Spirit Bear Lodge

Visit Spirit Bear Lodge and explore the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world — the traditional territory of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation. With a guide by your side, explore a landscape teeming with wildlife that includes grizzlies, sea wolves and the legendary spirit bear (Kermode bear), a rare, genetic variation of the black bear. Observe orcas, sea lions, white-sided dolphins, and humpback whales as, together, you glide through the misty waters off Canada’s wild West Coast. Listen to locals as they tenderly share stories about an ancient and still very much alive culture.

“This region is a rare and special gem,” says Spirit Bear Lodge spokesman Doug Neasloss of the Kitasoo/ Xai’xais First Nation. “I often refer to our part of the world as Canada’s Galapagos.”

The operation offers ecotourism packages that range from four to seven days in length. Guests are surrounded by wilderness, staying in stunning, waterfront accommodations that pay homage to traditional longhouses and traveling by motorboat into even more remote locations.

“By visiting Spirit Bear Lodge, travelers are choosing to support local employment and community. We are very much a family environment,” Neasloss says. “When people leave, I hope they walk away understanding both our culture and the environmental stewardship that has gone into protecting one of the most special places in Canada.”