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Kayaking holidays in Canada

Kayaking is one of the earliest modes of transport in Canada, designed by Inuit hunters. Fast forward a few thousand years, and they’re still the vessel of choice for some of our top holidays in Canada. Read our kayaking in Canada guide to discover why the trusty qajaq is one of the best ways to see wildlife, hear tips from our local kayaking specialists and conservation champions, and learn more about the kayak’s Indigenous roots.

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Kayaking holidays in Canada

The kayaking expedition is drawing to a close. You’ve seen the distant saltwater huff of grey whales, orcas scything through the waves, bald eagles making lazy loops above fishing boats, seals slouched over rocks, and the oily shine of a sea otter’s head bobbing up for a look. On this last day, your guide encourages you to paddle for a little longer; it’s clam o’ clock for bears searching for fresh shellfish on the shore.

Sure enough, a black bear does emerge, stepping out from the tree line and shuffling along the shoreline. This isn’t a fleeting viewing. The bear pads along the tideline, occasionally pausing to flip over a rock that might be hiding a tasty mollusc, unbothered by the kayakers bobbing on the waves. Eventually, it’s you who has to paddle off, leaving the bear to continue browsing its fresh seafood buffet in peace.

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Slow travel at the water level

“Exploring at the water level – the quiet of travel under your own power – is an incredible way to experience Canada,” says Breanne Quesnel, co-owner of Spirit of the West, which organises some of our top kayaking holidays in Canada. “It only takes five minutes in one of these places to have something shift in your soul, a sense of peace, calm and reverence to fall over you. These places remind us of what is important in life and allow us to recharge in the truest sense of the word.”

For Breanne, these places are in British Columbia – the mountains and rainforest-cloaked coastlines of Vancouver Island. But you can also kayak in landscapes as diverse as the turquoise lakes of the Canadian Rockies, the icy Arctic waters of Baffin Island, and the autumnal Atlantic salmon rivers of Nova Scotia.

These places remind us of what is important in life and allow us to recharge in the truest sense of the word.

Canada is the second-largest country in the world and has the longest coastline in the world. That’s almost 200,000km^² of potential kayaking territory that takes in 10 provinces, eight climate zones, and six time zones. With that in mind, it’s best to focus on one region and take the time to explore it properly.

“On a wilderness trip you really get an intense experience of one area,” says Peter Grubb, co-founder of ROW Adventures, who run our kayaking with orcas holiday, “and we love that in Canada.”

Seeing wildlife from the waves

It’s an extraordinary feeling, experiencing wilderness and wildlife from a one-person vessel. Life goes on around you undisturbed. For people like Breanne and Peter, it’s the whole reason why they’ve designed these tours. “We try to help people enjoy everything from the majestic orcas and humpback whales through to the tiniest barnacles, as they all are connected and have an incredible story to tell,” says Breanne.

When you travel with our experts, you’re in the best hands for responsible kayaking in Canada. Spirit of the West Adventures is a founding member of the North Island Marine Mammal Stewardship Association and the Sea Kayak Operators Association of BC – organisations which create, uphold and continually revise best practices for the tourist industry.

“We don’t have photos showing close-up interactions with wildlife,” says Breanne, “this is to try and discourage people to get to close to wildlife… We strive to avoid interfering with an animal’s natural behaviour as we see it is a privilege to be able to witness these creatures in their natural habitat.”

Best time = whale time

Want to really have a whale of the time? Go at whale time. On the west coast of Canada, that’s usually early July to late September. “We have a 98 percent success rate of seeing orcas, which is really something,” says Breanne.

Summer and early autumn also welcome some of the best weather in Canada. It’s the busiest time of year too – although busy is all relative once you’re outside the cities and famous national parks of Canada. Take Vancouver Island: “It’s a six-hour drive from Victoria to the north end, where many of our kayaking tours begin,” says Peter, “so lots of people don’t make it there.”

From the majestic orcas and humpback whales through to the tiniest barnacles, they all are connected and have an incredible story to tell.

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Kayaking holidays that respect Indigenous roots

‘Kayak’ is from qajaq/qayaq – from the Inuit languages used in what is now Canada, Alaska and Greenland.

