spirit of the west adventures

Wow- thank you for your enthusiastic review of your experience with us. So happy to hear you had such a great time. We are so lucky to have such wonderful guests, such as you! We hope to see you again one day and happy traveling until then.

Thank you so much for your review of your time with us. It sounds like you had some great co-operation from the wildlife! It's not everyday we see Orcas, but every sighting is so very special and a total thrill. So glad you got to experience this area and all its splendour! We hope to share another adventure with you one day soon!

Thank you so much for taking the time to review your trip with us. We were so honoured that you chose to include our tour as part of your honeymoon! We are so happy to hear that you had such a great adventure and managed to get some rest and relaxation in as well! Until next time and congratulations again!

Can you tell I loved it? everything was perfect, even the weather ! saw lots of orcas, humpbacks, dolphins, eagles, etc. big orange octopus.the tents were big and comfortable with great thick thermarest, wool blankets, soft pillows. amazing views from our tent.food was excellent...healthy, lots of it....fresh ....sam, robin, and ? can't remember the other great guides name were very knowledgable about the history, wildlife, etc of the area. very patient in answering all our questions.Hot Shower in the wildnerness....unbelievable.

Two families, each with a teenager did the 4 day Johnstone Strait Ultimate. We had the most amazing time with viewings of orcas, humpbacks, sea lions, porpoises and dolphins. The water was crystal clear, which is an indication of how pristine the area is. We were able to see from our kayaks, many different sub tidal species.The set up at camp was a nice combination of comfort and outdoor rustic. The food was a pleasant surprise and we very much enjoyed each meal. The guides, Sam L., Robin and Lee took exceptional care of us and we always felt confident in their knowledge and abilities. They were super fun too!Follow their packing list - no cotton!Spirit of the West is clearly an excellent company.

I'd highly recommend Spirit of the West Adventures - we had a wonderful (if very wet) few days on the Johnston Strait Ultimate Tour. Base camp was fab at an absolutely stunning location. We were very lucky to see lots of Orca, a Humpback whale, sea lions, eagles and a lot more - but felt extra lucky just to be in such a peaceful and beautiful place and being looked after so well by our guides. Everything was thought of and very well organised. Food was great and hot tub even better. Thank you for a great trip Janna, Will and Ashley. Also a huge thank you to Rick for helping us out before the tour when we were having a crisis. You were all fab - thank you.

Me and my friend did the 4 day Orca Lite kayak tour. It was awesome. The reviews about water taxis and hot showers I read are cool, but the budget version of this trip won't disappoint you either. Camping and paddling, what more can you ask for on an adventure? The guides, Rick and Todd did an amazing job. Rick knows a lot about marine life and it's cool to listen to his stories, while Todd will keep you entertained (if you're not having a good time already)! Highlights of the trip: seeing a pod of orca's passing by / seeing one enormous bull orca emerge from the water / the sound of a chumpeting whale / the amazing food / waking up with the sound of breathing whales / seeing whales passing by while sitting on a bio toilet ;) I would highly recommend this trip to everyone who is looking for fun times and also wants to learn from it! Lorenz

My husband and I, along with 2 good friends, did the Johnstone Strait Ultimate this Aug and it was outstanding! This company is excellent in every way, including our wonderful guides, Tara, Ashley and Fia. We really couldn't have asked for a better experience, start to finish. The base camp is in such a gorgeous location, and is a very comfortable way to camp indeed. We greatly appreciated the hot running shower, and definitely the wood-burning hot tub! So much fun to take a jump into the Strait and then warm up in the hot tub. And...the food was great! Every meal was so tasty, and there was plenty to eat the whole time we were there. We also got very lucky with wildlife. We saw transient and resident orcas in the water taxi on the way to and from base camp, and while on our trip we also saw Stellar sea lions, seals, white sided dolphins, Dall's porpoises, lots of eagles, a bear on a nearby beach, and loads of very cool intertidal life. Each day's paddle was so much fun too! We also loved our hike up to Eagle Eye to talk with the Cetus researchers, not to mention the beautiful forest we hike through. We couldn't be happier with SOW and fully plan on booking a trip again with them in the future. Thanks so much for a great, great trip!

We just got back from the 6 day Johnstone Strait Expedition. From the start to finish is was perfection..The beginning emails ( and there were a lot!) were answered within a hour. Such a friendly and helpful front office. Our guides Carley and Daniel ( the dynamic duo) were amazing! They had such great chemistry for their first tour together, They were full of information and we had such fun with them. From the history of the land and it's people to teaching us kayak skills.such loving and helpful guides. When we would get to the beach while our guides were prepping dinner Carley carried a bunch of books about birds..mammals, the history of Vancouver etc, I it was great to read about some things we had seen during the day. My husband and I are vegie and gluten free. NO problem is what I was told..and they were right! Carley and Daniel made sure our food was prepared separately and it was YUMMY! I could go on and on about what a wonderful life changing trip it was. thank you SoW and especially Carley and Daniel. Love from Seattle!!

