Media reviews of Great Bear Lodge
BBC, Secrets of Our Living Planet
The BBC filmed the story of how the giant trees of the Great Bear Rainforest are dependent upon bears and salmon for nitrogen in the “Magical Forest” episode of their series “Secrets of Our Living Planet”. They chose to film at Great Bear Lodge to showcase the annual return of salmon and the grizzly bears that gorge upon them. Presenter Chris Packham says, “Just look at this. There’s a female here, about 40 metres in front of me, in the shallows, fishing for salmon. Behind her, on the bar over there, she’s got three cubs. For these cubs, it’s their first salmon run. They’ve got to learn how to catch fish by watching their mother. Look at this, look! This is the adult grizzly, who has just leapt off of the island there, and caught a salmon – look at that, right in its mouth! Over just six weeks in autumn, tens of millions of salmon are going to return to these rivers.” Watch the BBC’s Magical Forests.
National Geographic Adventure, with Nick Saxon
Great Bear Nature Tours was rated by National Geographic Adventure as “one of the Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth. “As part of the World Traveller series, National Geographic Channel’s Nick Saxon travelled to the lodge in October. “In the few short days of being here, I had captured some of the most special memories tavelling so far. The Great Bear Lodge is a remarkable place, floating on the edge of the glassy BC waters. It’s almost completely self-sufficient, it’s only link being the sea planes that bring tourists and a few small supplies. Primarily running on wind and solar energy, it gives you a hotel-esque comfort while providing you with one of the freshest and best ecotourism experiences in the world. What a perfect way to end the day, fresh crab that we caught right here in the estuary outside. The Great Bear Lodge really is your own private piece of paradise, because not only do you get to see real life grizzlies, you get to see a side of nature that you’ve never experienced before.” To view the program, click World Traveller.
Explore TV travel show, with Trevor Cochrane and Nigel Ruck
“This is the Great Bear Rainforest. We are so lucky to be here. This has been on my bucket list for so long. Great Bear Lodge has got an amazing story”, says Trevor Cochrane. “From humble beginnings in 1999, then expanding to the lodge in 2004, conservation has always been at the heart of this unique operation”, adds Nigel Ruck. “This is one of those places that is truly wild. You’re not allowed to just wander off on your own here, you must be with one of the staff who will keep you safe at all times”. Trevor continues, “Our objective today is to learn more about the magnificent grizzly bears you’ll find in the Great Bear Rainforest. There’s the black bear, and the brown bear (or the grizzly bear), a magnificent creature that tops of the list of a quite diverse range of species you’ll find in the rainforest. The journey from Great Bear Lodge to viewing locations is a carefully planned and managed process, focused on the safety of the visitor and the safety of the bears”. To see the show, click Explore TV.
International Traveller Magazine
International Traveller magazine asked some of the best travel journalists in the business to help compile the ultimate list of things to see and do in Canada, and Great Bear Lodge was voted number 3 in the list of “100 Things to do in Canada Before you Die”. It was voted number 1 in British Columbia. Writer John Lee says, “The floating lodge is magnificent, but watching bears in their natural habitat is the unmissable chance of a lifetime.”To see more, click Number 3 on the list of 100 things to do in Canada.
AARP, by Crai Bower
“As if on cue, the sow thrusts her snout in the air, then breaks into a lumbering sprint along the shoreline toward where, we soon discover, a 450-pound male grizzly is nonchalantly sampling fresh shoots. The boar tussles with her for perhaps five minutes before the mating begins. They’ll mate two more times over the next half hour. This lodge in the Vancouver Island region of British Columbia seeks to help visitors observe grizzlies in their native habitat with minimal intrusion. To that end, the lodge books no more than 16 guests for three nights at a time.” To read more, click Springtime bear-viewing in Canada.
Places We Go travel show, with Clint Bizzell
“We are off to see the grizzly bears and we are going to be landing on the water here. Are you excited? We’re heading 50 air miles from Port Hardy in British Columbia, over the wilderness Canada is so famous for. Our pilot Scott has been flying in these areas for the past 20 years, and like a scene out of a movie, takes us over the Johnstone Strait and into bear country. And just 35 minutes later, we’re on top of the lush Great Bear Rainforest, the place we’ll be calling home for the next few days…. ” To view the program, click Places We Go – Canada.
Shaw TV, with Karen Elgersma
“From the moment your floatplane arrives at the Great Bear Lodge, in the middle of the spectacular rainforest, you know you are in for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Experiences like seeing a grizzly emerge from the rainforest or watching two bears playing with each other along the river, and maybe that’s why Great Bear Nature Tours was rated by National Geographic as one of the best adventure travel companies on earth. ” To view the program, click Looking for bears at Great Bear Lodge
Scotland on Sunday, by Lisa Young
“Soaking up the atmosphere at Great Bear Lodge and watching the bears in their natural surroundings makes you realise how disconnected from nature you can become thanks to life in urban areas. We often lose sight of the fact that we are part of the ecosystem, and it’s an emotional experience to be reminded of this when you experience nature in the raw. I know I will return to this intimate haven where the only modern sound comes from my camera as it fills up its memory cards with my priceless experience.” To read more, click Face to face with grizzly bears in British Columbia.
The Globe and Mail, by Cinda Chavich
“This is perfect grizzly bear habitat. The steep walls of the fjord are nearly vertical, yet covered right to the waterline with towering red cedars, hemlock and Sitka spruce. Here, at the mouth of the river, layers of silt have formed a series of shallow islands covered in mounds of sedge, a grassy plant that is loaded with protein and perfect for a hungry bear emerging from its winter den….” To continue to the article for which Cinda won the 2010 Best Environmental/Responsible Tourism Feature, click Where the grizzly bears (still) roam.