Haida Gwaii Sailing Ship Tour

Ask Us About This Trip or Book a trip now

Sample Itinerary

day:: 1: Tour kickoff, land-based tour of Masset, Old Massett (G̲aw Tlagée), North Beach, Tow Hill, tour of Graham Island. Dinner and lodge accommodation in Masset area.

day:: 2: Tlell, Skidegate, Haida Heritage Centre at KAAY LLNAGAAY, board ship, orientation, cruising south for a Gwaii Haanas tour, whale watching, island anchorage and explore ashore.

day:: 3: Enter into Gwaii Haanas, visit T’aanuu village site, K’iid Xyangs K’iidaay (Burnaby Narrows) for some of the planet’s densest intertidal life, kayaking, cruising.

day:: 4: Sailing southward on the Gwaii Haanas tour, Cape St. James hike (southern tip of Haida Gwaii), Woodruff Bay beach exploration, fishing.

day:: 5: Seabirds viewing, UNESCO World Heritage Site visit, SGang Gwaay (Ninstints) on the southern end of Gwaii Haanas, Rose Harbour visit (remote community, pop. 4)

day:: 6: Cruising, rainforest walk, possible bears. The Haida Gwaii black bear is the largest subspecies of black bear on the planet. It is one example of Haida Gwaii being the “Galapagos of the North”, where species have evolved differently than their mainland counterparts.

day:: 7: Sailing Juan Perez Sound, whale watching, visit seabird researchers at seabird colony.

day:: 8: Northward on your Gwaii Haanas tour stop at Windy Bay cultural heritage site, whale watching, K’uuna (Skedans) village site.

day:: 9: Cruising to Morseby Camp in Cumshewa Inlet and transfer to Sandspit airport.

You can find information about each day, by clicking on a number

Note that as with all expedition cruises, the itinerary may change based on weather, wildlife activity, and interests of the guests. This itinerary is to give you a general idea of the trip.

Departures
Description
Gallery
What People Say
Trip Planning Details

Departures (prices listed in Canadian dollars)

Date	Price CAD*	# of Nights	Start Port	End Port	Ship
2024
Date: Jun 05 - 13	Price CAD: $8400	# of Nights: 8 nights, 9 days	Start Port: Masset	End Port: Sandspit	Ship: Maple Leaf
Date: Jun 13 - 21	Price CAD: $8400	# of Nights: 8 nights, 9 days	Start Port: Masset	End Port: Sandspit	Ship: Maple Leaf
Date: Jun 22 - 30	Price CAD: $8400	# of Nights: 8 nights, 9 days	Start Port: Masset	End Port: Sandspit	Ship: Maple Leaf
Date: Jun 30 - Jul 08	Price CAD: $8400	# of Nights: 8 nights, 9 days	Start Port: Masset	End Port: Sandspit	Ship: Maple Leaf
Date: Jul 08 - 16	Price CAD: $8400	# of Nights: 8 nights, 9 days	Start Port: Masset	End Port: Sandspit	Ship: Maple Leaf
2025
Date: Jun 13 - 21	Price CAD: $8990	# of Nights: 8 nights, 9 days	Start Port: Masset	End Port: Sandspit	Ship: Maple Leaf
Date: Jun 21 - 29	Price CAD: $8990	# of Nights: 8 nights, 9 days	Start Port: Masset	End Port: Sandspit	Ship: Maple Leaf
Date: Jul 08 - 16	Price CAD: $8990	# of Nights: 8 nights, 9 days	Start Port: Masset	End Port: Sandspit	Ship: Maple Leaf
Date: Jun 29 - Jul 07	Price CAD: $8990	# of Nights: 8 nights, 9 days	Start Port: Masset	End Port: Sandspit	Ship: Maple Leaf

Prices are all-inclusive, and subject to a $200 sustainability fee per person. The trips in Canada are subject to 5% federal tax. See "Included in Our Price" for the exceptional value included. Fares are per person, based on double occupancy, and in Canadian dollars. For solo travellers, there is no single supplement on the SV Maple Leaf trips (shared accommodation), and there is a 50% single supplement on the MV Swell and Cascadia trips. For full-ship private charters, please contact us. Payment and cancellation policy is available online, in the brochures and by speaking with us. We welcome your contact.