You’ll be cocooned in materials like fibreglass, but the original kayaks were built from natural materials – animal skins stretched over driftwood and bone frames, waterproofed with blubber. Light, swift, stable and buoyant, they were perfectly designed for their aim: hunting for food in the harsh waters of the Arctic, where seals and whales speed through ever-changing icescapes. A killed seal could be carried on the front; harpoons and supplies on the back. Got a puncture? A needle and thread is all you need for a quick fix.

The best kayaking trips invite you to learn about whose land you’re travelling on – whether you’re paddling through Inuit-administered Nunavut or the unceded lands of British Columbia. You might stay in an Indigenous-owned lodge in the Klahoose traditional territory, where you can sign up to kayaking trips through Desolation Sound. Our kayaking specialists might also work with locally owned campsites or work on protocol agreements for kayaking respectfully through Indigenous lands.

“Our camping permits are from the Indigenous communities at the north end of Vancouver Island, as this is land that they own and control,” says Peter. “This means that not only do the communities benefit from our tourism income, which we pay as a flat rate for the season, but also that we have the privilege of being the only ones allowed to camp there. We also work with a guide from the community, Mike Willie (Musgamakw Dzawada‘enuxw First Nation), who takes our guests out for the day, focusing on the Indigenous experience, which our guests love.”

The best kayaking in Canada – and how to get there

“Where to start?!” says Breanne, and we’re inclined to agree. We’ve done our best to narrow it down to just 12 places, starting with our most popular spot – and Breanne’s favourite…

Northern Vancouver Island & Johnstone Strait, BC

“You won’t be disappointed anywhere in British Columbia,” says Breanne, “but our favourite area is in and around Vancouver Island.” There are calm bays, challenging waters, and everything in-between, including West Crawford Island, with its shallow boat-free lagoons and foraging bears.

Meanwhile, God’s Pocket Marine Provincial Park lives up to its divine name, its reefs and kelp forests home to many a scuba diver’s wish-list of Pacific marine life. In fact, these Pacific kelp forests have made the headlines, thanks to the resident orcas who have been observed using the seaweed as scrubbing brushes.

“Where we do our kayaking expeditions, on the northern tip of Vancouver Island and Johnstone Straight, has the largest resident population of orcas in the world,” says Breanne. “Almost 300 strong, which is a pretty rare and special thing.”

Great Bear Rainforest, BC

The Great Bear Rainforest is named for the many coastal grizzlies and black bears that sleep, play and hunt salmon beneath its canopy. That includes the rare white-gold Spirit Bear, which holds a special place in the hearts of the people who live here, but especially those of coastal First Nations such as the Gitga’at. They hold the moksgm’ol sacred and have protected them from logging companies and fur and trophy hunters for centuries. On our Great Bear Rainforest kayaking holiday, you’ve got a chance of glimpsing these beasts from the water. A water taxi helps you cover more ground on this vast coastline, zipping you between campsites set amongst sky-scraping spruces and first-growth cedars.

Nuchatlitz Provincial Marine Park, BC

The west coast of Vancouver Island is a platform for some of the best sunsets in Canada. Things are a little more weatherbeaten on this side of the island, so expect sea stacks, caves, waterfalls and driftwood-strewn beaches that double as wild campsites. Beyond a drift of islets, it’s 7,000km of open ocean until you hit Japan. Our sea kayaking expeditions focus on Nuchatlitz Provincial Marine Park, named for the old Nuchatlaht First Nation village. You’ll kayak in the company of one of the largest sea otter populations in the world, reintroduced after being decimated by the commercial fur trade.

Desolation Sound, BC

Desolation Sound is anything but – a pocket of prettiness with some of the warmest waters north of Mexico. It’s easy kayaking too, with sheltered bays and inlets always in view of the Coast Mountains – a serrated mountain chain pocked with extinct volcanoes. The islands along this coastline are high-rise too, with pine-encrusted cliffs that drop straight into the Pacific. Our kayaking expeditions to Desolation Sound are wild camping adventures. There’s another, more luxurious option – a wilderness lodge owned and run by the Klahoose First Nation that offers the chance to go kayaking with local guides.

