Pacific Rainforest Adventure Tours Inc.

Wildflower Tour

Gary and Ronda — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:49:03 +0000

Join us from March through September to enjoy Nature’s spectacular display of wild flowers. This tour changes locations depending where the flowers are in bloom.

Spring wildflower blossoms are bursting making this a perfect time to join experienced naturalist guides on the always fun & informative annual wildflower tours.

Learn about the globally endangered Garry Oak ecosystem and its associated biodiversity. Garry oaks (Quercus garryana) are the only native oak trees in western Canada. The species is named after Nicholas Garry who was deputy governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company from 1822–1835.

The Garry Oak meadows take the form of open stands of stately gnarled Garry oak trees, interspersed with other trees such as Arbutus (Arbutus menziesii) and Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). carpeted with wildflowers.

The understory may include shrubs, grasses and flowering herbs. Some of the common herbaceous plants include: Purple Camas, Shooting Star, Chocolate Lily, White Fawn Lily, Nodding Onion, Sea Blush, and Yellow Montane Violet.

July takes us up Mount Arrowsmith into the Alpine forests of Yellow Cedar and Mountain Hemlock to see Tiger Lily, Red Columbine, Avalanche Lily, White Rhododendron, Mountain Heather, Helebore and many more.

Local Wildflower Tour: 4 hours.

Cost: $50.00 per person, Cdn. plus GST.

Mount Arrowsmith Wildflower Tour 6 hours.

Cost: $80.00 per person, Cdn. plus HST.

Phone: 250-248-3667

Ocean Beaches, Rainforests and Villages Nature Tour

Gary and Ronda — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 16:31:59 +0000

Let Nature dazzle your senses.

Experience the magnificent Pacific Rim National Park and the Villages of Ucluelet and Tofino, where the world’s biggest Ocean comes face to face with the world’s most beautiful coastline.

Whether you enjoy a rainforest walk, beachcombing, bird watching, galleries or museums, here is an adventure nature tour for you! Explore the rainforest, surf swept sandy west coast beaches, rugged coastline, quaint picturesque villages and shops. Winter storm watching near Amphitrite Point Lighthouse is unforgettable. Eagles, harlequin ducks, oyster catchers, seals, otters and whales are sometimes seen from the trail.

A treasured place of pounding surf, tide pools and ancient coastal rainforest. Sandy beaches with rock outcrops makes for spectacular splashes when the waves are big! We make several stops for short walks to interesting spots along the way.

Total sightseeing nature tour time: 11 hours.

Includes; Fully narrated guided tour with interesting commentary and all transportation.
Lunch is not included. Bring a lunch or join us at Ucluelets best home-style restaurant.
Minimum 4, maximum 12 people.
Cost: $99.00 pp. Cdn. plus HST

Leave from Parksville at 7:00 am, return approx. 6:30 pm.

WHALE WATCHING OPTION

Mid March to Mid October.

Board Jamie’s Whale Watching Vessel the Lady Selkirk, a comfortable 55 foot whale watching ship and travel to view whales, sea lions, seals, eagles, and other abundant sea life. Tofino and Longbeach are not visited with this option.

Cost: $199.00 pp. Cdn. plus GST

More pictures:

Kennedy Lake

Long Beach December 2005

Eagle near Amphritite Lighthouse

Storm watching

Trail

Deer along Wild Pacific Trail

Mackenzie Beach

Black Bear in wild cherry tree

Black Bear near Kennedy Lake

Anemones

Bloodstar

Wine Lovers Tour

Gary and Ronda — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 00:34:48 +0000

A special wine tour for people who enjoy award winning wines, sightseeing and exploring unique places. Fully narrated tour with interesting and informative commentary of the area’s First Nations and pioneer days history. We journey down roads-less-travelled to discover the “New Tuscany” . We tour and taste at the best of the Cowichan Valley vineyards. Sample the Islands finest wines and leave the driving to us.

Cost: $65.00 per person, Cdn. plus GST.

Leaves from Parksville at 12:30pm. Return by 6:30pm.