We did the Johnstone Strait Ultimate, and we can't say enough good things about our experience. Our guides were friendly and fun, and ensured we had everything we needed, and were very knowledgeable. The salt water hot tub and the hot showers were a definite bonus. The campsite is great, the view at the camp site is amazing.The food was great, our guides were also our chefs and they did a superb job of keeping us well fed. We were lucky to see a pod of Orcas when we were paddling, saw lots of eagles, and even glimpsed a bear on the beach. We would do this trip again and we will very likely book another trip with the Spirit of the West team.All around a great experience.

Hello Again! Thank you for taking the time to review your third adventure with us! We are so happy that you keep coming back for more fun together. We really do appreciate you letting us know about both the positive and the places we can improve- we are always striving to do better. I am so sorry to hear about your bags and that all your clothes got wet! This is definitely not the norm and something we will do our best to ensure never happens again. We are working with a new water taxi company this year and they have been loading all the gear into their boats (we guess for weight distribution purposes). We obviously need to work more closely with them as some bags aren't waterproofed as maybe they were expecting!?!? Your bag would have come to Tahsis to meet you for convenience so you could have dry clothes to change into (a little ironic!) and in case of tight onward travel connections. Now that we know problems such as this can arise we will be working with our new water taxi folks to ensure that we get it right next time. Again we apologize for any inconvenience and hope to see you again soon.

Hot showers, great food, a salt water wood-fired hot tub, good quality tents with wood platforms, snug-fitting tarps and spectacular views, pillows, blankets, kayaking, hiking, terrific guides and lots of orcas…it couldn't have been any better. Except that it was! The weather was perfect and we had such a fun group of new friends to share the adventure with. This is an excellent trip for those who want to experience the water and wildlife of BC's beautiful coast in a wilderness location without the primitive amenities, mud/dirt, and cold water that often goes along with camping. We loved it.

Exceeded expectations, the guides; Sam, Todd and Will are exceptional. Camp location fabulous. Food plentiful and amazingly tasty.

My husband and I wanted to do a memorable special trip with our older teens. We had limited time! Rivers and Oceans, a travel outfit based in Flagstaff AZ (see separate review) set us up for the Ultimate Trip. 3 out of our family of 4 like to camp - so for the sake of the 4th we choose the Ultimate trip with the base camp. The on demand hot shower was key for her! The hot tub is also for real and very pleasant!We love outdoor vacations with critters, great views and quiet. We loved all that on this trip. We lucked out on orca viewing and even saw a bear on shore! The tidal shore critters and kelp beds were amazing. The overall ambiance of the camp and views were outstanding.The tents with platforms and good thermarests were great. We didn't have rain, but would have been well protected in tents if needed! The food was good with nice touches like warm bevs at lunch. My husband could have used a bit more protein in some meals, but overall it was good. The boating gear, spray skirts, etc were well cared for and in good shape. The paddling was great. The guides were very safety oriented, but not pushy. My husband and I are concerned about conservation with probably "above average knowledge", though not in this region. The Johnson Straite area is fascinating in this regard. There's a mix of ecotourism, logging, lots of commercial and recreational boat traffic of all sizes and shapes, marine mammal science and monitoring, salmon, etc. We found the area to be a "working wilderness" and were very interested and impressed by what we saw and learned. The trip guides were informative and fairly balanced, which we appreciated. It is important to take the right clothing. The gear list was good - so be sure to follow it and ask questions if you're not familiar with how to dress! We rented their rain gear, which was a great move! It is a specialized type the has comfortable adjustable gaskets at wrist and ankle to keep (most) water out. After the first day, I wore the rain gear over shorts and a thermal shirt and was very comfortable and warm. My regret was foot ware - I wore river sandals. My feet were clammy and cold and they weren't great for walking in the slick rocks and kelp. The guides seemed to wear various types if wet suit type booties with some light tread - I was envious of those! Anyway - just be sure to plan that part well! You kind of neat 3 sets of thermal ware - one for boating, reserve/extra layer for boating, and dry stuff for camp. And then very little else!Overall - a great experience, with many lasting feelings and images to cherish and think back on!

Thank you so much for taking the time to review your trip with us. We are so happy to hear that your familes had such a great time even if the orcas didn't co-operate with you. You did get some tough weather and good on you for making the most of the wind. We are so glad to hear that you enjoyed the camp, guides, food etc. I must agree with you I have some of the best sleeps of my life out there, all that fresh air and the sound of the waves at night. Thanks again and we do hope to see all of you again some day soon.