June 2025

It’s been five long years since I typed a summary of a vacation that we’ve taken, mainly because since our last cruise in 2020, we’ve only traveled once in April 2023 to Japan. I have regretted not blogging that amazing, outstanding land adventure to Tokyo & Kyoto, but after 2020 and subsequent multiple cancellations, I just couldn’t find the creative spark to blog any adventures or travels.
So! here I am trying to get the writing chops reignited with this short blog post of a weekend get-away to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada. I’m hoping that trying to recapture a weekend get-away will inspire and motivate me reignite the passion of capturing our travels not only around the world, but to include some of my favourite local places.

Prince Rupert is approximately 750 Km north of Vancouver as the crow flies and double that driving by car.

From Vancouver Island (my residence) there were two options: 1) drive north to Port Hardy and take a 16 hour inside passage ferry ride to PR or 2) fly to Vancouver and then fly to PR. As I had a short window of time for travelling, I chose Option #2 and flew from Comox Airport (YQQ) to Vancouver (YBR) before arriving finally in Prince Rupert (YPR).

YPR (Prince Rupert Airport) is located on Digby Island and is 5 nautical miles from the city of Prince Rupert. A ferry must be taken from YPR to Prince Rupert, which is included in your airline tickets.

Large baggage is placed on a separate truck and you board an old white school bus (small carry on and personal bags can be brought onto the bus).

The bus / truck entourage then boards a flat barge ferry and you are then whisked across Prince Rupert Harbour to Kaien Island where Prince Rupert is located.

The bus then drops all of its passengers off at the Highliner Hotel. This shuttle stop has an indoor seating area where passengers can wait for further transport to their preferred accommodations (if not the Highliner) or outbound passengers waiting for transport back to Digby Island for a return flight home.

The accommodations I chose was the Prestige Hotel on Sixth Street which was only 1.5 blocks away OR a short (less than 10 minutes) walk from the Shuttle Stop. I chose the Prestige Hotel as it was listed on “Air Miles” travel rewards page and I only had to pay the taxes ($99) for a 3-night stay. The room was comfortable enough and it provided a basic complimentary breakfast in the morning. The reception and kitchen staff were friendly and helpful.

So why did I choose to fly to Prince Rupert? There are several reasons to visit this remote outpost in the northern reaches of British Columbia. From fishing trips, to extraordinary hiking opportunities, to exploring the northland – the city does offers many activities for the adventure-bound traveller. However, mine was all to do with “brown fuzzies” known as “Grizzly Bears”.

Just north of Prince Rupert is the Khutzeymateen Inlet which leads into the only Grizzly Bear Sanctuary in Canada. This dedicated space for the protection of Grizzly Bears is one of a kind. It’s serene, peaceful, a quiet unadulterated by commercialism safe space, for these magnificent beasts. I didn’t have the time (nor budget) to stay at the famous “Wilderness Lodge”, a floating haven in the sanctuary with extraordinary private experiences to see the bears. However! I did find a very good secondary choice through the respected tour company, “Prince Rupert Adventure Tours” located in the Cow Bay Marina of Prince Rupert. A 5-7 minute taxi ride from the Hotel, or a 20 minute casual walk.

Doug Davies founded the marine ecotourism business in 1994, showcasing the amazing wildlife and scenery of the Pacific Northwest to its clients. In Bear Season, the 100 passenger Catamaran, “Inside Passage” takes her Clients deep within the Khutzeymateen Inlet for excellent bear viewings, whereas in the Fall (when the bears venture inland for the salmon), whale watching begins.

The “Inside Passage” is a beautiful vessel that glides over the ocean swells northbound to the inlet. Passengers have a wide choice of very comfortable seating. Lunch is included in the tour and we were offered a wrap and a beverage. Additional drinks and snacks could be purchased for an extra fee. Passengers were also permitted to bring their own drinks / snacks on board.

Day One: Prince Rupert Adventure Tours

The Inside Passage was well booked with almost 70 passengers. We departed Cow Bay at 12:30 PM. The weather was amazing, calm seas, and no clouds in the sky! full on sunshine!

En route to the Inlet, we stopped to view some harbour seals hauled out on the rocks, two humpbacks whales (Van Gogh and Morse Code) in Chatham Sound and several different seabirds (Pelagic Cormorants, Pigeon Guillemots, Rhinoceros Auklets, and Pacific Loons).

As we entered the inlet, we saw our first grizzlies – a sow and her 2 older cubs leaving the beach and going back into the forest.

We continued to venture towards the Sanctuary and as we approached the entrance, we were given instructions on etiquette within the protected area (no food outside and no talking) to respect the bears and enhance the viewing experience.

The first two bears that we saw within the Sanctuary itself was the sow “Hot Chocolate” with her 2025 cub *unnamed*.

Just around the corner from Hot Chocolate was her emancipated son, “Marshmallow” who is now 3 years old. Hot Chocolate chased him off earlier than usual for grizzly mums as she was being pursued by a boar when he was 2 years old and for his safety, he was chased off. All sanctuary guides and guardians were elated when he showed up this Spring – healthy & happy at 3 years of age.

Over the course of the day, we would see over 10 bears in various locations within the sanctuary. However, Hot Chocolate & Cub and Marshmallow were my favourites of the day.

On Day 2, I returned to the Sanctuary with the same company. The weather was vastly different with choppy seas. The tour seemed a little rushed as compared to Day 1 – perhaps it was the moody weather that gave that feeling.

Sightings were much lower, we only saw 3 bears – Hot Chocolate & Cub and Marshmallow. It just goes to show you how varied tours can be and how its up to the bears if they show up, or not.

For those who have never been to Prince Rupert – I would recommend the tour. Chatham Sound and the Khutzeymateen Sanctuary are pristine, wild places which offer experiences and adventure that touch the soul.