Taking the Road Less Travelled
Continue Exploring After the Roads End
Whether it’s the journey to get to your port of departure, or the hike through the forest to get to your bear viewing stand, feeling prepared and equipped to tackle these moments takes the unknown out of these potentially unfamiliar experiences and allows you to fully immerse yourself in your coastal adventure.
What to Know Before Your Trip
Learn more about the day to day onboard, what to pack, and how guests and crew minimize their environmental impact while adventuring the coast.
What to Bring
The Essentials
Browse the ‘need to haves’ and ‘nice to haves’ to build your packing list.
Learn More Ecotourism Etiquette
Travel Respectfully
As visitors to these special areas, we conduct our tours with high ethical standards.
Learn More FAQs
The Nitty Gritty
It’s been asked before—find answers to all things coastal travel and Bluewater Adventures.
Learn More Payment & Terms
Detailed Payment Information
Everything you need to know about your trip payment and coverage.
Learn MoreGetting Around on the Coast
As we set course for remote, boat-access only locations, we typically embark from more off the beaten path ports. Should you want to start your adventure early, there are a variety of ways to arrive to your trip highlighting the coastal splendour of British Columbia.
BC Ferries operates a handful of long haul ferries up the Inside Passage connecting the northern tip of Vancouver Island (Port Hardy) to the far-flung reaches of Bella Bella & Prince Rupert, and for those wanting a true open water crossing, Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii across the Hecate Strait.
Ferry routes to these remote destinations typically do not run every day and would be best done with a car. Consult both the BC Ferries website and the Bluewater office before confirming your ferry reservation to ensure it lines up with your trip departure. Arriving or departing by ferry is possible on all of our itineraries, just please note that on linear trips, you will not arrive back to where you started.
Driving through British Columbia welcomes guests to see not just the coastline of BC, but the emerald and aquamarine lake districts, slate grey mountain peaks of the Northern Rockies, and the stretches of arid, golden desert. Whether winding your way up or down from your Bluewater trip, or extending the BC holiday, driving offers full flexibility.
Car rentals are typically readily available at larger airports/cities in BC (Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Terrace), and are available but limited in smaller cities/airports (Prince Rupert, Port Hardy, Haida Gwaii). It is also possible to bring your own car as most ports we embark from have long-term parking. Please note that some of our trips are linear and thus to not return do the same port we embarked from.
All of our itineraries have an airport either in the town of embarkation, or one very close by. Four airlines service the areas we visit:
- Air Canada: Sandspit (Haida Gwaii), Terrace (Great Bear Rainforest), Prince Rupert (Khutzeymateen & Southeast Alaska)
- WestJet: Terrace (Great Bear Rainforest)
- Pacific Coastal Airlines: Port Hardy (North Vancouver Island), Bella Bella (Great Bear Rainforest)
- Alaska Airlines: Petersburg & Ketchikan, AK (Southeast Alaska)
Most of these destinations are serviced by one or two flights a day, so we strongly recommend that guests arrive the night prior to their trip start date. As these towns are a little off the grid, you can expect a bit of a smaller plane—but that’s all part of the experience!
Contact Us
The Bluewater office is always here to help. Connect with us to receive personal assistance during any step of your trip experience.
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