Guests write about their tours

"Lisa and I would like to thank all of you at Great Bear for giving us such a fantastic insight into your world. It was really amazing to spend time with you all and see such magnificent creatures as the Grizzly bears up-close. However, it was not just the bears that were superb but your whole approach to the few days that we spent with you. From start to finish it felt like we were constantly looked after, and the warm and helpful welcome that we received was very much appreciated." Jim and Lisa, UK

"Looking back on our holiday The Bear Lodge has given us some of our best memories.I don't think anyone here believes us when we say we were that close to wild grizzly bears." Paul and Marika, Australia

"We had such a wonderful time at your lodge.... thank you for all the many kindnesses and little touches you offer in your day-to-day running of your delightful enterprise! We found the bears and the sheer wildness of the area so refreshing, ... but most inspirational to me was to meet you, Tom and your staff, and know that out there, some people who are committed and knowledgeable can help people interact with nature in a way that protects the impacts to wildlife! " Leslie, USA

"We both had a wonderful and restful time - the scenery and food and teaching AND the opportunity to see so many bears was just so great.  We enjoyed every moment." Kathy and Mary, USA

"It was great to learn so much about the animals and the environment of the rain forest and, of course, to see the bears in their natural habitat. The rest of our holiday in BC and Alaska was also great and we really enjoyed it all, but the highlight was definitely the few days we spent with you. " David and Liz, UK


Judi Lees, Vancouver Sun

"Look, look, another... big," echoes through the yellow school bus. Poor Piero, as a visitor to the wilds of British Columbia from northern Italy, he has just spotted a grizzly bear and is finding it tough to get the words out in English. The seven of us grizzly watching with him are just as astounded as we watch a huge grizzly clamber from the river to the shoreline, shaking itself and sniffing the air. Lured by the rank, nostril-tangy smell of rotting salmon..." To continue, click Where you can see grizzlies up close.

Peter Potterfield, www.greatoutdoors.com

"Besides the gentle gurgle of the tide, it's quiet in the boat as the four us-Rivest, a couple from the Netherlands, and me-take in the beauty of the Coast Range, looming to the east, as we remain alert for tell-tale movement. Grizzly bears are the reason we've come, but there's abundant wildlife to see among the big timber, and bright green grasses of this wild coast...." To continue, click Grizzly encounters.

Bruce Holmes, Edmonton Journal

"Arriving at the first viewing hide, we took cushions, sat on chairs concealed behind the wooden cover, and waited. "There!" someone whispered. I couldn't believe my excitement at seeing my first grizzly bear amble out of the forest and down to the river. In the autumn the bears feed on salmon which have made their way upstream to spawn. Survival during winter hibernation depends on consuming as much fish as they can..." To continue, click Spying on the grizzly

Jim Eagles, New Zealand Herald

"But the grizzlies are the stars of the show. Our final sighting was of a mother bounding through the river in a cloud of spray to catch a salmon for her waiting cub. We lost sight of the pair as they disappeared into the trees, but then they appeared through the foliage right in front of us, the cub having to be encouraged to leave the safety of dry land and swim.
I sympathised. I didn't want to leave either." To continue, click Hey goldilocks, look at this lot.