BASE CAMP KAYAKING
Kingfisher’s kayak base camps are situated in the heart of the wildlife rich waters of Johnstone Strait off northern Vancouver Island. There is no better place in the world to kayak with both orcas and humpback whales. This area is recognized as one of the most predictable places in the world to see these great marine mammals.
The base camps offer a very comfortable camping experience, and with Kingfisher’s knowledgeable kayak guides these tours are suitable for adventurous travelers even if they have little or no kayaking or camping experience. Roomy canvas tents, each raised off the ground on wooden platforms, are situated throughout the forest with views of the ocean. The tents provide ample room and are outfitted with wooden beds with the thickest and widest Therm-a-rest mattresses available. Sheets, fleece blankets, full-size pillows, warm barrel-style sleeping bags, and hot water bottles are all provided to ensure a good night’s sleep. A recharging station for digital cameras, an extensive library of natural history books, a hot water – on demand camp shower, and a large covered kitchen and dining area made from locally milled red cedar make for an accessible and enjoyable camping experience.
We offer three base camp tours for you to chose from; two adult oriented tours and one specifically designed for families with children aged six to fourteen.
KAYAK WITH WHALES
Base Camp Kayaking
4 days / 3 nights
Imagine waking to the sound of a humpback’s breath as it glides past your tent. Later, take in a moment of awe watching a pod of orcas from your kayak, while the rest of the day is filled with the soft huffs of seals and quiet wingbeats, as bald eagles swoop over the water in search of salmon.
WHALES AND GRIZZLY BEARS
Base Camp Kayaking
4 days / 3 nights
Seeing a humpback whale lunging through a school of bait fish, a grizzly bear chasing a salmon through a shallow river, or a pod of killer whales surfacing in unison are often considered once in a lifetime experiences and all three are possible on this tour..
FAMILY KAYAK WITH WHALES
Base Camp Kayaking
4 days / 3 nights
Searching under rocks for crabs, watching humpback whales feed on a school of small fish, or being surprised as a harbour seal pops up right next to their kayak, are all memories children cherish for a lifetime. This kayak tour is designed for families with children aged six to fourteen.
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Best way to experience Vancouver Island's wild west coast My husband and I just returned from our second trip with Kingfisher - an expedition trip in the Nutchatlitz area: Kayaking with Sea Otters. It was even more fabulous than our first base camp trip in the Broughton Archipelago. We saw sea otters every day, tons of eagles and even …
read moreread lessElizabeth C.7/01/2021 -
Best way to experience Vancouver Island's wild west coast My husband and I just returned from our second trip with Kingfisher - an expedition trip in the Nutchatlitz area: Kayaking with Sea Otters. It was even more fabulous than our first base camp trip in the Broughton Archipelago. We saw sea otters every day, tons of eagles and even a curious mink at one of our campsites. Our guides, Carter and Julien, were great - looked after our safety, regaled us with stories, jokes and a poem, and somehow managed to whip up amazing fresh meals and snacks from what we carried in our kayaks. Carter even baked a cake on our third day! They shared their knowledge of the area and the wildlife and helped us improve our kayaking techniques. Every day brought a new adventure: kayaking into the mouth of a cave to inspect a waterfall, a group of sea otters putting on a show off the beach where we were enjoying "happy hour" appies and wine, and paddling in the ocean swells . We're seniors (69 & 72) and we'd highly recommend Kingfisher for anyone of any age who is reasonably fit.
read moreread lessJ4569IWelizabethc7/31/2021 -
Kingfisher Whales four-day Kayaking trip We went on Kingfisher's four day (3 night) kayaking trip off Port McNeil staying at a base camp on Hansen Island. We were a small group--four young German tourists and my husband and me (both of us over 60 Americans) plus the two (Canadian) guides. It was a wonderful experience. Both guides were extremely personable, knowledgeable, organized, gracious and all around competent. We observed minke and humpback whales, orcas, dolphins, porpoises, seals, mink and lots of underwater marine life. The platform tents at the base camp had extremely comfortable beds. We could hear the whales passing in the night as they blew. Clean linen and sleeping bags were provided. The guides prepared fresh meals, knew the territory and where to show us hidden gems. Highly recommended.
read moreread lessMarilyn M.7/31/2019 -
What a trip Wonderfull Kayak trip around basecamp.
On our 1st day we already saw orcas and humpback whales from basecamp, sitting whit a beer watching the sun go down
We kayaked every day and met whales and sealions.
Last day they picked us early, and we went on a bear watching tour we saw grizzly and black bears
Sleeping in a tent where you can here the whales breath at night when the are passing,Wonderful
Great guides, they make the best breakfast ,lunch and diner!
