Yesterday was one for the books! (My personal history books, I mean ๐ ) My sister and Donna and her husband had arrived in Campbell River, BC the day before in order to be on time for our early morning Homalco Tour’s Great Bears of Bute adventure. (You might remember we were in Campbell River earlier this year…so of course part of the agenda for THIS trip was to revisit our favourite Indigenous woman-led businesses there and to stock up, which we happily did!)
We eagerly boarded the beautiful Klohoy (Homalco word for chum salmon), a comfortable aluminum boat with 2 seats per person on the tour (1 in the indoor heated cabin with onboard loo, 1 on the viewing deck). After a brief safety lesson (including being instructed to wear our masks at all times), we were off on the 2 hour journey to Bute Inlet!
We weren’t too far into the trip to the mainland when Captain Flavian noticed whale blow. Which meant of course we had to stop to investigate.
After enjoying the whales for about 15 minutes, we continued on to an inlet where Captain Flavian had grown up, to learn some of the more recent (last 200 years) history of the Homalco people. Our guide Holly also tried to teach us some words in the Homalco language.
Holly told us to notice that the waters of the inlet were the most beautiful colour, due to glacial sediment from the rivers that feed it. And that the boat’s colour scheme had come from the colour of the water. See for yourself!
After docking, we made our way to the cultural centre to get a safety briefing from our bear guides: JJ and Ian. Basic takeaway: Listen to your guides! When they say “back on the bus”, this means NOW, not 2 more photos first! On the bus, JJ also regaled us with stories involving bear spray…er…misadventures from his childhood, and cultural stories of what the Homalco learned from observing grizzly bears.
At our first stop, a bear ambled into view even before we were all able to get off the bus. And there were bears at every stop thereafter. Holly mentioned she has yet to be “skunked” on any bear adventures she has hosted. Please check out my Instagram for the many videos I posted of this adventure!
Of course the bears were there for one thing only: to fatten up on the many chum salmon in the stream! Unfortunately the fish – although plentiful and easy to spot – were very hard to photograph through the running water.
Where there are bears, there are also many birds (including bald eagles – no good photos to share, unfortunately) – also there for the salmon…both for the eggs in the river and to clean up the fish who had already died on their journey to spawn.
After 3 hours of being awestruck in the presence of the magnificent grizzlies, we were as hungry as the bears themselves.
Once back on the boat for the journey back to Campbell River, even more wildlife was spotted.
After over 8 hours on the water and the mainland of British Columbia, it was time to head back to the dock in Campbell River, and from there back to home in Nanaimo.
Today I received the following (excerpted, from the email) from Homalco Tours:
Thank you for joining us on a recent tour from Campbell River. We sincerely hope that you enjoyed yourself!
By travelling with us, you are contributing to the growth and preservation of Homalco First Nation culture, Indigenous employment, and to the restoration of wild salmon populations in Bute Inlet. “I:mote” means “it is good” and is the word for gratitude in the Homalco language. We extend that gratitude to you.
I don’t think there is a big enough word for me to express my gratitude to the Homalco people for providing me the opportunity to partake of this adventure on their land. IT IS and WAS GOOD.
Rock on,
The WB
I’m loving all the posts (on FB and IG too) about your adventure. Next time I’m in BC, I will put that on our to-experience list!
Oh please do! I think you and Paul would love it, Janis. Thanks ๐
What an amazing place to be and with family makes it even more special.
You said it, Jean. Thanks ๐
What an exciting trip
Photos are amazing ..loved the Bears
It far exceeded my expectations, thatโs for sure! Thanks, Alison ๐
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Hi, Deb – This is an awesome write-up of an amazing tour. Brilliant photos, too!
I am so grateful to have been part of this experience. I’m already looking forward to our next adventure. ๐
Me too! We havenโt had a โdudโ yet, and even if we did we would probably make a funny story out of it ๐. Thanks, Donna ๐
Wow! for the mountain vistas.
Wow! for the wildlife. ORCA!!!! I had no idea that fin was so HUGE!
Wow! for an amazing time shared with family and friends.
You are definitely right – this is an adventure I would love. btw – I love your sister’s mask. It’s a beauty.
The fins on the males are about 5-6 feet high! Guess where Carol picked up her mask? Our favourite Indigenous-run gas station and market ๐โฆ.thanks, Joanne ๐
Wow! I had no idea. That must mean that orcas are WAAAAAY bigger than I ever thought.
I think they are quite large! I would love to see one breachโฆmaybe somedayโฆ๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค
I think you are in an excellent place to ensure that happens ๐
Now that is a perfect day. My type of adventure. Bears are such glorious creatures..
Mine too! Thanks, Rivergirl ๐
I read Donn’s post about this outing. I am soooo jealous. What a fabulous day you all enjoyed.
It was an unbelievable day. I am so happy I got to experience this. Thank you, Bernadette ๐
Not sure I could bear being around all those bears, and I wouldn’t have to be told twice to get back on the bus. But it must have been pretty amazing to see so many grizzlies on one trip.
