Whales & Bears of British Columbia

I just completed the Whales & Bears of British Columbia tour and it was incredible. From the first ferry ride to Vancouver Island, I was immersed in wild coastline and ancient rainforest. We spotted humpback whales breaching off the bow and watched black bears comb the shoreline for crabs. A full-day outing to the Orford River treated us to grizzlies feasting on salmon amid misty fjords. The group was small, the guides passionate, and every day brought something surprising. Yes, there were long drives and changeable weather, but it all added to the adventure. I’d highly recommend it

A wonderful trip with some long days of driving but these were mostly broken by regular stops, including some quirky lunch spots. Vancouver and Vancouver Island in particular are stunningly beautiful.

This trip combines the highlights of the Canada’s landscape in particular Vancouver Island with wild life both on land and in the sea. All in all I had a lovely experience with a really nice group of people.

An exciting trip around the island of Vancouver. We couldn’t believe the amazing wildlife encounters we experienced, and enjoyed the hospitality of our cheerful Canadian hosts.

If you're into nature, this is the tour for you. Had an amazing time. British Columbia's nature is truly fantastic. Our guide was knowledgeable, and the overall tour was very well planned and carried out.

Very good trip . Just prepare for the rain . Saw lots of wild life . Would recommend the trip

You have to be lucky to have a great holiday. We were lucky to pick this great tour, lucky to travel with a good group and very lucky to have Alex as our guide!This amazing young lady really made the trip - and even altered the itinerary a little so that we would get the best out of every day irrespective of the weather. Although a native french Canadian , she knew everything about Vancouver and chatted animatedly with everyone , answering every question that was sent her way. There are always things that go a little wrong -our room at Ucluelet was very dark -but she immediately fixed a change with the hotel. She also knew great places to eat and varied it as much as possible. The highlight of the trip was a day long visit to see grizzly bears feeding on Salmon migrating up the river. On the way we got close to a large humpback whale . With the boat engines stopped we could hear every breath of the whale and managed to get some great pictures - a magical moment. The zodiac trips to see whales were fun, but our boat skipper kept a very long distance (much greater than the mandatory 100 yards) from the whales even when invited to approach by other boat captains. Considering we had travelled many thousands of miles to see the whales this was disappointing. The penultimate day was spent in Victoria. We had tasted "beaver tails" -a cinnamon doughnut - in Ottawa many years ago and wanted to repeat the experience. Alex , once again, made it possible and found a local source of this delightful sweet! As we said our goodbyes to our new friends on the final day, Alex was on hand again to make sure all went well. We hope she continues as a guide - any other have a hard act to follow!

A brilliant trip, with chance to see huge amounts of the stunning British Columbia Landscapes and lots of wildlife. We were very lucky with the weather, a great group, a top tour leader and wildlife that wanted to show off all of the time.

What an absolutely fantastic wildlife experience. Can you imagine how wonderful it is to witness, Gray Whales, Humpback Whales, diving and blowing and Orca (Killer) Whales. To watch a pod of Orcas breaching, a acrobatic performance which would win a Gold medal in any ones games.To stand and watch wild bears feasting on huge Salmon, oblivious to us viewing. (Well, most of the time!!). This is a wildlife and photographic trip not to be missed. You can add, sightings of Bald Eagles, the list is almost endless.

A fantastic experience from begining to end, a wonderful group of people - locations were excellent with lots of wildlife andculture. A couple of niggles: some initial accomodation was below standard (eg: roadside motel), a seemingly perenial problem - lack of choice vegetarian option on dinner menus.

We asked for whales and bears and we definitely got them! Whales = grey, humpback, orca. Bears = black and grizzly.

This was my first holiday with this tour company and also my first small group holiday. I need not have worried on either account. From beginning to end the organisation was first class thanks to our amazing Group leader Heather and a more diverse and relaxed group of fellow travellers would have been hard to find. My concerns about my age, (there were several older than my 65 years) and the amount of walking involved were quickly dispelled and I was able to opt out of hkes to sketch and paint instead.

A brilliant trip, with chance to see huge amounts of the stunning British Columbia Landscapes and lots of wildlife. We were very lucky with the weather, a great group, a top tour leader and wildlife that wanted to show off all of the time.

