Tausend Dank an Kelsie und das Team für die tolle Tour, die wir in den letzten 4 Tagen hatten. Ganz viel erlebt, viele Tierbeobachtungen, tolles Essen, super Betreuung und Anleitung, und dann auch noch sehr gutes Wetter - wenn wir nicht so eine weite Anreise aus Berlin hätten, würden wir immer wieder mit den Kingfishers fahren.

North Island Gem - Whales and Grizzles Tour Kingfisher Whales and Grizzlies trip September 13-16, 2025. As folks who have explored and appreciated many areas of the West Coast on land and by kayak for many years, we had high expectations for this trip, and every one of them was met.

The staff on the phone was welcoming and responsive. The pre-trip information was incredibly detailed – right down to ‘packing for a person who is always cold’ versus ‘packing for a person who runs warm’ videos! If you follow their guidelines, you will
arrive prepared for your adventure.

The gear provided was top-notch – dry bag systems for personal gear and bedding; paddling jackets for on the water to keep your personal rain gear dry at camp. Guests had the option of single or double kayaks. Camp on Hanson Island is glamping, to be sure – thick Therm-a-rests and cozy three-season sleeping bags with extra fuzzy blankets ensured everyone was comfortable. Most tents face the ocean, and we awoke each day to either humpbacks or Steller sea lions passing in front of our tent. As someone with food requirements, this was done seamlessly and without fuss. The meals and snacks were exceptional, varied, and devoured. We showed our appreciation by enthusiastically joining in the dishes routine for each meal.

From a wildlife perspective, it felt like we saw everything - transient and northern resident orcas, humpbacks, Dall's porpoise and harbour porpoise, Steller sea lions and harbour seals. We took time to explore the intertidal zone and talk about the importance of the many creatures that call this area home. During meal prep, the guides would call from the outdoor kitchen, 'whale', having heard a blow while preparing our meal, so guests could head to the beach for viewing.

But what made the trip just extra were the guides, Brenda and Babs. From ensuring everyone had the skills to safely launch and land, navigating changing weather conditions, to monitoring hydration and preparing meals, these women did it ALL with calm, grace, and good humour. We were a diverse group of nine guests – couples and singles, a 30-year age span, and different paddling backgrounds.

After our first afternoon exploration, Brenda and Babs facilitated an open and thoughtful conversation about what went well and what everyone thought they needed to feel good about a longer day on the water for the following days. Together, they navigated different needs respectfully and with tact, encouraging us to consider different paddling arrangements and sharing experiences from past trips. They were honest, kind, and encouraging. Brenda’s experience with group development and leadership ensured we got on track with a shared plan that was safe and successful for everyone. Babs generously shared her knowledge and experience as a volunteer with Orcalab and the work done there. Not only did they share what we saw, they also encouraged us to just take it all in and feel how amazing this environment truly is. Our group wrapped it up with a pub dinner back in town after the trip. Many laughs were shared, and Kingfisher’s owner, Andrew, popped in to say hello.

We came to Kingfisher through their generous donation of a gift certificate to the Marine Education and Research Society. Funds raised through their donation help support MERS work. In turn, the opportunity to come to the North Island in September resulted in our annual travel dollars – the balance of our paddling trips costs, hotel stays, restaurant meals, coffee and bakery stops, gas and groceries – all being spent at North Island retailers. Their excellent paddling offering, combined with their support of not only MERS, but also their North Island home and neighbours, is what would keep us coming back and 100% recommend others looking for a paddling adventure to choose to spend their time and pennies with Kingfisher.

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 recommendaiton

Fabulous Kayaking Hanson Island and Johnstone Strait Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures is the best. My wife and I did the 4-day Base Camp Whale and Bear Adventure. The base camp accommodations with the tent cabins were super comfortable and located on a strategic point where we could see so much just from camp. Brenda and Ben, our guides, were kind, fabulous and shared SO much valuable information about the water, sealife and animal life in and around the Johnston Strait are we were immersed in. We woke up every morning to laughter, hot coffee and breakfast. Our days were filled with great kayaking and animal sightings. We saw everything we were hoping to see during our trip and more - dolphins, sea lions, bears (mama and cub), orcas, humpbacks, sea otters, eagles, and a lot of underwater life. I would recommend these guys to anybody without hesitation.

Whales and Grizzly Bears Base Camp Kayaking a wonderful experience. I feel very privileged to have been able to stay in such a unique location, teeming with wildlife. Highly recommend the Sea Otter safari add-on too. It is the often the same wildlife, but it's a very different experience for wildlife and viewer from all 3 watercraft types. Guides & facilities excellent. Recommend staying in the Black Bear too, at both ends of the kayaking trip.

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!

Amazing experience with fantastic guides, Audrey, Alex & Brittney. The food was great and we saw whales, orcas, porpoise, eagles and more.

Kingfisher and Johnstone Strait ROCK! The guides were thorough, friendly and safety-conscious. Base camp was fantastic, with roomy tents, comfy beds, terrific views Paddling distance increased each day to allow us to get used to the boats and improve our skills gradually. Guides made it possible to run the trip easily with everyone from non-paddlers to experienced ones. The amount of wildlife we saw was outstanding. We were able to view humpbacks, transient and resident orcas, dall's porpoises, pacific white-sided dolphins, seals, sea-lions, bald eagles, cormorants, ducks, auks and many species of invertebrates, many of them id'd by our guides. Each night at dinner we helped the guides enter all species seen on the day in a logbook.

Incredible experience and trip! Wow! This was such an amazing trip. Our guides, Liz and Renee, were so incredible. They were welcoming, funny, knowledgeable, and great cooks. I learned a lot about marine wildlife and how to kayak better (I had some prior experience but not a ton). Renee prepared a detailed kayaking plan each day that felt safe, the right amount of exercise, and ensured we saw some cool nature.

The base camp was great, beds were comfortable, tents were nice, and the food was delicious. The camp is situated right between the Orca/Humpback “highway” so we sat and watched whales all evening after finishing kayaking and could hear them breathing all night long. Truly magical.

The kayaking was fun, safe, and we saw some amazing wildlife from the kayaks, the boat tour, and camp. My guess is 100 orcas, 50 humpbacks, hundreds of porpoises, 3 grizzlies, some otters, + tons of seals, sea lions, and eagles! We also lucked out with a really fun tour group that loved playing games and hanging out together! I would love to go again at some point!

Great outdoor and semi-glamping experience This was a magical trip! We were a group of 11 adventurous women, wanting to see wildlife and exploring these islands. The guides were great, we got to see and hear lots of whales and some orcas, learned a lot about the flora and fauna. The tents and beds were very comfy, the meals excellent. Some , but not all of us had kayaking experience, one should be in decent physical shape to do this trip.The Kingfisher Co was easy to work with and responsive to some of our special needs. I can 100% recommend them.