Imagine you’ve just spent a week with perfect strangers kayaking with whales on Vancouver Island. You’ve entrusted your entire vacation, or at least a good portion of it, to these people, whom you’ve never met before, hoping to have a good time. You love being outdoors. You want to learn to kayak, or at the very least, want to spend your vacation exploring the coast from the seat of a kayak. You find inspiration in the wilderness and you marvel at the sight of massive marine mammals swimming in the same waters you’re paddling. Sleeping under the stars after a gourmet dinner sits high on your list of favourite things to do.

Whale watching by Kayak with Ecosummer Expeditions

Great Expectations?

Given all that, you’d arrive with some pretty lofty expectations, don’t you think? We certainly do. Which is why our team works so hard. From the time you first inquire about joining one of our adventures, to when you arrive, to the time you return home, our team works their hardest to create the best kayak camping vacation possible.

Danke, Merci, Thank You, Gracias,

How do we know we’ve hit the mark on those lofty expectations? We read the comments our guests write in our log book before they leave camp. Here are just a few excerpts from our 2016 season:

I had a fabulous time. Jordan and Brenda made camping look easy. Knowledgeable guides. Whale watching was fantastic. The food was awesome!

Michael Newallo (Canada)

…we were so very lucky to kayak with a few pods of Orcas as well as Humpback whales and sea lions – amazing wildlife encounters and the reason we signed up for the trip.

Claire and Ben Holloway (Australia)

Rafted up and enraptured by Orcas swimming in the distance

What an excellent trip! Jordan and Brenda took really care of us! Thank you for that!! We saw so many whales and got so many information! Also the food was awesome. Thank you very much!

Sabine and Guido (Germany)

Thank you so much Brenda and Jordan for making this adventure so memorable. I’ll never figure out how you arranged for the Humpback whale to cruise by last night while we were all sitting around the campfire, or how you convinced a pod of Orcas to come by this morning at breakfast to swim through the kelp while we were being serenaded whale songs on Jordan’s radio. The breaching Orca was especially nice! Thanks, too, for all the wonderful meals you prepared for us (and the extra effort you made to accommodate my vegan diet). And a special thank you to Jordan for making such excellent coffee every morning!

Harold Foster and Bill Foster (USA)

Our favourite photo subject!

Well, what can I say? Thanks to Brenda and Jordan (our permanently busy, very capable and knowledgeable hosts) for all the tasty food and for being our guides along your beautiful coastline.The weather was kind, producing spectacular cloudscapes over the sunlit water – absolutely breathtaking! We’ll never forget being rafted up as the Orcas swam towards us – what a thrill! We held our breath as the Orca dived below our kayaks and to hear its cry as it swam beneath us was very special. Brilliant memories! A blast!

Clare and Ted (UK)

Paddling out amidst a stunning cloudscape

Orca Camp 2017

Are you interested in a one-of-a-kind family adventure for your next vacation? We’ve just opened up reservations for Orca Camp 2017, including an early-booking incentive if you confirm your reservations before December 31, 2016. You’ll find all the details of next year’s trips on our website.