Guests need to arrive at Sandspit Airport (YZP) on the northeast tip of Moresby Island the day before the first scheduled day of the trip. Upon arrival, check in with Moresby Explorers to confirm where you need to meet up the following day. The balance of the day is free to explore Sandspit, walk the beach, and watch some of the many bald eagles that dot the treetops along the shoreline.
Overnight: Sandspit
At approximately 7:30 AM, the Moresby Explorers will pick you up and drive the group to Moresby Camp, a small bay on Cumshuwa Inlet. There, you will board the Moresby Explorers’ inflatable for an exhilarating 3-hour trip along the coast of Moresby Island to Houston Stewart Channel, between Moresby and Kunghit Islands. After settling into camp, you will receive a sea kayaking orientation and explore the area to practise new skills.
Overnight: Wilderness Camping
Meals: Lunch & Dinner
A day trip from camp takes us into the protected waters of Rose Inlet, giving us a chance to get comfortable in the kayaks before venturing into the more open sea beyond Moresby Island's southern tip. Rose Inlet is home to a thriving colony of Harbour seals, while sandhill cranes nest in an estuary at the inlet's head. We stop for lunch at a beach, then take a trail through the moss-covered forest floor to a hidden waterfall and a grove of giant old-growth trees.
Overnight: Wilderness Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Riding the tide through the remainder of Houston Stewart, we get an expanding view of the Pacific and finally Anthony Island comes into view to the west. After rounding the southernmost tip of Moresby Island, Cape Fanny, we head toward our camp tonight in Louscoone Inlet, an ideal jumping-off spot for our visit to the ancient village of S'Gange Gwaay on Anthony Island.
Overnight: Wilderness Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
A short but dramatic paddle takes us past the seabird colony on Adam Rocks and into the protected cove on Anthony Island and to SG̱ang Gwaay Llnagaay (Ninstints), the earliest recorded village in the southern archipelago. Archaeological evidence dates the site to at least 360 CE, and by the 19th century it was a prominent trading centre, with a population of about 300 and a succession of powerful chiefs. Entering the old village, one can’t help but be touched by the haunting majesty of the standing poles. We will spend as much time as possible exploring the village and visiting the Haida Watchmen who live on site during the season and carry on the tradition of watching over this coast. They welcome small groups, share the stories of the village, and keep the Haida presence here unbroken.
Overnight: Wilderness Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
We continue exploring the Kunghit Haida's home waters. Paddling to the monumental mass of Flat Rock, a steep-sided, treeless island that figures prominently in Haida mythology. The island hosts a large number of gulls, pigeon guillemots, and tufted puffins. All the while, we keep an eye out for the white-plumed spouts of Humpback whales. Paddling on, we make camp on a small group of offshore islands that offer sweeping views of Kunghit Island and the open water beyond.
Overnight: Wilderness Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
A shorter paddle takes us to an ancient village site on Kunghit Island, where no obvious evidence of habitation remains, but archaeological surveys attest to the site's significance. A hike through the forest leads to a shoreline of distinctive basaltic formations, which supports the idea that this part of the islands was a glacial refugium during the last ice age. We return to camp in time for a relaxed dinner a west coast sunset.
Overnight: Wilderness Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
With our departure timed for the most favourable tides, we ride the current back into the Houston Stewart Channel and stop for a visit to Rose Harbour, the only privately held land within the boundary of Gwaii Haanas; it was a shore whaling station that operated until 1943. A short walk into the trees behind the settlement leads to a partially completed Haida canoe. Settling into our comfortable final camp and enjoying a celebratory dinner, we have time to relax and recount our impressions of the land of the Kunghit Haida. All the while, we listen for spouting Humpbacks and the huffs and snorts of massive Steller sea lions that ply the channel en route between two large sea lion colonies: one on the open Pacific near Anthony Island and the other in Hecate Strait, east of Kunghit Island.
Overnight: Wilderness Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
The final day of our Haida Gwaii kayaking adventure — a leisurely morning on Ross Island, as we pack up personal gear and await the arrival of Moresby Explorers. The return trip is scheduled to have participants back in Sandspit by very late afternoon or early evening.
Overnight: Sandspit
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
A Note on Itineraries
Itineraries are intended as guidelines only. Tofino Expeditions reserves the right to change the itinerary without advance notice at the discretion of the guides due to weather conditions or other general or logistical situations at the time of the trip. Tofino Expeditions is committed to producing trips of consistently high quality and safety without compromise.
Overnight: N/A
