Bear Watching

Ucluelet’s Barkley Sound offers an incredible coastline for viewing black bears. Our bear watching tours cruise through the protected and calm waters surrounding Ucluelet harbour and other scenic areas of the coast throughout the Sound.

 

About Bear Watching

Barkley Sound’s resident bears come down to the beaches at low tide to forage for such beach delicacies as rock crab, starfish and even a bit of kelp. They are an absolute pleasure to watch from the boat and thanks to their poor eyesight they are usually unaware of our presence so long as we keep quiet and a respectable distance. You may also have opportunities on this tour to view bald eagles, harbour seals, sea otters, marine birds and other species of wildlife!

Our tours are offered as soon as the bears wake up from winter hibernation, which is usually sometime in April or May. The bear viewing season winds down as the bears head up river to feast on salmon, usually sometime in October.

Ucluelet Bear Watching Tour Rates

Prices are in Canadian dollars and are subject to 5% sales tax

Cancellation Policy – bear watching tours are fully refundable up until 24 hours before departure

What to bring bear watching

Bear Watching FAQ's

How long is a Bear Watching trip?

Our bear watching tours are 2 to 3 hours in duration – depending on weather conditions and location of bears.

We watch black bears on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

From April until the end of September.

Our bear watching trips are based on the tides, as this is the time when the bears are coming out of the forest to forage along the intertidal zone for rock crab, starfish and other beach delicacies.

We look for bears in the calm and protected waters of Ucluelet inlet and along the beautiful shorelines of Barkley Sound.

Our bear watching tours depart from Ucluelet's downtown harbour - 1645 Cedar Road (bottom of Main Street)

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