Best tour do not hesitate and just book!!!! If i could give 10 stars I would.  No disrespect to any…read moreof the other bigger tour groups with a lots of reviews but THIS is the tour to do!  I'm so glad that everything else was booked because we (party of 4) Literally had the entire boat for ourselves so it was a private tour at the same prices of the other tour companies. Zack took an incredible amount of time for our tour and gave us a personalized adventure.  We were also blessed to see whales, porpoise, urchins, starfish,  seals, sea lions. He knew all the places to go and gave such an amazing insight of the different islands and mountains. He also gave us snacks and beverages from locally sourced places. Literally we could not have asked for better and it was even more amazing than we could have imagined.  When we come back we will ONLY book here.

We had the absolute best time on the Oyster Farm Tour! If we could give it 10 stars we would. From…read morethe moment we walked on the dock, Captain Zach welcomed us on board, and made is feel comfortable and safe, he even had a scavenger hunt game prepared for our toddler! Once we were on our way, the learning began! Did you know that oysters are one of the most sustainable forms of aquaculture? Or that one little oyster filters a bathtub of water per day, keeping our oceans clean, pristine, fresh and beautiful? We learned so many incredible facts about his family oyster farm, the innovation they are adding to the industry, oysters as a species and the local aquaculture. The boat has both inside cabin space and outside deck space, making it great to enjoy the sea breeze and spray, but also shade from the hot sun. Captain Zach has an incredibly deep knowledge of the Discovery Islands and Desolation Sound, pointing out mountains, islands, bays and even rock formations, and added a depth of history to everything he shared. His passion to share this area of Vancouver Island is contagious! We saw a pod of dolphins, sea lions, eagles, all sorts of waterfowl. At no moment did we feel rushed, it was a beautiful leisurely day on the water - that also kept at 3 year old happy and engaged all day - and ended with the a delicious feast of oysters. We all had a blast and can't wait to be back.

Best whale watch trip I have ever had. Most professional staff and most knowledgeable captains on…read morethe boats. Our family will be doing this trip annually! Don't waste your time with any other company! If you love animals and nature this is the place to go! Highly recommend!! You will not be disappointed

We did the September 1 Toba Bears & Wilderness tour and had an amazing day. The boat ride into Toba…read moreInlet was beautiful, especially the waterfalls, and seeing the bears swimming and playing was incredible. Both the boat guides and bear guides were amazing--so welcoming, knowledgeable, and friendly. Definitely a highlight of our trip and absolutely worth it.

Debra (guide) and Clyde (skipper) were super friendly and knowledgeable about whales and bears and…read moresalmon. Once we reached Bute inlet we were handed over to Conrad and Justice. Funny, friendly and patient. We saw a mom and her cub at the first view point. I didn't see any more bears after that but I thought seeing one was a huge blessing. If you want to safely see bears being bears this is the tour. Maybe we'd see more in a week or two but I'm happy with all the wildlife we saw. Thank you Conrad, Justice, Clyde and Debra!

Came home with 3 25lb salmon. Best trip in years. Will be back next year.read more

Spent 2 days with Chris and his boat. Very knowledgeable guide and a very nice guy. We caught…read moreseveral Chinook, some ling cod and even spent a while jigging for ground fish for our 5 year-old granddaughter which she loved. Professional all the way.

