Haida Gwaii

Classic Canadian Tours does not provide travel insurance. If you would like to purchase travel insurance we suggest that you first check with your credit card company, as it may be offered on purchases made with your credit card. Travel insurance may also be purchased through your car or home insurance provider or through a travel insurance company, such as AMA Travel Insurance. Trip cancellation and interruption insurance will ensure that you are covered in the event that you are not able to make the trip for a personal reason, such as illness or if your trip is interrupted for an unforeseen reason, such as weather. Travel medical insurance, will pay the upfront costs not covered by Provincial Healthcare, such as evacuation, if you do not have extended health benefits. Only your insurance provider will be able to let you know your exact coverage.

In August, temperatures in Haida Gwaii can range between 10°C and 17°C. There can be frequent cloud cover, a good change of showers or drizzle.

It’s best to bring layers, including a waterproof rain jacket. Wear comfortable footwear.

The most direct route to Masset on Haida Gwaii is from Vancouver. We will be travelling Pacific Coastal Air from the South Terminal in Vancouver.

Guests travelling from outside Vancouver must book their own flight to Vancouver.

Day 1: The walk to the blowholes is on a wooden boardwalk - flat, wheelchair accessible, and with benches along the way. It takes about 15 minutes one way for the average person.

The optional hike up Tow Hill is moderately challenging, with wooden boardwalks, switchbacks, and stairs. Some guests may find the stairs difficult, so this part is optional.

Combined, the blowholes and Tow Hill hike take approximately 1.5 hours.

Day 2: The cultural interpretive hike is around 2 hours with some hills. However, there are many stops along the way to learn from the Haida knowledge-keeper about traditional plant use.

Day 4: The Golden Spruce Trail is an easy, short, and flat walk.

We stay in the Haida community of Skidegate.

The lodging is updated motel-style, with four rooms on the ground floor (each with one queen bed) and seven rooms upstairs (each with two queen beds).

Each room has a private entrance from the outside and its own bathroom.

Guests are picked up at the Daajing Giids marina.

The route follows the shoreline around Sandspit to the east coast of Haida Gwaii.

While the trip stays near shore, it can get choppy at times.

It’s respectful protocol to ask before taking photos, but permission is usually granted.

The only location where photography is not allowed is inside the Saahlinda Naay Haida Gwaii Museum.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site SGang Gwaay (formerly Ninstints) is located in Haida Gwaii and requires approximately a four-hour boat ride each way. Due to the long travel time, we do not take guests there, as more time would be spent on the boat than at the site itself.

Instead, we visit Kuuna Llnagaay (Skedans), which is located just north of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site. This village site is the closest to our communities (about a 1.25-hour boat ride) and features the highest number of visible poles, offering a rich and accessible cultural experience.