Description

Explore Haida Gwaii from the northern town of Masset to the southern reaches of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, Marine Conservation Area Reserve & Haida Heritage Site. Tour Graham Island by land for a day and a half with a knowledgeable guide before joining the crew aboard SV Maple Leaf for an 8-day Gwaii Haanas tour.

Highlights in Gwaii Haanas include Haida village sites (access is weather-permitting but typically includes SGang Gwaay (Ninstints), T'aanuu, K'uuna (Skedans), and Windy Bay); ancient rainforest, intertidal life at K'iid Xyangs K'iidaay (Burnaby Narrows), whales and other marine mammals, remote beaches, and other special experiences.

Gallery

What People Say

Anne Linn Escondido, CA I’ve been anticipating this trip for many years after reading about Maple Leaf in the LA Times. You have met and exceeded my expectations!

2009 editors of National Geographic Adventure magazine One of the Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth

Amy Loewen, age 13 Manitoba, Canada Thank you so much. This has been an amazing trip and it will stay with me forever.

Meeting Your Guide at the Start:

Your guide, with a shuttle, will meet you at the Masset Airport at the designated time for your trip.

The first day of your tour is a Land Day, which will include seeing the Masset area, Graham Island, and a visit to the Haida Heritage Centre at Qay’llnagaay (Sea Lion Town). It includes overnight accommodation in a local lodge, meals and travel.

How to Get to the Start & How to Return

Flying to/from Masset

From Vancouver
Pacific Coastal Airlines
Regular daily flights from Vancouver International Airport to Masset.
www.pacificcoastal.com
Phone: 1-800-589-4740

From Prince Rupert
Inland Air Charters
www.inlandair.bc.ca
Phone: 1-888-624-2577
The flight is 45 minutes with a view of the many small coastal islands off Prince Rupert and of Rose Spit and North Beach on Haida Gwaii.

Flying to/from Sandspit

From Vancouver
Air Canada
Daily flights from Vancouver International Airport to Sandspit on Haida Gwaii.
www.aircanada.com
Phone: 1-888-247-2262

Note: If your trip starts in Masset and you fly to Sandspit, you will need to either rent a car from the airport (reserve in advance) or hire a driver to take you north to Masset. This is about a two-and-a-half to three-hour drive, and includes a ferry crossing from Sandspit to Skidegate. We do not recommend you do this, unless you especially wish to spend extra time on the islands, outside of the Land Day included in the tour. The Islands are sparsley populated and do not have many services for transporting tourists.

Ferries

Haida Gwaii can be accessed via an eight hour ferry ride to cross 93 nautical miles (from Prince Rupert to the Skidegate Landing Ferry Terminal on Graham Island). Once in Skidegate and on Graham Island, you will need to get yourself up to Masset on the north part of Graham Island, which is about a 2-hour drive.

B.C. Ferry Corporation
Phone: 1-888-BCFERRY
www.bcferries.bc.ca

Click Schedules then click Inside Passage, Haida Gwaii, and be sure to choose the Haida Gwaii Fall-Winter-Spring schedule. [This was the method of getting to the schedule at the time these instructions were written.]

Note: Due to ferry schedules, you may need to arrive several days before the trip and would need to stay on Haida Gwaii for those days. You must make ferry reservations well in advance. This route requires careful planning in order to make ferry schedules.

Where to Stay

Masset

You will have land accommodation for your first day/night on the Maple Leaf trip, however if you wish to arrive in the islands earlier, please feel free to contact us for recommendations.

Ask us about a trip