homalco wildlife tours

Homalco Wildlife & Cultural Tours

• Arts, History & Culture
• Bear Watching
• Campbell River
• Indigenous Experiences
• Outdoor Recreation
• Whale Watching
• Wildlife Viewing

Get ready to Discover Homalco with Homalco Wildlife & Cultural Tours. Indigenous owned and operated, Homalco Tours welcomes visitors to experience a deeper connection with the rich culture of the Xwémalhkwu (Homalco) First Nation through wildlife and cultural excursions. Homalco Tours offers fully guided tours around the Discovery Islands and in our traditional territory of the Bute Inlet, with tours departing from Campbell River daily. Considered as one of the grandest fjords in the world, Bute Inlet offers spectacular wilderness views and some of North America’s most sought-after wildlife, including grizzly bears, humpback whales, orcas, salmon, eagles, and more.

With brand new, state-of-the-art, landing craft vessels unlike anything else in the water here, Homalco Tours custom-built boats have options for everyone. Each guest gets two seats: a seat inside the cozy cabin as well as an adventure seat at the front of the boat.

We have three tours that cater to your adventure needs:

Whales Wildlife & Culture: Join a marine naturalist on our new half day (3-4hr) whale watching tour and explore around the Discovery Islands while learning about the local marine wildlife and Homalco history.

People Water Land: Embark on our full day (7-8hr) tour with an Indigenous guide and learn about Homalco culture on our award-winning cultural tour, where you get to explore the water and the land.

The Great Bears of Bute: Journey with us on a full day (7-8hr) grizzly bear excursion on the edge of the great bear rainforest to Orford Bay where you’ll to bear witness to the magnificent χawgəs (grizzly bear).

Our new Adventure Centre Gifts & Gallery acts as our check-in point for guests, as well as a gift shop featuring Indigenous artwork.

• Phone : +1 877-909-2667

Homalco Wildlife Tours

Location & Hours

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1201 Bute Cres

Campbell River, BC V9H 1G5

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Cassie and Brendan were amazing! The were super conversational through out the tours, constantly sharing their knowledge and experience with the group. Cassie especially was so sweet and willing to share aspects of her culture with the group, she sang songs and told stories, i felt like i walked away with new knowledge and understanding! the boat itself is great, 3 rows of seats on the inside and 3 rows on the outside, you're able to switch back and forth from the cabin to the deck as you wish which was super awesome to get views and pictures. we saw orcas, dolphins, seals, sea lions, deers, and tons of bald eagles. you can tell Brendan really loves what he does and his excitement and energy really translated to all of us. lunch was supplied and super yummy! the 7 hour tour flew by, i was sad to leave! definitely recommend this amazing tour. NOTE: make sure to bring a rain jacket no matter how nice the day is! it can get super chilly and wet out on the waters :)

See all photos from Brooke A. for Homalco Wildlife Tours

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HOMALCO WILDLIFE & CULTURAL TOURS INTRODUCES LEADING-EDGE HYBRID ELECTRIC/DIESEL WILDLIFE VIEWING VESSELS

HOMALCO WILDLIFE & CULTURAL TOURS INTRODUCES LEADING-EDGE HYBRID ELECTRIC/DIESEL WILDLIFE VIEWING VESSELS

Campbell River, BC (June 27, 2024) — Homalco Wildlife & Cultural Tours (HWCT) based in Campbell River on Vancouver Island, continues to raise the bar in sustainable travel experiences as it announces the introduction of two originally designed hybrid electric/diesel wildlife viewing vessels.

According to Homalco First Nation Chief Darren Blaney, “This $1.5 million investment ensures HWCT operates as a leading tour operator and social enterprise focusing on the protection of our local wildlife, expanding reconciliation outreach and promoting sustainable prosperity for our people as well as our greater North Island community.”

The vessels’ design and production were led by Canada’s leading aluminum boat manufacturer EagleCraft Custom Boats, also based in Campbell River. Paramount considerations were reducing noise impact on wildlife, reducing the company’s carbon footprint, sourcing materials from local businesses, and providing a superior and safe guest experience.” Creating these innovative, industry-leading boats was challenging, but so rewarding for our team.  We could not be prouder that they will be traveling in our traditional waters around Campbell River,” said Chief Blaney.”

