Extraordinary people, lodge and stewardship of the land as well as all the wondrous creatures, trees, sedge, shorelines and sea. The hospitality was fantastic and warm. I really appreciated the local indigenous perspectives, as well as those shared by non-indigenous staff who had worked abroad. The guest cohort was lovely too. Seeing a spirit bear in the last hour of the last day was only the icing on the cake for this experience. As a guest, if you have a hard time with sedentary activities, bring a book and have the realistic expectation that you will have to be still and quiet in the forest while bear watching.

This is one of those tricky reviews to write as I have conflicting thoughts and feelings, so here are my thoughts: We had a very enjoyable trip, had some excellent wildlife encounters, were hosted in a great lodge by really nice people, enjoyed the food (a bit light on the veggies at times), were totally charmed by the territory and scenery, and truly enjoyed learning about the culture of the Kitasoo Xai'Xais. The Kitasoo Xai'Xais have done a fantastic job in protecting their territory, and preserving the beautiful land and wildlife for future generations. Their stewardship is world leading. The downside was that we didn't see a spirit bear, but that in and of itself is not an issue as no one can control the wildlife. The issue was that we were not given many chances to see spirit bears, and that is totally in the control of management. Of our full 3 days of excursions, it was only the last day we actually went to try and see the spirit bears. That was very disappointing because seeing spirit bears was the primary reason we (and many others in our group) went to Spirit Bear Lodge. Considering that a large number of people there had previous experience with brown bear and black bear sightings (us included), I feel that there should have been more of a focus on trying to accomplish the goal of seeing the spirit bears for the guests that were staying at SBL for that primary purpose. In previous wildlife trips I have taken we would be asked what we wanted to see as a priority, and then set out on the first day to see the target animal, if we don't see any then we go again the next day, and the next until time runs out. If we don't find it, that's fine, but at least we tried at every opportunity. Here at SBL we didn't have the opportunity to really try, having just one out of three days looking was simply not enough. I write this so that A) hopefully management will read and consider how to manage plans allowing guests every chance possible to see a spirit bear if that is their goal, and B) so that you will know the current way things operate and what to expect. We weren't told that we will only be given 1 day out of 3 to try and find the spirit bears, and we only learned it once we were in the boat the first day when we were told we were going to a brown bear estuary. In conclusion, it is a wonderful place to visit, and if you are looking for a broad range of scenery and wildlife experiences then it is a fantastic trip and highly recommended. But if you are looking to specifically add a spirit bear sighting to your wildlife experiences, then you really do need to temper your expectations. I only mark it down to 3 stars simply because I wasn't given the opportunity to really pursue a spirit bear sighting when that was my primary purpose of visiting.

It is not easy to write this review. I wanted to say that I loved everything, but I have to be honest with myself. The positives: friendly staff, pristine nature, great effort from the community to conserve the environment. The less positives: 1). Lack of communication: considering our sole purpose was to see the Spirit Bears since we've seen the other wildlife elsewhere, we were not consulted about the itineraries and priorities at all. We were simply assigned to a different route each day, with only one day (the last day) going to where the spirit bears were. 2). Lack of staff training: we were barely greeted by anyone other than the chief. When we arrived at the airport and when we boarded the boat each day, there was barely any acknowledgement from the staff, not even a smile. We had to ask them what their names were. 3). The programs were too passive, designed for people who don't want to move all day. We would spend the entire day (from 8am - 6pm) on boats, and sitting on logs and grounds with minimal walking. It would be nice if we were offered an opportunity to hike/walk more, to kayak. 4). Meals were rather unbalanced in terms of greens - breakfasts had no vegetables at all; two out of four dinners barely had any vegetables.

The rooms all have ocean views. The staff works incredibly hard to make sure your stay is as good as it can be. The sincere sharing of cultural stories is very meaningful. The wildlife viewing is exceptional.

Fantastic location out in the wilderness..not the back of beyond, it's further than that Great trips out seeing bears, whales, eagles Guides very good Only loses a star as price is very high (and what feels an inappropriate request for tips)

We visited Spirit Bear Lodge in late August, with hopes of seeing bears. This fantastic lodge exceeded our expectations in every way! The rooms were comfortable, clean and a great size, with views over the water. Food was tasty and varied, including great vegetarian meals having informed the lodge in advance. Our guides were very knowledgeable about the local wildlife and despite some bad luck with bear sightings the first couple of days, we had great viewings of Grizzlies on day 3. Beyond this, the lodge and viewing sites are in an out of this world beautiful and remote setting, we were lucky enough to see a variety of marine wildlife including humpback whales, sea otters and a distant glimpse of an elephant seal! Outside of the wildlife it was a wonderful experience to stay in a first nations run lodge, hear more about the history and stewardship of local people, and be honoured to visit the local Big House. This cultural learning was a huge part of what made the visit special and we very much appreciated the Kitasoo/Xai'Xais staff at the lodge sharing their knowledge and stories with us, and welcoming us to visit their territory. Would definitely highly recommend this lodge!

