to rate it as one of the "most unique lodges in the world", surrounded by over 50,000 square miles of untouched wilderness. There are nine luxurious cabins perched above the water on the edge of the rainforest from where you can enjoy the lush Pacific Northwest, the misty fjords, and an abundance of wildlife.
Driving time (Tweedsmuir Lodge to Bella Coola): 45 minutes
Flying time (Bella Coola to Nimmo Bay): 30 minutes
Days 7-8: Immerse Yourself in the Great Bear Rainforest
Choose from a variety of activities each day that are included in your stay at Nimmo Bay Resort (as well as "add-on" experiences, such as heli-tours). Options include sea kayaking, paddle boarding, yoga, bear watching, and fishing. If you're simply looking to relax, head to the cedar-paneled hot tub perched underneath a waterfall with a bottle of a local IPA. In the evenings, you can paddle out to the floating sauna then enjoy gourmet meals to the sounds of the great outdoors.
Day 9: Fly from Nimmo Bay Resort to Vancouver
Enjoy your last morning of activities at Nimmo Bay Resort. After lunch, you'll catch a floatplane flight to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island, from where you'll catch another flight back to Vancouver.
Flying time (Nimmo Bay Resort to Port Hardy): 20 minutes
Flying time (Port Hardy to Vancouver): 50 minutes
Day 10: Depart Vancouver
Grab an early breakfast at one of Vancouver's popular cafes before making your way to the airport. If you're feeling indulgent, splurge on a seaplane harbor tour to take in the magnificent scenery of the mountain-and-sea-dominated city from a new perspective. Alternatively, head to Stanley Park for a bike ride around the seawall or a run through the forested trails.
It usually takes 30 minutes to travel from downtown Vancouver to Vancouver International Airport but allow extra time in case of traffic. Best to arrive at least two hours prior to your international departure while allowing extra time to drop off your rental car.
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