According to Homalco Wildlife and Cultural Tours General Manager Chyanne Trenholm, “Our team is thrilled to be adding these two state-of-the-art vessels to our touring fleet as we had a quick recovery from the pandemic and are experiencing a significant increase in demand from our national and international markets.”

Named Poho (Raven) and Qwanes (Whale), these 36-foot boats build upon HWCT’s gold standard in wildlife viewing by providing an ultra-comfortable luxury cabin and outdoor adventure seating for up to 12 guests, wheelchair accessibility throughout, superior ocean-faring construction, a stand-up indoor washroom, and an experienced skipper and guide.

“This is an historic milestone for our growing and diverse HWCT team, now 30 members strong,” says Trenholm. “We now will be providing enhanced training and growth opportunities for employees, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, as well as expanding our partnerships by working with Klahoose Coastal Adventures.”

According to Trenholm, HWCT was founded upon wildlife protection and advocacy.  She continues, “The new vessels exemplify our commitment to meet and exceed federal marine mammal guidelines as they can navigate silently when viewing whales, thus reducing our impact even further — a win-win for animals and guests.”

“The Homalco Wildlife and Cultural Tours business model is a great success story for the Homalco First Nation,” shares JP Obbagy Chief Executive Officer for the Homalco Business Group. “Under the progressive leadership of Chief and Council, our Homalco economic model is focused on sound financial management, economic development, accountability, sustainability and building relationships.  Introducing these amazing new vessels and experiencing the value they bring to our communities create a new and exciting chapter for this award-winning HWCT team.

YOU ARE INVITED! Working media is invited to view the vessels or to experience them by scheduling a familiarization tour now through July 31, 2024. To do so, please call the Homalco Wildlife and Cultural Tours Office directly at 1-250-923-0602. Homalco Wildlife and Cultural Tours is located at Coastal Marina in Campbell River and located next to the BC Ferries Campbell River Terminal.

Homalco Wildlife & Cultural Tours (HWCT) is not just a tour provider, but also a proud Indigenous social enterprise owned and operated by the First Nation. It offers guided whale watching, grizzly bear, wilderness and cultural tours in the traditional territory of the Discovery Islands and Bute Inlet with tours departing from Campbell River. HWCT is deeply committed to language and cultural revitalization, providing employment and career development opportunities and promoting sustainable economic growth.  HWCT is the recent recipient of the 2024 Indigenous Operator Award presented by the Tourism Association of BC and has received numerous other accreditations and awards.

Poho (Raven), now a leader among North America’s specialized hybrid electric/diesel wildlife viewing vessels, recently made its debut at Homalco Days prior to joining Homalco Wildlife & Cultural Tours’ fleet.  Another, Qwanes (Whale) will be completed at the end of July, thus completing the $1.5 million investment in industry-leading boats. (Pictured left to right:  Preston Joseph (HFN Council), Darren Blaney (HFN Chief), Robert Harry (HFN Council), Jamie Wilson (HFN Council), JP Obbagy (CEO HBG), Tess Hingert (Executive Assistant HBG), Chyanne Trenholm (General Manager of HWCT).

HWCT – Homalco Wildlife & Cultural Tours

HBG – Homalco Business Group

HFN – Homalco First Nation

For more information contact:

Lisa Lauf at 250.954.7433

Homalco Main Office: 250.923.0602

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Homalco Wildlife Tours is the result of a unique journey from conservation efforts to save local salmon to the creation of a world-class First Nations-owned ecotourism business.

Orford River Valley

The mouth of the Orford River in Bute Inlet is a former village site of the Homalco Nation and has cultural, ecological, and economic importance to the Nation.

At a Glance

Located remotely in the Bute Inlet of British Columbia, the Orford Valley is a former village site of  Homalco First Nation  in their traditional territory. It is a special place with spectacular scenery and thriving wildlife.

The Algard Creek that runs through the valley was at risk of completely losing its salmon stock. In response, the Homalco Nation built a hatchery and reinforced the river banks, protecting the habitat and enhancing salmon populations. This conservation work led to an abundance of bears in the area and the unique opportunity to develop a wildlife viewing business.

To Bring the Bears, First Save the Salmon

Today, Homalco Wildlife Tours is a world-class wildlife viewing and cultural experience tour provider. “Business is booming,” says Shawn O’Connor, Homalco Wildlife Tours CEO. “In 2015, we had more business in shoulder season than the peak season of 2014.”

