British Columbia

Spirit bear

White Bears of the Great Bear Rainforest – the elusive Spirit bear of British Columbia’s raincoast

Dates

10 – 17 September, 2012
16 - 23 September, 2012

Overview

Off northern British Columbia’s coast, roughly 100 nautical miles south of the border with Alaska and surrounded by the vast expanse of the Great Bear Rainforest, is Princess Royal Island, home of the mythic Spirit bear.  Known as Moksgm'ol in the Tsimshian language, Spirit bears are white-coated ‘black’ bears that are endemic to Princess Royal Island and the much smaller Gribbell Island, to its north, though there are also a few on the adjacent mainland coast. Spirit bears, or white Kermode bears, as they are more formally known, are not albinos, but the result of a recessive gene that dominates in 10% of the black bear population on Princess Royal Island, resulting in the white coat.

Black Kermode bear and Spirit bear cub

For wildlife-lovers and photographers alike, Spirit bears and their lush, forested island habitat are an aspiration comparable to that of an Amur tiger, a snow leopard, a mountain gorilla or a bonobo ape. Princess Royal Island, which is also the ancestral home of the Kitasoo/Xaixais people, is very remote, and few people have been privileged to see the beautiful white denizens of its thickly forested mountains and shores.

Princess Royal Island is difficult to reach, so this trip has been organised to be all-inclusive from Vancouver.  You will be flown to Bella Bella from Vancouver and then transferred to the Shearwater Resort and Marina (http://www.shearwater.ca) where you will spend the night en-route to Princess Royal Island.  The Shearwater Resort is a short ride by water taxi, from Bella Bella.

Accommodation at the Spirit Bear Lodge

Accommodation and meals, other than for packed lunches, will be in the Spirit Bear Lodge.  All rooms are doubles, and the lodge features a spacious communal living-area which is also where all lectures and discussions will be held.  On the day of arrival, there will be time to unpack and settle-in and to explore Klemtu and the area round the lodge.  Time permitting, kayaks will be available for use in the afternoon.

The core component of these trips is four days of boat-accessed hiking to look for bears and other wildlife, and to learn about the Great Bear Rainforest.  They have been timed to coincide with the peak of the salmon run, when bears are most likely to be visible fishing along streams and in estuarine areas.  To break up the days spent hiking and looking for Kermode bears, while we will have several opportunities to look for orca and humpback whales, we will spend a dedicated day taking advantage of the potentially very good whale-watching off Princess Royal Island.  There should also be some very good opportunities to observe grizzly bears.

There are 11 places available on the trip.  Please check for availability.

Humpback whale

These trips will have a full schedule and be active.  Guests should be comfortable walking up to three miles in a day, off trail and possibly in inclement weather, carrying a daypack.  Bears feed in estuaries during the salmon run, and hiking may be minimal where viewing and photo opportunities are good.  However, consistent with the fact that there can be no guarantees when looking for wild animals, on some days we may have to walk several miles looking for bears.  The Great Bear Rainforest has very high rainfall so it is quite likely to rain on a number of occasions on our days out.  The intention will be to remain in the field if reasonably possible, so while every precaution should be taken to remain dry, guests should be prepared to remain in the field even if boots and clothing become wet, as due to logistical complexity associated with travel on Princess Royal Island, it will not be possible to return to the lodge without the group.

Orca

Rain jackets and pants made of Gore-Tex or similar breathable, waterproof material, a heavy and mid-weight fleece and either lightweight fleece or polypropylene first-layer clothing.  There can be bugs on Princess Royal Island in summer, so hats with built-in bug nets are recommended.  Guests will also need leather or other waterproof hiking boots and gaiters or Neos-type overboots.  Muck boots are a suitable alternative.  A 30 to 40 litre day pack is recommended, for carrying waterproofs, an extra layer of clothing, spare socks, water, sun cream, sundry survival items and a camera, which will total 10-15 pounds.  Binoculars, as well as cameras, are recommended. 

Rupert Pilkington

Rupert Pilkington - Group Leader:  As Director of Ursus International, Rupert is a wildlife conservation and management specialist with specific expertise in bears and bear safety, that began when working at Denali National Park, Alaska, eighteen years ago.  For the past twelve years, Rupert has been leading adventure and wilderness trips in the Canadian Arctic and sub-Arctic, British Columbia, Alaska, Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard and the Russian Far East.