Whales & Totems
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Trip Planning - Whales and Totems of the Great Bear Rainforest
Please feel free to use this general information in planning your trip. However, before making flight or other arrangements, please contact us to ensure availability on the trip you want, and to ensure that specific details, such as boarding time and location, for your trip are confirmed. Changes may occur from year to year.
Port of Departure:
Port McNeill's municipal docks, Port McNeill, B.C.
  • Port McNeill's municipal docks are located in the heart of "downtown" Port McNeill on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. It takes approximately 25 minutes via taxi from Port Hardy's airport.
Port of Return:
Port McNeill's municipal docks, Port McNeill, B.C.
Planes Trains & Automobiles...
(click on map for larger view)
How to Get to the ShipClose

To reach Port McNeill most travelers will use the Vancouver International Airport as their main airport so we have listed travel options below from that starting point. The airport that services Port McNeill is Port Hardy, so you fly to Port Hardy first and then take a taxi to Port McNeill .

By Air: From Vancouver

Pacific Coastal Airlines
1-800-663-2872
www.pacificcoastal.com

Eagle Air
1-866-949-5151


Taxi

North Island Taxi:    (250) 949-8800
North Island Trasnportation, Port Hardy: (250) 949-6300
Town Taxi, Port Hardy: (250) 949-7877

Bus Service: Vancouver Island Coach Lines runs one trip per day between southern Vancouver Island and northern Vancouver Island. The bus arrives in Port McNeill around 3:15pm. Tickets can be purchased through Greyhound. Check online at www.greyhound.ca for current fares and detailed schedules.
Where to Stay:
In Port McNeill we recommend:
Beach House Bed and Breakfast   www.beachhousebandb.ca   1-877-956-4993

Water's Edge Bed and Breakfst   www.watersedge.ca   1-250-856-2912

Haida's Way Hotel   www.portmcneillhotels.com   1-800-956-3373

If you are visiting Victoria, on Vancouver Island, before or after your trip, we recommend the boutique inn Abigail's Hotel, for a treat in the heart of the city. We have a relationship with this hotel, so if you are interested, we can arrange rooms for you. Contact us for information.
Travel Agent
We are happy to recommend the services of our travel agent. She books travel for us and has assisted Maple Leaf guests for many years.
  • Contact us at 1.888.599.5323 or +1.250.386.7245 for information
Trip / Medical Insurance
  • Due to the remoteness of the areas we travel in we highly recommend travel/medical trip insurance that covers possible emergency medical evacuation.
  • We highly recommend trip cancellation insurance. This protects you in case you have to cancel for a variety of reasons (including illness). This must be purchased at the time your booking is confirmed.
Travel Documentation
  • If you are entering Canada from another country, you must have a valid passport.
  • If the US or Canada require that citizens from your country have other documentation such as a visa in order to enter either country, you are responsible for having it with you. To find out what you need, ask your nearest consulate.
Suggested Reading - Whales & Totems
Title Author, ISBN Subject Area
Listening to Whales: What the Orcas Have Taught Us by Alexandra Morton. ISBN 0-345-43794-2 Killer whales (Orcas) by researcher who has lived among them since 1979
Spilsbury's Coast: Pioneer Years in the Wet West By Howard White and Jim Spilsbury. ISBN 1-55017-046-5 Cultural history of European pioneers
Northwest Coast Indian Art: An Analysis of Form By Bill Holm. ISBN 0295951028 First Nations Art
The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our Place in Nature By David Suzuki. ISBN 1-55054-548-5 General nature and philosophy
Beyond the Whales: Photographs and Passions of Alexandra Morton By Alexandra Morton. ISBN 1-894898-23-0 General overview of Broughton Archipelago
Heart of the Raincoast: A Life Story by Alexandra Morton and Billy Proctor ISBN 0-920663-61-3 History of Billy Proctor, coastal resident
Guardians of the Whales: The Quest to Study Whales in the Wild by Bruce Obee and Graeme Ellis ISBN 1-55110-034-70 Killer whales (Orcas)
The Last Great Sea: A Voyage Through the Human and Natural History of the North Pacific Ocean By Terry Glavin ISBN: 1-55054-954-5 Natural history, cultural history of the North Pacific Ocean region
These and many other books on the natural and cultural history of the Pacific Coast are on board in our library. Some are available for purchase through our office.
 




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