The start of the tourism operation had nothing to do with wildlife viewing, however. The business began with the long-term efforts of the Homalco people to restore and protect the Algard Creek located in the remote traditional territory of the Nation. To combat reduced salmon runs, members of the Nation proactively sought to establish a hatchery in the river to restore the salmon population.

“In the 1980’s the Homalco people starting enhancing salmon stocks in the Orford Valley by establishing a hatchery,” explains Alison Trenholm, Director of Governance for the Homalco First Nation. “It started out as a fairly small operation that allowed us to provide training and employment opportunities for Homalco members. It also enabled us to harvest food stocks, rear eggs, and release the fry to support the continued growth of the salmon population there.”

We wanted to see if we could build on the return of the bears and create an opportunity to invite the world in to enjoy the wildlife that was now thriving there.

The boosted fish population had an unexpected but welcome spin off effect — the return of a grizzly bear population to the valley. “Over time, with the increased numbers of salmon returning to that river system, our crew saw a year-to-year increase in the number of bears, explains Trenholm. “We wanted to see if we could build on the return of the bears and create an opportunity to invite the world in to enjoy the wildlife that was now thriving there. It led us to develop Homalco Wildlife Tours.”

Creating Homalco Wildlife Tours

In 2009, Homalco capitalized on the increase in bears to the valley by investing in infrastructure to upgrade the Orford Bay Hatchery and to develop a program for safe wildlife viewing. It was the first of several phases to ensure that people and bears would be protected from one another, and that the environmental conditions to support a tour business would be sustainable.

After this preliminary work, Homalco Wildlife Tours opened and welcomed guests from around the world to visit the spectacular wildlife of the Orford Valley, located two-hours by boat from Campbell River. Homalco Nation members were hired to be tour guides and the operation partnered with existing tour operators and Sonora Resort, a nearby five-star hotel. Management continued to look ahead and make key decisions to create a sustainable business that would best serve their visitors.

“When we first started the tours we purchased a boat that would allow us to lead our own right from the dock in Campbell River to the Orford valley and back,” explains Trenholm. However, this model stretched the capacity of the new organization and created unnecessary competition with existing wildlife tour businesses based out of Campbell River.

“We realized it didn’t make sense for us to be competing with the existing tour operators,” says O’Connor. “They were already doing advertising and promotion, and they already had the capital and infrastructure to transport visitors from Campbell River. So we decided to work together instead.”

An alternate model was developed which allowed existing tour operators guaranteed times to arrive at the Orford Valley with visitors and take a tour on site with Homalco Wildlife Tours. “We decided to focus on the partnerships with the operators out of Campbell River to have them transport the guests to the valley,” says Trenholm. “Then we would take over.”

This change allowed Homalco to focus on providing an outstanding wildlife tour once guests arrived on the dock at Orford Valley. “It really allowed for a growth in visitors, because we have multiple tour operators working with us, and we’ve seen a huge increase since then,” says Trenholm. “It allowed us to expand but also gives us an opportunity to improve the experience and what we need to be doing on the ground to be able to provide a world class experience for visitors.”

Investing in Youth with Cultural Tourism

Since opening, Homalco has continued to expand its wildlife tour offerings. “We had to increase our capacity to meet demand,” explains O’Connor. “We needed more infrastructure to be able to host larger groups.”

The limited wildlife viewing season prevented the operation from expanding to its full potential, however. “We were very busy in the autumn, when the bears are feeding on the salmon before hibernating for the winter,” explains O’Connor. “But we don’t have many bears visiting the Orford Valley in the spring and summer. We knew it was important to develop the shoulder season somehow.” The Nation also wanted to provide more stable employment to its tour guides and other Homalco Wildlife Tour employees.

“All of our crew out there are Homalco members, and this business has provided long-term employment,” explains Trenholm. “However, because the wildlife viewing tours are seasonal, we wanted to build the shoulder season so we can create a longer term of employment.”

The answer was in the Homalco tour guides themselves. They were trained to run cultural tours that showcased the history, language, songs, stories, and dances of Homalco First Nation. “That’s where the cultural tours come in. They’ve helped to grow Homalco Wildlife Tours and that’s been really great to see,” explains Trenholm.

With support from Coast Funds, Homalco invested in developing a spring and summer cultural tourism operation in 2015. This project included an intensive three week training program to develop the capacity of the Homalco youth guides and to reinvigorate their connection to Homalco culture.

