Frequently Asked Questions

Our trips have low impact (virtually no impact) on the planet and on the places we visit. We build no structures and leave no trace. We are locally owned and operated. We partner with other local people. We have protocol agreements either signed or in process with First Nations in territories we visit. Our naturalists – experts in their fields – and other knowledgeable crew members provide a wealth of knowledge on the areas we visit, as do our First Nations guides. We work within the regulations of parks and conservation areas, pay the applicable fees and obtain permits for all limited-use areas we visit. We dedicate time and resources to preserving the natural areas we travel in and the wildlife that live here. We continually maintain our ships and our office to become more efficient, and more environmentally friendly each year. GreenStep, a rigorous, independent third party evaluator, has certified us to the highest level, Gold, for sustainable tourism.

Anyone is eligible so long as they are enthusiastic about participating and appreciate nature, culture, and the outdoors. However, it’s important to note that our trips are not suitable for people with failing health or physical disabilities. We’ve had people as old as 80 years of age onboard, and we welcome everyone who can meet the following requirements:

• Amenable to the vagaries of weather, as we’re in a wilderness setting with no luxury hotels or Wi-Fi.
• Agile enough to clamber in and out of shore vessels in areas where there are no docks, step over 10-inch-high door sills (on the Swell), and climb up and down steep staircases like a ladder (on the Maple Leaf) or a regular staircase (Cascadia).
• Friendly enough to get along with others in the relatively close quarters of a yacht.
• Aware that as we are in a remote location, going ashore in areas of wildlife, strong weather, tides, and rainforest. As such, your safety is paramount to our guides and we will not serve alcohol until the evening.
• Understanding that this is an expedition cruise with talented guides to learn from, not a private yacht.

Absolutely. If you advise us in the pre-trip forms, we can accommodate most dietary requirements.

We serve a limited amount of alcohol on our trips, good wines and craft beer for you to enjoy with dinner. Other than our tasting cruises, alcohol is not a focus of our trips. Instead, we guide you to explore the nature, wildlife and culture of the rugged coast, and make the most of daylight hours to take you to wonderful places ashore and in our small boats. Due to this being a wilder environment than most people are familiar with, we require guests be responsible with alcohol. Your trip takes place in a remote wilderness setting at high latitudes. Weather can change, the water is cold, currents are strong, tides are big, cities and towns and assistance are far away. Each day, our activities involve going out in small boats (zodiacs, kayaks) and on foot to explore the wild coast, up until dinner time. On the sailing ship, we may also sail, which involves the extremely powerful force of wind on massive sails, halyards, booms and sheets. As a result, we do not serve alcohol during daytime outside of special occasions selected with safety in mind.

Sea sickness is rarely a problem—for several reasons. First, most of the areas we travel are protected waters, not exposed to open ocean swells. In that way, this spectacular coast is unlike almost every other in the world. Second, both ships are heavy ships with tens of thousands of pounds of lead in their keels that keep them upright. We travel short distances in protected waters and go ashore often. The Maple Leaf, being a sailing ship, can keep people comfortable in wavier waters than the Swell can, so the Maple Leaf has the option to go to exposed coastal areas more frequently than the Swell. There are so many great options to explore on the coast, and we prefer to keep our guests comfortable, so we don’t take you out into bad weather. For more detail on why you probably won’t be seasick on a Maple Leaf trip—even if you do feel ill in other ocean environments—read this article, written by Maureen Gordon, who gets seasick in open ocean environments, but not on Maple Leaf trips.

Depending on the area and the day’s agenda, we’ll typically go ashore between 1 and 3 times a day, for between 1 and 3 hours at a time. Some trips are longer, too. Typical number is 2 shore trips a day. For more details, view the article “How Much Time Do We Spend Ashore?“.

Yes, absolutely. You will be travelling on a 95-ton (Maple Leaf) or 130-ton (Swell), strong boat run by an expert crew. You are aboard as our guest and we will look after you very well. You don’t have to do anything other than enjoy yourself.

Yes, and you are welcome to go for paddles in the spectacular bays we anchor in.

Aboard SV Maple Leaf we take up to 8 guests on board, and have a crew of 5. Aboard MV Swell we take up to 12 guests on all other trip areas. Swell has a crew of 5. Aboard Cascadia we take up to 22 guests in Haida Gwaii and 24 in all other locations. Cascadia has a crew of 11 in Haida Gwaii and 10 in all other locations.

Just like you! You will find that the other guests aboard share similar interests in travel, adventure and sustainability.

Yes. On the sailing ship, around a quarter of our guests are solo travellers. On the tugboat and catamaran, it’s a bit less. Our trips are experiential in nature. In addition to the other guests, you have five built-in travel companions who are also in effect solo travellers: your expert guides and crew. Although they are leading the trip, taking care of the work and making sure you’re well cared for, they are your companions in the adventure, too.

There is no single supplement on the sailing ship Maple Leaf. If the trip fills, we ask that you share a sleeping area with another guest of the same sex or sleep in our comfortable wheelhouse accommodations. There is a single supplement on the tugboat Swell and catamaran Cascadia, however, we also offer cabin pairing for solo travelers of the same sex on Cascadia.

As a professional eco-tourism company, it is at the core of our operating principles to work with local communities (as we are members of the local community ourselves), respect regulations, look after the planet and contribute to local opportunities. Responsible operations cost a little more. We extracted from the fare a percentage of the increased costs that go toward sustainability and added it to the list price as a sustainability fee of $200 per trip. Through this, we hope our guests share in the pride that a trip with Maple Leaf Adventures is a contribution to the sustainability of the coast, as well as being a great experience.

We recommend obtaining adequate coverage for your trip. Cancellation and any needed medical insurance can be purchased through a travel agent. We are happy to refer you to travel agents who have worked with our guests in the past if you like support with this.

To secure your place on a trip, an initial deposit of one-third of the trip price is required. The remaining balance is due 120 days prior to departure. For cancellations made at least 120 days before the trip start date, a refund of the deposit amount, minus a $300 admin fee per person, is applicable. Please refer to our comprehensive Booking and Cancellation Policy for specific details and conditions.