Spirit Bear Lodge

Extraordinary people, lodge and stewardship of the land as well as all the wondrous creatures, trees, sedge, shorelines and sea. The hospitality was fantastic and warm. I really appreciated the local indigenous perspectives, as well as those shared by non-indigenous staff who had worked abroad. The guest cohort was lovely too. Seeing a spirit bear in the last hour of the last day was only the icing on the cake for this experience. As a guest, if you have a hard time with sedentary activities, bring a book and have the realistic expectation that you will have to be still and quiet in the forest while bear watching.

We had an amazing stay at Spirit Bear lodge. It is in Klemtu, which means that you are guests of the Kitasoo/Xaixais. The location is beautiful and really remote and There is one flight a day to Bella Bella from Vancouver followed by a two hour boat ride. We were met at Bella Bella by the Spirit Bear Lodge and they really look after you from the minute you arrive. We were only there for 3 nights which isn’t long enough. The lodge is lovely and comfortable and the food is amazing with all dietary requirements dealt with appropriately. The main reason for visiting is to see bears, but we were rewarded with lots of other wildlife ranging from humpbacks to bald eagles. Our guides were incredibly enthusiastic and seemed to revel in the encounters as much as we did. They kept us safe in bear country but also provided with amazing encounters. I can’t recommend Spirit Bear Lodge enough, however you need to be aware that due to the location and nature of the wildlife the following applies: - It is really remote. You may not get there on time or get out as planned. They are at the mercy of the weather and the Pacific Coastal airline schedule. If Pacific Coastal don’t fly you will arrive late or get stuck. The lodge strongly advises getting travel insurance and you really might need it. - It is not a zoo! You will have to walk along some quite rough paths and get out of small boats onto rocky beaches. You will then sit for 4-5 hours being still and quiet to try and see the bears. It all passed really quickly for us, but if you get bored easily this might not be for you. - These are wild animals in their natural environment. You could spend all this money, sit for hours in the rain and not see any bears. The Spirit Bear in particular is one of the rarest mammals on the planet and sightings are rare. Saying that, being with a Spirit Bear Lodge gives you the greatest chance you could ever have, but you need to be realistic about your expectations. We got stuck due to airline delays and the lodge team worked their butts off to get us back (30 hours later than planned) and looked after us wonderfully. This is not your everyday wildlife tour and we would come back in a heartbeat. Finally I would say that we came purely for the bears but the welcome and insight into the Kitasoo/Xaixais culture was a major highlight.

The rooms all have ocean views. The staff works incredibly hard to make sure your stay is as good as it can be. The sincere sharing of cultural stories is very meaningful. The wildlife viewing is exceptional.

A once in lifetime experience where you are immersed into a beautiful protected rainforest to see bears, whales, and other animals in their natural habitats. The Spirit Bear Lodge is an exceptional ecolodge located in the Great Bear Rainforest. The Kitasoo Xai'xais First Nation guides and staff teach you about their heritage while also leading by example the importance of not disturbing the habitats and not disturbing the bears. The bears were fishing for salmon and could careless about us and this is all because of the trusting relationship the locals have built.

We visited Spirit Bear Lodge in late August, with hopes of seeing bears. This fantastic lodge exceeded our expectations in every way! The rooms were comfortable, clean and a great size, with views over the water. Food was tasty and varied, including great vegetarian meals having informed the lodge in advance. Our guides were very knowledgeable about the local wildlife and despite some bad luck with bear sightings the first couple of days, we had great viewings of Grizzlies on day 3. Beyond this, the lodge and viewing sites are in an out of this world beautiful and remote setting, we were lucky enough to see a variety of marine wildlife including humpback whales, sea otters and a distant glimpse of an elephant seal! Outside of the wildlife it was a wonderful experience to stay in a first nations run lodge, hear more about the history and stewardship of local people, and be honoured to visit the local Big House. This cultural learning was a huge part of what made the visit special and we very much appreciated the Kitasoo/Xai'Xais staff at the lodge sharing their knowledge and stories with us, and welcoming us to visit their territory. Would definitely highly recommend this lodge!

Everyone at the Spirit Bear lodge is so wonderful and we had an amazing experience. From the moment we got off the plane our time was filled with tours to see all the life in the area. The prepared food was fantastic & delicious. We were told stories and history of the area and the Kitasoo/Xaixais. What an incredible personal experience. When we missed a travel connection, they made sure we were taken care of. Thank you Spirit Bear Lodge.

Beautiful place to see wildlife & wild country. Lovely 1st Nation run lodge, at Klemtu.

When I sit down to write this review, I am initially lost for words. This experience is truly incredible. From the start, the staff looked after us and we were favoured with wildlife views that could only be dreamt of. The first afternoon of our three night stay was being taken by boat to our accommodation. This was an event in itself, with humpback whale in abundance. They were diving and breaking the surface in their hunt for food. We were fully fitted out with appropriate rain gear from the lodge and off to hopefully see the spirit bear. Not just one sighting, but two. After being cautioned that we may not see this elusive sight, we were overwhelmed with the two showings and further three black bears fishing in the stream. The next day was mostly grizzlies plus some cubs and a black bear and cub. How understated that last comment was. That day included 13 sightings of bears. Picking the season is important. The spirit bear is elusive and salmon spawning time is a huge correlation. And then disaster struck. The only airline that services this region had mechanical issues and flights were cancelled. So what did the the Spirit Bear Lodge guys do? They went far and beyond by ensuring we were not stranded. They took us back to the lodge, fed us, kept us informed of progress, worked their butts off to get Pacific Coastal Airlines to fix the problem and of course put us up for the night. Remember we were 500km from Vancouver. No roads, no other transport. The lodge guys pulled out all stops to make sure we were comfortable and felt safe. Cannot thank them enough. This was the experience of a lifetime for my wife and I. Hard to see anything matching it. All made possible by the staff at SBL. Many thanks to all the team, Roxanne, Wanda, John, Kali, Jack, Krysta, Jamie, Elisha, Heather and many many more. Thank you SBL Michael and Emmy