2022 British Columbia

      AB
      21 reviews
      Sep 17 - 25, 2022
      Group size: 6 - 12
      2022 British Columbia
      Vancouver

      21 reviews

      Sep 17 - 25, 2022
      Group size: 6 - 12

      About this trip

      Whales, bears, Indigenous culture, and of course birds! This Pacific Northwest tour has it all.

      Vancouver will be our home base as we explore the region. This celebrated North American city takes its influence as much from Asia as it does from traditional Canadian culture, and when we talk about tradition, we’re talking about thousands of years. Asian explorers visited as part of the early human settlement of the North American continent and we will get to hear stories from their descendants and experience wildlife they must have encountered as we’re enchanted by the sea, the rainforest, and the people of the region.


      We’ll visit the famous Fraser River estuary, south of Vancouver, where a spectacular diversity of migrating and wintering shorebirds and waterfowl array themselves with the marvelous backdrop of the Coastal Mountains. A marine outing to Johnstone Strait will provide excellent opportunities to see Orcas and Humpbacks, as well as a myriad of seabirds and other wildlife, including Northern sea lions! We’ll immerse into the world of the Kwakwaka’wakw culture via U’mista Cultural Center, where interpretive visits to the burial grounds and the iconic totems, amplify our walk in the island’s ecological park. As if that’s not enough, our excursion into the Great Bear Rainforest to observe Grizzly Bear and Black Bear during the fruitful salmon run will cap a week of memorable natural experiences that are sure to create lifetime memories.

      Overview

      17 Sept. 2022: Arrival in Vancouver

      18 Sept. 2022: Iona Island & Sea Island Conservation Areas 

      19 Sept. 2022: Reifel Bird Sanctuary and Boundary Bay

      20 Sept. 2022: Vancouver to Port McNeill, Vancouver Island

      21 Sept. 2022:  Cormorant Island & Alert Bay

      22 Sept. 2022: Telegraph Cove / Whale Watching

      23 Sept. 2022: Great Bear Rainforest day 

      24 Sept. 2022: To Vancouver 

      25 Sept. 2022: Departure from Vancouver

      What’s included

      • Accommodation
        8 hotel nights
      • Meals
        Meals as indicated in the itinerary (B = breakfast, FL = field lunch, L = lunch, D = dinner)
      • Transportation
        All in-country private transportation to and from sites visited. Transportation from airport to hotel and Sept. 17 and from hotel to airport on Sept. 25.
      • Guiding fees
        All guiding fees for tour leaders and local guides.
      • Entrance fees
        All entrance fees to sites mentioned in the itinerary.
      • Activities
        All activities as described in the itinerary.

      What’s not included

      • Internat transportation
        Transportation to and from start/end point of the tour.
      • Meals
        Any meals not specified in the itinerary.
      • Alcoholic beverages
        Alcoholic beverages
      • Personal purchases
        Items such as (but not limited to) calls, laundry, souvenirs etc.
      • Insurance
        Travel and cancellation insurance is strongly recommended and not included in the trip price. Medical insurance is necessary and can be provided by our local partner if you don't have your own.
      • Tips
        Any tips you would like to offer tour leaders, guides, drivers, porters, wait staff, housekeeping etc. for outstanding service.

      Available Packages

      Double occupancy (price per person)
      $3,900
      Deposit: $1,950
      Single occupancy
      $4,750
      Deposit: $2,375

      Available options



      Itinerary

      17 Sept. 2022
      Arrival in Vancouver (D)

      Arrival in Vancouver, BC where our Birds, Bears, Whales, and Indigenous Culture in the Pacific Northwest tour begins. As the group members may arrive on different flights and at different times, we will meet in the evening to socialize, dine, and review the plan for the days ahead. We will be spending the next three nights at a business hotel conveniently located near our destination

      Your Organizer


      AB
      American Birding Association
      21 reviews
      The ABA exists to build a better world by sharing the positive values and irresistible excitement of birding. We are a connector for all birders where they will feel part of a community, interact with fellow birders, and make fulfilling relationships with each other and nature. We provide resources to our members and the birding community at large on our website, through our print publications, our podcast, in-person events, festivals, and tours, partnerships, and ABA Community network. Wherever you find birders, you’ll find ABA.

      Reviews

      This was our first trip to Africa. It was a wonderful experience. The people in Rwanda were very friendly and welcoming. Since this was our first trip to Africa and the birds we saw were amazing, and mostly new to us, with names and images only seen in field guides prior to this trip. Our guides Katinka and Patricia worked very hard to make this trip as enjoyable as possible for everyone, but as in any group of people there are some participants that demand a little more attention than others. I suggest that in future trip this inequity be addressed so people that are less aggressive don't feel left out at times.
      By CHARLES K for ABA Rwanda 2023 on Jan 01, 2024
      The trip was excellent. Katinka did a great job handling all the details and finding birds. The accommodations and food were very good. The ability to spend time tracking chimps and mountain gorillas really made the trip unique. Rwanda was clean, safe, and very hospitable..
      By Richard S for ABA Rwanda 2023 on Jan 01, 2024
      Awesome trip. The guides were outstanding, so patient and knowledgeable
      By Andreas K for Colombia 2023 on Sep 25, 2023
      Experience of a lifetime. A bit exhausting, but well worth the time & effort. Some highs & lows, but overall a great trip. More driving and fewer "parks/reserves" than expected, but plenty of birds. Accommodations, especially in Cali, were far more upscale than I would have assumed. Great local and site-specific guides. Excellent breakfasts and lunches "out in the field." Hard to tell, but perhaps geared a bit to more advanced birders, more familiar with birds of Colombia.
      By Jim M for Colombia 2023 on Sep 25, 2023
      SS
      I loved the ABA trip to Colombia. I felt well taken-care-of and accommodated. The ABA, Nature Colombia, and local guides combined seamlessly to give us a great birding experience, too much food, and comfortable buses and accomodation. I look forward to traveling with ABA again.
      By Susan S for Colombia 2023 on Sep 17, 2023
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