TG, I would have been happy with only 1 bearโฆheck, I would have been happy just to be in such wonderful scenery and see all the salmon hanging around in the river. At one point, our bus was hindered on its journey by a huge male meandering down the road in front of us. Thankfully he looked back and realized the bus was bigger than him, and skedaddled. Holly said he was probably after the female fishing in the river and she would be glad we thwarted his plans ๐คฃ. Thanks ๐
I’ll bet the bears could be pretty amusing to watch–from a safe distance.
Absolutely! I wouldnโt have found it quite so intriguing to see the male bear if I was standing outside the bus when he appeared on the road in front of it ๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ป.
Oh my, that was AWESOME!!
Yes it was! So awesome. Thanks, Dawn ๐
Awesome!
Thank you, LA ๐
Wow! Just wow! I like that the boat wasn’t loaded with too many people who get in each other’s way! There isn’t a bad shot there.
This company (Homalco Wildlife Tours) put a lot of thought into the boat they had built, which I appreciated. 12 people max per tourโฆ1 indoor and 1 outdoor seat per person. And a heated cabin with washroom to extend the season and for guest comfort. We saw other tour groups in open Zodiac boats and were happy we were not them. Thanks, Kate ๐
This is absolutely stunning. I’ve added almost every place you visit to my travel bucket list. Ha!
I hope you get to empty this particular bucket, Kari! Well worth the time and dollars. Thanks ๐
I hope so too! ๐
Wow! The wildlife is amazing Deb. Thank you for sharing.
Leslie xoxo
You are most welcome, Leslie! Thanks ๐
This looks like a dream day for me too! Oh how I would be enthralled with the whales, the bears, the water wildlife!
So do the Homalco people still reside there? I suppose I could google it, but I’m assuming they are similar to our Native Americans where they are still living, working and keeping the traditions alive together?
No one is living anymore where our captain was raised, but Flavian said that some of his people still lived across the inlet. Flavian is now living in Campbell River, on the reserve there. The Homalco First Nation is actively working their traditional lands in terms of restocking the rivers with chum salmon and preserving their culture and heritage through education and tourism. What a great gift for all peoples this is! Thanks, Suz ๐
They sound both amazing and tenacious!
Yes, despite our (white peopleโs) best efforts to eradicate the indigenous and their culture, they are still here, and I am grateful ๐
Amen!
Man, what an experience. The whales would be enough for me, but you saw so much more. “Bro fest.” lol – Marty
๐คฃ Yes! Bro fest indeed. Our guide explained that this colony was all males and that the females were still at the nursery with the young. Holly said sea lions are naturally gregarious and choose to be together in large groups. Then she wondered aloud why there was so much conflict going on, since the males apparently WANT to be together. Another guest then quipped โDo you spend much time in bars?โ ๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ Thanks, Marty ๐
That is a tour and adventure not to be missed! A fabulous experience – thanks for sharing text and photos with us. We will have to do this tour if we ever return to Vancouver Island (and make sure to save for it). ๐
Yes, this one does require some saving in advance! ๐ But definitely worth it, IMHO. Thanks, Liesbet ๐
Hi Deb! From the looks of your amazing photos you planned this brilliantly because you got to see just what you wanted–BEARS! How cool that there were so many and that the other sea life was just a bonus. These tour providers appear to be the best for sure and if/when Thom and I return it will be high on the list. ~Kathy
Yes! The other sea life was absolutely a bonus, and I heartily endorse this company. Thanks, Kathy ๐
We will definitely have to take that tour. It looks amazing. My husband and I were just in Uclelet, so it will be a couple of years before we make it back to the Island and I really want to take this tour. Thanks for sharing.
You are most welcome, Pixie! I hope you get the chance to experience this. Thanks ๐
What a great day you all had!! The bears, Orca, and seals are amazing sightings. I’ll echo what’s been said before, Thanks for sharing!! I loved the post. ๐
Happy to share! Thank you Deborah ๐
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Beautiful photos. What an adventure!
Thank you! ๐
Hi Deb – it’s an amazing experience isn’t it … I went south from Cowichan Bay … didn’t see bears, but saw whales, seals, sea lions and plenty of birds, especially murres … as well as on Spieden Island fallow deer from Europe, Moufflon sheep from Corsica, Sika deer from Asia (Japan) remain after it was set up for sport hunting โฆ now it is unoccupied, but the animals thrive and remain โฆ until (I guess) inbreeding occurs. Spieden Island – James Jannard who owns Spieden โฆ he started and owned Red Digital Camera โ forty of which were used to film The Hobbit. I wrote about it two years ago 14th Oct … ‘Whale Trip out into the Salish Sea’ … (I see Donna commented on the post – must have just met in blogland!) …
But I’d love to see the Discovery Channel and Bute Inlet … what an amazing trip you all had – and it must be so much fun for you that your sister was with you … delightful post – such fun to see and to know about. Thanks – cheers Hilary
Hi Hilary, it sounds like you had a wonderful experience on one of these trips as well. Last fall Donna and Richard and I almost went on a similar trip from Cowichan Bay, but it was cancelled at the last moment and we ended up departing from Campbell River instead. Iโd still like to do the Cowichan one someday. A day (or afternoon) on the water is always a good thing, isnโt it? Thanks ๐