A trip of a lifetime, all expectations were exceeded, thank you for the lasting memories.
Why We Love This Trip
Join us on a new adventure with our 4 day kayaking tour, an adventure that explores Haida territory in Skidegate Inlet. This tour is a great option for those who want to slow down and explore Haida Gwaii by human power, see details in the natural beauty and explore the islands and islets around Sandspit (K’il Kun) and Daajing Giids.
The waterways of Haida Gwaii offer immense beauty and endless opportunities for exploration. Traveling by kayak offers adventures with a unique water level viewpoint to capture the beauty. You’ll paddle along basalt and limestone shorelines that are crawling with life, from small shore crabs to barnacles and deer alike.
At camp and during breaks from paddling, we’ll search out old growth forests and share knowledge and stories on how the cedar tree holds important cultural significance for the Haida People.
A 3-night kayaking trip is a perfect way for an introduction to kayaking and camping. This trip is open for those new to both kayaking and camping.
Why you will love this trip
You’ll love adding this multi-day trip onto your Haida Gwaii vacation. Whether you’re exploring Haida Gwaii for a month or a week, this trip will be a great complement to your other plans and help ensure you have a varied and diverse itinerary for your time visiting the island archipelago.
Reviewing the Tour Map allows guests the opportunity to get familiar with the highlights, wildlife, and geographical locations of the tour. The goals of our Haida Gwaii kayak trips are to be fun, engaging, educational, and relaxing.
Kayaking Haida Gwaii is a true wilderness experience and requires a flexible mindset to travel safely in a self-propelled vessel. This is a self-supported kayak tour, which uses a mixed fleet of kayaks for your convenience, confidence and enjoyment. The success of the tour depends on weather, tides, guest interests, and the overall ability of the group. No one person (guides included) can have any control over such variables.
Over the 4 days we’ll paddle west from Alliford Bay toward Long Arm. We’ll spend our days navigating islands and islets, seeking out natural treasures, finding time to soak up the wonder of the wilderness, and allow nature to help us all reconnect.
Day 1
Your adventure begins in Sandspit (K’il Kun), BC, home to the island’s main airport. We’ll pick you up at your accommodations in Sandspit at 7:30 a.m. and transport you to our launch point at Alliford Bay.
From Alliford Bay, we’ll paddle through the Transit Islands, exploring a quaint island chain with interesting and abundant intertidal life. It’s always amazing the peace that is discovered just a short paddle away from the BC Ferries terminal in Alliford Bay.
Pasting through Transit Island we’ll head towards Deenan Bay in search of old growth forests for a view of untouched forests and the complex beauty of forest species living together for hundreds of years.
Throughout all these islands, the Haida have lived in and gathered here for millennia. As we paddle, we do so respectfully –Yah’guudang—honoring and acknowledging their enduring connection to the land and sea.
Days 2–3: Long Arm
Our second and third day of the trip will be used to explore back into Long Arm. Long Arm is the body of water located behind the village of Daajing Giids. Its waters lay at the feet of towering mountains of Mount Slatechuck and Mount Raymond – known collectively as the “Sleeping Beauty” – Kuu Jad TlldaGaaw K’yuu. You’ll enjoy stunning mountain views from all angles on a clear day in Long Arm! 
Long Arm is also home to many small islands, perfectly made for exploration! We’ll weave and bob through and around many islands through our days, always on the lookout for wildlife that may be in the area. Lena Narrows and the Trundle Estuary are frequent spots for the Haida Gwaii Taan – black bear, well known for being a special sub species of black bear endemic to Haida Gwaii with its large paws and jaw.
We’ll find some beautiful beaches to call home in Long Arm. We’ll camp among the wonders of the wilderness, learn how to be comfortable while camping, and enjoy the flickering of a campfire as we enjoy some delicious camp meals while listening to the sound of the ocean.
Days 4: Journey Home via Maude Island and Alliford Bay
On Day 4, we’ll paddle back east along the southern shore of Maude Island. On Maude island’s eastern tip lies the historic Haida village of Haina. In 2022, the Haida raised a new pole in the village—both the village and the pole serve as landmarks guiding our final crossing to Transit Island, where our memorable, nature-filled journey began 3 days ago.
2026 Kayak Vacations
All prices are in Canadian Dollars. Prices do not include the 5% GST
Review all Haida Gwaii Kayak Tour Dates
Click Here – For details on wildlife, highlights, and geographical locations regarding this tour.
Below is an overview, created from over two decades of travel through Gwaii Haanas, that guests have enjoyed. Kayaking Gwaii Haanas – Haida Gwaii is a true wilderness and requires a flexible mindset to travel safely in a self-propelled kayak. The success of the tour depends on the weather, tides, guests’ interests, and the overall ability of the group. No one person, including guides, has no control over such variables.
Personal Fitness
First and foremost, it’s important to note that age is just a number to us. We see that you are an adventurous soul who seeks intrinsic wilderness experiences, and that’s exactly what we aim to provide. If you’re in good physical condition and willing to share in occasional camp chores, you’re welcome on our tours.
We travel in a self-propelled mix fleet of single and double sea kayaks, without any support boat on any of our kayak tours. Kayak experience isn’t required, but we ask that guests feel comfortable around water. More important than your paddling skill is your past camping experience, which will assist you greatly in ensuring your comfort in a remote wilderness setting like Haida Gwaii.
Lifting and Carrying
To make any trip successful, all guests must participate in the daily chores and contribute to the overall team environment, such as food cache, meal prep and clean up, setting up camp, collecting firewood, and drinking water. We can accommodate guests with physical limitations in this department, but we expect guests to be able to carry up to 20-30 pounds, as kayaks must be placed above the high tide line nightly in teams of 6-8 people.
Toilets
There are no outhouse facilities throughout Gwaii Haanas. We use low-impact practices such as the “intertidal flush,” which is a standard set by Parks Canada for all kayakers in Gwaii Haanas. Your guide will brief you on this practice and present a private area for the group washroom at each rest stop and campsite.
Bathing and Water
Many of our chosen camps have a freshwater source to collect water and take a bath. Your guides will create the boundaries along with a private location for guests. The kayak tour can carry 110 liters of water to sites that do not have a suitable or reliable water supply. Non-scented wet wipes are handy items around camp as they are convenient and easy.
OSK Principles
Our goal is to offer a wilderness experience that will remove you from your everyday distractions, replacing cell phones with solitude, and streetlights with stars. Let’s keep the wild, “WILD.” With this in mind, it’s our responsibility to travel through Haida Gwaii with an ethical
The perfect vacation looks different for everyone, so it’s important to ask yourself some initial questions when planning a trip to Haida Gwaii.
Please take note that Ocean Sound Kayaking does not accept direct online bookings.
Instead, we prefer to communicate with our guests over the phone when possible. This allows us to introduce ourselves, answer any questions you may have about designing the perfect trip for you, or about Haida Gwaii in general. Additionally, this process allows OSK to create a cohesive group well before we even meet on Haida Gwaii.
This is what sets us apart – the OSK difference.