This opportunity was especially important to the Nation, whose members are spread across Vancouver Island and other parts of BC and whose cultural traditions have not been recently practiced. “When they came back home to the community, and they did their introductions in the Homalco language and the welcome they would be providing to guests, and sang our songs and participated in the dances, it was just amazing,” says Trenholm. “It’s an extremely powerful experience to see their enthusiasm and know that there’s a revitalization taking place and a strong desire to learn.”

It’s an extremely powerful experience to see their enthusiasm and know that there’s a revitalization taking place and a strong desire to learn.

O’Connor, who works closely with the youth guides, agrees. “A lot of them talk about how this experience has changed their lives, and how reconnecting with their culture has helped them to see different paths,” he says. “We are hoping it will encourage them to go to post-secondary school and that they will come back and work for the tour group again.”

The overwhelmingly positive feedback from visitors on the cultural tours has also led to the decision to include parts of them during the wildlife tours. “We’ve had our outfitter partners who have done the cultural tours tell us it was really amazing,” says O’Connor. “So, moving forward, we are going to incorporate the traditional welcome at the start of all our tours now.”

Looking forward, Homalco Wildlife Tours will continue to improve its tour offerings as it grows. “It’s been really wonderful to see the growth of that operation over the last seven years,” says Trenholm. “There’s been a lot of support, including from Coast Funds, which has allowed us to create a world-class experience through the development of the infrastructure and the towers, the orientation centre, and capacity development and planning. It’s been incredibly positive.”

Key Challenges and Successes

Managing Growth while Respecting Bear Habitat:

Throughout its evolution, leadership at Homalco First Nation have continued to prioritize the integrity of the Orford Valley animal habitat along with the growth of Homalco Wildlife Tours. It’s a challenge faced by any operation that involves close proximity between wildlife and humans.

“It is a fine balance between managing the growth of the operation and ensuring we are not disturbing the bear habitat,” explains Trenholm. “We have always really tried to make sure that the tours are managed in a way that continues to make the wildlife comfortable.”

To accomplish this, the Nation has invested in field research to conduct a grizzly and black bear habitat study. This research helps the Nation understand the habitat use of the bears and avoid negative impacts on the bear population as the tour operation continues to develop. “It’s really important that we’ve done this study,” says O’Connor. “We were considering building an additional viewing tower in one location and learned that we should not develop there. The bear expert advised us that this area was a sanctuary for the bears, and so we have decided against encroaching there.”

Consideration of the bears’ habitat is an investment in the business as well as it keeps the bears around. “We’re continuing to see high numbers of bears returning, so I think we’re managing that well,” says Trenholm. “Last year we had three sets of triplet bear cubs.”

Long Term Partnerships:

A key success for Homalco Wildlife Tours has been the development of supportive, mutually beneficial partnerships. “We have really good relationships with the tour outfitters in Campbell River,” says O’Connor. “They do the advertising and marketing, which means we don’t have to invest as much into those areas. It allows us to concentrate on our wildlife and cultural tours.”

A crucial partner has been Sonora Resort, a luxury resort located on Sonora Island near the entrance to the Bute Inlet. “Every year in the fall, many of our guests journey from the resort up to the Orford River where the Homalco Wildlife Tour Guides provide our guests with information about the history of the Homalco people, their traditional lands, and the unparalleled viewing experience of Grizzly bears that feed on the abundant salmon,” says Wynn Powell, President and CEO of Relais and Chateaux, the parent company of Sonora Resort.

“Our partnership with Sonora Resort has been extremely supportive,” says O’Connor. “They compensate in advance which gives us working capital to prepare and do pre-season expenditures and they’ve also offered us training assistance, which has helped us provide a world-class tour experience.”

Economic Outcomes

Homalco Wildlife Tours is a successful wildlife and cultural tour business that is owned and operated by Homalco First Nation. Investments in infrastructure for the business have increased the capacity of the tour operations and Homalco Wildlife Tours has set a new record occupancy each year.

In 2015, the cultural tourism expansion of Homalco Wildlife Tours reduced the dependence of the business on the seasonal wildlife viewing and increased the operating season length from 74 days in 2014 to over 170 days in 2015.

Five partnerships have been created with tour outfitters in Campbell River and one partnership with a luxury lodge has been created. These partnerships also support numerous non-First Nation tourism businesses in the Campbell River and Vancouver Island regions.

