 Travel
Here is some
information to help you or your travel agent make arrangements to
get you to our departure points. Below are some contact numbers
and links you may find helpful.
How
to get to our departure points:
The Inside Passage trips (Wildlife Discovery & Orca Humpback
Odyssey), Wild Orca Adventures and Lodge trips meet in Port McNeill,
British Columbia, near the north end of Vancouver Island  Port
McNeill may be reached directly by car, bus or sea plane. Port Hardy
is the closest commercial airport to Port McNeill, about 30 minutes
by taxi. For those of you driving from Vancouver or Seattle, you
will need to take a ferry to Vancouver Island. The quickest route
is from Tsawwassen to Duke Point (Nanaimo) as show on this map (click
on it for a larger version), ferry routes are the dashed lines.
To reach Port
McNeill, most travelers will use either Vancouver, BC or Seattle,
WA, as their main airport so we have listed travel options below
from those two starting points. We have also listed our suggested
accommodations in Port McNeill.
Vancouver,
BC Travel Options
 Air
The quickest and most common way to get to Port McNeill
from Vancouver is to fly into Port Hardy and then take a taxi to
Port McNeill. The taxi ride is about a half hour and Northern Lights
will arrange for taxi service between Port Hardy and Port McNeill
(the cost of this taxi is not included in the trip).
There is one airline offering service between Vancouver airport
(YVR) and Port Hardy airport (YZT). It is recommended that you allow
at least two hours between connecting flights in Vancouver.
Pacific Coastal airlines can be found online at www.pacificcoastal.com,
or by phone at 800-663-2872 or 604-273-8666. Flights are around
$300 round trip.
 Car
Approximate time from Vancouver to Port McNeill by car is 8
hours, which includes a two-hour ferry ride and waiting time for
the ferry. Actual driving time is approximately 5 hours on good
highways. A driving guide and road map will be included in your
trip package. Ferry information can be found at www.bcferries.com,
or by phone at 250-753-1261. (To avoid downtown traffic take the
Tsawwassen ferry to Duke Point (Nanaimo), or on the north side of
Vancouver you can take the Horseshoe Bay ferry to Departure Bay
(Nanaimo).
Most major car rental companies offer onsite rentals at the Vancouver
airport.
http://www.yvr.ca/guide/toandfrom/car_rentals.asp
If you’re renting a car on Vancouver Island, National
and Budget
have the most options.
 Bus
Greyhound provides service between Vancouver, BC, and Nanaimo
on Vancouver Island.
Telephone Toll Free: 1-800-661-8747
In Vancouver: (604) 482-8742.
www.greyhound.ca
Vancouver
Island Coach Lines runs one trip per day between southern
Vancouver Island and northern Vancouver Island. The bus arrives
in Port McNeill around 3:15pm, and departs southbound at around
9am each day. Tickets can be purchased through Greyhound. Check
online at www.greyhound.ca
for current fares and detailed schedules.
Seattle,
WA, Travel Options
 Sea
plane
There are three sea plane companies offering scheduled service
from the Seattle area directly to Port McNeill. Flights range from
$600 - $700 roundtrip.
Kenmore Air
runs scheduled flights from Kenmore (just north of Seattle) to Port
McNeill regularly throughout the summer. Please call 866-435-9524
or 425-486-1257, or visit www.kenmoreair.com.
Sound Flight
runs scheduled flights from Renton (near Seattle-Tacoma airport)
to Port McNeill regularly throughout the summer on their seaplanes
and wheeled planes*. Please call 866-921-3474, or visit www.soundflight.net.
*If you're flying into Port McNeill on a wheeled plane you will
need a taxi to your hotel; we're happy to make that reservation
for you.
Northwest
Seaplanes runs scheduled flights from Renton (near Seattle-Tacoma
airport) to Port McNeill regularly throughout the summer. Please
call 1-800-690-0086 or 425-277-1590, or visit northwestseaplanes.com.
