Remote Luxury in British Columbia

The first night of your journey is in Vancouver. Depending on your arrival, we suggest dropping your bags and heading straight to the harbourfront promenade, where seaplanes skim the water and the North Shore mountains glow at sunset. If time allows, enjoy a gentle stroll or cycle along a section of the Stanley Park seawall, before returning to your hotel for creative cocktails and dinner, accompanied by live music that eases you gracefully into British Columbia time.

Travelling by private plane or helicopter in British Columbia transforms the journey into an adventure itself. Glide over jade lakes, snow-dusted peaks and vast expanses of forest where roads vanish from view, before touching down on remote airstrips and floating docks. No queues, no stress – just seamless hops between wilderness lodges, with breathtaking vistas unfolding from take-off to landing.

Days at Siwash Lake Wilderness Resort settle into a wonderfully gentle rhythm. Ride sure-footed horses across open rangeland and through fragrant forest, pause for a lakeside picnic, then plunge from the dock or paddle a canoe as loons call. Evenings bring fireside suppers, stargazing and hot tubs beneath expansive Cariboo skies – no light pollution, little phone signal and every reason to switch off completely.

From late summer into autumn, grizzlies and black bears are often seen along the Atnarko River, fishing for salmon and foraging along the riverbanks. Guides lead small groups by raft or on foot to prime viewing spots, maintaining a respectful distance so you can observe these extraordinary animals entirely on their own terms.

Even outside prime bear season, time in the Bella Coola Valley feels like stepping into a hidden kingdom. Mornings might start with coffee on your verandah as mist lifts from the Atnarko River, before venturing out with guides to heli-hike alpine ridges or drift silently by raft. Evenings offer superb local suppers, crackling fires and stories shared beneath towering, starlit peaks.

In this remote corner, life follows a blissfully watery rhythm. Spend your days exploring the maze of inlets by boat, kayak or paddleboard, edging close to rocky islets where seals haul out and eagles scan the surface. Venture into Johnstone Strait in search of humpbacks and orcas or slip into a sheltered bay for a saltwater swim before easing into a cedar hot tub and enjoying exquisitely fresh, locally caught seafood.

On land and in the air, this region unfolds into a wild coastal playground. Follow guides along soft forest trails, weaving between ancient cedars and moss-draped trunks or bushwhack to hidden viewpoints overlooking the fjords. Take to the skies by helicopter to land on glacier-fed tarns or a remote mountaintop for a picnic with no one else in sight. Back at the lodge, ease tired limbs with a massage in the forest-fringed spa.