Travel Insurance
Kingfisher strongly recommends all booked guests to purchase travel insurance for their trip that includes cancellations and trip interruptions as well as medical expenses and evacuations in Canada.
Most insurance policies need to be booked within so many hours or days after your trip or tour booking. For policy options check with your local travel agent or book online through your bank or regular insurance provider. Due to different policy options per country you’re travelling from as well as the ever-evolving nature of insurance policies, the information below is compiled from the research we have recently done and we recommend guest to do their own research in addition to find the best policy for your personal situation.
What you are looking for in your insurance is the following
- Trip Cancellation and Interruption insurance: in case unforeseen events such as unexpected illness or injury prevent you from going on your trip. Or if you are required to interrupt your trip and return home pre-maturely. This also covers canceled or delayed flights, ferries or other types of transport that prevent you from going on your tour with us.
- Medical Travel insurance: in case you need to receive medical attention and/or evacuation during your trip. Due to the nature of our kayak tours, you want to ensure it includes wilderness activities and that it not only covers the cost of medical attention but also the cost of evacuation from a remote wilderness setting.
What you want to keep in mind is that events that are considered “known or foreseeable” are not covered by most travel insurance policies. This can include a known health concern that could eventually prevent you from travelling in the future.
One way to be insured in these uncertain times is to opt for the “Cancel for Any Reason” coverage (CFAR) as an optional upgrade to most travel insurance plans. CFAR allows you to cancel your trip, whatever your reason may be, and receive a partial refund—usually 50% or 75% of the value of your prepaid and non-refundable expenses, such as airline tickets, tour and hotel reservations. Events that are considered “known or foreseeable” will also be covered under this upgrade. The CFAR upgrade has to be purchased within days of making the initial trip deposit (this varies by provider so make sure to know when the exact cut-off is). The trip also has to be cancelled no later than 48 hours prior to departure, in order to qualify for refunds from your insurance company.
As mentioned above, insurance policies can vary for company to compnay and can change frequently. In the past, some of our guests have used SafetyWing for travellers from Canada, Heymondo for travellers from the USA, Europe and other parts of the world, and Staysure for travellers from the UK. There are more options available through your local travel agent, so this list solely acts as a suggestion.
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WOW - The best experience with a professional no what they are doing company! From start to finish, our trip exceeded all expectations. Every detail of the trip was even better than we imagined. The guides fantastic, made us feel safe and looked after their knowledge and expertise on the surroundings and wildlife, The equipment - 5 star, The camp and food fantastic. We all have family memories to cherish and its a trip our 10 year old will never forget especially eating at camp watching & listening to the Orca's.read moreread less
Camper207414119799/10/2025 -
World class outfitter in out-of-this-world nature Kingfisher's guides, equipment, and hospitality exceeded all expectations. My friend and I did the 6-day Whales and Wildlife Tour. I've done multi-day trips in San Juan Islands and Baja, and I have not had better outfitters. Our guides Declan and Babs were experts in sea kayaking, camping, marine wildlife, conservation, indigenous culture, and hospitality. We felt educated, entertained, cared for. So many awe-inpiring moments and laughs. Can't recommend it enough. Just know you will get rain and you will be putting on soaking wet paddle gear in the morning -- it sucks for 2 minutes and then is quickly over-shadowed by the joy of another day paddling with whales in some of the world's most beautiful landscape!read moreread less
Elizabeth C.9/19/2025 - Great experience overall on the 4 day kayak with whales trip! Ample information offered in terms of preparing what to bring, how to get there, etc. Guides were friendly and knowledgeable. Food was tasty too. Only tip I would offer is to consider bringing your own pillow. Will definitely book another trip with Kingfisher!read moreread less
D T.9/28/2022 -
Simply a Must Do My Daughter and I have recently returned from the whales and wildlife, 5 night tour.
From a personal perspective, if you do nothing else when you visit Vancouver Island, do this. We cannot over emphasise how knowledgeable and professional our guides were.
Both Nick and Lauren, as well as the close proximity of the whales, made this a trip that will leave a lifetime of memories. Further, the food, especially the fresh egg omelettes, were superb and one can only be impressed with Lauren’s culinary prowess. However, Nicks eloquent talks relating to the First Nation peoples were a wonderful addition and totally unexpected.
To both of you, from both of us, thank you!read moreread less
Fraserrich8/22/2023 - Best food we had on the base camp tour ever, not even hotels can match this taste an quality. Besides that, the guides where awesome and always managed based on weather conditions a wonderfull paddeling tour each and every day through the stonishing landscape of hudson isalnd. Defently a recommendaitonread moreread less
Dominik S.10/01/2023 - It was fantastic! We highly recommend the kayak and grizzly tour. We started our vacation with Kingfisher in late August and this tour set the benchmark very high for the rest of our trip through Canada.
Camping on an island close to nature and wildlife was an exceptional experience. The guides made it even better by taking care of us on land and on water, sharing their knowledge with us. Not only did we watch whales, but we also met more marine life and learned about currents and flora. Many thanks to Audrey, Jess and Kayleigh.
Environmentally friendly, with high respect for wildlife, far from mass tourism. Kayaking for beginners and advanced. Nice mix of people and good group size.
The grizzly tour with Sea Wolf Adventures on the last day was a great way to end the tour. Sherry and Brandon shared their indigenous knowledge of the wildlife and islands with us. We watched orcas on the way to see the grizzly bears. Visiting the cultural center in Alert Bay and hearing personal stories was also a highlight! Thank you so much.read moreread less
Julia S.10/02/2022 - We did the 4 day base camp kayaking and grizzly tour and it was fantastic. The base camp was well maintained, the food at camp was excellent. We saw lots of wildlife. The kayaking guides were very knowledgeable and courteous, Jeff was exceptional. The boat captain for the grizzly tour was lovely. All the guides were always delighted to share fun wildlife facts and never compromised our safety. Constant changing tides and mountain weather affects the waters around the island and the day to day itineraries, so you may not get to kayak every day. The only reason for 4 stars rather than 5 is that we are Australians and did the camp with a local Canadian family. At times, I felt like my partner and I were a bit of an afterthought to the two younger guides. They seemed much more focused on chatting with the Canadian family, and a lot of the conversation was content we couldn’t really join in on. It left me feeling kind of awkward and, honestly, a bit like a pest (like we were intruding just by being there). That said, I know this is just my personal take on the social dynamic. Aside from that, I’d still absolutely recommend the company and the experience. It’s clearly a well-run operation and overall was a great trip.read moreread less
Nicole F.7/30/2025 - The 6-day kayaking tour exceeded our expectations. Declan and Babs were the best guides you could wish for for this experience. They gave us ALL THE INFO on camping and kayaking. We saw whales every day and learned a lot about life on and in the water.
We expected a lot or fun and a good time but surely didn't expect a trip this spectacular and full of so many interesting facts. The camps were chosen daily depending on the group and the weather, and we always felt included in the decision-making process. We were very comfortable with the group, especially given thé small size. The food was always delicious and varied. We definitely recommend this tour. Once in a lifetime experience.read moreread less
Jennifer F.7/21/2025