Its a must do when you visit Vancouver island!read moreread lessIvar197010/24/2018 -
Amazing! I am well traveled and done many different types of adventures and trips. I have only wrote one review on trip advisor before and that was giving a 5/5 rating cage shark diving with Great Whites in New Zealand. This trip deserves my 2nd 5/5 review! It was incredible!! Great mix of kayaking, island time, solitude, games, nature, etc. I did the 4 day/3 night base camp trip with my brother. All the guides were great with a special shutout to Fin! Very knowledgeable, personable, patient, and passionate about his job. When he spoke people listened. A kind of guy you want to grab a pint with sometime and maybe watch the Habs beat up on the Canucks !! We seen it all (both from our kayaks and from the many view points at camp)... a couple pods of orcas, sea lions swimming close to us, porpoises, humpbacks , eagles catching fish... and the list goes on and on. This trip is so much more than that though!! Nature is incredible and much more fun and cheaper than therapy. This trip is one I’ll remember forever!! No photos needed, just go see for yourself!! A+
read moreread lessBrent A.8/03/2019 -
Wet Coast Wonderland Interesting to read the other recent reviews of Kingfisher. My husband and I were not aware of Kingfisher Expeditions, but were lucky enough to be invited on a 6-day kayak trip north of the God's Pocket area this July 2022 with friends, when a couple had to drop out of the trip. We have only done a handful of guided kayak trips over the years, so did not know what to expect. But Kingfisher was pretty amazing, I have to say! But let me qualify that.....if you actually want to be paddling for a good portion of the day, like the wilderness camping experience and want a true west coast experience with lots of wildlife...then this is the company for you. Although, I do see that Kingfisher offers a variety of types of trips.
I would have preferred to paddle my own Cosma, but I understand the need to be in the company's boats, as they know the volume and can fit all the shared gear and food in them. Happy the boats were Seawards as we love them!! As we are experienced backpackers and mountaineers, I choose to bring my own sleeping pad, sleeping bag, tarp and PFD and was happy I did. I am older and fussier about my comfort and know what works for me. The guides were fine with that after checking out our gear, BTW :) The tents provided were spacious and paddling jackets the best. I swear our jackets did not let in a single drop of the wet coast weather! Kudos on the choice of paddling jackets.
Our guides Jen and Connor, were supremely competent, kept us well informed and in the loop on plans and were just plain fun to boot. We could not have asked for better guides and "paddling buddies". Some of the weather conditions were challenging, but our group was quite experienced and game and tackled what the elements threw at us. However a planned crossing from Nigei to Vancouver Island was too much. Try as we did, between wind, waves and current, it was not going to happen, but luckily Jen and Connor had a backup plan to return to a orevious campsite to wait for better weather the next day....which did come! We were in good hands with local knowledge. And man do those two have a lot of energy to manage a group on and off the water, cook, clean up, etc., etc....!! They do a tremendous job and I cannot compliment them enough.
The multiple wolf sightings were truly amazing, as were the many eagles, sea otters, superb blooms of jelly fish, ochre stars, anemonies, and other underwater life we could see from the surface or along the coast lines. It is truly a blessing to be able to experience a somewhat intact environment so close to home. The food was amazing and we are now addicted to the Tate's gluten free cookies (even though we are not sensitive to gluten)!!
Kingfisher is an excellent guiding company for the active adventurer. I must admit I could go for a slower paced kayaking trip as those National Geographic's I brought along are still unread!! So I hope we can return again, as there are so many places left to explore on the north island.read moreread lessPeggyhiking8/26/2022 -
AMAZING - MAGICAL - POWERFUL Adventure Myself and 5 friends just returned from an AMAZING 4-day base camp "Kayak with Whales" adventure. The adventure was sooo much more than kayaking with whales. We saw and heard lots of different marine and wild life (Orca and Humpback whales, Sea Lions, Seals, Eagles, Porpoises, Otters, Bear). and went for a special hike in the forest.
The Kingfisher team did a FANTASTIC job in hosting the trip right from initial contact to the very end of the trip. The trip was very organized and well planned. No detail has been left out…they have it all covered!
Strict COVID protocol was followed and we felt COVID safe at all times. At no time did anyone feel unsafe on the water or on land.
Meals prepared by Chef Julien were delicious and plenty to eat at all times.
Our professional and passionate guides Audrey and Dom were the best! They were very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and added lots of fun, laughter and adventure to our trip.
All together the adventure was a truly magical and powerful experience.
I highly recommend going on a Kingfisher Wilderness adventure. I am planning on going on another one!read moreread lessparm08/16/2020 -
Whales and Grizzly Bears Kayak Tour - Base Camp We just returned from Kingfisher's Whales and Grizzlies adventure and it was amazing! From the orientation session provided the evening before the trip, to the final drop-off of our gear back in Port McNeill, everything was exceptional. Our guides, Cam, Megan and Zach were friendly, fun and professional. They shared their knowledge of the marine life that is so abundant in that area and their respect for the environment was heartwarming. They were also excellent chefs and all had a great sense of humour. We saw dolphins and porpoises, orcas and humpbacks, seals and sea lions, eagles, mink and many marine birds. The accommodation was very comfortable and the setting was beautiful. I don't think any of us wanted to go home - we would have been happy there for many more days of kayaking and exploring.
read moreread lessCherylnghbr7/26/2019 -
Two sea kayaking trips I have never sea kayaked before but did two back to back with them in August - one base camp and one wild camping. All the equipment was first class and the tour guides/leaders were excellent giving someone who was very nervous the confidence to happily paddle a single kayak …
read moreread lessYvonne R.9/01/2019 -
Two sea kayaking trips I have never sea kayaked before but did two back to back with them in August - one base camp and one wild camping. All the equipment was first class and the tour guides/leaders were excellent giving someone who was very nervous the confidence to happily paddle a single kayak even when the water was choppy. Photos is short supply as wildlife not learnt the art of posing but lying in your tent at night either listening to the humpback whales or wolves in the distance is a never to be forgotten experience. Saw so much and learnt so much from the knowledgeable guides made it a holiday I will always remember.
read moreread lessYvonne R.9/14/2019