2027 marks our 36th season of operating trips in Haida Gwaii. We run our Heart of Gwaii Haanas Expedition in the remote southern portion of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve. Timed for the best weather and as our longest-running itinerary, this trip is structured as a journey between what we feel are the two most compelling features of the Park: the tapestry of brightly-colored sea stars at Burnaby Narrows, the highest density of intertidal life on the planet, and the standing totem poles at the SGang Gwaay village (Ninstints), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This trip is more demanding than our two other Haida Gwaii trips, with longer daily paddling distances, but like all our trips in "Canada's Galapagos", you'll stay at beach camps where generations of Haida paddlers have landed their magnificent cedar canoes and where the rainforest floors are covered with a thick carpet of moss.
Located 130 kilometers (80 miles) off Canada’s extreme northwest coast, the islands of Haida Gwaii (meaning Haida Place) are home to the Haida, an indigenous people with a formidable sea-going lineage and a remarkable artistic tradition. Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve (Gwaii Haanas means Place of Wonder) was founded to protect the natural and cultural integrity of the remote southern portion of the archipelago.
Sea kayaking routes on the west coast of Canada are some of the best in the world, and experienced paddlers regard Haida Gwaii, formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands, as the best of the best. You’ll travel the Islands in style using the best equipment available. Each day, your guides will surprise and delight you with freshly prepared meals that reflect Tofino Expeditions’ reputation for high-quality trip food and campfire cuisine.
Since we began running trips in Haida Gwaii in 1991, one of the most remarkable changes has been the number of Humpback whales we see. The net change in the North Pacific Humpback whale population since 1989 is a substantial increase — the population has roughly doubled, from the low tens of thousands to today's ~30,000 in the North Pacific. As a result, our Gwaii Haanas trips are now marked by encounters with Humpbacks, both offshore and, most excitingly, shallow-water feeding close to our campsites. Rarer but very memorable encounters with transient pods of Orcas are a feature of early-season trips.
National Geographic named Gwaii Haanas National Park the top park destination in North America — “Beautiful and intact. A great model for other regions.” Outside Magazine Travel Awards named Haida Gwaii “Best Islands.” UNESCO has declared the village of SGang Gwaay, with its intact totem poles, a World Heritage Site.
Your guides take you on a multi-day kayak-camping journey through the southern portion of Gwaii Haanas, where sea lions lounge on rocky haul-outs; gulls, petrels and tufted puffins perch on cliffs; humpback and orca whales glide through the channels and straits; and tidal shallows are scattered with brightly coloured sea stars.
Feel the silent power of the standing totem poles at the SGang Gwaay (Skung Gwaii) UNESCO World Heritage Site. Float through the richest inter-tidal life on the planet at Burnaby Narrows. Experience the incomparable blend of landscape, cultural history, and wildlife that make Gwaii Haanas National Park truly a place of wonder.
Tofino Expeditions has been operating trips in Haida Gwaii since 1991. As one of the most experienced kayak guide teams in Gwaii Haanas, we know the Park in a way few paddlers do. All of our trips are run with tandem expedition kayaks because their added speed (at least 25 percent faster than singles) and stability ensure safety, comfort, and route success. Our Gwaii Haanas program is operated by the same Canadian company we founded in Tofino in 1989, which has been running trips on the BC Coast ever since.
Travel writer Jayme Moye and her partner came on our Heart of Gwaii Haanas trip in 2018. In 2020, Jayme won the prestigious Keith Bellows Award for Excellence in Travel Journalism, becoming the first woman to do so. From the North American Travel Journalists Association press release: “Jayme personifies Keith’s passion for travel and using the power of journalism to create awareness and appreciation of people, cultures, and nature.”
Jayme’s piece about her Haida Gwaii paddling trip with Tofino Expeditions appeared in the award-winning travel journal Hidden Compass: "What the Forest Knows"
I have been a mountain guide for more than 30 years, but know nothing about ocean kayaking. So, I booked a trip for my 63-year-old sister, her partner, my 13-year-old daughter, my partner, and myself. Grant and Jess took us from the ancient totem poles of SGang Gwaay to the tidal flats of Burnaby Narrows in Gwaii Haanas National Park and Haida Heritage Site, Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada. It was an immersion in a totally different world, facilitated by a fellow guide whom I salute. We encountered whales blowing, sea lions bellowing, and salmon jumping. Needless to say, the organization, the food, and the guiding were smooth and well thought out. We got great food, we had very good kayaks and tents, and decisions were made at the right time and communicated well. Grant always knew where the group was at and was generous in sharing his knowledge, and I learned a thing or two about guiding from him. I recommend this operator in general and this trip in particular.
Note - We recommend this challenging wilderness kayaking trip for participants 14 years or older.