We had a great time with this rafting crew on the last run of their season as it turned out…read more Unlike the other reviewer (and I'm not discounting their story at all), our scheduling and trip went fairly smooth, especially considering that on the day that our 10 person family rafted, there was another family of 7 with the same last name. Could have been confusing but we all ended up having a great time and our guides were not only capable and knowledgeable, they could also be real cut-ups as well. After the 10 minute safety orientation, I'll admit some of us were a bit nervous. Nothing like talk of getting caught under water in a whirlpool or impaling on a log (WOOD IS YOUR WORST ENEMY!) to make you rethink your decision. Especially when you have your elderly parents with you. But Jamie really took great care with us and them in particular. Hubby and I elected to ride in the raft with the 'rents so we could keep a firm eye and hand on them throughout. The nieces and nephew rode with Jim. (sidenote, anything, ANYTHING, you need to know about Campbell River, ask Jim....he was our raft guide and all around answer man....maybe they should call him Jeeves) My sister took the inflatable kayak. Our raft's run was fairly sedate thanks to Jamie. Looking back on the young-un's raft, we could have had a wilder time if we didn't have the Cottontops in our boat (Jim calls them Arctic Blondes :). Some of my nieces got tossed out of the raft as they became very intimate with a huge boulder. No worries tho. They were back in in minutes with only a scabbed knee and a great story that they excitedly told and re-told the rest of the trip (and no doubt multiple times when they got home). Plus everyone was wearing a PFD (aka personal floatation device...."lifevest" is so gauche). That's not to say that Jamie was boring. He pointed out wildlife, showed us how to use the front of the raft as a trampoline and at one point, suddenly launched himself on the inflatable kayak and capsized it, tossing my too dry nephew in the drink. I almost wet my wetsuit on that one. Our trip was about 5 hours (again cause the water was low) and for the most part was fairly easy rowing until the end. The scenery was absolutely stunning and we were buzzed fairly often by kingfishers and saw several schools of salmon swim under us. We pulled onto a rock beach early on and they unpacked a fabulous lunch for us of sandwiches, fruit, veggies and pastries. Hell, they had an entire raft just for the food. We had another break towards the end to fortify us for the last very windy, choppy stretch that was a bit of work. Everyone had a great time, even the old folks which was great since they paid for it after all. And we all lived to tell about it which gets them that fifth star for sure!

These other reviews are very old and I don't think accurate…read more If you are on Vancouver Island for any reason, you must take a swim with the salmon with Destiny. They are extremely organized, and provide great equipment and care about your safety. However, the Campbell River is swift and you should be able to swim (even though you are wearing a life vest) and must follow their directions. If you do what they tell you, and don't expect to be coddled, then you will LOVE this experience. Swimming with magnificent salmon and trout in a gorgeous setting with local people who love their river is so amazing. A true highlight of our trip to BC. If you love snorkeling in general go do this. We took our 9 year old daughter and she absolutely loved it. I really appreciated that they don't try to micromanage your experience or "tour guide" you to death. They get you to the best spots and let you immerse yourself in another world. Worth every penny.

I have never been in a helicopter, and I have wanted to take a ride for a long time. We were…read morespending a long weekend in Victoria and were chatting with the Concierge at our hotel. She had recently gone up to Campbell river with her bf, and they had taken the Comox Glacier Tour, she was basically so excited that she was babbling with joy and enthusiasm. How can you ignore something like that? We set up a tour for the next day. 49 North was super accommodating, we had a drive in front of us, to get there, so we scheduled for 3 pm. We took a relaxing, winding trip up from Victoria to Campbell River; it's a lovely drive. We arrived about an hour early, so we just stopped in. Jean-Marc took us up. His wife pulled together a lunch for us, and we had a fabulous experience, flying over mountains, glaciers, lakes, and having one of the best views for lunch. Seriously a stunning experience. Jean-Marc has been flying for 20 years, and this is his business, he gave us thrills, and we felt safe the entire flight. There is a lot of turbulence when you cross over the tops of mountains, but that only gave the whole experience more of that roller coaster feel. I highly recommend taking a helicopter trip with 49 North, if you get to Vancouver Island. If you listen carefully, you can probably hear me babbling with enthusiasm.

Holy shit! Best damn helicopter flight we've been on! Super professional and best pilot. We took…read morethe glacier tour to see water falls. This is the tour to take. The pilot brad was awesome and best pilot we have had in helicopter. If your looking to make memories that will last the rest of your life, you will never forget this overflight of the glacier area. Do yourself a favor and forget the whale watching and grizzly bear tours and head to 49 North. It will be the one that we will always remember.