Car
If you have extra time, the drive from Seattle offers many options
for extra sightseeing.
The shortest
route is to drive to Vancouver and then take the ferry to Vancouver
Island. The approximate time from Seattle to Port McNeill is 10-11
hours, which includes the border crossing, a two-hour ferry ride
and waiting time for the ferry. Actual driving time is approximately
7 hours on good highways. A driving guide and road map will be included
in your trip package. Ferry information can be found at www.bcferries.com,
or by phone at 250-753-1261. (To avoid Vancouver traffic take the
Tsawwassen ferry to Duke Point (Nanaimo).
Two other options
include driving to Anacortes and taking the ferry through the San
Juan Islands to Victoria on the Washington
State Ferries. Or you can drive to Port Angeles on the Olympic
Peninsula and take the ferry to Victoria on the Coho
Ferry. There is also a passenger-only ferry running between
Seattle and Victoria, the Victoria
Clipper. From Victoria it is about a six hour drive to Port
McNeill.
Many car rental
options are available at the Seattle Airport
http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/ground/rentalcars.shtml
Do
I need a passport to enter Canada?
Rules have changed
and passports are now required for anyone traveling by air
between Canada and the US. It is expected that passports will be
required for road entries by summer, 2008, so plan to apply early!
Please see our Passport Information page
for more details.
Questions?
We are available
from 9am-5pm Monday through Friday, Pacific time, to answer any
questions you might have. Everyone in our office is familiar with
your travel options and can help decide on the best route for you.
Please contact us by phone at 800-754-7402 or e-mail at info@seakayaking.com.
We recommend
Elan Travel
 For
help in arranging your travel to and from our departure points,
we recommend Elan Travel. They have worked with Northern Lights
for years and are familiar with our trips and the needs of our guests.
They can help you with travel to Vancouver and Seattle from anywhere
in the world.
While travel
agents can't always guarantee the best prices, their advice can
be invaluable. Give them a call at 800-969-6997 and see what they
can do for you. Or e-mail them at travel@citytel.net.
Accommodations in Port McNeill
For those of
you on an Inside Passage (Wildlife Discovery & Orca Humpback
Odyssey), Wild Orca Adventure or Guest House trip, accommodations
will be necessary before and after your trip.
For hospitable,
friendly service, a hearty breakfast and beautiful locations, our
recommendation is to stay at one of the B&Bs in town. Here are
the ones used most often by our guests & highly recommended
by them.
At Water's
Edge B&B
This is our guests' favorite place in town! A new house/B&B
with a wonderful view of the ocean and mountains and friendly hosts.
On the water and a five minute walk to downtown and ten minutes
to our meeting place at the Haida-Way Inn.
www.atwatersedge.ca
866-956-2912 / 250-956-2912
Seeview
On the hill above the ocean in the residential part of town. Some
great views, hot tub and sauna, good rates, a charming Harley biker
motif, and about a 15 minute walk to our meeting place.
www.island.net/~seeview
250-956-4818
If the B&Bs
are full (rooms go fast) or you prefer a hotel, these are the two
we recommend. We reserve rooms at the Haida-Way Inn for all our
trips prior to the season, so we're happy to make arrangements there
for you.
Haida-Way
Motor Inn
www.portmcneillhotels.com
800-956-3373
The Haida-Way
is our base hotel, where we meet our groups.
Black
Bear Motel
www.blackbearresort.net
866-956-4900
The Black Bear
is across the street from the Haida-Way Inn, newer but more expensive.
Camping
Please call
us for information on camping in and near Port McNeill.
Other
Links
Vancouver
Island Info (includes lodging, attractions, Victoria BC, etc.)
www.vancouverisland.com
British Columbia
Info (includes Vancouver lodging, attractions, etc.)
www.britishcolumbia.com
Map of Vancouver
Island Area
vancouverisland.com/Maps/?id=30
Passport
Information for US Travelers
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html
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