Overseas Wine and Cheese

Gary and Ronda — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 20:08:11 +0000

Arriving to Saltspring Island

We travel Overseas to Saltspring Island, the most famous Gulf Island for artisans, wine and cheese. We will take in the breathtaking scenery and amazing artistry of this largest Island in the Gulf Island chain with a sightseeing tour of the Island.

Ganges Harbour

Noon will find us in downtown Ganges to experience this unique village with it’s great variety of choices for lunch and unique shops. Many famous artisans live on Saltspring Island.

Welcome sign

After our downtown visit and lunch, the wine tour begins.

Mistaken Identy organic vineyard

Two award winning vineyards on Saltspring Island produce some very fine table wines as well as desert wines.

Each vineyard is uniquely different in design as well as different in their one-of-a-kind, great wines.

Garry Oaks Vineyard

A trip to the top of Mt Maxwell for awe-inspiring views.

To end this exciting day we visit Saltspring Island cheeseworks to sample a variety of olives and their many different and extremely tasty cheeses.

$99.00 per person Cdn + GST
8:30am departure from Parksville, return by 6:30pm
Includes; fully narrated guided tour with interesting commentary and all transportation both land and water.
Lunch is not included. Bring a lunch or try one of the many interesting restaurants in Ganges.
Minimum 6, maximum 12 people.

Birding Tours

Gary and Ronda — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:20:24 +0000

The best of West Coast birding! View BC’s western specialties, add lifers, and learn about North American birds. Over 200 species occur on Eastern Vancouver Island!
Georgia Basin specialties include Bewick’s Wren, Hutton’s Vireo and Black-throated Gray Warbler. There are spectacular Brant, shorebird, and sea duck migrations. An excellent diversity of resident species can be viewed year round as well. Visit the best sites, find lifers and gain insight into the ecology of western birds with field ornithologist and expert birder Christopher Stephens.
Your tour leader, Christopher Stephens, is a field ornithologist and expert birder with over 12 years birding experience on Vancouver Island. He is currently enrolled in MSc Environment and Management at Royal Rhodes University and is a nature writer.

Christopher’s background includes habitat assessments, interpretation and birding in the Georgia Basin, Okanagan Valley and Columbia Basin. His areas of interest include avian ecology, habitat use, physical adaptations and distribution.

In 2008, he was one of 6 national winners of a Doug Tarry Bird Study Award from Bird Studies Canada, and is currently working to promote wetland conservation in Parksville. Christopher draws on his knowledge, passion for birds and field skills to provide an unparalleled West Coast birding experience.

Experience Vancouver Island birding at its best with experienced field ornithologist Christopher Stephens. Forest birds, wetland birds, estuary birds and ocean birds are abundant in this area and our guide knows where to find them.

Three hour tours depart at 8:00am and 2:00pm
Cost: $40.00 per person, Cdn. plus GST. minimum 2 people.
Longer tours and other days of the week are also available.

Guided Birding Tours.Com

Parksville Qualicum Beach Treasures Tour

Gary and Ronda — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:24:39 +0000

This informative and fun tour includes some well known Parksville and Qualicum Beach treasures and some less known natural wonders. We travel through the area to explore beaches, forests, artisans, Coombs Market and waterfalls.
We will take you to unique places that most locals don’t know about and point out other spots that you may want to go back to later.
A very popular tour filled with wonder and excitement for all ages.

9:00am – 1:00pm
$50.00 per person plus GST.
Minimum two people.
Ph. 250-248-3667

Salish Sea Tidepool Tour

Gary and Ronda — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:57:22 +0000

Make your next beach walk more enjoyable and heighten your understanding with experienced naturalist guides to one of the most scenic & secluded shores on Vancouver Island.

Discover the marine life in the intertidal zones where the biological riches of the Salish Sea are a result of the daily and seasonal mixing of waters. On this 3 hour tide pool excursion you will observe how the marine plants and animals share their environment where survival is a constant challenge.

The peaceful pulse of the lapping waves and the sounds of nature all contribute to the ambience of this special seashore location. You can interact with a variety of wild creatures in one of nature’s most fascinating places where ocean water and land meet.

Every tide pool walk is exciting because there is always something different to discover. One highlight is the Ring-spotted Doris. Found in the lower intertidal zone and subtidal waters on rocky shores and crevices, the Ring-spotted Doris is a Nudibranch (pronounced NEWD-i-brank) belongs to the Mollusks group, and the class Gastropod.