Learn more about infrastructure investments.

Cultural Outcomes

Homalco members have not had access to their traditional village sites since being relocated in the 70’s. As a result, their cultural traditions have not been shared and practiced by the community regularly in the recent past.

Establishing Homalco Wildlife Tours has enabled members to access this traditional village site. “We always try to create an opportunity for community members to visit the area and to keep them connected with their territory,” explains Trenholm. “This operation provides a wonderful stopping point along the way to share that with them.”

Homalco Wildlife Tours has also helped to re-connect Homalco youth to their culture by training them as tours guides. This process has led to a resurgence of the Homalco language, songs, dances, and stories, which are now being shared with visitors from around the world.

Learn more about youth programs.

Environmental Outcomes

Protection and restoration of the Orford Valley has been integral to the vision of Homalco Wildlife Tours. The creation of the hatchery and the reinforcement of the river bank protected local salmon stocks that would have been wiped out without intervention. The enhanced salmon stocks also support Grizzly and Black Bear populations in the area.

Homalco Nation has also invested in a bear habitat and DNA study to understand the population dynamics of the bears in their territory. “We want know to how many bears there are, which ones are returning and which ones are new,” says Trenholm. The study will help the Nation understand changes in the population and how the tour operations may affect the bears.

“The study is going really well,” says O’Connor. “We have cameras deployed in the field to take photos of the bears that we use to identify individual bears’ hair snags. We are going to get a really good idea about the size and health of the population.”

Learn more about wildlife  research .

Social Outcomes

Homalco Wildlife Tours provides long-term employment for Homalco members as wildlife and cultural tour guides. The business has created five permanent full time positions, eight permanent seasonal positions, and supported 22 positions for the expansion and development of the tours.

The operation provides training opportunities for employees in tourism, including hospitality-related mentoring from the staff at the five-star Sonora Resort.

Learn more about job creation .

Alison Trenholm

Director of governance, homalco first nation.

Sean O'Connor

Project manager, homalco wildlife tours.

Between 2009 – 2015, Coast Economic Development Society approved four projects totalling $735,100 and Coast Conservation Endowment Foundation Fund approved one project of $70,000 .

Partnerships

• Sonora Resort
• Campbell River Whale Watching and Adventure Tours
• Eagle Eye Adventures
• Discovery Marine Safaris
• Adventure Quest Tours Canada Inc.
• I’Hos Cultural Tours
• Department of Fisheries and Oceans

Online Resources

• Homalco Wildlife and Cultural Tours Announces Expansion Coast Funds, April 2021
• Xwémalhkwu (Homalco) First Nation Purchases Residence at Homathko Camp Coast Funds, August 2020
• Homalco Wildlife & Cultural Tours Featured in Canadian Geographic Coast Funds, December 2019
• British Columbia has a flourishing grizzly bear tourism industry Public Radio International, Jan 2018
• Working Together: Tourism, First Nations, and Forestry. Truck Logger BC Magazine, Fall 2015.
• Profile: Homalco Wildlife Tours Inc. Aboriginal Tourism BC, 2015.
• Homalco Wildlife Tours Reviews. TripAdvisor, 2016.
• Homalco debut new Bears of Bute orientation centre. Campbell River Mirror, August 2011.
• Orford River Roars to Life with Grizzly Bear Tours. Globe and Mail Article, 2011.
• 5 Tribal Lands Where You Can Stalk Wild Animals—With a Camera. Indian Country Today Media Network, August 2015

Published On March 6, 2016 | Edited On January 24, 2023

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Search is on for entangled humpback whale off B.C. coast

Increasingly common problem as humpback whale populations recover from being commercially hunted.

Social Sharing

Federal rescuers are looking for an entangled humpback whale in the Salish Sea, which experts say is the latest incident in an increasingly common problem. 

The three-year-old whale, named Vector, was last spotted on Friday near Campbell River off the east coast of Vancouver Island. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) says it and its partners have been actively searching for the animal.

DFO marine mammal co-ordinator Paul Cottrell worries that the entanglement of what appear to be ropes on Vector's dorsal fin and body could become lethal if the gear is not removed. 

"It's tight to the animal, so we're really concerned that this is going to be a difficult one," he said. 

