Dates: TBA

Price: TBA

What’s Included

  • 4 nights B & B Accommodations in Hartley Bay
  • Traditional Gitga’at Meals
  • 1 Day of bear viewing with Gitga’at Spirit Bear Guide Marven Robinson.
  • 20′ Bridgeview Center Console Aluminum Fishing Boat with all safety gear.
  • All local protocol fees.

What’s Not Included

  • Transportation between your home and Hartley Bay return.
  • Gratuities
  • Personal belongings and equipment.
  • Accommodation in Prince Rupert prior to morning departure.
  • Excess baggage charges.Any extra expenses incurred because of weather, logistical delays, or delayed departures of chartered or scheduled aircraft.

Payment

A $500 deposit is required at the time of booking to secure your place on the expedition with the balance to be paid 60 days prior to trip departure. Full payments can be made via email transfer to explore@normhann.com. 

Cancellations

Read about our cancellation policy here. Please email explore@normhann.com if you need to cancel at any time.

Travel

** You and your group must arrive in Prince Rupert prior to Day 1 of the trip.

Ferry Departure

You will overnight in Prince Rupert and then get on the Tsimshian Storm ferry for 8:30am in the morning. Be there for 7:45am as there are no reservations. The ferry departs from the Metlatkatla Dock located directly below the crest hotel. The Captain’s name is Dean Robinson. Please bring $120 canadian cash for your ferry ride to and from Hartley Bay. $60/each way.

Getting to Prince Rupert

You must arrive in Prince Rupert the day before the ferry departure for Hartley Bay.

By Air

Air Canada operates two daily flights into Prince Rupert and departs from YVR Vancouver.
www.aircanada.com

Accommodations in Prince Rupert

Norm Hann Expeditions reserves rooms for guests at the Inn on the Harbour. These are nice, clean, comfortable rooms with a continental breakfast included. Rooms rates are around $120 for double occupancy.

Other places to stay include:

The Crest Hotel.
Eagle Bluff B and B.
Pioneer Hostel

 

A Wildlife & Cultural Experience in Gitga’at Territory.

Join Norm on a wilderness and cultural tour in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest. Our trip is based in the Gitga’at community of Hartley Bay and our days will be spent exploring the wonders and magic of their vast territory. Our 20′ fishing boat gives you the opportunity to explore the ocean and to spend time with Humpback and Fin Whales. One of the trip highlights will be a day spent with Spirit Bear Guide Marven Robinson. Norm has been fortunate to work with and learn from Marven for the last twenty years and a day in the rivers with a Spirit Bear sighting is a transformational lifetime experience.

This is an ideal trip for couples or families of four who enjoy small group sizes and a customized Great Bear experience. September is an incredible month on the north coast as hundreds of thousands of wild Pacific Salmon return to the rivers of the Great Bear attracting bears, coastal wolves, eagles and many other species that depend on this salmon run for their survival.

Our trip is an intimate cultural experience as we will be staying with Norm’s adopted family who will be sharing their traditional foods, local knowledge and their deep and ancient connection with the land.  The Gitga’at people of Hartley Bay are known coast wide for their hospitality and Norm is privileged to connect you to this wonderful community.

If your a photographer, wilderness and wildlife lover or someone who wants to connect to and experience one of the greatest ecosystems in the world with your own private guide then join us for our Great Bear WILD adventure.

Here is an idea of what the itinerary would look like. This can change based on weather conditions and group interests.
Day 1
You will leave Prince Rupert at 8:30am for a scenic four hour ferry ride aboard the Tsimshian Storm which will take you to Hartley Bay for arrival at approximately 12:00. Once arrived you will be taken to Lynne Hill’s B and B where you will get settled in to your room and where you will have lunch. Our first afternoon will be spent looking for whales and we will visit Janey Wray @bcwhales,  a local whale researcher and her research station on Fin Island. We will be back to Hartley Bay for a late dinner.
Day 2
We will be out for a full day with a packed lunch exploring Gitga’at Territory. We will focus our day in Cornwall Inlet, a stunning fiord with steep granite walls and a powerful energy of First Nations presence . We will have lunch at the back of the inlet at a Raven Longhouse that was built by the Gitga’at and opened by Robert Kennedy Jr, David Suzuki and the Gitga’at Chiefs in 2000. We will explore a couple of beautiful salmon streams in afternoon before heading back to Hartley Bay for dinner.
Day 3
We will spend the full day with Gitga’at Bear Guide, Marven Robinson, looking for the Spirit Bear in one of the nearby salmon streams. It will be a spectacular and powerful day spent watching bears feeding on salmon with excellent chances for viewing the rare and magical Kermode Bear.
Day 4
Another full day will be spent out on the ocean as we head further south from Hartley Bay where we will look for whales, visit sea lion rookeries, and explore remote salmon streams while on the lookout for bears and coastal wolves. We may also have the time to visit Cetacea Lab another whale research station located at the bottom end of Gill Island. After a day on the water it will be back to Hartley Bay for another delicious traditional dinner.
Day 5
After a relaxing morning and breakfast we will go on a tour of the village of Hartley Bay where will visit the magnificent cultural center, the local high school and the fish hatchery before departing on the ferry at 12:00pm back to Hartley Bay.
Depending on group interests there will also be the opportunity for salmon fishing and paddleboarding if individuals are interested. For an additional cost we can also add another day of Spirit Bear viewing into the tour.

Great Bear WILD Packing List

Footwear

  • Rubber boots
  • Light hikers (for the village/dry conditions)
  • Booties or water shoes if your interested in standup paddleboarding
  • 2 Wool/Synthetic socks

Upper Body

  • 2 long sleeve synthetic shirts
  • 2 Short sleeve synthetic shirts
  • Fleece/down/synthetic jacket or mid layer
  • Waterproof Jacket ( heavier rain jacket preferable for bear viewing and on the boat)
  • Comfortable clothes for Hartley Bay

Lower Body

  • 1 pair waterproof pant
  • 1 long underwear
  • 1 long hiking pant or soft shell pant
  • 1 pair of shorts
  • Comfortable clothes for Hartley Bay

Head and Hands

  • 1 toque/beanie
  • Sun hat/ball cap
  • Light gloves for the boat/bear viewing or if your hands get cold easy.

Additional Gear

  • Water bottle
  • Sunscreen
  • Sunglasses
  • Camera and batteries
  • Personal toiletries/medication/contacts/perscription glasses

* Contact us about any questions you may have about the gear list. explore@normhann.com 604-848-8792