Midnight Sun Adventure Travel

2010 Vancouver Island Tours: Broken Group Islands Kayak Tour

Pacific Rim National Park is a thin strip of land along the southwestern coast of Vancouver Island. Its magnificent islands, beaches and dramatic seascapes divide into three geographically distinct park units: Long Beach (the most accessible), Broken Group Islands (about 100 islands in Barkley Sound), and the challenging 72 kilometre West Coast Trail. 

Before you depart on your four day kayak tour, we'll point you the right way to take a day to stretch your legs on the trails and sandy beaches of Long Beach. Long Beach is a favourite for those wishing to hike the sandy trails, beachcomb, enjoy the pounding surf, the dense coastal rainforest or view an impressive array of bird and wildlife.

Next is your kayak trip into the Broken Island Group. Facing the waves of the Pacific Ocean , these islands are a maze of pocket beaches, exposed reefs, lagoons, densely forested islands and bare, windswept rocks. Although the outer islands are exposed to the force of the Pacific Ocean, the inner ones are ideal for kayaking and swimming. During the next four days, we able through these islands, exploring the hundreds of tidal pools and beaches that make this area so unique. Marine life ranges from tiny plankton tomassive Pacific gray whales. This unique cluster of islands have been summer hunting sites for the ancestral First Nations Nuu-chah-nulth people and former native stone fish traps can still be found.

Midnight Sun Travel supports local conservation and educational efforts in Barkley Sound. To this end we donate $50 for every seat sold to the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, Canada's premier coastal and marine facility for teaching and research.

Broken Group Islands Travel Itinerary

Day 1. Ucluelet, BC
On this day you have your choice of being picked up at either Victoria or at the BC ferry arrival gate in Nanaimo (located one hour and 45 minutes north of Victoria). From Nanaimo, we turn west and head inland to cross the spine of Vancouver Island to the rugged west coast. Along this three-hour drive, you’ll encounter rolling farmland, stretches of wilderness and Cathedral Grove, an old growth rainforest, with massive 800 year fir and cedar trees. After Port Alberni, located at the end of a long saltwater inlet, we drive across a mountain range and drop down to the Pacific Ocean. Here lies Pacific National Park, bordered on either side by the small towns of Tofino (pop: 1,902) and Ucluelet (pop. 1,652). Following a mid-afternoon check-in into your bed and breakfast, the manager will give you advice as to what to see and do in Ucluelet. We recommend you stretch your legs on a walk along the Wild Pacific Trail, only minutes from your accommodation. In the evening, there are numerous local restaurants and cafes in Ucluelet that feature fresh local ingredients, including seafood.

Accommodation: Oceanside Bed and breakfast
No meals

Day 2. Ucluelet, BC
We’ve set this day aside for you to explore Pacific Rim National Park. To get around, a local shuttle or “Beach Bus” offers a ‘drop off, pick up’ service along the 40 kilometer stretch from Ucluelet to Tofino. Along this road are some of the best sights in the National Park:
· Wickaninnish Interpretative Centre - also a restaurant and the starting location for numerous trail heads for short 1-3 km hikes. To support park conservation, we encourage you to by a day park pass here for $9.80.
· Long Beach - pristine sandy beaches framed by mountains and rainforests offer soul satisfying walks among shells and driftwood.
· Rainforest Trail - an interpretative walk along an elevated boardwalk through old-growth forest; and.
· Nuu-chah-nulth Trail - newly renovated with cedar boardwalk and 12 richly illustrated interpretive signs about the cultural, and natural history of the First Nations peoples.

The beach bus turns around in Tofino. This village lies in the centre of a United Nations World Biosphere Reserve, an ecologically significant area that supports many uncommon plant and animal species. Here we encourage you to visit the First Nations Roy Henry Vickers Art Gallery, and just hang out at one of Tofino’s funky restaurants.

In the evening catch the bus back to Ucluelet and stroll over to our kayak office in ‘downtown’ Ucluelet. Here, you can meet your guides and get outfitted with your kayak gear.

Accommodation: Oceanside bed and breakfast
Meals: breakfast

Day 3. Broken Group Islands, BC
The tour starts at 8:30 am. We travel together to Toquart Bay, our launch point for the trip to the Broken Group Islands. Here we unload our equipment and guide you through packing the kayaks. After an equipment orientation, lessons and a safety talk, we begin paddling to the Islands. Our arrival time at the Islands and which island we decide to camp on depends on the physical ability of the group and the weather/sea conditions. The islands are beautiful and lush with vegetation, big giant cedar trees, salal, ferns and white sandy beaches. The water looks tropical, great for swimming and snorkeling on those hot summer days. We provide you with large comfortable tents, a kitchen area and a hand wash station with fresh water. Campfires on the beach ever night and bathing is 'a la ocean' with organic soap. All the camps have solar composting toilets maintained by park staff. We pack in our own water.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Camping

Day 4. Broken Group Islands, BC
Each morning we have breakfast at 8:00 and set off paddling at around 9:00 am. As you’ll come to experience, the quality of food that we offer on this trip is one of the biggest things our guests rave about. During the course of the tour we may keep the camp in one location and do day trips from the site; other times we many choose to move the camp during the trip. Regardless of where we camp on each day, your guide will show you some amazing sites and share with you all her or his favorite places within the 100 islands. In the sheltered bays, we’ll view the intertidal life, the multi coloured little fish, the colourful sea anemones, the urchins and sea cucumbers. It’s like being in a huge outdoor aquarium! As well, for those who would like to increase their skill level, lessons are always available on a variety of topics: ask your guide about navigation, weather interpretation, paddling techniques and camping.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Camping

Day 5. Broken Group Islands, BC
On our third paddling day, we continue our exploration of the Islands. With a network of channels, lagoons and sandy beaches, these 100 Islands offer an ideal place for novice and advanced sea kayakers. We navigate the quiet passages of the inner islands, stopping at isolated beaches for lunch and to stretch our legs. Depending on the abilities of the group members and the weather, we can also paddle to the more open waters of the outer islands. Wildlife is abundant, gray & humpback whales, harbour seals, sealions, bald eagles and black tail deer represent great wildlife spotting opportunities in Barkley Sound. Your guide will also explain how our whale watching practices conform to " Be Whale Wise " guidelines established by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Camping

Day 6. Ucluelet, BC
Our final day of kayaking we pack up our kayaks to wind our way back to Toquart Bay. We take our time and enjoy the scenery, choosing a different route to return. After lunch, and a day of exploring, we usually arrive at Toquart Bay around 3:30 in the afternoon. Our van then returns to by Ucluelet by about 5:00 pm.

In the evening, we generally get together for a no host dinner at a local restaurant to exchange stories and emails.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Accommodation: Oceanside bed and breakfast

Day 7. Depart Ucluelet, BC
Your west coast vacation is nearing an end as you pack up this morning to catch the bus back to Nanaimo or Victoria. The view is always different on the return leg!

Meals: Breakfast