The Ring- spotted Doris (Discodoris Sandiegensis) varies in appearance from Alaska to Southern California. In our Salish Sea waters this nudibranch is marked with many spots and rings on a creamy to tan coloured base compared to the to the ones in San Francisco that are almost white with fewer markings.

They are carnivorous and eat anemones, bryozoans and their favorite food are purple sponges. It is both male & female. Following mating with another individual they lay a curly ribbon of white eggs in protected nooks and crannies. They only live a maximum of one year

Tour start times are dependant on the tides.
3 hour discovery tour. $45.00 per person, Cdn plus GST
Call us for our family rates. – 250-248-3667

Ring Spotted Doris – Nudibranch

Bald Eagle

Sunstar, leather and ochre sea stars

Mt. Arrowsmith in Half a Day – Sea to Sky

Gary and Ronda — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 03:41:47 +0000

What makes this Mt. Arrowsmith trip different, is that it enables people of all ages to experience viewscapes and sunsets from Mt Arrowsmith without doing any hiking! We travel from Parksville over the Port Alberni summit, then on to logging roads through working forests as our Van climbs up the Mountain road. Panoramic views of the East and West Coast Mountains, Lakes and Ocean. Visit Alpine forests, lakes and meadows. Naturalist guided. Forest interpretation, local history and First Nations forest uses explained. No difficult walking, suitable for all ages. Refreshments and a gourmet, West Coast Snack included.

Adventure time: 5 hours.
Minimum 6
Cost: $80.00 per person, Cdn. plus GST includes refreshments and snacks.
Mid-day, 9:30am – 2:30pm, or Sunset tours, 4:00pm – 9:00pm.

Ancient Forest Nature Tour

Gary and Ronda — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 02:51:24 +0000

Vancouver Island is known as Canada’s “Paradise on the Pacific”, famous for it’s beaches, forests and artisans. Our Ancient Forest Nature Tour has a taste of it all, from Parksville Beach to “Goats on the roof” Coombs Country Market and along Cameron Lake to Cathedral Grove, MacMillan Park. Cathedral Grove is where you will see some of the largest Coastal Douglas Fir old growth trees on Vancouver Island. Old Growth Coastal Douglas Fir is one of the most endangered plant communities in Canada. Cathedral Grove is a spectacular ancient forest grove on the edge of the Vancouver Islands Temperate Rainforest. Enjoy the exceptional and awesome experience of standing next to trees 250 feet tall, 9 feet in diameter which are over 800 years old. You will see culturally modified trees and learn how First Nations used and respected the forests for thousands of years.

Includes refreshments.
Adventure time: 4 hours.
Minimum 2 people.
Cost: $80.00 pp. Cdn. plus GST
Leave from Oceanside area at your convenience.
Staying in Vancouver ? Pick up and return to Nanaimo is available.

More pictures:

Cathedral Grove history

Wildwood Eco-forest Tour

Gary and Ronda — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 03:33:12 +0000

Wildwood Forest has been managed since 1938 by world renowned Eco Forester Merv Wilkinson. Merv passed away on August 31st, 2011 at the age of 97, and we miss him greatly. His influence on the land remains as a living legend. There are huge Old Growth Douglas Fir trees over 800 years old and you will see how sustainable logging conserves the forest. Merv’s definition of sustainable logging is that it provides an economic opportunity with minimal disturbance to the ecosystem and the widlife that share the forest. You only harvest 5% less than the annual growth rate of the forest.
We relax in the charming ambience of an Old English Style Pub for a scrumptious lunch or bring a picnic lunch.
After lunch we will travel through Nanaimo with a stop in the historic downtown harbour and then a beach and forest walk before returning to Parksville at 4:00pm

Includes; transportation and commentary on Wildwood history, First Nations history and european settlement history on Vancouver island.

Cost: $85.00 per person, Cdn. plus GST.

Leave from Parksville at 9:00am. Return by 4:00pm.

More pictures:

Merv Wilkinson

Lunch at the Pub

Wildwood Website

Watch more videos like this at www.quantumshift.tv

Phone: 250-248-3667