Reviews of Homalco Wildlife & Cultural Tours (Zoo)

lily khan

Wow where do I begin? If you are looking for the experience of a lifetime I highly suggest booking a tour with Homalco Wildlife & Cultural tours. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Exploring the channels and currents of the west coast was magical with this crew. Kelcey, Damian and Cassie were incredibly well versed in the history of the Homalco people and the orford river. All three were extremely professional and I learned alot from them. The wildlife was breathtaking. I was completely immersed in culture and the beauty of the outdoors. I even bought the book that Kelcey suggested when I got home! (high slack by Judith Williams). I cannot recommend this crew enough. One of the best tours I've ever been on in my life. I would go on one of their grizzly bear tours in a heartbeat!

Kasey Ingham

Came on a Grizzly tour with Big Animal Encounters. We had Tony as our tour guide - he was fantastic! He shared lots of information about the bears and it was so cool to hear some of the stories passed to him as a child. He was very pro-active about bear safety and made sure everyone knew what was going on at all times. We saw three bears total, two of them less than 30 ft away, and felt safe the entire time. My family loved the experience and we will come back soon!

Caroline Giroud

Great company to use if you are interested in an autentic First Nation experience!!!

Ali Alawieh

Damien, Kelsey and Kassey (may have misspelled ????) were amazing. Damien, the boat captain, had an answer to all our sea and marine wildlife related questions and volunteered very interesting bits of knowledge of conservation and behavior or animals encountered (Humpback wales and Seals). He did an excellent job at explaining the responsibility of approaching tourism for an environmentally conscious ethical perspective. Kassey spoke his native language and taught us how to pronounce words and told gripping stories of the Homalco People's legends. She was also very kindly accommodating and hospitable in her approach. Kelsey was very calm and confident during the nature walk and made funny jokes along the way in addition to teaching us how to make cedar bark bracelets. All in all I think the crew did the best they could and I genuinely thank them for their effort and professionalism. Now, I need to add this to help future clients perhapd get a better understanding of the tour, especially if said clients share certain qualities like myself. This tour is not a very active one. While the nature is spectacular and the stories are riveting, there is quite a bit of idle time to take in nature. If you're the type to get your fill quickly, you might find yourself bored at times between events. The nature walk a short stroll and not physically demanding, if you're hoping for exertion this is not what you're getting. If you are overall an impatient person you need to either adjust your expectations or pick the Grizzly tour, because it's not very likely to see bears during the walk section of the trip. The boat ride is 4 hours long or more so make sure to dress warmly. All in all I thought it was a very memorable experience and cannot wait to do the Grizzly tour next season!

Cara Sanna

Wonderful experience! Our captain and guide were very knowledgeable. Lots of wildlife. New, covered vessel was great to keep dry during the rain. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone travelling to Campbell River!

David Mathieson

Wonderful cultural and wildlife boat cruise. Capitan Dave and cultural guide Cassie were very welcoming. Cassie shared traditional myths and stories and gave lessons on her traditional language. We saw sea lions, seals, whales. Highly recommend this very interesting and enlightening adventure.

G B

Wow!!! What an awesome and incredible experience! Very professional and knowledgeable tour guides. This was by far the best whale watching experience I've ever had!!!

Joanne Drayton

We had a wonderful half day tour - great views of the islands off Campbell River, several whales seen. They had water and snacks for us too.

Dominic Fode

I saw orcas, bears, eagles, ravens, seals, sea lions and more but I still would be amazed if I only got to see the incredible landscapes on the tour. Fantastic tour guides, fantastic views, I loved it!

Ian Cousins

We had a fantastic day out on the water with Homalco Tours, with their 'WHALES, WILDLIFE AND CULTURE' tour. The staff were all very knowledgeable, courteous and friendly. We were able to see several Humpback Whales (from a safe distance) and learn about the area surrounding Campbell River and Quadra Island. Thanks again for the great day!

Christine Garland

We had the best experience celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary ❤ Saw 3 whales ???? learned so much from our friendly guides who kept us hydrated during our whole trip. (39c) comfortable on the water though. We saw so many things, sea lions, harbor porpoises, eagles etc...the beauty of nature surrounding us was incredible. Learning about the culture of the area was so interesting ????????????

Karine Filiatreault

(Translated) Very interesting. We mainly saw sea lions and humpback whales. (Original) Très intéressant. Nous avons vu principalement des sea lions et des humpback whales.

A B

People Water Land- Indigenous Cultural and Wildlife Tour This was an absolutely incredible experience. I have lived on the coast all my life and always enjoy learning more about this beautiful place. Our guides shared their culture and the stories that have been passed down and told through many generations. They also included personal experiences to make the places we were seeing come alive. Their passion makes the tour second to none. Janet, one of our guides, also sang in her language for us. Her voice was amazing and hearing it while viewing an old village site, sent shivers down my spine. Orford Bay and Bute Inlet are breathtaking! We enjoyed our delicious lunch sitting on the dock in Orford Bay, before heading into the forest to learn more about the Homalco way of life and their connection to the land, sea and wildlife. We were lucky enough to see a grizzly bear, eagles, squirrels, kingfisher, humpbacks, orcas, porpoises, seals and sea lions! This tour was everything I hoped it would be and would highly recommend it to everyone!

Søren Højer Larsen

We booked a Grizzly tour via Campbell River Whale Watching who sails up to the Bute Inlet to the Homalco First Nation. Our fantastic Homalco-guides lead us to at least 12 Grizzly sightings including two very close encounters on the ground! One bear was less than 5 meters from us and yet our guides Tony (Anthony) and ?? (sorry, I forgot his name!) calmly and impressively guided the bear away from us. What a great job by them and what an amazing experience! Highly recommended!

michelle schwab

They didn't even mention that I'd get to see whales on the way to the bears! Saw sea lions, seals, eagles, and cranes close up too! So many bears in such a short distance. A momma grizzly even crossed the path in front of us but the staff are friendly and knowledgeable, I felt so safe with them. Learning about Homalco culture along the way is what made this tour interesting. It was an exhilarating day and I'd recommend it to anyone.