These guys are badass.... they run the taxi and charge based off of how many people need it. If…read moreyou need one person to go to West Redonda alone, it might be $200, but if you need to go to Cortes with a group, it could be as little as $15 each. Fair price with awesome service in a world where ferries aren't always an option. Thanks guys.... you were fantastic. On time, waited for us when we were a couple minutes late.... friendly, informed, interesting... and some good down to earth Canucks. Cheers.

We just had a phenomenal dinner at the lodge. What a high end buffet gem at the edge of the park…read more Thanks to Michelle and Bara for excellent service and all the travel tips and Ren for setting up our reservation.

We had a family reunion here this summer, and was so pleased with this place. There were about 50…read moreadults and children total. We rented three houses: Cottage 11, Preece Cottage, and Seale House. Each had their own kitchen. Preece Cottage: The largest of the 3 that we rented. There are 3 floors of bedrooms plus a loft. The kids all loved sleeping and hanging out in the loft. Plus side to this house, it's large and accommodates a large number of people. Downside: it accommodates a large number of people. That house was always busy. Beautiful view from the bedroom balconies, though. For parking for this house, our family used the small parking lot next to the house. Seale House: My immediate small family was assigned to the Seale House, and I am so grateful. There are 3 bedrooms downstairs each with their own separate entrance from the outside as well as a closet room that we used as a 4th room. Two of the rooms downstairs had their own bathroom inside the room. The third room (which we were assigned) did not have its own bathroom, but there was wan directly across the hall which was pretty much our own bathroom since everyone else had their own bathrooms. There is a 4th bathroom upstairs that the "bedroom" upstairs used as their bathroom. For parking there is room for about 2 to 3 cars right next to the house, and we parked a 4th car lower (but next to the exterior entrances to the bedrooms). Cottage 11: Smaller of the 3 houses. Close to the water and water activities launch site, but the least favorite set up of the 3 houses for me. I believe they parked up in the lot across from Preece. Activities: There are scheduled activities both in the AM and PM that you can sign up for. Each day is different, so check the calendar for the week. The AM activities usually cost money, but I think all the PM activities were free. We did "zip lining" one morning. It's great for beginners and those wary of heights, but if you are looking for more of a thrill, this is not it. WildPlay (which many of the family did prior to Strathcona) sounded much more thrilling. For this zip lining course, one has to walk across a balance beam and then a tight rope to get to the platform to zip line, and it's just the one line. Other family members did the rope course the next day which looked more fun. Water activities was worth the money. You can rent a canoe (small or large), kayak, paddle board, etc for the whole day (or by the hour). We would rent one or two of each and rotate use throughout the day. I recommend the canoe or kayak and paddling to the smaller islands to explore swim holes, and just the islands. Pack a picnic lunch. We definitely got our money's worth from the rentals. There's also a swimming area and a sand volleyball court. Hiking: There are trails on the property, but most of the family also drove to some of the nearby waterfalls. The favorite was Myra falls (about a 40 minute drive out). The pictures of especially lower Myra Falls was absolutely gorgeous. I wish I had gone to Myra Falls instead of the zip lining. Dining: There is a restaurant onsite, but we never ate there. We purchased breakfast and lunch items from Costco on the way to the lodge, and for dinner, we had prepared stuff ahead of time and had one large group dinner each night. Dinner was held at Seale House one night. Another night we had a BBQ by the pit. The first night we arranged ahead of time for the Salmon dinner. Because of fire warning, they could not cook the salmon over the fire pit as usual. Instead, they baked it in the oven ahead of time. NOT recommended. I think it would've been better cooked in the fire pit. Overall, this was one of the most relaxing vacations I've had. Lodging was great. Scenery was BEAUTIFUL. Weather was perfect (we went last week of July). Plenty of activities (water activities on site, hiking trails on site, and waterfalls nearby). Free WiFi only at the main lodge. No cellphone coverage. If you need to go to the store for something more than what they sell at the general store at the main lodge, you need to go into one of the next towns, which is about 30-40 minute drive either direction. Highly recommend, and would definitely go back!