A once in lifetime experience where you are immersed into a beautiful protected rainforest to see bears, whales, and other animals in their natural habitats. The Spirit Bear Lodge is an exceptional ecolodge located in the Great Bear Rainforest. The Kitasoo Xai'xais First Nation guides and staff teach you about their heritage while also leading by example the importance of not disturbing the habitats and not disturbing the bears. The bears were fishing for salmon and could careless about us and this is all because of the trusting relationship the locals have built.

Everyone at the Spirit Bear lodge is so wonderful and we had an amazing experience. From the moment we got off the plane our time was filled with tours to see all the life in the area. The prepared food was fantastic & delicious. We were told stories and history of the area and the Kitasoo/Xaixais. What an incredible personal experience. When we missed a travel connection, they made sure we were taken care of. Thank you Spirit Bear Lodge.

When I sit down to write this review, I am initially lost for words. This experience is truly incredible. From the start, the staff looked after us and we were favoured with wildlife views that could only be dreamt of. The first afternoon of our three night stay was being taken by boat to our accommodation. This was an event in itself, with humpback whale in abundance. They were diving and breaking the surface in their hunt for food. We were fully fitted out with appropriate rain gear from the lodge and off to hopefully see the spirit bear. Not just one sighting, but two. After being cautioned that we may not see this elusive sight, we were overwhelmed with the two showings and further three black bears fishing in the stream. The next day was mostly grizzlies plus some cubs and a black bear and cub. How understated that last comment was. That day included 13 sightings of bears. Picking the season is important. The spirit bear is elusive and salmon spawning time is a huge correlation. And then disaster struck. The only airline that services this region had mechanical issues and flights were cancelled. So what did the the Spirit Bear Lodge guys do? They went far and beyond by ensuring we were not stranded. They took us back to the lodge, fed us, kept us informed of progress, worked their butts off to get Pacific Coastal Airlines to fix the problem and of course put us up for the night. Remember we were 500km from Vancouver. No roads, no other transport. The lodge guys pulled out all stops to make sure we were comfortable and felt safe. Cannot thank them enough. This was the experience of a lifetime for my wife and I. Hard to see anything matching it. All made possible by the staff at SBL. Many thanks to all the team, Roxanne, Wanda, John, Kali, Jack, Krysta, Jamie, Elisha, Heather and many many more. Thank you SBL Michael and Emmy

We had an amazing stay at Spirit Bear lodge. It is in Klemtu, which means that you are guests of the Kitasoo/Xaixais. The location is beautiful and really remote and There is one flight a day to Bella Bella from Vancouver followed by a two hour boat ride. We were met at Bella Bella by the Spirit Bear Lodge and they really look after you from the minute you arrive. We were only there for 3 nights which isn’t long enough. The lodge is lovely and comfortable and the food is amazing with all dietary requirements dealt with appropriately. The main reason for visiting is to see bears, but we were rewarded with lots of other wildlife ranging from humpbacks to bald eagles. Our guides were incredibly enthusiastic and seemed to revel in the encounters as much as we did. They kept us safe in bear country but also provided with amazing encounters. I can’t recommend Spirit Bear Lodge enough, however you need to be aware that due to the location and nature of the wildlife the following applies: - It is really remote. You may not get there on time or get out as planned. They are at the mercy of the weather and the Pacific Coastal airline schedule. If Pacific Coastal don’t fly you will arrive late or get stuck. The lodge strongly advises getting travel insurance and you really might need it. - It is not a zoo! You will have to walk along some quite rough paths and get out of small boats onto rocky beaches. You will then sit for 4-5 hours being still and quiet to try and see the bears. It all passed really quickly for us, but if you get bored easily this might not be for you. - These are wild animals in their natural environment. You could spend all this money, sit for hours in the rain and not see any bears. The Spirit Bear in particular is one of the rarest mammals on the planet and sightings are rare. Saying that, being with a Spirit Bear Lodge gives you the greatest chance you could ever have, but you need to be realistic about your expectations. We got stuck due to airline delays and the lodge team worked their butts off to get us back (30 hours later than planned) and looked after us wonderfully. This is not your everyday wildlife tour and we would come back in a heartbeat. Finally I would say that we came purely for the bears but the welcome and insight into the Kitasoo/Xaixais culture was a major highlight.