Travel to the edge of adventure, but inside your comfort zone, secure in the knowledge that our wilderness guides have all the training and experience necessary to make your Ecosummer adventure not only memorable, but safe and secure as well.
There’s an entire alphabet of wilderness guide training designations – ACSKG sea kayaking leadership, ACMG backpacking/day hiking certification, and advance wilderness CPR. We never leave camp without a well-outfitted first-aid kit and the knowledge to use it – If you encounter trouble along the way, you can rest easy knowing our guides are certified in a whole alphabet of wilderness and first-aid training – from A to Z.
With any Ecosummer expedition, providing a memorable experience will never come at the expense of your safety. Whether you’re hiking the West Coast Trail , exploring ancient rainforests and wild running rivers on the West Coast & Wilderness tour, or kayaking with whales at Orca Camp, your adventure only begins after a pre-trip orientation and all of your safety questions have been answered.
The very nature of the West Coast Trail means there’s an element of risk involved in the expedition. Your journey begins with a mandatory pre-trip orientation conducted by Parks Canada and once again by our guides before taking to the trail.
The same holds true on the West Coast & Wilderness tour – our guides and their local counterparts provide a safety briefing before embarking on hikes, snorkeling trips or ocean kayaking, making sure that you’re comfortable with with what you’re about to experience.
On any tour involving water-based activities we like to help you hone your technique before putting into the water, so that that should any emergency occur you have the skills needed to quickly respond.
Perfect your paddling technique with group and one-on-one instruction and in-kayak coaching from Orca Camp guides before ever heading out on the water. Day one starts with the basics, (like which end of the paddle is up) and then moves on to more serious subjects like quick wet-skirt release and exiting the kayak and ways to conserve energy for long days on the water.
Whether hiking the West Coast Trail, kayaking with orcas in the Johnstone Strait or venturing off the beaten path and into old-growth rainforests and wild-running rivers, our goal is to show you a wild time with minimal impact on both the wildlife and the environment.
Our guides take extra care to ensure your safety and the wellbeing of the wildlife you may encounter by restricting group size and maintaining a flexible itinerary allowing for changes in weather and wildlife migration. As expedition leaders, our guides have the first and last word on where, when and how you experience our wilderness tours.
Wildlife encounters of the natural kind are as much about watching as knowing an animal’s habits. Our guides are well-practiced observers of animals in their own habitat and are delighted to share their expertise with you, enhancing your wildlife viewing opportunities.
Every Ecosummer expedition takes place in a raw and rugged wilderness setting, each with its own fragile ecosystem. We strive to minimize our environmental impact while maximizing your adventure. We pack out everything we pack in and local regulations require that you to do the same. We bear proof our camps, use only environmentally friendly cleaning materials, re-use, recycle, and compost wherever possible.
These same principles hold true when it comes to the animals – we observe whales and other wildlife from a safe viewing distance, respecting international law that prohibits approaching marine mammals within 100 metres. That’s not to say the whales don’t sometimes approach us inside of that limit, and if that happens we encourage you to simply sit back and enjoy the show!