This October, I found myself in the world of fiords, rain forests, bears, whales, and remote rustic luxury. When I landed in the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia Canada it felt other-worldly, sort of like New Zealand or Antarctica. I could hardly believe that a landscape and experience like this was so accessible to people in North America and that I knew so little about it. That all changed this week as I landed on water in a float plane and pulled up to Nimmo Bay Resort in the Southern part of the Great Bear Rainforest.
This is a location that photographers dream of and I’ll be sorting through the images for quite some time. Until then, you can get a glimpse of what I saw and experienced via my Instagram feed. This week’s In-stagram review is all about nature and the great outdoors. We went whale watching and bear watching in addition to hanging out in the waters and floating cabins of Nimmo Bay Resort. All of the experiences seemed to be stitched together on the last day when we met Mike from Sea Wolf Tours who taught about the history of the First Nations tribes in the area and how they related to the land, wildlife, and storytelling.
Double the fun at @nimmobayresort – shot this at dusk while we were coming in after a day of whale watching! #explorebc
Welcome to the Great Bear Rainforest. Arrived by float plane to @nimmobayresort . That was probably one of the most spectacular arrivals I’ve ever done second to Antarctica.
Transient Orcas found in Telegraph Cove area. Normally a group of whales is called a pod – however we all laughed when another boat captain came over the radio in sheer excitement and refered to them as a whack of whales! #explorebc
The helicopters are all safely tucked away for the night as the sun sets on another evening @nimmobayresort – I wonder what helicopters dream about?
Our bear watching venue – quite remote and near a fish ladder where you could watch the salmon making their way upstream. One would think this was enough bear bait for them to make a showing – but alas – they eluded me again.
Heading out for a sunset paddle @nimmobayresort
Totem Poles of Alert Bay – a fascinating and emotional history of the First Nations culture w @seawolftours
The sound of silence. This part of the Great Bear Rainforest @nimmobayresort has grown on top of forested land. The ground is like walking on a sponge. I could have spent hours there listening to the stillness.
Out on the water in beautiful BC!
A house ON the water in Sullivan Bay complete with picket fence. Put me here for the summer and I might actually write that novel I keep thinking about!
A view from Telegraph Cove. The blue skies have decided to show up!
Learning about the history of the First Nations people and residential schools. St. Michael’s is one of the last residential schools (barely) standing at Alert Bay next to the cultural center. #explorebc
Sherry Ott is a refugee from corporate IT who is now a long term traveler, blogger, and photographer. She’s a co-founder of Briefcasetobackpack.com, a website offering career break travel inspiration and advice.
Additionally, she runs an around the world travel blog writing about her travel and expat adventures at Ottsworld.com.com.