Broughton Archipelago, BC

Island-hop between forested islands where shell beaches, terraced clam gardens and sun-bleached petroglyphs reveal stories of precolonial life. You’ll be sharing the waters with salmon – once a vital source of food and income for the Kwakwaka'wakw people, before commercial overfishing took out healthy fish stocks. Although depleted, you’ll still find salmon around here – and where salmon go, so do the local orcas. Follow gently in their wake on our kayaking with whales holiday. Alternatively, focus on one island. Kayaking and camping on Swanson Island is a solid pick, thanks to the chance to go glamping on orca-friendly Blackfish Sound.

Whistler, BC

Our Canada activity holidays pause in the ski resort of Whistler en route to the Rockies, giving you the chance to kayak amongst its lakes and mountains. Alta and Green lakes are popular with paddlers, connected by the River of Golden Dreams. There’s no such thing as overpromising and underdelivering in these parts, so expect forested banks and the Coast Mountains rising high on the horizon. Bears are often seen wandering the banks, while beavers are busy engineering the waterways to their liking. All in all, the smooth waters are a refreshing break from the notoriously high-energy mountain resort.

Maligne Lake, Alberta

Chances are, you’ll recognise Maligne Lake. It gained global fame when a huge panoramic print was hung up in New York’s Central Station as part of a Kodak photography exhibition. It inspired thousands of city-fatigued commuters to head to Jasper National Park for their holidays, and remains one of the most popular spots in the Rockies, featuring in many of our Canadian Rockies tours. Kayaking allows you to escape to the quiet corners. From the water, you’ll get to really appreciate its luminous turquoise hue and the beauty of Spirit Island. It’s sacred to the Stoney Nation, so avoid landing there; instead, head for one of the jetties and beaches recommended by the tour guide.

Baffin Island, Nunavut

For a total change of scenery, how about the high Arctic? This is the long-time home of the kayak, after all. The Inuit-governed province of Nunavut is a great place to start; you can reach it on our Baffin Island cruising expeditions. Kayaking is usually an optional extra – and we highly recommend opting in. Paddling between the glaciers that crawl through the Atlantic Ocean between Canada and Greenland is an awe-inspiring experience. The wildlife is transformative, too – there’s the chance to see polar bears and narwhals, the delightfully bizarre unicorn of the seas.

Wells Gray Provincial Park, BC

We’re back in British Columbia, but this time inland, on the Alberta border in Wells Gray National Park, where our Western Canada highlights holidays stop. Responsible Travel partnership manager Shannon is a fan of the forest lakes here. “Camping on Clearwater Lake was definitely a highlight, because we were so alone,” says Shannon. “It’s an off the beaten track spot. So much is well-travelled, but we saw barely anyone else the whole time. We paddled to the campsites; it was the only way in and out. It was so peaceful.” It’s a favourite with the local guides too. “We travelled with a Canadian wilderness guide,” says Shannon. “Her favourite thing to do was paddle to the other side of the lake and lie back and watch the sunset – floating in middle of the vast, still lake and being alone.”

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, BC

Vancouver Island tours take you to the southern tip of Vancouver Island, to the traditional territories of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations. The Broken Islands are the sought-after spot – over 100 rocky islets that offer a different view with every paddle stroke. This is seal and sea lion country, so don’t be alarmed if you see a pair of curious eyes watching from the waterline. The beaches are a lovely surprise too – long, sandy stretches that bring in cold-water surfers and a lot of grey whales. Many beaches and islands are only accessible by vessel, so it could just be you and the big blue.

Cape Breton Island & Wild Islands, Nova Scotia

Canadians are so fond of the Margaree River that it features on Canadian stamps. This is Atlantic salmon run country, so you’ll glide past salmon pools and hopeful fishers perched along the banks. To complete the salmon run theme, there’s even the chance to take on a few small-scale rapids. Kayaking is a day trip on our self drive Nova Scotia holiday, which follows the Cabot Trail. You can also opt for Bras d’Or Lake – an ocean by any other name. It’s nice and sheltered, and home to a few thousand years’ worth of Mi’kmaw Indigenous history. Our self drive trips can also venture to the remote 100 Wild Islands and their gloriously sandy beaches.

Churchill River, Manitoba

Many of our Arctic wildlife holidays get you kayaking along the Churchill River. The river runs for over 1,600km, but you’ll only be paddling part of it, in search of wildlife like the ghostly beluga whale. Arctic terns and short-eared owls are also sighted here, along with the mighty polar bear.