Journey Into Desolation Sound

“So, have you been to Klahoose before?” asks our shaggy-haired pilot, Mike as we walk down the ramp to our seaplane at Fraser River terminal in Vancouver. My husband and I shake our heads.

"Neither have I,” he says with a chuckle. “Don’t worry, we’ll find it.”

Thank heavens for GPS.

With miles and miles of untamed rainforest, one could easily miss the tiny reddish cedar speck that is Klahoose Wilderness Resort’s main lodge. Fortunately, Mike has bald eagle vision and lands his plane like the same bird swooping in for a fish.

Photo by Dolf Vermeulen/Klahoose Wilderness Resort

Owned by the Klahoose (toq qaymɩxʷ)First Nation, this off-grid, eco resort is nestled in one of Desolation Sound’s many inlets. We step off the plane and marvel at the landscape around us. The sheer scale of the mountains, like giant sleeping bears, is enough to bring you to your knees.

“This is your home for the next few days,” says Leon Timothy of Tla'amin Nation as he and his team –– cultural interpreters, guides, cooks and skippers –– welcome us to Klahoose with warm smiles and beating drums. “Welcome! ʔi:mot tətᶿ kʷənome...it's good to see you!…” they all sing in unison.

There are few experiences that bring us this close to the rawness and majesty of nature. Within an hour of arrival, we’ve leapt off the massive dock into waters as deep as the mountains are high, only to see three seal heads –– black as liquorice –– bobbing in the water alongside us.

Early the next morning, one of the resort’s skippers invites us to pull in the prawn traps with him, prawns that later land on our plates.

“Welcome! ʔi:mot tətᶿ kʷənome...it's good to see you!”

Photo by Dolf Vermeulen/Klahoose Wilderness Resort

When we journey into the Toba Inlet, a deep fjord northeast of Campbell River, everyone is keen to spot a bear, a pod of orcas or a humpback. Just to know that we’re swimming in their waters, hiking in their tracks, is enough of a thrill for my husband and I.

After lunch and some fishing off the side of the boat, we stop at a waterfall and a few of us jump into the exhilaratingly cold pool of glacial melt. “This is what the money’s for!” exclaims one guest, pure joy splashed across her face.

Photo by Dolf Vermeulen/Klahoose Wilderness Resort

Photo by Dolf Vermeulen/Klahoose Wilderness Resort

As we speed back to the resort — the vast waters changing shades from sea foam to indigo to black — our guide and cultural interpreter, Randy Louie shares his knowledge of the land. We stop so he can show us some Petroglyphs — a fish, a boat, a caribou –– in rock faces close to the resort. Randy says these finger painted markings could date as far back as the wooly mammoth. No one knows for sure.

Photo by Dolf Vermeulen/Klahoose Wilderness Resort

Later that afternoon, I walk into the forest that surrounds the main lodge and I feel like I’ve entered some mystical land where trees wear moss green velvet cloaks and the light on their branches is spun from gold. I’m humming loudly as I walk just in case there are any grizzlies lurking behind the trees.

After a communal supper of cedar plank salmon (Leon’s catch) and a traditional smudge ceremony, Randy continues with his teachings as he walks us through the making of a deer skin drum. Corol, another young cultural Interpreter, shows our eight-year-old daughter how to make a rose from cedar bark. Other guests make hats from slithers of dried bark, or whittle tiny paddles from cedar wood with a pocket knife.

Down at the dock, a British family swims under the moonlight sky while a couple from Singapore basks in the sauna. One guest, a teacher from Vancouver Island, stays in the water well past midnight. “How often do we get to float in a darkened, silent ocean watching a Perseids shower?”

How often, indeed. Like many things experienced at Klahoose, it’s once in a lifetime.

Why Travel To Klahoose?

Photo by Dolf Vermeulen/Klahoose Wilderness Resort

Photo by Destination Canada

Remote but Accessible

Klahoose Wilderness Resort is located just north of the Sunshine Coast in a deep water channel known as Thee chum mi yich in the Salish language.

To get here, you can take a seaplane from Vancouver or drive to Klah ah men (Lund) and get picked up by the resort's water taxi.

Photo by Dolf Vermeulen/Klahoose Wilderness Resort

All-Inclusive Rooms with Views

The resort offers 3- or 4-night, all-inclusive stays with accommodations either in Lodge Rooms, all of which have balconies overlooking the water, or in private cabins.

Included in the stay are wildlife and cultural tours, meals, as well as wine and beer served with dinner.

Photo by Klahoose Wilderness Resort

Indigenous-owned & Operated

The resort is located in the traditional toq qaymɩxʷ (Klahoose Nation) territory, which extends from Toba Inlet in Desolation Sound to the northern islands of the Strait of Georgia.

Guests take part in authentic experiences led by members of this community.

Photo by Dolf Vermeulen/Klahoose Wilderness Resort

Wildlife & Language

Efforts to revitalize the Klahoose language are underway as there is currently estimated to be less than 50 speakers of the ʔayʔaǰuθəm language.

Follow this link to read about the titačumɩxʷ (animals) that live in this stunning wilderness and learn their Indigenous names. This includes the nənqəm (killer whale) and the qaykʷ (eagle).

Photo by Dolf Vermeulen/Klahoose Wilderness Resort

Commitment to Sustainability

The resort was recently granted the prestigious Silver Certification from GreenStep Sustainable Tourism, which is a company that assesses tourism businesses for their environmental impact.

This is just one demonstration of the resort's commitment to sustainability. You can read more about their efforts here.

Photo by Chase Teron

Spring & Fall Bear Viewing

Due to its spectacular location, the Klahoose Wilderness Resort is a prime spot to see Xawgəs (Grizzly) and mɛxaɬ (Black) bears.

In the spring, guests can see both types from boats as the bears feed near estuaries and along beaches. In late summer & fall, grizzlies can be seen from viewing platforms overlooking rivers filled with spawning salmon.

Athena Tsavliris

Athena Tsavliris is a lifestyle writer with a focus on decor, fashion, food and family life. She has written for Toronto Life, the National Post, the Toronto Star, Uppercase, House & Home, Chatelaine and Today's Parent. Pottery is a more recent passion, and you'll often find her running around Toronto covered in clay dust and blue glaze. Athena loves to swim, preferably in the sea. She lives with her husband and their three children in Toronto's south Annex.