Bute Inlet Grizzly Bear Tours
A boat trip into the snowy Bute Inlet fjord to watch grizzly bears feed on spawning salmon on Indigenous land. It is one of BC's most famous bear-watching tours.
Bute Inlet is a fjord about 75 km long in the Coast Mountains of BC. The Orford River valley on the north side of its mouth is Homalco First Nation territory. From mid-August to mid-October, when salmon run upriver, grizzly bears gather along the river to fish. Visitors take a boat trip of about 2 hours from Campbell River into the fjord, then transfer to a bus with an Indigenous guide and walk to a riverside observation platform. The full tour takes about 9 to 10 hours and includes lunch. Prices start around CAD 450, and spots are limited, so book several months in advance. Dolphins, sea lions and even orcas are often seen along the way. Follow the guides' instructions and do not leave the viewing platform.
Opening hours
approx. mid-Aug to mid-Oct; reservation required
Nearby sights
- Quadra Island
- Rebecca Spit Marine Provincial Park
- Discovery Passage Whale Watching
- Nuyumbalees Cultural Centre
- Ripple Rock Trail & Seymour Narrows
- Cape Mudge Lighthouse
- Discovery Pier
- Museum at Campbell River