Happy Anniversary! In 2024, we will be celebrating our 35th season of exploring Haida Gwaii.
Why We Love This Trip
Our 6-Day Gwaii Haanas Adventure tour is an excellent choice for those looking to escape the ordinary while paddling through less-explored waters. We have designed the itinerary with your needs in mind, making it perfect for beginner kayakers, and seasoned adventurers alike.
The adaptable schedule allows us to tailor the experience to each group’s goals and preferences. This tour also allows guests to immerse themselves in the Haida culture like no other tour can. The abundance of islands in the area provides some of the most diverse kayaking opportunities Gwaii Haanas has to offer, all set against the backdrop of breathtaking sunrises and sunsets.
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.
Nearly 40 years ago on a misty fall morning, a small group of Haida set up a blockade along a dirt road on Lyell Island. As a result, over 72 people were arrested to inform future generations, about the commitment those individuals made to protect their land.
In November 2024, the documentary film “The Stand” will be released.
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 Gwaii Haanas National Park’s second Marine Ecological Reserve – Murchison 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.
This 6-Day Haida Gwaii Tour is guaranteed to satisfy your desire to get away from it all and experience the best of Haida Gwaii.
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.
One of the greatest features of this tour is flexibility. Ultimately tides, weather, the general interests of the group, along with the guides, will set the agenda. This is a self-supported kayak tour, which uses a mixed fleet of kayaks for your convenience, confidence and enjoyment.
Day 1
Designed to be educational, fun, and relaxing, your vacation will begin from Sandspit, BC, the location of the island’s airport. Our friends from Moresby Explorers will pick you up from your accommodations in k’il Kun (Sandspit) at 7:30 a.m. They will transport you to Moresby Camp, where you will have short zodiac ride to K’uuna Llnagaay (Skedans), located on the Eastern shores of Louise Island.
The Village of Skedans is one of the highlights to this tour. The Haida name for this village is K’uuna Llnagaay, which means Grizzly Bear Town. Abandoned well over a century ago, the remaining standing totem poles tell the stories of past ancestors. Though the site is outside Gwaii Haanas, it is co-managed by Parks Canada and Haida Heritage Sites.
Days 2-5
From a remote camp in Gwaii Haanas, a trip to Gandll K’in Gwaay,yaay (Hot Springs islands) allows you to rejuvenate in the natural pools. Composed of many islands and islets, the shoreline offers a new experience every day from Haida cultural sites, seal haul outs, bird colonies (Ancient Murrelet, Blue Heron and Peregrine Falcons), old growth forests, and hopefully a whale or two.
Whether it is playing with a sea star or a nudibranch in a tidal pool close to camp or enjoying the marine ecosystem while paddling along the shore at low tide, you are guaranteed to enjoy the intertidal life that Haida Gwaii is known for.
This nutrient rich corridor also provides feed for whales such as Minke, Humpback and the occasional pod of Orcas. Feeding on krill, and small fish, Humpback whales which often visit the area will consume over 1.5 tons of food a day. While the females are slightly larger than the males (45- 50 feet), these whales are capable of breeching their 40 tons completely out of the water – a sight never to be forgotten!
Haida Gwaii is known for BIG trees! The provincial tree of BC is the western red cedar (Thuja Plicata) and is also known to the northwest natives as the “Tree of Life”. There will be opportunities to view these giants and reflect on how the resourceful Haida used this tree for housing, canoes, totem poles, and clothing.
One of the largest recorded Sitka Spruce trees can be enjoyed at Hik’yah GaawGa (Windy Bay), the stand-off location which led to the creation of the Gwaii Haanas Agreement, and Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site, or as we like to say Gwaii Haanas.
Besides big vistas and amazing sunsets, you can have the opportunity to fish from a kayak. Yes, fishing is often a highlight to a trip, as you have the chance to provide yourself with a freshly caught meal- something no restaurant can offer.
Day 6
The afternoon of the final day will be spent travelling back to your accommodations in Sandspit but the adventure does not have to stop there! There could be opportunities, weather dependent, to stop while travelling back to Moresby Camp and visit T’aanuu Llagaay (Tanu) and the resting place of Haida artist Bill Reid.
We look forward to sharing the many cultural treasures and natural wonders with you.
2025 Kayak Vacations
Anniversary Sale Pricing has been extended into our 2025 season for you to Enjoy !
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.