Bella Coola Grizzly Tours Cabins

The Ellis family made us feel right at home. Friendly & welcoming seems to be the name of the game at Bella Coola Grizzly Tours - it was noticeable. We were lodged in the new Sliver Grizzly Suite, which is exceptionally well built and designed. Great job done. This is our first trip to Bella Coola, and we don't think we could have had better accommodations in a beautiful setting carved out of the wilderness. This place is remarkable. The special highlight was Leonard Ellis' close to 5-hour trip where we saw magnificent west coast red cedars and a drive on "The Hill" in search of bears, who were descending from the mountain to the lush valley below, munching on new grass ending their winter hibernation. Eleven bears, including 6 grizzlies, many with cubs, were sighted at close range! As a long-time experienced outfitter and guide in Bella Coola Valley, Leonard is an encyclopedia of local knowledge and very entertaining with his many stories, including some close encounters with bears in the wild. His love and approach to nature, including the natural balance of prey and predators, are enlightening. Congratulations to Daniel, Tiffany, Shannon and Leonard, and WWOOFer Colleen from Belgium, who was working with the Ellis'. You all made us feel so welcome - we really hope to be able to come back. We highly recommend Bella Coola Grizzly Tours as a laid-back base from which to explore Bella Coola Valley.

The grizzly tour was one of the most amazing and wildest adventures I have ever experienced. Dan was an extremely knowledgeble and enthusiastic guide. Our group did a 3 day adventure of fishing, sight seing, hiking and visting secluded hot springs deep in the wild. We saw grizzly bears, killer whales, black bears, water fowl and even got to hook into some large halibut. Bella coola is truly an amazing place with so much to offer! The grizzly and wilderness tours are something I tell everyone I can about and I cannot wait to go back and experince again very soon!

Magic tour from the small harbour of Bella Coola around the fjord to hot springs, into a small bay with a giant tree. Fine lunch and a wide variety of snacks, lots of information on the area as well as the history of the community, sightings of whales ….

I have stayed here 3 or 4 times now when I visit the valley to see patients at the hospital. Each time Shannon has welcomed me so nicely. The cabins are spacious well equipped and impeccably clean, the setting is grandiose and stunning and Shannon goes out of her way to be helpful. This time she kindly lent us bear spray when we went for an amazing hike after work. I love it here and will be back!

I would rate the glacial fjords and hot springs tour as a 3.5. There were 10 of us on the boat, plus the skipper and his dog. The skipper introduced himself, but we weren't given an opportunity to introduce ourselves. It would have been nice if the skipper had shown an interest in where people were from, and it would have been nice for the passengers to break the ice with one another given that it was a full-day tour. There were interesting sights along the way, but unfortunately no wildlife other than an eagle and a couple of seals. (I know that wildlife sightings are luck of the draw, but the skipper had built up our hopes by saying that a humpback whale had been spotted consistently.) We had a long soak in the hot springs. Lots of healthy food and some treats were available throughout the day. Interesting information was provided by the skipper. Unfortunately, a day that started out sunny and calm turned into a ride of terror on the way back to the marina due to rain and high winds that kicked up. There were huge swells and the boat was listing. I was hanging on for dear life, seriously afraid that the boat was going to capsize. (As I found out later, I was not the only person who was terrified.) There were no reassuring words from the skipper, no instructions for people to come in from the outer deck when the weather turned, no instructions for people to put on life jackets just in case. At the end of the tour, the skipper himself said that a small boat wouldn't have made it out there. As such, I think there could have been more focus on safety as well as more sensitivity to people's nerves.

We had an absolutely amazing time on the Bella Coola Grizzly Tours boat. We were a bit early in the season to see grizzlies but we did see a black wolf on the beach and whales. Dan and his dog Buck were amazing hosts and the trip up the fjords was incredible. The hot spring stop was a definite highlight. We also stayed at their cabins in Hagensborg which were very comfortable and well priced.

Lovely cabins in one of the most beautiful places in the world. We felt close to nature and had all the amenities we needed. The hosts went above and beyond to help us out and make us feel comfortable