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Adventure co. gets coveted access to sea kayak expeditions in BC’s wild Haida Gwaii starting this summer.

Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures will be escorting intrepid paddlers into the stunning and just as hard to get to Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site

by Susan Musgrave 29 April 2009
On a map, Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site takes up most of the southern half of Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), BC. It’s a challenge to get there—cut off from the British Columbia mainland by wild Hecate Strait and fickle weather, two reasons “Canada’s Galapagos” remains unspoiled.
 
Over a million seabirds nest along the islands’ 4,700 km (2,920 mi) of shoreline; bald eagles are more common than seagulls. Grey whales pass Haida Gwaii on their way to summer feeding grounds in the Bering Sea. You can count on seeing killer whales, humpback whales, dolphins, and porpoises. How could this be anything but a sea kayaker's dream destination?
 
The Haida First Nation, with a deep connection to the land and the sea, has lived on these islands for more than 10,000 years. Access is strictly controlled by a system that limits the number of visitors to protect the fragile ecosystem and keep the place from becoming Hawaii II. Licenses are difficult to get, but starting in July 2009, Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures has been granted the right to operate eight-, 10- and 15-day wilderness sea kayak expeditions in this highly protected area.
 
The 15-day excursion covers Gwaii Haanas in its entirety. Paddlers can choose between visiting the old Haida village of T’aanuu Llnagaay, Hotspring Island (also Gandll K’in Gwaayaay), known for its thermal pools, or SGang Gwaay, the UNESCO World Heritage Site where you can still see the remains of Haida longhouses along with carved mortuary and memorial poles.
 

www.hellobc.com

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We welcome you to use these story ideas as inspiration for your own stories about Canada. The CTC owns all rights worldwide. (Our images are also royalty-free and available for editorial print, broadcast and electronic use.) If you choose to reproduce these texts for editorial use only, please include the author's byline and "courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission." If you cut, edit or modify the text in any way, please include this note: "The text has been modified from the original." Thank you.

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