Whistler, Clayoquot and Vancouver

Three nights in the mountains above the Sea to Sky Highway, then a seaplane to a tented lodge on Clayoquot Sound, open in season, typically late May to late September, for bears, whales and old-growth forest. A walk on Flores Island with Ahousaht stories along the trail, a helicopter to remote sea caves or a wilderness lake, and two nights in Vancouver to close.

Length: Eight nights
Pace: Three stays
Style: Wilderness, seaplane, wildlife, adventure
Route: Whistler to Clayoquot Sound to Vancouver

WhistlerThree nights
Clayoquot SoundThree nights
VancouverTwo nights

Snow-capped peaks above dark forested ridges and a small green lake in a valley.

Days 1 to 4 · three nights

Whistler

Met at Vancouver airport and driven two hours up the Sea to Sky Highway. A zipline over Fitzsimmons Creek, then a choice of golf, hiking, mountain biking, riding, rafting, the gondola, a floatplane or helicopter flight, or a 4x4 trip into black bear country. On request, a helicopter to a remote glacial ice cave in Canada's southernmost ice fields, for a guided walk inside. Or a helicopter to a secluded natural hot spring, for a guided wellness programme with spa treatments and massage. An hour at the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre, where young cultural ambassadors of the two nations guide visitors through their living culture, with craft workshops and a café serving bannock.

Where you stay

Fairmont Chateau Whistler

Fairmont Chateau Whistler sits at the base of Blackcomb Mountain, with 519 rooms and suites and ski-in, ski-out access to the slopes in winter. There is a golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., the Vida Spa and several pools, and Fairmont Gold rooms have their own lounge and concierge.

A white canvas tent on stilts at the edge of the forest, reflected in still water. — Photo: Beckons / George Apostolidis, Mitchell Leong, Beautiful Destinations, Jeremy Koreski

Days 4 to 7 · three nights

Clayoquot Sound

Back to Vancouver for a seaplane to the Bedwell River. Trails on foot or horseback through 400-year-old forest in the Ursus Valley, canoes and kayaks, and Zodiac trips to look for bears and whales. A Zodiac to Flores Island for a walk through one of Vancouver Island's most intact coastal rainforests, with Ahousaht stories along the way, or a helicopter north to sea caves cut by the ocean over centuries.

Where you stay

Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge

Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge stands on 600 acres beside Clayoquot Sound and the forests of the Bedwell Valley on Vancouver Island's west coast. Its 25 white canvas tents face ocean, forest and mountain, black bears, otters, whales and bald eagles live around it, and the lodge opens from May to September.

Days 7 to 9 · two nights

Vancouver

A seaplane back to Richmond and on downtown. A private day through Stanley Park, Chinatown and the North Shore with a picnic lunch, with the park seen if you wish on a walk through the stories of the Squamish and shíshálh Nations, then the airport on day nine.

Where you stay

Rosewood Hotel Georgia

Rosewood Hotel Georgia is in downtown Vancouver, minutes from Stanley Park, with the Georgia Bar for classic cocktails and live jazz or piano, and Hawksworth Restaurant. Sense, A Rosewood Spa uses locally sourced rituals, and the signature suites have private rooftop terraces with a plunge pool and outdoor dining.

Arranged on request

Walk the Wildside

A Zodiac to Flores Island and a walk through intact coastal rainforest, with Ahousaht cultural storytelling along the trails.

Fly fishing by helicopter

Remote water reached only by helicopter, with an expert angler guide.

The sea caves

A helicopter north to remote sea caves on Vancouver Island, cut by the ocean over centuries.

A lake to yourselves

A helicopter to a private wilderness lake for a day on the water.

The Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre

Guided tours led by cultural ambassadors of the Squamish and Lil'wat nations, with craft workshops and storytelling.

A glacial ice cave

From Whistler, a helicopter to a remote ice cave in the southernmost ice fields of Canada, and a guided hike there. Arranged on request.

Subject to availability.

Ways to make it yours

A day by seaplane and Zodiac to SGang Gwaay on Haida Gwaii, with a First Nations interpreter, to see what remains of its totem poles.
A few days in the Great Bear Rainforest from Klemtu, looking for the rare Spirit Bear and grizzlies with biologists and naturalists who explain the conservancy work there.
From Clayoquot, heli hiking above 3,000 feet, or drinks and charcuterie on a summit reached by helicopter.

This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.

Made around you

Most travel is bought. This is designed.

Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.

The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.