My experience to Haida Gwaii and your guides exceeded my expectations. Jane and Bev were calm, competent, fun, and their knowledge of the culture, birds, plants, weather, history and culture, was awe inspiring. I definitely want to return to Haida Gwaii again.
Why We Love This Trip
This expedition takes a dramatically scenic route into the heart of a paddling paradise that should be on every kayaker’s wish list.
If the OSK team were to be biased regarding our favorite campsites and little nooks to explore, it would be this expedition, the Gwaii Haanas Legacy Traverse, which explores the northern waters of Gwaii Haanas. A unique paddling experience that highlights the many cultural treasures and natural wonders that checks off most of the bucket list of a dream paddling destination: totem poles, Haida Village sites, big trees, rugged islands, abundant wildlife, mountain vistas, and some of the best marine ecosystems found on the British Columbia coast.…
This classic kayaking trip that enjoys the pathless traveled departs on the shoulder season and is intended to beat the crowds to this world-class destination.
About The Area
The word “BIG” truly encapsulates this tour. The expansive sky in the region allows guests to witness breathtaking sunrises and sunsets from our favorite campsites.
It’s well-known that Haida Gwaii is famous for its large trees. A highlight of the tour is camping and walking among the towering old-growth trees at Hik’yah GawGa (Windy Bay). You can also take a virtual tour of the big trees of Windy Bay through this link. This campsite is the only Haida Watchmen site in Gwaii Haanas that allows paddlers to stay overnight, providing an opportunity to engage in an intimate and educational cultural experience. Hik’yah GawGa (Windy Bay) is also home to the Legacy Pole, which you can learn more about through this link.
Haida Gwaii, second only to the Bay of Fundy, experiences some of the largest tidal variations in Canada. The area boasts some of the best nutrient-rich waters and sea life in Gwaii Haanas. It is home to both Marine Ecological Reserve found in Gwaii Haanas – Murchison Narrows, and Burnaby Narrows.
The many islands found on this tour also provide a paddler with a diversity of fun shorelines and landscapes to explore, while these islands are also home to several bird colonies. Meanwhile, the nutrient-rich waters provide feed to the often-passing Humpback whales, and the occasional pod of transient killer whales in the surrounding waters as well.
Another unique feature of the tour is a visit to the natural thermal hot springs at Gandl K’in Gwaay.yaay (Hot Springs Islands).
During the tour, you’ll also have the chance to visit the Haida Village of T’aanuu Linagaay (Tanu), the resting place of Haida Artist Bill Reid. Although there are no standing Haida Monumental Art, the calm and peaceful energy of the village makes it one of my favorite sites to visit.
Weather permitting, a stop to visit the Haida Totems of K’uuna during our transport days can be arranged as an additional highlight of the tour. We are excited to share the many cultural treasures and natural wonders of Gwaii Haanas with you this summer.
Deanna Del Vecchio, enjoying the giant Sitka Spruce at Windy Bay. Windy Bay Haida Gwaii Watchman Site, Gwaii Haanas, Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada.
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 Gwaii Haanas – 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.
Below is an itinerary, created from over two decades of travel thru Gwaii Haanas, that guests have enjoyed. That said, it is your tour, and you may have your own personal bucket list to check off, so OSK will try to facilitate any deviations from the below schedule.
Day 1
Your tour starts with our friends from Moresby Explorers picking you up at your accommodations in K’il Kun (Sandspit), the location of the island’s main airport. They will entertain you with stories and point out coastal attractions while transporting you by Zodiac to a remote location in Gwaii Haanas.
We establish camp on Kunga Island in close proximity to the village of Tanu. Once a flourishing village, it is now the resting place of Haida Artist, Bill Reid. Many years ago we guided a small crew of geologists to Kunga Island who identified unique geological formations such as ancient lava tubes and pointed out a faint line that represented the Triassic- Jurassic time lines!
Take a virtual tour of T’aannu.
Days 2 – 7 Paddling through the Tar and Agglomerate islands found on the eastern shoreline of Lyell Island brings us to Windy Bay. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Gwaii Haanas in 2013, the first Haida totem pole in 130 years was raised at this location. Wind Bay provides opportunities to explore the towering old growth forests that Gwaii Haanas is known for. Guests can see the Western Red Cedar tree (Thuja plicata), which is the provincial tree of British Columbia. The cedar is woven into Haida Culture, who know it as the “TREE OF LIFE”. Standing among these towering giants, it is easy to reflect on how the resourceful Haida used it to provide housing, canoes, totem poles, and clothing.
For more information on the 20th anniversary pole raising, check out the following link from the CBC.
Take a virtual tour of the Legacy Pole at Windy Bay.
The next day we will enjoy exploring the many islands and islets surrounding our camp, seeing old homesteads, sea lion and seal haul outs, blue heron colonies, and superb intertidal life. 
Enjoy a well-deserved soak in the natural thermals at Hot Springs Island at the end of a day’s paddle.
After breaking camp we will travel through the Bishops Islands and cross Juan Perez Sound, named after the Spanish explorer’s voyage of 1774 on his frigate, the Santiago. The San Christoval Mountains will be the backdrop to our new camp. A hike to an alpine lake or discovering one of the many waterfalls in the area are other options for a day’s outing. This area is rich in Haida myths and ancient communities to explore.
Coinciding with low tides, this tour offers the opportunity to view either Burnaby Narrows or Murchison Narrows, both protected marine conservation areas, where there is abundant sea life. Studies conducted by Parks Canada have determined that this area contains more than 290 aquatic species, and bat stars were counted at a density of 74 per square meter, (in contrast to a survey done on Vancouver Island that found just seven per square meter), making this some of the highest levels of living material (called Biomass) of any intertidal zone in the world!
Day 8 The final day we will visit the Totems of K’uunna on the northeast corner of Louise Island. Skedans was home to over 50 pieces of monumental art in the 1900’s. Today guests can view the many mortuary and memorial poles that remain standing. The stop at Skedans will be offered to guests on their Zodiac transport back to Moresby Camp.
2025 Kayak Vacations
Our Anniversary Pricing has been extended into the 2025 season for you to Enjoy !
2026 Early Bird Sale
Introducing people to Haida Gwaii has been our specialty since 1989. Why settle for second best?
Designed with you in mind, OSK is offering our 2026 tours at the following prices for a limited time.
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.
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.
We have been introducing people of all ages, abilities, from around the world to Haida Gwaii for the past 30 years, and we want to ensure that all our guests have a clear understanding of our trips before we start, so that your expectations are met.
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 approach. Haida Gwaii is known as the “Galapagos of the Pacific Northwest” and can offer some incredible wildlife experiences. Your guide will provide you with a trip orientation on day one, a Parks Canada requirement for all Gwaii Haanas guests. The orientation is to offer insight into the Haida Culture, the sensitivity of Ecological Reserves, and to deliver awareness of how our tours will practice industry standards regarding low-impact camping and wildlife encounters.
The OSK Team has designed a few tutorials for you.
A compressive Trip Planner and further videos will be presented to all guest once registered on a tour with Ocean Sound Kayaking, referencing over 30 years of questions and answers.