• More orcas, humpbacks spotted in Salish Sea in 2022 than ever before, whale watchers say
• Video Humpback whale 'hog-tied' in fishing gear rescued off B.C. coast
• Patrolling the Salish Sea: How B.C.'s whale protection unit keeps marine mammals safe by keeping humans away

This problem is also not surprising, especially as whale populations recover from being commercially hunted, according to marine experts.

"We're so fortunate that they've come back from the brink of extinction — as a result of whaling — and there are more on the coast," said Jackie Hildering, a humpback researcher and co-founder of the Marine Education & Research Society. Her organization was the first to share photos and information about Vector's entanglement online.

But "what this means is there's a greater overlap with fishing gear and also vessel traffic."  

Cottrell said his team has seen, on average, 15 to 30 confirmed whale entanglements annually off the coast of B.C. since 2019. These cases also include killer and grey whales, but humpbacks make up most of them. 

"We have been very busy the last five years," he said. 

"But I think a big part of that is we have a lot more humpbacks in our area, which is a good news story." 

As the DFO continues its search for Vector, Cottrell urged the public to call 1-800-465-4336 if they spot the whale, which has a unique dorsal fin. Once the animal is located, he said his team would use drones to properly look at the entanglement and figure out how to cut it off. 

Whale rescued after being tangled in over 120 metres of rope

Hildering's organization has similarly shared this call for help on its social media, though cautioning that people should maintain a distance of at least 200 metres from the whale if it's sighted. 

The researcher also hopes that this search for Vector will raise more awareness about the issue of whale entanglement, as many cases are not detected. 

"Nobody wants to hurt a whale. We are never going to find them all, so let Vector also be an ambassador for all the whales that are never detected."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex Nguyen is a reporter with CBC News in Vancouver. She has reported in both Canada and the United States. You can email story ideas and tips to her at [email protected].

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Salish Sea Whale Watching Tour

Enjoy an unforgettable small-group adventure aboard our comfortable whale-watching boats, with both outdoor and indoor heated seating. Our experienced Homalco marine wildlife guides will lead you through the teeming waters of the Salish Sea to spot humpbacks, orcas, dolphins, sea lions, and more. This comfortable, family-friendly whale-watching tour is available May through October and is appropriate for ages two and up.

Book an Indigenous Eco-Adventure

Tour details.

• 4 hour tour
• Heated and covered boat with onboard toilet
• Snacks and beverages provided
• Minimum age is 2 years old (all passengers aged 2 to 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult 19+)
• Check in: 8:00 am and 1:00 pm daily
• Disclaimer: tour departures can be subject to time change and are weather dependant

What to Bring

• Warm layered clothing and rain gear
• Hat (toque, beanie, or sun hat)
• Sunscreen and lip balm
• Water bottle to help us in our efforts to reduce single use plastics
• Camera (tripod and monopod restricted)
• Curiosity and a smile :-)

Wonderful mix of scenery, whale watching, and First Nations culture!

It was a wonderful experience from beginning to end. Seeing the whales was amazing and the boat pilot shared with us his experiences as a First Nations person growing up and how important his culture is and how important it is that he and his people are able to reclaim more and more of their culture and language. I highly recommend it.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ON TRIPADVISOR

A great experience!

The staff great, the adventure exhilarating, and the experience enlightening! While lots of tours give you marine wildlife experience, the Homalco Wildlife & Culture Tours gives you that extra bit of cultural knowledge, and environmental understanding. I highly recommend this to anyone!

Highly recommend!

Highly recommend this tour provider. All the staff were great from the check-in to the conclusion. We booked a 4hr tour and located a pod of Orcas in no time. Shortly thereafter, the boat captain (Jerry) located 3 humpbacks in another area. Holly was extremely knowledgeable in all of the wildlife and their activities we witnessed during the tour. Kelsie provided information on the Homalco First Nation's connections to the area.

YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO CONSERVATION & SUSTAINABILITY

The ecosystem in and around Homalco territory is unparalleled in its beauty and rich diversity – but it’s also incredibly sensitive. It’s our responsibility, as stewards of these lands and waters, to play our part in protecting the natural environment for generations to come. By joining us on a wilderness or cultural tour, you are directly contributing to the Homalco First Nation’s conservation and sustainability efforts. For more information, visit our Conservation page .

CANCELLATION POLICY

We know that plans can change. That’s why you can cancel at no charge up to 48 hours before your scheduled tour. Unfortunately, we can’t issue refunds for tours cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice. Please contact us directly at 250-923-0602 to cancel.

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