Vancouver Island Kayaking: Nuchatlitz Park

Often referred to as the Sea Otter Islands, Nuchatlitz Provincial Park is a highly regarded location for sea kayaking. This week-long tour is an excellent way to test your kayaking mettle in a land of typical Canadian beauty.

Situated on the western Central Coast of Vancouver Island, Nuchatlitz Provincial Park is a remote area of outstanding beauty. It is the type of place where you can completely lose yourself in your natural surroundings, which are fiercely protected from human destruction and have barely changed in thousands of years. The coastal landscape within the confines of the park is affectionately dubbed The Sea Otter Islands due to its abundance of undisturbed marine life which you’ll discover during your time here.

While the coasts and islands themselves are marvellous examples of epic Canadian scenery, it’s what is in between them that makes this tour great.
For a sea kayaker, this tucked-away corner of the Earth is a dream come true. When navigating around the islets you’re likely to come across groups of (incredibly adorable) sea otters - in fact, this is pretty much the only place to see them as they only recently returned to the region, having been previously hunted to extinction on Vancouver Island. You’re also quite likely to encounter humpback whales and dolphins while in the open waters of the Pacific, and another treat is viewing black bears foraging for food on the beaches of Nootka Island.

The tour covers two activities, from top-grade sea kayaking during the day to luxury camping in the park’s wilderness in the evenings. Both aspects of the tour are spent in the company of a friendly licensed guide who will relish the opportunity to show you the splendours of Nuchatlitz.

Whilst a guide will be on hand at all times and you should never feel out of your element, some aspects of the sea kayaking on this tour are slightly technical therefore it is advised to have some basic experience before signing up. One of the beginner’s tours also operating on Vancouver Island, such as the sea kayaking trip to the Broken Group Islands, will go a long way to helping you master the basics before embarking on this adventure. Any additional upper body exercise you can squeeze in before the tour will also be beneficial - certain days of the tour can see you kayaking as much as 15 nautical miles in one go.