Happy Anniversary – 2024 will be our 35th season of exploring Haida Gwaii.
This tour will be offered again in 2026 to Coincide with the Pink Salmon Migration !
Guaranteed experience of a lifetime! This tour will focus on the abundant estuaries and watersheds throughout the northern boundary of Gwaii Haanas during a time when few visitors are present in the park. With the return of the pink salmon, a species that migrates to Haida Gwaii every two years, this unique migration becomes a vital part of the food web for species such as: sea lions, seals, bald eagles, black bears, and the occasional pod of killer whales. Viewing all of this wildlife is an unforgettable experience!
You will make new discoveries each day. The shoreline here is diverse and exciting, and the scenery is vast. A visit to the Haida village of Tanu, the resting place of Haida Artist Bill Ried, is always a calming experience. While paddling north, the tour will end with the Totem Poles of Skedans Village. Here ancient poles tell the stories of the past.
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. 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 show you coastal attractions while transporting you by zodiac to a remote location in Gwaii Haanas. At this point we will establish a campsite near Gandil K’in Gwaay.yaay (Hot Springs Island), where you can enjoy a well-deserved soak in the natural thermals. Paddling to the natural springs for a soak will allow guests to get familiar with our mixed fleet of single and double kayaks.
Days 2 – 9
The next day we will enjoy exploring the many islands and islets surrounding our camp, seeing old homesteads, seal haul outs, blue heron colonies, and superb intertidal life. After breaking camp, we will travel through the Bishops Islands, towards Darwin Sound. The backdrop to our new camp will be the San Christoval Mountains. We can explore the many estuaries and watersheds in Darwin Sound. Here we will see the migrating salmon and hopefully a bear in the distance. A hike to an alpine lake or discovering one of the many waterfalls in the area is also an option for an outing. This area is rich in Haida myths with communities to explore!
Next, we establish camp in close proximity to the village of T’aanuu Linagaay (Tanu). A once flourishing village, its calm environment is the resting place of Haida Artist, Bill Reid. Guests can reflect on how the Haida felled these trees and stripped bark for cedar ornaments, clothing, houses, totem poles, and canoes.
Continuing our journey north, guests will paddle past the fjord-like topography of Porter and Hemming Head. Once crossed, camp is set up near Vertical Point. The uplift of limestone formations along this shoreline gives it the name and a west coast feel. Nearby is the ecological reserve of Limestone Island, where in the summer months biologists research the ever-changing coastal ecosystems. A relaxing walk on one of the many flagged trails allows guests the opportunity to experience this natural sanctuary.
Day 10
On our final day we are picked up by Zodiac and transported to Moresby Camp from where we will make our way back to your accommodations in Sandspit.
Please note that Mother Nature has the final word on tour itineraries and the above is just a general overview.
2026 Kayak Vacations
This tour will be offered again in 2026 to Coincide with the Pink Salmon Migration !
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.