What an absolutely fantastic wildlife experience. Can you imagine how wonderful it is to witness, Gray Whales, Humpback Whales, diving and blowing and Orca (Killer) Whales. To watch a pod of Orcas breaching, a acrobatic performance which would win a Gold medal in any ones games.To stand and watch wild bears feasting on huge Salmon, oblivious to us viewing. (Well, most of the time!!). This is a wildlife and photographic trip not to be missed. You can add, sightings of Bald Eagles, the list is almost endless.

This was my first holiday with Exodus and also my first small group holiday. I need not have worried on either account. From beginning to end the organisation was first class thanks to our amazing Group leader Heather and a more diverse and relaxed group of fellow travellers would have been hard to find. My concerns about my age, (there were several older than my 65 years) and the amount of walking involved were quickly dispelled and I was able to opt out of híkes to sketch and paint instead.

A wonderful holiday that really delivered on the wildlife sightings.  We saw whales (grey, humpback and orca) and bears - close up - but also sea otters, seals, sea lions, dolphins, porpoises, bald eagles, and even a river otter.  The scenery was beautiful too, and we were lucky enough to find ourselves among a lovely group of people who we were really pleased to have met.       

Keep this trip. It's new but it's a corker. Great wildlife in a really beautiful part of the world. Whales - tick! Bears - tick! Does what it says so more than happy.

We asked for whales and bears and we definitely got them!  Whales = grey, humpback, orca.  Bears = black and grizzly.

Fresh air  and the great outdoors  - highlights of course are the bears and whales but with plenty more besides

Canada truly is 'The Great Outdoors!' - fir tree covered mountains and windswept, rocky beaches provided the backdrop to some exciting wildlife encounters. As well as the natural beauty of Vancouver Island, I was really impressed by the city of Vancouver and the virtually endless blue skies that we were lucky enough to experience.

A fantastic experience from begining to end, a wonderful group of people - locations were excellent with lots of wildlife and culture.  A couple of niggles: some initial accomodation was below standard (eg: roadside motel), a seemingly perenial problem - lack of choice vegetarian option on dinner menus.

A fantastic holiday which gives you numerous opportunities to enjoy the local wildlife while also allowing time to visit Vancouver, Victoria and some of the other towns. This was my first wildlife focussed holiday which meant there were lot's of things i had never seen before including black bears, grizzly bears, orca whales, otters, seals etc. I do think you need to be aware however that you are trying to spot wild animals so you need to accept that anything you see is a bonus, there is the possibility that you might not see certain things depending on the weather, conditions and just how lucky you are. Having said that the people involved in the trips know what they are doing and will always swap things around and will do their best to get you the best possible experience. We were not disappointed and saw so much throughout the holiday.

An immensely enjoyable trip due in part to the awe-inspiring wildlife viewed but also the fact that our group of only 12 had a shared interest made more memorable because of the energy and enthusiasm of our group leader and the very knowledgeable experts escorting us into their speciality areas.

You have to be lucky to have a great holiday. We were lucky to pick this great tour, lucky to travel with a good group and very lucky to have Alex as our guide!This amazing young lady really made the trip - and even altered the itinerary a little so that we would get the best out of every day irrespective of the weather. Although a native french Canadian , she knew everything about Vancouver and chatted animatedly with everyone , answering every question that was sent her way. There are always things that go a little wrong -our room at Ucluelet was very dark -but she immediately fixed a change with the hotel. She also knew great places to eat and varied it as much as possible. The highlight of the trip was a day long visit to see grizzly bears feeding on Salmon migrating up the river. On the way we got close to a large humpback whale . With the boat engines stopped we could hear every breath of the whale and managed to get some great pictures - a magical moment. The zodiac trips to see whales were fun, but our boat skipper kept a very long distance (much greater than the mandatory 100 yards) from the whales even when invited to approach by other boat captains. Considering we had travelled many thousands of miles to see the whales this was disappointing. The penultimate day was spent in Victoria. We had tasted "beaver tails" -a cinnamon doughnut - in Ottawa many years ago and wanted to repeat the experience. Alex , once again, made it possible and found a local source of this delightful sweet! As we said our goodbyes to our new friends on the final day, Alex was on hand again to make sure all went well. We hope she continues as a guide - any other have a hard act to follow!